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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 18 March 2026 [Draft]

18 Mar 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Parliamentary Bureau Motion
Kerr, Liam Con North East Scotland Watch on SPTV

I do agree. I think that Pauline McNeill made that exact point in committee very eloquently. The public will not understand this. They will also not understand why the cabinet secretary comes to the Criminal Justice Committee and to this chamber saying, “Remember, short sentences don’t work,” and is now asking us to bring in a measure that makes short sentences even shorter, further reducing the time for rehabilitation.

We must not forget that there are alternatives to letting criminals go free, such as proper rehabilitation programmes, completing construction of the overdue Highland and Glasgow prisons and having in place a serious strategy to reduce reoffending. We must be clear that it is not the case that we must vote for the SSI or bad things will happen—it is a case of voting for the SSI and bad things will happen.

In one of the final acts of this Parliament, I urge colleagues to stand with victims, to stand with communities and to stand with justice and vote against the SSI.

20:54

In the same item of business

The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone) NPA
The next item of business is consideration of Parliamentary Bureau motion S6M-21126, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on app...
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con) Con
I rise to speak against this SSI, which, if passed tonight, will mean that any prisoner who is sentenced to four years or less will automatically be released...
Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab
As the member said, it was only a year ago that such prisoners were serving 50 per cent of their sentence, and we are being asked to agree tonight that that ...
Liam Kerr Con
I do agree. I think that Pauline McNeill made that exact point in committee very eloquently. The public will not understand this. They will also not understa...
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs (Angela Constance) SNP
It is important to remember that Scotland is not alone in wrestling with a very high prison population. Between October 2023 and September 2025, the previous...
The Presiding Officer NPA
The question on the motion will be put at decision time.