Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 11 February 2016
11 Feb 2016 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Community Justice (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I had concerns when I first looked at the Government amendments, but given that Alison McInnes, who brought the amendments to the committee in the first place, has been persuaded to accept them, we are prepared to accept them too.
However, I seek assurances from the minister that there will be sufficient focus on desistance. Ultimately, what every victim wants is that what they suffered does not happen to somebody else. Therefore, desistance and focusing on preventing people from becoming involved in the criminal justice system in the first place have to be our priority. I seek the minister’s reassurance that, if they are not on the face of the bill, that does not mean there will be any lack of focus on those issues in general policy.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The next item of business is stage 3 consideration of the Community Justice (Scotland) Bill. In dealing with the amendments, members should have: the bill as...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Amendment 1, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 2 to 9, 26, 27, 10 and 11.
The Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs (Paul Wheelhouse)
SNP
The amendments in this group refine the meaning of “community justice”. It is clear to me that we need to take a person-centred approach to improving outcome...
Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD)
LD
I will speak to amendments 3, 7, 26 and 27. As the minister said, amendment 3 will remove a provision that I inserted by amendment at stage 2, which sought ...
Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
I oppose amendment 3. In the Scottish Government’s 2014 consultation, “Future Model for Community Justice in Scotland”, the definition of “community justice”...
Elaine Murray (Dumfriesshire) (Lab)
Lab
I had concerns when I first looked at the Government amendments, but given that Alison McInnes, who brought the amendments to the committee in the first plac...
Roderick Campbell (North East Fife) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the comments of Alison McInnes and Elaine Murray. I did not hear anything in Margaret Mitchell’s comments about the financial implications of the a...
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
In response to Alison McInnes and Elaine Murray, I put on record my acceptance of the need for us to provide assurances to members, and I welcome their agree...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
The question is, that amendment 3 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
There will be a division. As this is the first division, I suspend the meeting for five minutes. 14:15 Meeting suspended. 14:20 On resuming—
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We will now proceed with the division on amendment 3. For Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Central Scotland) (SNP) Allan, Dr Alasdair (Na ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
The result of the division is: For 99, Against 10, Abstentions 0. Amendment 3 agreed to. Amendments 4 to 7 moved—Paul Wheelhouse—and agreed to. Section 1A...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We move to the second group of amendments. Amendment 12, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 13 and 22 to 24.
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
My amendments 12 and 13 amend section 12A, which sets out what is meant by a third sector body involved in community justice. The amendments add to the defin...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Forgive me, minister. Can I seek a little quiet so that the minister can make his remarks, please?
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer. For the purposes of section 12A, community justice services are services that are provided to people covered by the definitio...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We move to group 3. Amendment 28, in the name of Margaret McDougall, is grouped with amendment 29.
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I will give some background to amendment 29. In section 1, the reference to “victims of offences and their families” is not the same as a reference to thir...
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
I welcome the engagement with Margaret McDougall and am grateful to her for lodging her amendments. I hope that they are acceptable to the Parliament. The po...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We move to group 4. Amendment 14, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 15, 16, 18 and 19.
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
My amendment 14 seeks to remove paragraph (c) from section 13(2), which provides that the national strategy in relation to community justice “may contain su...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We come to group 5. Amendment 17, the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 20, 21, 25 and 25A.
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
Amendments 17, 20 and 21 insert new subsections into sections 13, 15 and 21 respectively, which concern the national strategy, the performance framework and ...
Margaret McDougall
Lab
Amendment 25A supports the minister’s amendments. Amendment 17 agreed to. Section 15—National performance framework in relation to community justice Amend...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We move to group 6. Amendment 30, in the name of Margaret McDougall, is grouped with amendment 31.
Margaret McDougall
Lab
The third sector plays an invaluable role in delivering vital services in relation to community justice, not only for victims and their families but for thos...
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
I am grateful to Margaret McDougall for agreeing at stage 2 to work with me on amendment 30, which is important. I know that third sector bodies and, indeed,...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
We move to group 7. Amendment 32, in the name of Dr Elaine Murray, is the only amendment in the group.
Elaine Murray
Lab
At stage 2, I lodged a number of amendments that were proposed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. They included an amendment to section 30 that...
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
I thank Dr Murray for agreeing to work with me on amendment 32, which seeks to ensure that, when community justice Scotland and the community justice partner...