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A recent example of what Liam McArthur is asking about is the islands screening assessment that was carried out by the Minister for Social Security on the implications of the Social Security (Scotland) Bill. That led to no extra costs for anybody. It picked up in particular the issues of fuel poverty and disability assistance in the islands.
The Glasgow Bar Association has expressed concern that it might create extra pressure on other personnel if prosecutors are not expected to provide the background information.
There are perverse incentives for contractors not to mark their own homework down, which would force them to rebuild walls. It would cost them extra money and delays that could lead to liquidated damages.
A background report might have to be produced for every case. In all these cases, an extra background report would not be required; the court would ask the fiscal for input about the victim’s perspective.
They are subject to absolutely rigorous checks, because the way that the system works with England and Northern Ireland means that those payments are made off system, so an extra level of checking has to be done.
Comparing the fertility rates of the Scottish population and the Polish population is not the statistic to look at, because the immigrants are younger and are having more children, which is why there is extra demand for education services or whatever.
I may be wrong. Maybe the councillors here have extra prefab units to use. I am conscious that we are not the Education and Skills Committee; we are the Local Government and Communities Committee.
The medium-term and long-term financial planning that they face under the current financial pressures make life very difficult—we understand that—but they have the added extra of council debt. That debt can have a huge implication for the financial stability and sustainability of a council.