Chamber and committees

I think that Jamie Greene has a question on this issue.

I note that you spoke about the demands on staff, particularly those that arose from Covid but also the general demands that arise from your increased prison population and the different population types for which you care. Will you comment on the staffing challenges that you face from Covid, such as shortages of staff, issues with morale and increased incidences of violence?

We had a helpful visit to HMP Edinburgh earlier this year that helped to focus our thinking about staffing challenges. Issues with recruitment and retention might apply not only to prison staff but, for example, to healthcare workers. I am interested in the short to medium-term budgetary considerations that you have to make to get to a point at which working in the prison sector is a career of choice for many people.

Thank you—that is very helpful. I will hand over to Pauline McNeill, who is interested in an issue to do with cell occupancy.

Before I do that, the clerk has helpfully updated me on the issue of prison construction timescales. I understand that HMP Barlinnie is due to be completed and ready for operation in 2025. As that project was first presented to ministers in 2011, that is a significant timescale. I thought that that information would be of interest, given that we consider that aspect to be a very important issue.

We move on to the issue of Covid deaths, with questions from Russell Findlay.

Do you want to turn to the issue of fatal accident inquiries, Russell?

Thank you very much. Bearing in mind that we have covered the issue of recruitment to quite an extent, I hand over the questioning to Collette Stevenson.

I will bring in Superintendent Conway, followed by Natalie Logan MacLean. I ask you to be brief, if you can.

Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the Criminal Justice Committee’s eighth meeting in 2021. There are no apologies.

Under agenda item 1, does the committee agree to take in private items 3 and 4, which are a discussion of our work programme and consideration of today’s evidence?

Members indicated agreement.

That is very helpful. I will ask Louise Stevenson the same question. Will you say a little about your personal experience? How have you been impacted by the way in which we deal with drug misuse issues in the criminal justice system? Do you have any other comments that would be helpful for us?

Thank you—that is very helpful. I think that we have managed to sort out the echo on the line. I now ask Natalie Logan MacLean the same questions.