Chamber and committees

With regard to the proposed consultation on the health and wellbeing strategy for prisons, we had, as we have mentioned, an interesting visit last week to HMP Edinburgh, where we had discussions about the profile of the population that is cared for there. I found the discussion really interesting and extremely insightful. I am also interested to hear about how we care for people who are in police custody. Are there approaches that are based on human rights and are holistic, and which might use the opportunity of a person being in police custody to implement a wraparound rapid crisis response in order to turn a negative experience into a positive one? Do you have any plans to extend health and wellbeing strategies in prisons to police custody settings?

It is great to hear that, and I acknowledge what is being done. It is important that we recognise that. I have a final question on the role of the third sector in that big piece of work. We should make sure that we support the third sector, as we all know about the amazing and vital contribution that it makes. Will consideration be given to making sufficient funding and support available for the third sector, particularly as we come out of Covid?

Thank you, cabinet secretary. Does anybody have any questions?

The next item of business is consideration of a legislative consent memorandum for the UK Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. I welcome back Keith Brown, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans. I also welcome Graham Thomson, the head of the Scottish Government’s police powers and workforce unit. I refer members to paper 3.

I invite the cabinet secretary to make a short opening statement.

The committee will now consider the legislative consent memorandum for the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. I invite views from members on any issues that they wish to be included in the committee’s report on the LCM.

Before we move on, Ms Denham might want to say a few words on this topic.

Minister, would you like to make some remarks?

As we still have a wee bit of time, I will call Mr MacGregor for a couple of supplementary questions, to be followed by Mr Greene.

The co-operation agreement includes a £500 million just transition fund for the north-east and Moray. Will the First Minister provide further detail on how the fund will support people who are seeking to move from the oil and gas sector to green jobs?

Last week, along with my Aberdeen Donside MSP colleague, I attended a briefing with the Scottish co-ordinator of a UK veterans charity and heard a sobering account of the multiple challenges that homeless veterans in the north-east continue to face, whose situation has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

I am aware that ministers are currently considering the Scottish veterans commissioner’s report “Housing: Making a Home in Civilian Society”. What update can the First Minister provide on progress in considering and acting on the recommendations that are made in that report?