Meeting of the Parliament 11 June 2026 [Draft]
I am very pleased to close the debate. I thank Colin Beattie for securing it, and I welcome the constructive contributions that have been made across the chamber this evening. As has been pointed out, this is an issue of broad interest.
I am honoured to be the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, with responsibility for supporting victims, strengthening community safety and ensuring that prevention sits right at the heart of our approach. Therefore, this feels like an appropriate debate in which to make my first speech, as I am also the MSP for Eastwood.
Presiding Officer, given that it is my first speech, I hope that you will allow me to make some brief remarks about Eastwood. It is a place like no other in Scotland, and it is diverse, energetic and community focused. It is a real privilege to represent all of our Eastwood communities and to do so as the seat’s first Scottish National Party member. Of course, that is testament to an extraordinary local campaign, and I owe a great debt of gratitude to everyone who worked so hard.
I would also like to put on record my appreciation of, and good wishes to, my predecessor, Jackson Carlaw. I have valued his thoughtful advice and the handover in recent weeks, and I know that members here will, as I do, want to thank him for all his work over many years and to wish him well.
I also place on record my sincere thanks to my predecessor in this ministerial post, Siobhian Brown, for her dedication and very valuable work.
When it comes to antisocial behaviour and crime, the Scottish Government’s approach is very clear. As Dawn Black emphasised, prevention is key, as are early intervention and effective responses. I want to assure members that continuing to work closely with justice partners to drive down reoffending, support rehabilitation and ensure safer communities is a key objective for me. To do that, we need collaboration with and between local authorities, Police Scotland, third sector organisations and, very importantly, the people who live in communities.
I want to touch on some of the comments that have been made in the debate. Colin Beattie raised concerns about free bus passes, as did Liam Kerr. Of course, the vast majority of people who benefit from free bus travel do so responsibly, but where there has been, and is, antisocial behaviour, that is obviously of concern. The legislation that we are implementing aims to act as a deterrent to those acting unreasonably, and it includes the possibility of removing that privilege of free bus travel. It is recognised that people of all ages can engage in unacceptable behaviour.