Chamber and committees

I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for supporting amendments 46 and 47 in my name. I welcome the additional amendments that she lodged, which provide comprehensive detail on the guidance set out on release planning. I have nothing further to add beyond the points that I set out earlier. I will press amendment 46.

Amendment 46 agreed to.

Amendment 47 moved—[Audrey Nicoll]—and agreed to.

Amendment 48 moved—[Angela Constance]—and agreed to.

Section 10—Throughcare support

Amendment 49 moved—[Angela Constance]—and agreed to.

The recently published “European Drug Report 2023” highlights that, across Europe, opioids, in combination with other substances, remain the group of substances that are most commonly implicated in drug-related deaths. It also notes that the proportion of deaths among older age groups is increasing. Furthermore, the report highlights that the hidden and stigmatised nature of high-risk drug use makes preventing and responding to drug harm extremely difficult.

With reference to MAT standard 3, can the minister outline the progress that is being made to ensure that people at high risk of drug-related harm are proactively identified and offered support to commence or continue MAT?

As the minister has explained at some length, the narrow limits within which we can carry forward additional resource makes managing underspend a very careful balancing act. How does the Scottish Government’s underspend compare with that of other devolved nations that are also required to balance their budgets?

Finally, I invite members to agree to delegate to me and the clerks the publication of a short factual report on the SSI.

Members indicated agreement.

My question was whether you had had sight of the Scottish Police Federation’s submission and had had an opportunity to consider the points that it made about the constitution.

That is helpful. I point out that, in its submission, the Scottish Police Federation says that it feels that the proposals are

“relatively strong in our favour and in the spirit of fairness, acceptable to SPF.”

I open the questioning to other members.

I will pick up and clarify the point about the options for the committee today. We are aware that the Scottish Police Federation has made a number of recommendations for amending the SSI and, as the cabinet secretary has pointed out, it is not possible for a committee to do that, in so far as SSIs come to committee as they are and we either agree them or do not. The only option available to members if they wish to see changes is to vote against the motion or to ask whether there is scope for the SSI to be withdrawn and brought back in a revised version. From what the cabinet secretary has said, she is not minded to do that. I hope that that provides some clarity.

I will try to pull the discussion together. I appreciate the points that members have made and the cabinet secretary’s responses to them.

It is important to clarify that the federation seems to seek that the wording of the constitution be amended. We have heard—I refer specifically to the update from Louise Miller—that, down the line, the constitution can be amended, which would be a separate process from agreeing the SSI in its current form today.

Is that correct, cabinet secretary?

Thanks very much, cabinet secretary. I hope that that has been helpful and provided some clarity for members.

On that note, I will move on and invite the cabinet secretary to move motion S6M-08783.

Motion moved,

That the Criminal Justice Committee recommends that the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland (Constitution, Arbitration and Qualifying Cases) Regulations 2023 [draft] be approved.—[Angela Constance]

Motion agreed to.

I thank the cabinet secretary and her officials for joining us.

That concludes our business for the morning. There is no formal committee meeting next week, as planned.