General Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 9 May 2024.
Ruth Maguire
Scottish National Party
To ask the Scottish Government how a public health approach to justice can reduce crime and make communities safer. (S6O-03413)
Angela Constance
Scottish National Party
Our vision for justice emphasises the importance of the public health approach to justice and community safety. Evidence shows that community interventions can be more effective in reducing reoffending and assisting with rehabilitation, which leads to fewer victims and safer communities.
Health considerations are also key. We know that those in the justice system often present with high levels of vulnerability and have complex needs. Ensuring access to health and other support services at each point in the justice system is therefore vital and requires a holistic, multi-agency approach, as well as a focus on prevention and interventions that facilitate those links.
Ruth Maguire
Scottish National Party
Justice is largely devolved. However, Scotland is limited by Westminster law and policy on some of the most challenging issues that society faces, such as drugs, gambling and organised crime, so creative, focused approaches can be stifled. Does the Cabinet secretary agree that that is just one of the many reasons why the people of Scotland would be best served by the restoration of Scotland’s independence and the full powers and responsibilities that that would bring?
Angela Constance
Scottish National Party
Well said, Ms Maguire. Independence would allow us, for example, to further embed and extend our public health approach to justice and violence reduction into areas that are currently reserved, such as gambling and drug policy reform. As an example, with full powers under independence, a future Scottish Government could consider a range of measures to tackle gambling-related harm, such as raising the legal age of gambling or reviewing how gambling appeals to young people.
In relation to drug policy reform, a future Government could consider the creation of a statutory framework for supervised drug consumption facilities; review the drug classification system; clarify the law so that services can provide drug paraphernalia legally; and enable a wider range of treatment options, such as introducing drug-checking facilities, as opposed to having to apply to the Home Office.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
