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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
This was a relatively quiet week, with the main item of interesting being the Cabinet Secretary’s statement to the Chamber about ‘slopping out’ compensation
The Justice Committee
Items of subordinate legislation
The Committee spent the public part of its meeting considering an item of subordinate legislation, which were passed without major discussion. You can read the details of the subordinate legislation in the Meeting Papers, and also read the transcripts of the meeting in the Official Report. If you chose, you can also watch it on Holyrood.TV
The Chamber
Statement on prisoner compensation payments
On Wednesday, Kenny MacAskill made a statement to the Chamber about the Government’s ongoing attempts to close the legal loophole so it will not have to pay substantial compensation to prisoners as a result of ‘slopping out’ claims. The Government has put aside £67 for potential payments, for which it may be liable because of a time bar anomaly in the Scotland Act 1999. Mr MacAskill updated the Chamber on progress made with talks with Westminster so far, and during questions which followed, all the Members joined the Secretary in agreeing there was an urgent need to resolve this issue.
You can read the full statement to the Chamber in the Official Report, or watch it Holyrood TV. You can also read the considerable press coverage of this story in the CJScotland Newsblog
First Minister’s Questions
The issue of slopping out payments came up again next day during questions for the First Minister. Annabel Goldie used her question for the First Minister to argue that this issue remained unresolved as a result of the ‘broken relationship’ between Labour in Westminster and the SNP in Holyrood.
You can read this question in the Official Report. See the link above to read the press on this story.
Written Questions
There were a series of questions about young offenders and a series of questions about the process of recruiting a new Inspector of prisons. There were more questions about the replacement prison in Grampian, and a question about prisoner numbers. There were a series of questions about the training of new police constables, and a range of other questions related to policing. There was a question about the cost of the Management of Offenders Act and about training given to the judiciary as part of the Vulnerable Witnesses Act. There were a range of questions about education young people about knife crime, and several questions about the use of direct measures, and the facilities available for treating drug addicts. There were questions about the Government’s anti cocaine campaign
Posted by KM
on Tue 17th Mar 2009
at 7:42 am
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