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I am concerned that there appears to be a trend in local authorities to prioritising cutting the cost of the services while not necessarily taking into account how best value can be achieved for the limited expenditure that is possible.
In Italy, for example, a conviction is allowed on a simple majority, but two judges sit alongside six lay jurors. In Belgium, jurors can convict on a simple majority, but a unanimous panel of judges can overturn an erroneous verdict.
Fortunately, we have an alternative, because we had the Smith commission proposals to give the Scottish Parliament proper financial accountability. I warmly suppose those proposals; I think that it is right that we are more accountable for the money that we raise.