Criminal Justice Committee 11 June 2025
I put on record two things with regard to what Ms McNeill has said about people giving evidence at home—forgive me if I am repeating myself, convener. I appreciate that she was articulating evidence that was given by others, but, according to our justice partners, giving evidence from home is not the norm. Indeed, it has been described to me as vanishingly rare. Where legislation on that already exists, it existed prior to the bill and, indeed, prior to the Covid legislation. To summarise, the existing legislation says that it remains under the control of the court whether evidence can be given from home. I am happy to write to the committee to lay that out further.
The point that I was trying to make about Mr Kerr’s amendment 43—which I think resonates with the point that Ms McNeill made—is not that I would close the door on it but that I want reporting conditions that are more meaningful and more rounded. The report should give us information that means something when it comes to scrutiny but also when it comes to delivering greater efficiency and effectiveness. Having data is important, but that is a broader aim. I think that, sometimes, we go on a quest to gather more and more data, as opposed to looking at how existing data can be better joined up and how different data can speak to each other.
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