Chamber and committees

I want to ask about the issue of better alignment of the treatment that vulnerable witnesses get in civil and criminal courts. Scottish Women’s Aid has highlighted that as a concern in its submission. Is that something that could be looked at and worked on as the bill is going through? How much concern do you have about that?

Two good things. Thank you.

Did you get any robust explanation from the groups as to why implementation did not happen, or did it just not happen and there was no comeback on that?

Good morning. I am trying to establish the process of the group. You say that there has been reluctance to accept some of the findings of the report. How often, if at all, did all parties meet round the table to discuss issues, and why did you get the impression that there was resistance?

On average, how many times a year do you have those meetings to get together and look at the data?

Could you have set a timeline or deadline for any of the implementation? Would it be within your remit to do that?

It seems that there are a lot of working groups. Is there a lack of communication? Is the structure too layered, so that people are off in their own silos doing stuff but nothing is actually being done? How do you feel about that as the chair? Has your position been undermined by the delays?

Four times this year?

I have not had the chance to read the domestic abuse and stalking charges report that was published on 12 September, but I look forward to reading that, because I think that it will bring up a lot of information.

I am not clear whether there are statistics on the coercive element of the act in the main findings of the report. I am not sure whether the statistics that are used include those that are related to the new statutory offence of

“a course of behaviour which is abusive of the person’s partner or ex-partner”

that might be considered to be coercive. The report does not state that; I would quite like to know whether that is the case.

I am interested in the stalking charges. The paper says:

“921 stalking charges … were reported to”

the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and,

“Of these, 485 … were identified as domestic abuse.”

Those are really useful statistics to have but, once I have read the full report, I will be better informed.

Thanks. Mr Page, you talk about your reform budget. What is that exactly—what does that mean?