Legislation does not require Scottish Ministers to consult before using the Emergency Early Release (EER) power contained within the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993 (as inserted by Section 11 of the Bail & Release from Custody Act 2023) due to its emergency function.Its use in June-July 2024 in relation to the EER for prison population overcrowding was accepted by the Parliament Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee as within the limits of the relevant legislation.Individuals registered for the Victims Notification Scheme (VNS) were notified if the prisoner related to their case was to be released early under the EER process.Engagement with Victim Support Organisations (VSOs) was part of the development of the EER, specifically, arrangements were made to prescribe a number of VSOs under section 14 of the 2023 Act to enable them to request specified information from the SPS on behalf of victims (who have confirmed that they wish the VSO to do so). S6W...