Hansard

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber

25 Mar 2026

Mobile Phone Use in Schools (Ban)

This extremely important subject is more pressing than many of the things that we debate in Parliament, and I thank Pam Gosal for bringing it to the chamber.We know that schools, and the teachers and pupils in them, face a range of challenges, which we also know are not exclus...

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber

25 Mar 2026

First Minister’s Question Time

Ayr diving club has been in existence since 1964 and uses one of only four diving facilities in the whole of Scotland. It is the only one on the west coast, with the other three being on the east coast. There is a risk of closure of the diving facility, as it needs a substanti...

Sharon Dowey Con Chamber

24 Mar 2026

Topical Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Budget)

I note the minister’s response, but it will be of little reassurance to firefighters on the ground who are being asked to do more with less. Firefighters have been clear that there are fewer firefighters, fewer appliances and longer response times, and none of those things log...

Sharon Dowey Con Chamber

24 Mar 2026

Topical Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Budget)

The devastating fire on Union Street in Glasgow once again demonstrated the extraordinary professionalism and bravery of Scotland’s firefighters. However, we have heard deeply concerning warnings from the FBU that years of real-term budget cuts have left the fire service “crea...

2. Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber

24 Mar 2026

Topical Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Budget)

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by the Fire Brigades Union that years of real-terms budget reductions have left the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service “creaking”, and that proposed workforce reductions would increase the risk to community...

Sharon Dowey Con Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Non-domestic Rates (Business Confidence and Investment)

The number of businesses in critical distress in Scotland is rising faster than anywhere else in the United Kingdom—it has gone up more than 80 per cent in a year. The Fraser of Allander Institute reports that each of its headline business confidence indicators has been negati...

1. Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Non-domestic Rates (Business Confidence and Investment)

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on business confidence and investment of non-domestic rates thresholds having limited movement since 2020-21. (S6O-05648)

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

18 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

I will support the SSI, but I should probably return to a point that I raised previously. At our 18 February meeting, I mentioned the possible impacts of raising the fine level. Although I agree with doing so, we must monitor non-payments. The figures that were sent to us show...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

18 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

Quite a number of cases involving that offence went to court—I saw that in the updated figures.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

18 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

The minister told the committee:“When we engaged with the police on the instrument, it was not an issue that they raised, but they wanted that offence kept on the list.”—Official Report, Criminal Justice Committee, 18 February 2026; c 7.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

18 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

You told us that Police Scotland did not want the offence of being drunk in charge of a child to be removed from the ASB FPN regime—that is in the Official Report of our meeting on 18 February—so why did you proceed with removing it from that regime through the SSI?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

18 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

Not that we are aware of. I hope that there will be no more similar instances.On 18 February, we were told that Police Scotland did not want the offence of being drunk in charge of a child to be removed from the ASB FPN regime. Why did you proceed with the process of taking it...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

18 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

On the basis that they had not been used for two years.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

18 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

I am still looking for an answer. The information that was given to you was obtained by officials in meetings. You have taken it as fact. Despite having the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Police Scotland, the British Transport Police, economists and Government off...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

18 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

The increase in the fine was not an issue at committee last week—I think that we all agreed on that. Similarly, adding in the extra offence was not an issue, either. However, there was concern about the process around removing two offences.Robert Wyllie said that there was eng...

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Committee

18 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

Good morning, minister, and thank you for the opening statement.You were previously before us on 18 February. As you said, some of the figures in the SSI were incorrect. How, then, did it come to the committee in that form? It had already been considered by the Delegated Power...

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber

17 Mar 2026

Topical Question Time · Police Scotland (Budget Allocation)

Recent reports suggest that retail crime in Scotland has risen sharply, with more than 50,000 shoplifting incidents recorded last year and nearly one in five shoppers witnessing the abuse of retail staff. The £3 million for the retail crime task force has made some impact, but...

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Budget 2026-27 (Apprenticeships)

When I attended the launch of the future roofing programme at Prestwick academy on 27 February, I spoke to the school, industry and young people about the roofing pathway that has been developed over the years, which includes a national 5 creative industries qualification in r...

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber

11 Mar 2026

Skye House

Complaints were received about Skye house for a number of years, but they appear to have been ignored. Last year, I supported a constituent who raised serious concerns about their daughter’s treatment at Skye house, including a lack of supervision and a failure to listen to pa...

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber

11 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Knife Crime (North Ayrshire)

At the start of this parliamentary session, North Ayrshire recorded 130 cases of people possessing an article with a blade or point in a public setting. The latest figures show that there were still 128 bladed or pointed-article crimes in 2024. With the figures showing little ...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

It would be beneficial if we had a system that everybody could get access to, so that the information crosses borders.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Would it be beneficial if we worked together? I am just thinking that it would benefit everybody.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Is that something that we could work on with the Home Office, so that we have a system that works for the whole of the UK? Obviously, crime does not have any borders, so should we take that approach, or do we need our own Scottish system?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Dr Plastow, in your submission, you say that the“Scottish Government has no … vision of where it wants Police Scotland to be with biometric data or technologies”because there is no long-term strategy in place. You also say that there is a potential need to expand the commissio...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Craig Naylor, in your submission, you said that new legislation continues to be a challenge for the police due to the financial and operational impact of introducing new processes. We have passed a lot of legislation in this session. Which recent legislative changes will conti...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

You have also said that there was no understanding of“the cost of the citation process”.What was the reason for that? After all, every business or organisation will always be looking at productivity and efficiency. Why did the COPFS have no understanding of that cost?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Is that updated on your website?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

So, after discussion with COPFS, it can say, “Actually, we don’t accept that recommendation”, and it will be taken off.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

I noticed that 10 of the recommendations made in one of your annual reports had not been achieved, and 27 were still in progress.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Indeed. One of the comments that you make is that“recommendations remain open for several years”.I was going to ask whether COPFS has progress reports with timescales, but you have basically said that it has an action plan with timescales on it. Do you give any indication abou...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

I come back to oversight and improvement. Can you tell us a bit more about how you monitor the implementation of recommendations that are made following inspections?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

However, they do not cause harm.I turn to my last question. As has been said, prison is a last resort, and it is for people who cannot be safely managed in the community. Perhaps people who are the least risk to the public could be removed, but once people get to prison, they ...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

That is a difficult question. It is a matter of ensuring that the victims see justice. They would expect the prisoner to be in a secure location.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

So, more focused buildings in the estate.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

You mentioned the elderly, infirm and people with dementia who are in our prisons. There was a report by Wendy Sinclair-Gieben that said that we needed to look at the estate and the models that we are providing. I have probably always referred to it as a secure care home. Are ...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

So, a lot of the rehabilitation work is not happening because the prisons are too overcrowded and we do not have enough staff to allow all that rehabilitation to happen. Do we need more capacity?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

That brings me to my next question. Are there any particular parts of the prison estate where capacity pressures are most acute?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

How much work can you do in advance to predict what the prison population will be in the future? Do you look at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to see how many people look as though they will get a custodial sentence?

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Good morning. How sustainable are the current prison population levels?

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber

10 Mar 2026

Topical Question Time · Glasgow Union Street Fire

Although we must wait for the outcome of official investigations to confirm the exact cause of the fire, it has been widely reported that the fire originated in a vape shop. Such premises often contain large quantities of products powered by lithium-ion batteries that are stor...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

You also mentioned the changes to the rules on corroboration from the Lord Advocate. When that happened, was any extra funding allocated to the PIRC? It will have increased the number of complaints that you had to look into, so was there any extra funding for that?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

You said earlier that you have some additional funding for next year. Does the 2026-27 allocation allow the PIRC to meet its statutory obligations?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Police Scotland is rolling out body-worn video at the moment. You mentioned the recent reduction in allegations of assault. Could that be related to body-worn video, or is it too early to tell just now?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

I was going to ask you about the backlog in police complaints, but I think that you have just covered everything in that regard.You have said that the PIRC has experienced a surge in investigative work, and that it is beyond your capacity. You outlined that the PIRC currently ...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Thank you.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

That is fine. I do not know whether you can answer my next question. We have spoken about the problems with recruitment and retention. I have been told that colour vision testing for firefighters has recently been brought in. Can you give us an insight into what the benefit of...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

I will follow on from the questions that Rona Mackay asked. Can you give us more information about the procurement process? You talked about the equipment that is needed to fight wildfires, and we know that budgets are tight. How does the procurement process work to ensure tha...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

I just want to reiterate the point that I raised with the chief constable. The regulations come more than 10 years after the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015. They are probably needed and should have been introduced earlier. However, I am concerned about ...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

I do not disagree with Jamie Hepburn. Once we get more information, we might be happy to pass the instrument. However, I just point out that, two weeks ago, a minister was here to speak about an SSI. We asked questions about it and, two weeks later, we received a letter that s...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

I agree with Pauline McNeill. I want to see a wee bit more detail before we pass the instrument. I do not disagree with the chief constable having powers if they are required, but I want to know what is included under vetting clearance. Why are the powers not currently include...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

Thank you.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

If any other work is being done to increase capacity, it would be good if the committee could be informed of that in writing. We do not have enough capacity at the moment, which is why the Government is proceeding with early release.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

So has any work been done on increasing capacity in prisons?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

I was just making a point about short-term sentences. Even though we have diversion from prosecution, the number of short-term sentences is increasing. That option might be there for judges and sheriffs, but we had 1,064 more short-term sentences in 2023-24 than we had in 2022...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

Going back to the issue of capacity, I think that everybody agrees that diversion from prosecution is a good thing, and it is something that we want to look at, where we can do it and where it is working. However, the figures that we have been sent show that more than 1,000 mo...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

So that is a huge concern. Thank you.

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

And what about my question on the SSI?

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

You have just talked about looking back at cases. One of my biggest concerns is that, if you do not get the budget that you need to have more community officers—more boots on the ground, as they say—those people will not have enough time to investigate all the things that are ...

Sharon Dowey Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

Chief constable, in your opening statement, you mentioned the cost of public inquiries and legislation. We were having a review of grooming gangs and you were allocated money for that. That has now been changed into an inquiry. Will that mean additional cost for Police Scotlan...

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

I will try to be quick.DCC Speirs, you said that you are looking at ways of freeing up officers earlier in the process but, in many instances, the police should never have got the call in the first place. I do not know whether you saw the evidence that we took a couple of week...