Hansard

I thank all those who have engaged in the Criminal Justice, Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Bill throughout its passage. I am appreciative of the work of the Parliament and of the committees that considered the bill, particularly the members of the Criminal Justice Committee, past and present, and their clerks. I thank the bill team and my private office, as always, for their support.

The bill is in two distinct parts. Part 1 provides resilience to the criminal justice sector by embedding efficiency and modernisation in procedures to make sure that our criminal justice system can meet current and future demands on it. I would like to put on record my appreciation for the efforts, day and daily, of those who work in the criminal justice system, and of those who work more widely to support people who are affected by what can sometimes be deeply devastating and traumatising experiences.

The second part of the bill will establish a new domestic homicide and suicide review model. My gratitude goes to all those who are involved in getting us to this point today, and in particular to the members of the domestic homicide and suicide review task force and other stakeholders. Their contribution, commitment and constructive challenge in ensuring that the model will achieve its overall aims have been invaluable.

The bill seeks to make permanent some of the temporary provisions that were first put in place through the emergency legislation that was passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic and which were continued by the Parliament through subsequent legislation. Although those measures were introduced in the context of an emergency, they achieved much-needed modernisation and laid essential groundwork for a number of the provisions in the bill that is before the Parliament today.

Most provisions in part 1 have been in place for more than five years and have become a vital part of the justice system. Where members have made recommendations for improvements, such as on virtual attendance and national jurisdiction, I am pleased to have worked with them to improve the bill. Part 1 also introduces new provisions that aim to support greater modernisation and enhance effectiveness in justice processes. Those provisions will support the further roll-out of the groundbreaking digital evidence-sharing capability and Police Scotland’s use of body-worn video, which are essential technologies that are transforming the operation and delivery of justice services.

Part 2 establishes a gold standard for domestic homicide and suicide reviews. Although we all wish that they were not necessary, the purpose of those reviews is to learn lessons following domestic abuse-related deaths, improve services and better protect victims. Our work to develop a national domestic homicide and suicide review model began in 2022 and has been guided since then by a multi-agency and multidisciplinary task force.

The bill is an important part of how the gold standard will be achieved, but legislation alone will not secure that. Statutory guidance and the continued hard work and dedication of stakeholders are also needed. In particular, part 2 has highlighted the exemplar partnership working of stakeholders, which demonstrates what can be achieved by working constructively together and what more can be done.

I am therefore pleased to tell Parliament that I want to go further in that work. That is why I have commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland to work with stakeholders to develop national standards for domestic homicide and suicide reviews in order to support the review model to meet and exceed the gold standard that victims and their bereaved families deserve. Scoping workshops with key stakeholders will be held next month, and a standards development group will shortly be established. The development group will be co-chaired by Professor John Devaney of the University of Edinburgh and Dr Edward Doyle, deputy medical director of NHS Lothian. The group will include strategic and operational expertise from health, social care, justice and the third sector. Importantly, the work will be underpinned by the experiences of families and people with lived experience.

Any death in connection with domestic abuse is one too many. Although we know that more can be done and needs to be done, the establishment of a domestic homicide and suicide review model, backed by national standards, will help to ensure that Scotland implements best practice in establishing the review system, with the aim of learning lessons, improving services and better protecting victims.

I reiterate my thanks to the committees that considered the bill, to the wide range of individuals and organisations that brought significant operational, legal and academic expertise to its development and progress, and to those who have shared their lived experience of domestic abuse and those who are bereaved by it.

I move,

That the Parliament agrees that the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Bill be passed.