Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at 3:00 pm on 7 October 2025.
Baroness Katy Clark
Labour
3:00,
7 October 2025
I will speak to my amendments 64 and 65. The bill will allow national jurisdiction in custody cases. It will allow individuals to appear from custody away from their local area and the part of the country where the alleged offence took place. During stages 1 and 2, concerns were raised about the loss of the judge’s local knowledge of a community or an accused. Those issues were raised by the Law Society of Scotland and the criminal justice committee of the Sheriffs and Summary Sheriffs Association, although I note that the Cabinet secretary has indicated today that those issues have not been raised during the time that the emergency legislation has been in place.
My amendments would encourage communication with the local court in national jurisdiction cases. I do not intend to move the amendments and press them to a vote, but I have noted carefully what the cabinet secretary has said. I hope that, in the operation of the legislation, maximum communication will be encouraged to ensure that the interests of justice are served.
Amendment 4 agreed to.
Amendments 5 to 8 moved—[Angela Constance]—and agreed to.
Amendments 64 and 65 not moved.
After section 8
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
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.
