Chamber and committees

As there are no more questions, I invite the minister to move motion S6M-05162.

Motion moved,

That the Criminal Justice Committee recommends that the Advice and Assistance (Summary Criminal Proceedings) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 [draft] be approved.—[Ash Regan]

Motion agreed to.

Good morning, and welcome to the 24th meeting in 2022 of the Criminal Justice Committee. We have received no apologies. Our first item is a decision on whether to take item 6 in private. Do members agree to take item 6 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Thanks for that, minister. I will open it up for members to ask questions.

Did you want to come in, Fulton?

I thank the minister very much for attending. That concludes our consideration of the SSI.

We now move into private session. Details of the next meeting will be announced in due course in the Business Bulletin.

The committee will now consider an affirmative Scottish statutory instrument. I refer members to paper 1. The SSI seeks to amend the current advice and assistance regulations to support a sheriff court initiative that seeks to encourage appropriate early resolution of summary criminal cases.

I welcome Ash Regan, the Minister for Community Safety, and her officials to the meeting, and I invite the minister to make a short statement on the SSI.

Does the member agree that the new triage models that GPs are introducing, which include the use of advanced nurse practitioners, for example, are stabilising daytime services in a GP practice and go some way to reducing the pressures on out-of-hours services? A GP in my constituency highlighted that to me recently.

Over the past week or 10 days or so, in my constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, there have been flowers, flags, pictures, notices of closures on shop doors and a kind of quietness—all reflecting the sadness and shock felt on the occasion of the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

Across Scotland and beyond, we have seen a profound but truly fitting outpouring of sorrow, but also a celebration of a life given to others. That sorrow has been felt by many across the age span, and has been reflected in many cultures and communities, all paying tribute to the Queen and her dedication, commitment and unwavering public duty. People from all walks of life have been uniting to share a moment of reflection and sadness as they come to terms with the loss of their Queen.

For many people, the Queen was the only monarch that they have known in their lifetime; she was a steadying figure who led all who loved her through decades of change, conflict and the challenges of life. She was a reassuring constant in the lives of many people, steadying the ship in times of uncertainty.

Like many of us, the Queen experienced pain and loss: bereavement, family break-up, ill health and, of course, Covid. Alongside our sorrow, this is a time to celebrate the contribution that the Queen made to the lives of so many people through her experience and wisdom and, of course, that sense of humour, giving people she met lifelong memories of a joke shared or a conversation remembered.

My personal reflections of the Queen come from undertaking many security duties at her numerous public engagements in the north-east, and from observing her personal routine, including Sunday service at Crathie church on Deeside, which was a familiar but relaxed interlude from public duties for her, spent famong her family and friends. She also had a willingness to embrace modern life while maintaining that all-important royal tradition.

I will share a final memory: the reflections of an artist who was featured in one of the many royal documentaries that were aired recently on TV and who painted one of the Queen’s many portraits. On arrival for the Queen’s first sitting, he was patiently waiting when she entered the room and kindly told him to tell her what he wanted her to do. He did so, to which she turned, looked at him quizzically and replied, “You can’t make me do that,” to which he politely responded, “Well, I’ll try anyway.” They both smiled, which made me smile, too.

The national mission outlines the Scottish Government’s commitment to increasing distribution and availability of naloxone. I recently worked in partnership with Alcohol and Drugs Action in Aberdeen to train my staff to administer naloxone. Further to the update that was provided in her statement, will the minister outline how the Scottish Government will ensure that those who work in our emergency services and our prison population and staff have access to and training to administer naloxone, given its efficacy in saving lives?

Absolutely. Are members happy with that?

Members indicated agreement.