Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions: Justice Sandesh Gulhane S6O-00041 1. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the presumption against short sentences has had on the number of people who are sent to jail for assaulting emergency workers. Elena Whitham S6O-00042 2. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the prosecution system delivers fairer and more effective justice. John Mason S6O-00043 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to tackle violence against women, particularly in relation to prostitution and purchasers of sex. Alasdair Allan S6O-00044 4. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve support for victims of crime. Liam Kerr S6O-00045 5. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that delays to criminal trials are adversely affecting victims’ mental health. Paul McLennan S6O-00046 6. To ask the Scottish Government how many projects have been funded by the CashBack for Communities programme in East Lothian since the initiative was launched. Alex Cole-Hamilton S6O-00047 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to raise the age of criminal responsibility to the international minimum. Dean Lockhart S6O-00048 8. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the number of divisional officers working in each local division as detailed in the latest publication of Police Scotland's officer and staff numbers. followed by Ministerial Statement: Provisional Outturn 2020-21 followed by Scottish Government Debate: Appointment of Law Officers That the Parliament agrees that it be recommended to Her Majesty that Dorothy Bain QC be appointed as the Lord Advocate and that Ruth Charteris QC be appointed as Solicitor General for Scotland. followed by Scottish Government Debate: Tackling Drug Related Deaths That the Parliament supports the national mission to tackle drug-related deaths and harms; welcomes proposals for the introduction of guidance to increase the accessibility of residential rehabilitation programmes; notes that increased funding is supporting enhancements to ensure that resources reach frontline treatment, rehabilitation and recovery services in areas of acute demand; believes that the new Medication-Assisted Treatment Standards are fundamental to ensuring that everyone who requires support can get access to the drug treatment or support option that they seek; further believes that actions on the standards, such as the implementation of same-day prescribing and increasing the range of treatment options available across the country, will help save lives, and supports calls for an urgent four-nations summit to consider reform of the 50-year-old Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to fully align the law with a public health response, so that all options for tackling the harm caused by drugs can be deployed, if supported by the Scottish Parliament. followed by Business Motions Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Decision Time