Seòmar agus comataidhean

We are a little bit over time, but I have a final question that relates to some work that is going on in the Parliament, across the committees, which are looking at their individual sectors and portfolios in the context of what public sector organisations are doing to reduce emissions. Collectively, we are looking to address climate change. Will you comment briefly on what work is on-going in Police Scotland to reduce carbon emissions?

One of the issues that has come up in our budget scrutiny over the past few years has been the benefit of multiyear funding. In your written submission, you say:

“We continue to seek more appropriate funding arrangements”,

including multiyear funding, which would provide

“the ability to carry forward ... reserves and statutory borrowing powers”.

Have you had any conversations or engagement with the Scottish Government regarding multiyear funding? Have you made any progress in that regard?

Fiona McQueen, in relation to that landscape, Katy Clark asked the previous witnesses about embedding community policing as a clear part of the policing response in Scotland. The chief constable took a fair bit of time to outline the complexities and challenges related to shifting crime types, which we all understand. How confident are you that it is possible, in the fiscal climate that we face, to achieve an optimum policing response that provides reassurance in communities and is able to effectively respond to the more complex policing challenges that are emerging and that the chief constable set out?

You have set out the workforce pressures very well. I note that the Police Scotland submission sets out some detail on work debt, as it describes it. We have always accepted that there has been a significant demand on police time, but it feels as though that is becoming ever more acute, so I am pleased that the chief constable is focused on that priority.

We are a little ahead of time, but, if no member has any final questions, I will wind up the session. I thank the witnesses for their time. The session has been helpful.

Thank you for that opening statement. I have a general opening question, which is similar to the one that I asked the chief constable in our earlier session. Does the Scottish Police Authority support the case made by Police Scotland for uplifts of nearly £105 million in revenue and £94 million in capital for the year 2026-27? If so, what discussions have you had with the Scottish Government on that? What action might be required if the settlement for Police Scotland is less than what has been requested?

Thank you very much. We are keen to cover a lot of issues that were raised in previous sessions. One of the key ones is the application of the proposed new criminalising offence, so to speak, in the context of off-street crime and off-street prostitution.

However, first I will come back to Detective Superintendent Bertram. One of the provisions in the bill relates to placing a responsibility or a duty on the Scottish ministers to ensure that support is provided to women who are working in this industry. We know that Police Scotland is already heavily involved in extensive collaborative work as part of operation begonia. As a north-east MSP, I am very aware of how well established and strong those collaborative partnerships are.

I am interested in your reflections and commentary on how important the support—the non-criminalising—element is to the work on tackling prostitution and the demand for prostitution. How could that be improved? Where are there gaps in the provision that relate to the bill that would be helpful for us to understand?

I have a final question on sustaining support and, specifically, on funding. I am interested in the current picture of support across Scotland. For example, in the north-east, the fairer Aberdeen fund is used for the work to support women. I am interested in how reliable and sustainable funding is, given the context of the bill that we are looking at today and the existing support provision.

That would be appreciated. Thank you very much.

Good morning, and welcome to the 29th meeting in 2025 of the Criminal Justice Committee. We have received apologies from Rona Mackay. Ash Regan joins us online, and I also welcome Rachael Hamilton to the meeting.

Our first item of business is continued scrutiny of the Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill. We have one panel of witnesses for this item, and I intend to allow up to 75 minutes for our discussion. I refer members to committee papers 1 and 2.

Our witnesses are Dr Emma Forbes, national lead for domestic abuse and head of victims and witnesses policy at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service; Liliana Torres Jiménez, secretary of the criminal law committee at the Law Society of Scotland; and Detective Superintendent Steven Bertram from Police Scotland. I extend a warm welcome to you all, and I thank those of you who were able to provide a written submission.

Just before we start, as ever, I make a plea to everyone to keep their questions and responses as succinct as possible.

I will begin by asking a broad opening question, to set the scene. I will put this to Dr Forbes first and then work my way along the panel. What are your overall views on the bill? Is there anything in it that you particularly agree or disagree with or which you think could be improved?

Is that important work included in the budget submission that you have provided? We are looking at issues from a budget perspective and considering the implications of that work in the context of your policing budget.