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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
22 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · College Principals (Meetings)
College principals tell me that budgets for the coming year have been cut significantly and that, to maintain student numbers, they are having drastically to reduce the number of teaching hours that each student receives. Is that acceptable to the minister?
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
22 Mar 2011
Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Bill
Oh, goodness. That’s Bill Butler got a promotion, although maybe he does not want it.As convener, Bill Aitken has always dealt fairly with the committee’s proceedings. He is a good parliamentarian, and we have all been able to look up to him. I am sure that Bill will find plen...
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
22 Mar 2011
Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Bill
What did I say?Members: Bill Butler.
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
22 Mar 2011
Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Bill
Presiding Officer, thank you for allowing me the privilege of speaking in the last debate in this session. I thank the people of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth for sending me here as their representative in the Parliament. I hope that, with their good will, it will not be the last ti...
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · NHS Lanarkshire (Meetings)
I apologise, Presiding Officer and I withdraw the word “lies”. I will rephrase my point of order. Is it in order for a minister of this Government to mislead local people and put out information that is clearly wrong?
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · NHS Lanarkshire (Meetings)
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I am sure that you would not want to preside over a meeting at which people were giving wrong information to this Parliament. Is it in order for a political party to confirm its position when a minister of this Government is spreading li...
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · NHS Lanarkshire (Meetings)
At a public meeting in Kilsyth 10 days ago, I met representatives of NHS Lanarkshire, who were there because of the serious concerns that people have about lack of provision and withdrawal of local services. At the meeting, we were advised that NHS Lanarkshire has not had from...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · NHS Lanarkshire (Meetings)
4. To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of NHS Lanarkshire. (S3O-13338)
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Chronic Pain Services
I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the debate. I thank Mary Scanlon for bringing the subject to the chamber and I acknowledge her long involvement in the issue, which dates back to the first parliamentary session. I am grateful to her for reminding us of Dorothy-Gra...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Park-and-ride Framework
I am sure that the minister agrees that the park-and-ride facilities at Croy and in Cumbernauld provide safe parking for people who use the train. However, the minister will be aware of my concerns about the unfortunate proposal to introduce parking charges at those park-and-r...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
The regulations were laid on 28 February, or 28 days before the Parliament sits for the last time this session. A lot of issues have been raised with members in recent weeks. Could the regulations have been laid earlier? Could the consultation process, for example, have starte...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
On the doomsday scenario in the financial memorandum, I presume that when a financial memorandum accompanies a bill that will go through the Parliament, whether it is an emergency bill or a normal bill, you are confident that the information that you provide to members is as a...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
I am not saying that the Government or you, cabinet secretary, should have prejudged what the court might determine. However, it has been put to the committee in written evidence, to a degree it was put to the committee in oral evidence that we received last week, and it has b...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
Good morning, cabinet secretary. We heard last week that guidance was sufficient in the interim period, and therefore we did not need to have a statutory footing. You admitted in your answer to the previous question that the emergency legislation that was passed is sufficient ...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
There are 58 such cases.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
Thank you.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
At what level is the decision taken about whether to delay access to advice? Who makes that decision?
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
You have just made matters even more confusing. Is “undue delay” the police term for “exceptional circumstances”?
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
The 2010 act also provides that a constable may delay a detained person’s access to legal advice in “exceptional circumstances”, but it does not define “exceptional circumstances”. Can you explain what you understand “exceptional circumstances” to mean?
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
Last week, the committee heard evidence that the interim guidelines were robust enough to meet any challenges similar to those raised in the Cadder case and that Parliament was wrong not to take additional time to consult more fully on the legislation while still using the int...
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Local Services
No, I do not agree with that at all. People are far too professional to allow that to happen. The police have to respond to the needs of a community.Somebody mentioned Parkhead earlier, and I think that it was Jeremy Purvis who mentioned old firm games. Of course policing is r...
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Local Services
In this time of modern communications, I do not think that where the chief constable is located is important.The Liberal Democrats seem to think that there is a conspiracy against Grampian Police and Northern Constabulary and that a single force will focus on the central belt....
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Local Services
I need to make progress.My constituency, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, falls within the jurisdiction of Strathclyde Police, and I whole-heartedly agree with Chief Constable Stephen House, who last month expressed his support for a single Scottish police force. He said:“We would not...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Local Services
I have listened with interest to the Liberal Democrats and, like other members, I am shaking my head in wonder. It seems that they have a face for every door and a different comment for every door. That is typical of the Liberals.Labour’s proposals for a single police service,...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
I would like to know how many petitions we are handing over to the successor committee. This committee received 122 petitions from our predecessor committee and I just want to know whether we beat that or were well below it.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Annual Report
We inherited 122, and I want to know what we are passing on.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Annual Report
I am dying to know how many petitions we are passing on to the successor committee.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
In view of the information that Rhoda Grant has brought to the committee this afternoon—noting the response that we received from the Government and the other information that we got from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency—I think that we should continue t...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
They had complained about them being in sleeves.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
Thank you for talking us through your research findings. The petition raises the point that the magazines should be screen-sleeved before they are put on the shelves. Did you come across any good practice in that respect?
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
It would be on the grounds that my colleague John Farquhar Munro just described.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
The Parliament had an opportunity to go part way towards meeting the requests in the petition, but it is a Parliament of minorities and the bill was not voted for by an overwhelming majority. We should therefore keep the petition open and let it go forward to our successor com...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
I take John Brownlie’s point about problems with detecting this equipment. However, younger people have been used to implement other legislation, for example by being involved in test purchasing. Could there be some combination in that respect?
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
I am glad to hear that the minister is going to continue the discussions with his Westminster counterpart, because it would be good to have a UK-wide solution to this. However, I believe that, under the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004, local authorities and the po...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
Can the minister expand on why we are not pursuing the proposal on overtaking school buses? I know that legislation on that is reserved to Westminster, but tragedies have occurred because vehicles have overtaken school buses and knocked down individuals. Petitioners have broug...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
I agree with the convener. The Government’s response has answered the questions in the petition. The Government clearly does not believe that individual human rights have been breached by the operating rules or that the rules operate unfairly against the petitioners. However, ...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
Surely we should advise the clerks how we want the meeting to go ahead, and I think that it would be better to have the cabinet secretary on his own.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
From some of the evidence that we heard this morning, it is clear that ACPOS would have something to say and it would be in our interests to find out what is happening on the ground. I suggest that we take evidence from ACPOS and then from the cabinet secretary. I do not want ...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
But the panel can confirm that there was no gap to be filled, because there was guidance.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
On Dave Thompson’s question, the point is that the panel’s view is that there was no gap to be filled, because the interim guidance and the published guidance covered the situation and, had there been another challenge along the same lines as Cadder, there would have been the ...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
Do you recall the argument on whether the guidance would have been robust enough to meet challenge along the lines of Cadder?11:00
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
Can you accept, however, that the back benchers and members of this committee who found themselves bounced into having to take decisions could accept the argument that the doubling from six to 12 hours was necessary in the interests of the suspect? For example, a suspect could...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010
Nigel Don’s line of questioning has taken me to where I wanted to go. The Lord Advocate issued interim guidelines in June 2010, and the revised guidelines were published in July 2010. During the debate on the emergency legislation, some members said that the guidelines were su...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill
Some constituents of mine who have been victims of crime have expressed concern about the fact that someone who has been found guilty of the offence has served less time in prison than the victims thought that they would and are back out on the streets without the victims know...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill
Various organisations already provide dedicated services and support for victims and witnesses in Scotland. Indeed, in your opening statement, you said that you were inspired by organisations such as Victim Support Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid. Is there a possibility that...
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
03 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Scottish Budget (Financial Recovery)
Does the cabinet secretary agree that Scotland’s college sector has a key role to play in ensuring that our skills base is maintained during the financial downturn? The Government has said that it will provide an additional £15 million to the sector but, to date, the colleges ...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
03 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Scottish Budget (Financial Recovery)
3. I apologise to the Presiding Officer and to the cabinet secretary for not being in the chamber for the start of questions.To ask the Scottish Executive how much was included in the Scottish budget to aid financial recovery. (S3O-13128)
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
03 Mar 2011
First Minister’s Question Time · Scottish Sensory Centre
Is the First Minister aware that the Requirements for Teachers (Scotland) Regulations 2005 require teachers of children with a sensory impairment to hold a specialist qualification, the achievement of which is supported by the sensory centre, which is the only centre of its ki...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
03 Mar 2011
First Minister’s Question Time · Scottish Sensory Centre
5. To ask the First Minister what recent discussions the Scottish Government has had with the Scottish sensory centre at the University of Edinburgh. (S3F-2941)
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Committee
01 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I ask you to say a wee bit more about a concern raised by the Law Society of Scotland, which responded to the consultation. The society is concerned about the chief constable doing the initial review. You said that the chief constable or a senior police officer would do that r...
Cathie Craigie Lab Chamber
23 Feb 2011
Energy Bill
Will the minister take an intervention?
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
23 Feb 2011
Energy Bill
Will the minister take an intervention?
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
23 Feb 2011
Public Petitions Committee
Like other members, I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate on the importance and uniqueness of our Parliament’s petitions system.I am proud that our Parliament is built not only on the principles of accountability and transparency but on an openness that is not wide...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
23 Feb 2011
Cadder Judgment
The cabinet secretary has advised us that the number of cases unable to proceed stands at 867—867 cases in which charges have been dropped, some very serious and all involving victims and witnesses. How were victims and witnesses notified? How many cases has the Crown decided ...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
I entirely accept what John Wilson said, but I agree with Nigel Don’s assessment. We have taken this as far as we can as a committee. The issue of male victims of domestic abuse has been highlighted, and there is much more public awareness of it. We must ensure that awareness ...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
I support Anne McLaughlin’s comments. We have problems with irresponsible private landlords, not only in large cities but throughout Scotland. There is hope that the bill will make a difference and help the situation, so I would be very concerned if we got to the end of the pa...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
That is the point that I was going to make. Anne McLaughlin’s suggestion is sensible and practical, but we could be accused of not having considered every petition on its merits if we looked at some collectively at the end, even if we had time to do that. I agree with Bill But...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
09 Feb 2011
Budget (Scotland) (No 5) Bill: Stage 3
We want more.
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
The Scottish Government has stated that it has no plans to raise the matter with the UK Government. I do not think that there is anything stopping the committee from raising the issue directly with the UK Government and finding out whether it has any plans to ban the use of si...
Cathie Craigie Lab Committee
08 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
The Scottish Government’s response seems to be that everything in the garden is rosy and that all the guidance has been followed. However, the young people are wiser than that and have asked pertinent questions. The Government can say that everything is happening, but the ques...
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Committee

Justice Committee 08 March 2011

08 Mar 2011 · S3 · Justice Committee
Item of business
Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill
Craigie, Cathie Lab Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Watch on SPTV
Some constituents of mine who have been victims of crime have expressed concern about the fact that someone who has been found guilty of the offence has served less time in prison than the victims thought that they would and are back out on the streets without the victims knowing anything about it. Do you envisage the commissioner having a role at that end?

In the same item of business

The Convener Con
Item 2 is an evidence session on the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill.The Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill was in...
David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Lab
I thank you very much for your kind introduction, convener, and I thank members of the committee for inviting me to speak in this legacy hearing.As members w...
The Convener Con
Thank you for that helpful opening statement. I commend you for your efforts in getting the bill as far as you have done.
Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab) Lab
Good morning, Mr Stewart. Thank you for coming to speak with us this morning. You have ably summarised for the committee some of the issues that led you to i...
David Stewart Lab
I will deal with the last question first. If re-elected, I am committed to reintroducing the bill. I understand that, if the content does not change substant...
Bill Butler Lab
Thank you—that is clear.
Dave Thompson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) SNP
Good morning, Mr Stewart, and congratulations on taking the bill as far as you have. It is unfortunate that we have run out of time and that we were not able...
David Stewart Lab
Following my experience in dealing with Louise Casey and Sara Payne, I think that the key point is to have an independent champion, whose work does not dupli...
Dave Thompson SNP
You mention the commissioner having a small staff. Do you have any views about how small or how large the staff complement would be in the commissioner’s off...
David Stewart Lab
We carefully considered the financial resolution, under which we are required to identify staff and costings. It is a difficult matter. There is a market rat...
Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP) SNP
When you were answering questions from Mr Thompson, you said that the commissioner would be a champion for victims and witnesses. That is laudable, and we wo...
David Stewart Lab
You have probably identified six key functions, both from the bill and from my opening remarks, and I ensured that there was no real overlap or duplication b...
Stewart Maxwell SNP
I certainly agree that the situation is not perfect. Yesterday, I had a meeting with Victim Support Scotland in Renfrewshire, so I understand some of the com...
David Stewart Lab
I stress that the proposal is not something that I have just dreamed up. The key point is that the proposal came from Victim Support Scotland’s manifesto, an...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab
Various organisations already provide dedicated services and support for victims and witnesses in Scotland. Indeed, in your opening statement, you said that ...
David Stewart Lab
No. Clearly, we are never going to have a perfect system of criminal justice. I live in the real world and I understand that. The key point is that the model...
Cathie Craigie Lab
Some constituents of mine who have been victims of crime have expressed concern about the fact that someone who has been found guilty of the offence has serv...
David Stewart Lab
Most definitely. That is a good example of the kind of thing that the commissioner would be involved in, and concerns the creation of best practice. Constitu...
James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab) Lab
You mentioned the support that a victims commissioner could give to rape victims. Are there any other areas that are not currently being addressed by those w...
David Stewart Lab
Most definitely. Members will have seen the Victim Support Scotland manifesto, which has a series of well-argued points. A couple of issues in particular mus...
James Kelly Lab
You said that you had had discussions with Louise Casey, the commissioner in England and Wales, and one of the commissioners in Northern Ireland. What lesson...
David Stewart Lab
The discussions have reinforced my impression that there is a need for Scotland to have a commissioner. Although devolution means that we can do things diffe...
Stewart Maxwell SNP
I want to follow up on the issue of duplication that Cathie Craigie raised and which I touched on earlier.I have read Victim Support Scotland’s manifesto, an...
David Stewart Lab
I stress that the commissioner is a policy idea of Victim Support Scotland, which believes that it is a good idea. No existing body has the exclusive or all-...
Stewart Maxwell SNP
Under your bill, would the commissioner have the power to investigate individual cases?
David Stewart Lab
No. The reason for that is that I am keeping an eye on resources. If unlimited funds were available, that would be a good idea. Instead, the commissioner wou...
Stewart Maxwell SNP
There would be a general investigation if a system failure was identified or came to the fore.
David Stewart Lab
Yes. Obviously, I expect the commissioner, which would be a high-powered post, to use their common sense and judgment. If they had a series of cases with a c...
Stewart Maxwell SNP
Apart from the power to require witnesses to appear and the reporting to Parliament, could a slightly beefed up Victim Support Scotland not conduct or commis...
David Stewart Lab
To conclude on your question about investigation, which is where we started, the key power that no other body has would be the power to investigate complaint...