Chamber and committees

Mr Macpherson, do you want to keep going and ask an additional question about the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service?

We will move to questions. I remind members to focus on the budget and to keep questions and responses as succinct as possible because our time is limited.

I will kick off with a question about multiyear funding. The organisations that took part in our evidence sessions on budget scrutiny consistently told the committee about the benefits of multiyear funding and said that any move towards that should take place across the whole justice system.

Do you agree that that would bring benefits for long-term planning and managing resources and would give financial certainty? If so, can you provide an update on the Scottish Government’s position on that change?

Part of your role involves engaging with international partners at conferences and other events, which are really important opportunities to hear and find out about practice, policy developments and the direction of travel in other jurisdictions. What have you learned? Has any particular practice come to your notice that you feel might be relevant to the Scottish biometrics landscape?

Our next item of business is an evidence session with the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner’s team on its work in the past year and its plans for the future. I am pleased to be joined by Dr Brian Plastow, commissioner, and Ross MacDonald, director. I refer members to paper 4. I intend to allow up to 60 minutes for the session. I invite the commissioner to make a short opening statement to highlight the main points in his annual report, before we move to questions.

We are slightly over time, but I still want to bring in Sharon Dowey. I ask for succinct questions and responses.

I have a question that sticks with the Scottish Prison Service. In its evidence, it advised that it will require an increased budget of £387 million in 2025-26. The bulk of that would be for the construction of HMP Highland and HMP Glasgow—we understand that a contract has yet to be signed for the replacement of HMP Barlinnie. Will the cabinet secretary give us some more detail about the costs of its construction and whether they will be met, regardless of whether they increase beyond the current capital budget ask by the Scottish Prison Service?

Thank you for that.

I will ask a final question then draw things to a close. Your annual report helpfully sets out some of the detail of the costs that are associated with the commissioner function, which is very helpful, and you gave helpful evidence at the recent Finance and Public Administration Committee inquiry into the commissioner landscape. That has now been debated in the Parliament, and there is agreement that there will be a review process. What we have heard today has helped in the understanding of the technical nature of the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner. I am interested in any last reflections that you might have about the importance and relevance of the role—about which, given what we have heard today, we have no doubt.

Liam Kerr has a follow-up question.

Katy Clark has a question on disposals.