Chamber and committees

<>I have yesterday laid before Parliament the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2013 (www.scotland.gov.uk/FireFramework2013), setting out the priorities and objectives for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) which takes on its full range of functions from 1 April 2013. The Framework is structured around the aims of fire reform, namely protecting and improving local services and reducing duplication; creating more equal access to specialist support and national capacity; and strengthening the connection between fire and rescue services and communities.

It is now for the SFRS to set out in its first Strategic Plan how it will deliver the priorities identified in the Fire and Rescue Framework.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Framework and Appointed Day for Strategic Plan) Order 2013, which will bring the Fire and Rescue Framework into effect, also sets the appointed day by which the SFRS must use its best endeavours to achieve Ministerial sign off of its strategic plan. That day is 1 October 2013.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and the Police Service of Scotland will deliver the statutory policing principles set out in the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. The SPA is the national body responsible for the governance of policing in Scotland. It will allocate resources to the Chief Constable and hold him to account for the policing of Scotland and the delivery of statutory functions, in turn accounting to Scottish Ministers for policing and the functions the SPA is directly responsible for, including the Forensic Service and Independent Custody Visiting.

The priorities are intended to clearly incorporate the contribution which policing can make to achieve the Scottish Government’s purpose and national outcomes, and the related priorities within the Strategy for Justice. Consistent with our wider ambition for public services, these are strongly underpinned by the four pillars of public service reform – prevention, performance, people and partnership.

They are intended to set clear national priorities but also to empower local commanders to work with partners in the public, private and third sectors, and local communities within the Community Planning framework to deliver greater integration of services at a local level driven by better partnership, collaboration and effective local delivery.

We expect that further specific and measurable deliverables relating to Scottish Government’s national outcomes will be included in the Strategic Plan which the SPA will draft on the basis of the strategic priorities.

The strategic priorities are:

Make communities safer and reduce harm by tackling and investigating crime and demonstrating pioneering approaches to prevention and collaboration at a national and local level.

Actively support a decisive shift towards prevention by promoting evidence based practice and effective partnerships to make the most of collective resource, knowledge and expertise, especially around reducing violence and reoffending, substance misuse, promoting better outcomes for young people who offend and protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults.

 

National outcome 4: Our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.

National outcome 5: Our children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed.

National outcome 6: We live longer, healthier lives.

National outcome 8: We have improved the life chances for children, young people and families at risk.

National outcome 9: We live our lives safe from crime, disorder and danger

Strengthen Scotland’s reputation as a successful and safe country by demonstrating excellence in effectively planning for and responding to major events and threats.

Work across national, international and organisational boundaries to ensure the Commonwealth Games and other important events are safe and secure; contribute effectively to multi agency arrangements to deal with emergencies; and minimise threats to our communities arising from extremism and serious organised crime.

National outcome 1: We live in a Scotland that is the most attractive place for doing business in Europe.

National outcome 9: We live our lives safe from crime, disorder and danger.

National outcome 11: We have strong, resilient and supportive communities where people take responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others.

Provide an efficient, effective service focused on protecting frontline services, delivering the benefits of police reform and promoting continuous improvement.

Deliver the three benefits of reform and work with others to ensure that the criminal justice system is fair and accessible, using science, technology and innovation to support the delivery of an effective and efficient police service.

National outcome 14: We reduce the local and global environmental impact of our consumption and production.

National outcome 16: Our public services are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to people’s needs.

Make communities stronger and improve wellbeing by increasing public confidence and reducing fear of crime, making the new Police Service of Scotland an exemplar of visible, ethical and responsive policing.

Ensure that victims, witnesses and communities experience positive engagement with the police by providing inspirational leadership and embedding a culture, identity and values which provide a highly skilled and motivated workforce to deliver improved local services with the consent and involvement of communities.

National outcome 6: We live longer, healthier lives.

National outcome 7: We have tackled the significant inequalities in Scottish society.

National outcome 9: We live our lives safe from crime, disorder and danger

National outcome 11: We have strong, resilient and supportive communities where people take responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others.

National outcome 13: We take pride in a strong, fair and inclusive national identity.

National outcome 13: We take pride in a strong, fair and inclusive national identity.

National outcome 16: Our public services are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to local people’s needs.

Notes: 1. Protect and improve local services despite financial cuts, by stopping duplication of support services eight times over and not cutting front line services.

2. Create more equal access to specialist support and national capacity where and when they are needed.

3. Strengthen the connection between services and communities, by creating a new formal relationship with each of the 32 local authorities, involving many more local councillors and better integrating with Community Planning Partnerships.

The sums that have been paid to the UK Treasury from the Scottish Consolidated Fund for each year from 1999-2000 to 2011-12 in respect of fines forfeitures and fixed penalties is given in the table.

 

The figures extracted from the accounts of the Scottish Consolidated Fund relate to the value of fines, forfeitures and fixed penalties paid to HM Treasury during any given year. It should be noted that the value remitted in a given year does not directly relate to the value of fines imposed in that year. Fines are not necessarily paid over in the financial year in which they are collected.

 

YEAR £(m) 1999-00 13.0 2000-01 14.5 2001-021 27.1 2002-03 20.8 2003-04 31.1 2004-05 36.6 2005-06 41.8 2006-07 35.9 2007-08 26.1 2008-09 0 2009-102 57.7 2010-11 32.9 2011-12 32.0

Note: 1. Includes £3.8 million which was applicable to 2000-01. Note 2. In 2008-09 a new Designated Receipts Order came into force and £32.2 million due to be paid to HM Treasury was held until completion of the annual audit. The Order reclassified fines resulting from Justice of the Peace business as non-designated therefore relieving us of the obligation to pay £4.1 million for 2008-09 to HM Treasury.

The total paid to HM Treasury during 2011-12 from the Scottish Consolidated Fund was £32.0 million in respect of fines.

The total paid is made up of £28.5 million received from Scottish Government Justice Finance on behalf of the Scottish Court Service in 2011-12 and £3.5 million paid into the fund in 2010-11 but not remitted to HM Treasury until 2011-12.

The fund does not hold any further breakdown of the sums remitted.

I asked Professor Andrew Coyle, Emeritus Professor of Prison Studies in the University of London and Visiting Professor in the University of Essex, to review the Scottish Government’s proposals to improve arrangements for independent monitoring of prisons.

The review ran from October 2012 until January 2013. Professor Coyle submitted his report to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice at the end of January 2013. Professor Coyle’s report will be published today, 7 February 2013.

The Homelessness (Abolition of Priority Need Test) (Scotland) Order 2012 came into effect on 31 December 2012 and gives all households assessed by local authorities as being unintentionally homeless the right to settled accommodation, regardless of priority. There has been no assessment of the impact of the order on reoffending rates.