Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 10 November 2015
10 Nov 2015 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Policing
I know that members may wish to question the way in which Police Scotland has taken forward the remodelling and restructuring of its call handling system, but I must say that I am somewhat surprised that a member would seek to attack the inspector of constabulary for producing such a detailed report into the matter. I do not think that that serves anybody’s interests when looking at this particular issue.
The report highlights a range of areas where Police Scotland has not addressed sufficiently how it should have taken forward the change management and the reassurance that was necessary in taking forward that level of change. The report also identifies areas where there have been improvements in how Police Scotland is dealing with calls. I would have thought that any reasonable member would have welcomed the fact that Police Scotland has improved the way in which it is handling some of those calls and that the HMICS report provides us with clear reassurance on how that is being taken forward.
What we now need to do is make sure that, in areas where Police Scotland has identified deficiencies in its management of the change, improvements are taken forward. However, I do not think that bringing into question the quality of the inspection undertaken by the inspectorate does anybody a service.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a statement by Michael Matheson on policing. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of his statement, so there sho...
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice (Michael Matheson)
SNP
I welcome this early opportunity to update Parliament following the publication today of “Independent Assurance Review Police Scotland—Call Handling Final Re...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in his statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which we will m...
Graeme Pearson (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for sight of the statement prior to his making it. Even in the language of management speak and acronyms, the HMICS r...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Can we just get to the question, Mr Pearson?
Graeme Pearson
Lab
Will he now apologise to the Bell and Yuill families—
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Please sit down, Mr Pearson. Cabinet secretary, would you like to address Mr Pearson’s other points?
Michael Matheson
SNP
Mr Pearson made reference to a number of points in the report. The important issue is that the very reason for directing HMICS to undertake the review was to...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
On a point of order, Presiding Officer.
The Presiding Officer
NPA
We will wait until the minister has finished his answer before I take your point of order, Mr Findlay.
Michael Matheson
SNP
—to making sure that the lessons from the management of this particular area of the restructuring are learned and that the same mistakes are not made again. ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I will now take Mr Findlay’s point of order.
Neil Findlay
Lab
Thank you, Presiding Officer. These are very important issues that every one of us has constituents speaking to us about. The minister has just had longer to...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Mr Findlay, I am well aware of the seriousness of these matters. Every Opposition spokesperson knows how long they are expected to speak for, and that is one...
Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank the cabinet secretary for early sight of his statement. This is a report full of management speak that nonetheless reveals a system in chaos, summed...
Michael Matheson
SNP
I know that members may wish to question the way in which Police Scotland has taken forward the remodelling and restructuring of its call handling system, bu...
Roderick Campbell (North East Fife) (SNP)
SNP
Can the cabinet secretary provide further information on the impact of the additional £1.4 million of funding provided to Police Scotland following HMICS’s i...
Michael Matheson
SNP
One of the actions that we took after the interim report was published in September was to provide immediately additional financial support to Police Scotlan...
Willie Rennie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD)
LD
It is a shocking indictment of the Scottish Government that there were tragic deaths before the problems at police call centres were taken seriously. There w...
Michael Matheson
SNP
Mr Rennie, in making the point that he raised the issue in Parliament, has given the impression that no action was taken following his comments. I specifical...
Elaine Murray (Dumfriesshire) (Lab)
Lab
The HMICS report states that “Staff engagement and consultation by Police Scotland during the C3IR project could have been more effective”; that initial le...
Michael Matheson
SNP
I will deal with the two valid issues that Elaine Murray raises—first, the difficulties that the contact, command and control call centres are having at pres...
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
I have a supplementary question on the gazetteer and recommendation 19. Will the cabinet secretary, as a matter of urgency, ensure that a bespoke emergency s...
Michael Matheson
SNP
As the member will recognise, access to up-to-date information, particularly local knowledge, is absolutely vital for those in our emergency services. As the...
Gil Paterson (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
SNP
In September, the cabinet secretary held a summit with stakeholders to discuss the development of local scrutiny of policing. What steps will the cabinet sec...
Michael Matheson
SNP
That issue has been raised with me on a number of occasions. As I said in my statement, on 23 September I held a summit on scrutiny, which included members o...
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
The cabinet secretary talked of bringing in independent experts before any step was taken to close the control rooms in Aberdeen and Inverness. Will those ex...
Michael Matheson
SNP
The HMICS report does not say that the end model that has been set out by Police Scotland should not be pursued. It states that it can offer the intended ser...
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Ind)
Ind
I thank Mr Penman for his report and the cabinet secretary for early sight of it. I want to pick up on Mr Macdonald’s point because my attention was also dr...
Michael Matheson
SNP
As the member will be aware, the report does not recommend that the final model should not be pursued or that that model cannot deliver the type of service t...