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First, we have now embarked on the parliamentary process, so I cannot pre-announce the final decisions before the introduction of the new climate change bill.
My office calls it “dual scrutiny”; at Westminster, it is called a “pre-appointment” hearing, because, as I am sure Mr Neil knows, in most cases at Westminster, the minister can decide to proceed with the appointment even if the committee does not favour the nominee.
I am conscious that many of the offences occurred a considerable time ago, so it is important to ensure that we capture as much information as possible from the person who makes the application. We are talking about pre-1980 offences, so people’s recall of dates and exact circumstances may have changed.
Under the new system, there will be the concept of pre-charge arrest, which means that they must have a solicitor there as soon as they are brought to the police station, which obviously has huge cost implications.
As the Scottish transport appraisal guidance pre-appraisal study moves forward, a key aspect will be engagement with stakeholders, and there will be opportunities to engage with the study before the initial report in autumn 2018.
Those programmes—particularly the pre-medical entry programme—specifically address the point that Alex Neil made about getting into medicine people from more disadvantaged backgrounds and from our rural areas.