Meeting of the Parliament 15 January 2025
I reiterate my thanks to the bill team and to officials from Government departments and policing bodies across the four home nations who have engaged with my officials to help form cross-border provisions, which the bill provides powers to enact. That includes officials from the Home Office, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scotland Office and the College of Policing.
It is important to acknowledge the wealth of evidence that was submitted to the Criminal Justice Committee to help shape the bill, which came from organisations such as Amnesty International UK, Victim Support Scotland, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Scottish Human Rights Commission and the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner. Of course, I also thank again all those individuals with lived experience, police and stakeholders who have supported and informed the bill’s development.
I will not reiterate the stage 1 and stage 2 debates, but I will say two things briefly. First, if I had ignored the recommendation of HMICS and the Criminal Justice Committee to lodge an amendment on vetting, I think that I would have received criticism that was equal to the criticism that I received for lodging it. Nonetheless, the debate in and around the detail of the vetting provisions has been well motivated and will strengthen our engagement as we go forward.
On Katy Clark’s question about the organisational duty of candour, the individual duty of candour will apply only to those who hold the office of constable, while the organisational duty of candour will apply to those who are, in an indirect manner, under the control of the chief constable—that is, constables and police staff.
I will end with two quotes that capture what we are all endeavouring to achieve. Last year, when Lady Elish Angiolini gave evidence to the Criminal Justice Committee, she said:
“the system in Scotland is possibly nearly as good as you can get it. It is always possible to improve the system, and to incorporate good ideas that could enhance it, but, generally, it is significantly better than it was when I started as a young fiscal depute.”—[Official Report, Criminal Justice Committee, 16 May 2024; c 11.]
Of course, our journey must continue. As Lady Elish wrote:
“Instant results are seldom possible and seldom sustained. Changing the culture is a long game but it is worth investing time, effort and resource now to lay solid foundations for a process of change that is absolutely essential.”
I commend the bill to Parliament, as it is another vital step forward.