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I add my sympathy for those who have lost loved ones, and I express, on behalf of all the committee’s members, our thanks to all those who are working so hard to keep us safe and well.
We have heard reports that, because of the penalties involved, organised crime groups might consider things such as illegal puppy dealing or puppy importing to be relatively low risk compared with other criminal activities, such as dealing in drugs or firearms. That view has certainly been expressed. Okay. The bill is about penalties, not new offences.
I think that we do not have the expertise to comment on what happens in the children’s hearings system, so I prefer not to express a view. That is still helpful.
I would probably disagree with you that we are not sharing best practice—in fact, that is very much a feature of the group. What we have tried to express in our submission to the committee is that there is a common approach across councils.
Rachel Cackett pointed out that boards are under pressure to meet clinical targets on reduced budgets, which written submissions have suggested can often feel unrealistic and demoralise staff. Some submissions expressed a lack of trust that boards make decisions in the best interests of the public—one submission said that there was real frustration about th...
The disappointment that some committees have expressed—both in the Scottish Parliament and at Westminster—about the joint ministerial committee process highlights where things need to change.
There has always been a view, which has been expressed in different quarters, that the procurement regulations could have been used a bit more proactively.
Questions and Answers
Date answered:
29 January 2015
VisitScotland, in conjunction with CalMac, is looking at an additional marketing investment to encourage visitors and mitigate any impact the islands may suffer from the short term disruption at Ullapool.