Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has committed to a three-year implementation plan. Is that reasonable and realistic, bearing in mind what you have just said about the need to get things right from the beginning to avoid litigation?

Thank you very much.

Andrew Tickell, let us come back to your opening statement. The committee welcomes your perspective on the bill. It is our job to scrutinise it in the widest possible sense, so we are on the same page.

What is your view of the Scottish Government’s approach to responding to the Supreme Court judgment and its proposed amendments? The general view of the previous panel of witnesses was that there is no alternative. Do you have a perspective on that?

The Scottish Government’s proposals.

I get that, but there is a legitimate criticism that people are happy to say what they want but will not say by when they want it. This is an opportunity to hear your views, so I will push you on that. You might not want the timescale to be as narrow as six months, but that is what is in front of us. Have a go at giving us a timescale.

On that note, I thank all the witnesses for appearing.

That concludes the formal part of our business, and I wish everyone well for the rest of their day.

We resume with our next panel of witnesses. I welcome Councillor Tony Buchanan, who is the children and young people board spokesperson from COSLA. I also welcome Derek Frew, who is the temporary chief superintendent, head of partnerships, prevention and community wellbeing from Police Scotland, and Dr Andrew Tickell, who is a senior lecturer in law at Glasgow Caledonian University. I welcome all three of them and thank them for joining us.

I will invite each witness to make some brief opening remarks, should they wish to do so, before we move to questions from me and from other committee members. I invite Councillor Buchanan to speak first.

Juliet, do you want to comment?

As no one else wants to comment on that, I go back to Fulton MacGregor.

I do not think that he can hear me.

Thank you.

Thank you, and welcome to your role. Congratulations on your appointment—I believe that this is your first appearance before the committee.

I see that Gina Wilson does not wish to add anything for now.