³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Thank you.

Jamie Greene has a quick question.

Good morning, and welcome to the 13th meeting in 2023 of the Criminal Justice Committee. We have received apologies from Pauline McNeill this morning.

Our first item of business is consideration of whether to take item 6, on our approach to legislation, in private. Do we agree to take that item in private?

Members indicated agreement.

I thank members, the minister and her officials for their time. That concludes our business in public, and we now move into private session.

Our next item of business is an oral evidence session on the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 (Consequential Modifications, Saving and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2023. This affirmative instrument, along with the negative instrument that we will consider later in the meeting, forms a package of Scottish statutory instrument that brings certain provisions of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 into force. We will also take this opportunity to consider correspondence from the Minister for Victims and Community Safety on the timetable for the implementation of the remaining provisions of the 2022 act.

I welcome to the meeting Siobhian Brown MSP, the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, and, from the Scottish Government, Ms Mary Hockenhull, safer communities policy; Fiona McDiarmid, unit head, building safer communities; and Clare McKinlay, solicitor.

I take the opportunity to welcome Ms Brown to her new role. I refer members to committee papers 1 and 2, and I invite the minister to speak to the affirmative instrument.

I have a quick follow-up question. Without straying from the focus of the session, which is around place and space, it is important that communities and organisations are confident of funding sustainability. I am interested in your comments on models of funding that can provide that reassurance.

I have been listening with interest, particularly to the discussion on place-based policy. One thing that is coming into my head is the economic benefit that you bring to local areas when you are out in communities, cities and so on. I am thinking about, for example, the tie-in that some of your annual programme has with hospitality and tourism. What work has been done to look at the benefit that you bring to local economies? Forgive me if my next question has been covered already, given that a lot has been discussed. In addition to your engagement with partners and communities on performance, can you say a little about the mentoring that you do of local actors and performers through masterclass or mentoring opportunities?

Good morning to the witnesses. I will focus my questions on the role of corporate social responsibility. It may tie in a little bit with what you outlined, Professor Stevenson.

My constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine is up in the north-east. I was interested to hear Professor Miles’s contribution about the Peterculter project, which is in my constituency. Historically, the north-east has benefited from a buoyant energy sector, and we know that that sector—and, I am sure, others—has been very supportive of arts and culture. It has supported everything from a local knitting club to, for example, the BP portrait award. It is right across the span. With regard to place, access to space and the democratisation of culture, I am interested in your comments about the role of corporate social responsibility and the provision, whether that is of funding or a venue, to support culture in communities.

I have nothing to declare, convener.

Okay—thank you.

To pull together members’ comments, I probably agree with everything that has been said. There is a very challenging financial climate for Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. It has been helpful to hear your comments, in particular on the information that we have received about body-worn cameras, and I will come back to that.

I have just a couple of points. I noted with interest the discussion that took place at the 23 March meeting of the Scottish Police Authority, where it discussed its budget. I have to say it was a comprehensive discussion, with a lot of probing questions for the chief constable and a helpful overview of the approach that Police Scotland will take in extremely challenging circumstances. It certainly acknowledged the hard choices and the prioritisation of resources that will be required.

Obviously, there is the issue of the pressure of pay awards. Jamie Greene is right to point out the additional funding that was provided by the Scottish Government, around 50 per cent of which has gone to pay awards.

The budget was approved. Police Scotland presented a balanced budget, which was approved by the resources committee at that meeting. I was interested in a comment by the chief constable that, to a certain extent, the difficulties and the challenges that the budget presented this year led to the budget almost never having been so informed. I am not at all saying that it is a bed of roses; nonetheless, it is obvious that a lot of work has been undertaken.

As members have pointed out, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is facing very challenging circumstances in relation to property assets, such as vehicles, and pay awards. It is a very difficult environment. I took time to look at the Audit Scotland report that the service referenced in its response and at the challenge that is posed by the legacy of the financial circumstances that the individual fire services faced at the time of their amalgamation. If anything, I would be keen to observe and monitor developments around the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service budget.

As Rona Mackay said, the budget process is now complete, and I am sure that organisations are now thinking about next year’s budget. I am pleased that we have had some helpful contributions on the budget issue, and I am happy to keep budgetary issues under review.

Finally, on body-worn cameras, I always try to strike a balance in progressing work and not getting into ping-pong correspondence. Nonetheless, on this issue, maybe we can do some follow-up work to get a bit more clarity around the context of where we are with timescales and funding. I am happy to take that away and correspond with members on how we can take forward that work, given that we have quite a busy work programme coming down the track.

Jamie, do you want to come back in?

There are a couple of things there. You may recall the correspondence that we received from the Lord Advocate back in January. She said that every death by suicide of a police officer or staff member is fully investigated by the Crown as a matter of course. Obviously, issues around a person’s employment or duties may come into that investigation.

It is also worth noting that we expect to be looking at those issues, when we look at the forthcoming police complaints and misconduct bill, probably in the autumn. That might be the opportunity for us to further probe the issue.

Your points are noted, Mr Greene, and I absolutely agree with them.