Fulton MacGregor
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Deputy Presiding Officer, you will know that I am interested in that, as you are. We were both members of the Criminal Justice Committee in the previous session of Parliament. Evidence shows that community-based sentences are effective in reducing reoffending.”
“Scotland’s prison population continues to rise despite our having the lowest number of recorded crimes, and the average custodial sentence length increased by 37 per cent between 2014-15 and 2023-24. That is all having an impact on capacity in our prisons.”
“Scotland’s prison population is at a critical point. As the motion demonstrates, the Scottish Government recognises the importance of the issue and is taking action through sustained investment, careful planning and a clear focus on public safety. The 2026-27 budget includes investment of £1 billion in Scotland’s prisons.”
“It builds on the investment of £25 million over the previous two years. I also welcome the cabinet secretary’s remarks on reviewing community justice. However, the evidence is already clear. Statistics show that people who are released from custody experience higher rates of reconviction than those who receive non-custodial sentences.”
“Given that it is unaffordable, there would be an almighty battle to deliver it, if that could happen at all. The issue is about having a credible plan, with the timescales that we have to date, to deliver for the benefit of the people of Lanarkshire and people elsewhere in Scotland, with that shift in the balance of care.”
“At what point did the Scottish Government deem that the cost outlined in the business case was too high? What discussions did it have with NHS Lanarkshire to try to resolve issues earlier?”
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“Families repeatedly report that access to specialist dieticians, metabolic clinics and emerging treatments is not consistent across Scotland. That inequity leads to disparities in outcomes and can contribute to lifelong health inequalities. For those in more remote areas, the challenge is even greater. The debate tonight presents us with an opportunity to consider policy, research and resource allocation simultaneously. We must ask ourselves how Scotland can ensure the timely roll- out of the new therapies; equitable access to specialist clinics; the adoption of home monitoring technologies; and recognition of the invisible care burden. People in the public gallery and across Scotland are relying on that.”
“PKU management places substantial responsibility on families, shaping their routine, work, social life and mental health. Carers frequently bear enormous emotional and practical burdens while patients may experience social exclusion or stigma. The NSPKU has highlighted that those burdens are often invisible, yet they are a real, persistent and deeply felt aspect of daily life. Recognising and addressing them must form part of any comprehensive approach to PKU care in Scotland. The evidence is clear that PKU affects not only individual patients but whole families and communities. That highlights the importance of preventative and on-going care, equitable access to therapies and taking a holistic approach to support that incorporates mental, emotional and social wellbeing.”
“Swift licensing of these devices and their integration into the Scottish national health service would be a significant step forward, and I hope that the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health will reflect on that in her closing remarks. Maternal PKU presents unique challenges. High phenylalanine levels during pregnancy are toxic to the developing fetus and can cause congenital heart defects, microcephaly or reduced IQ, yet with strict metabolic control and careful monitoring, women with PKU can have healthy children. Supporting women of childbearing age with appropriate education and access to treatments such as sapropterin—and, in the future, sepiapterin—is vital to ensure safe pregnancies and reduce anxiety and stress for expectant mothers. Today’s debate also allows us to consider the broader social implications.”
“Scotland must be positioned to adopt those new therapies swiftly to ensure that no patient is left behind. The outcomes for people who get those drugs can be absolutely life changing, and they should be made available. Home monitoring technologies offer additional transformative potential. Devices such as the Egoo Phe system allow patients to measure blood phenylalanine levels at home, with near-instant results. That reduces anxiety and uncertainty, enables more informed day-to-day decisions and reduces reliance on clinic visits and delayed laboratory feedback. For patients and families, such technology represents independence, reassurance, greater confidence in day-to-day management, reduced anxiety and improved long- term metabolic control.”
“Sapropterin, which is a synthetic form of tetrahydrobiopterin—I apologise to folk in the gallery if I have not pronounced that right— improves the metabolism of phenylalanine in a subset of patients, which allows for a less restrictive diet and a reduction in the treatment burden. I heard today from Caroline Graham of the NSPKU that her own children have benefited greatly from that drug—in a life-changing way, in fact. However, in Scotland, delays in assessment and initiation mean that some adults who could benefit from sapropterin remain without access to it. Sepiapterin, which is a treatment that has been newly licensed internationally, works for a higher proportion of patients and offers the possibility of a more normal diet, but it has not yet been approved in the United Kingdom.”
“Even well-managed cases show subtle but meaningful reductions in attention, processing speed, executive function, working memory and cognitive flexibility in comparison with unaffected peers. Poor metabolic control in adolescents and adults is associated with anxiety, depression, reduced social functioning and difficulty managing complex tasks. Disengagement from dietary treatment often creates a cycle in which patients are less able to access services and support, with serious long-term implications. Emerging treatments bring hope, but also underline the need for timely adoption.”
“While paediatric metabolic services are widely recognised and valued, the transition to adult care can be fraught with gaps. Many adults are no longer seen regularly by special metabolic clinics, which leaves them at risk of cognitive decline and psychological distress. Evidence from NSPKU research shows that only a minority of adults with PKU achieve the recommended blood phenylalanine levels, not because of a lack of effort but because of the practical difficulty of maintaining a highly restrictive diet without on- going support. Some adults must also travel long distances to access specialist clinics, and staffing shortages exacerbate delays in treatment initiation or monitoring. The social and cognitive consequences of PKU are profound.”
“Parents often spend upwards of 19 hours a week preparing special meals and carefully managing protein intake. Many reduce or give up paid work to provide the level of care that is required, with— unsurprisingly—mothers bearing the majority of that responsibility. Surveys show that more than 80 per cent of PKU-related care is carried out by women. The mental health impact of those responsibilities is profound. Carers report stress and, in some cases, clinically significant psychological distress. Daily life is meticulously planned and social participation is often restricted. Children and teenagers face the additional pressure of fitting in with peers while maintaining a restrictive diet, which can contribute to disordered eating patterns, low self-esteem and social isolation. Adults with PKU face their own set of challenges.”
“Although PKU is usually diagnosed shortly after birth, through the newborn heel-prick test, the treatment that it demands continues every day of a person’s life, with no opportunity to pause or take a break. Managing PKU is unrelentingly complex. Every meal must be precisely calculated. Ordinary foods such as meat, dairy, eggs, bread, pasta and even most grains are largely prohibited. The majority of daily nutrition comes from synthetic protein substitutes, which are chemically derived and often unpalatable, and from specially manufactured low-protein foods, which can be difficult to access consistently. Patients rely on those foods to maintain adequate nutrition, but supply issues and prescription inconsistencies remain a real challenge. For families, the burden is significant.”
“I warmly welcome members of the National Society for Phenylketonuria who are in the public gallery, and I acknowledge all those who are living with the condition and their families and carers; their presence is a powerful reminder of why the debate matters. It is a privilege to open the discussion, and I am grateful to the members who have supported my motion and those who have remained in the chamber to contribute. Phenylketonuria, or PKU, is a rare and inherited metabolic condition. Individuals with PKU lack the enzyme that is required to metabolise phenylalanine—an amino acid that is found in nearly all proteins. When phenylalanine builds up in the blood and the brain, it becomes toxic, causing irreversible neurological damage, cognitive impairment and behavioural challenges.”
“I would be happy to keep Fulton MacGregor up to speed with the development and roll-out of that important initiative.”
“The cabinet secretary will be aware that I have campaigned for the introduction of universal swimming lessons for primary school pupils for a long time, so I am absolutely delighted to hear that that is provided for in the budget. Given the benefits to physical and mental health and wellbeing of being active, will the cabinet secretary outline how swimming lessons for all will help us to achieve our aim of Scotland being an active and water-safe nation? Looking to the future, how does she envisage that the programme will be evaluated? Shona Robison: I welcome and acknowledge Fulton MacGregor’s history of and tenacity in raising the issue. We are very pleased to be able to make that offer to young people as part of the summer of sport. It is important for not just physical activity but safety.”
“It is also about striking a fair balance between supporting housing delivery and securing the funding that is needed to address one of the most serious building safety challenges of our time. For those reasons, I support the general principles of the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill and urge colleagues around the chamber to do the same. 16:28”
“I hope that—and, hearing the debate, I am confident that—the Government will continue to engage positively with the Parliament as the bill progresses and that there will be opportunities at later stages to refine and strengthen it where appropriate. Where members from Opposition parties as well as the Government party have made suggestions—such as we heard from Michelle Thomson earlier—I hope that there will be opportunities for the bill to be improved if we agree to its general principles today. The bill is about learning the lessons of the past and acting responsibly in the present. It is about ensuring that people in my constituency and in communities across North Lanarkshire and throughout Scotland can have confidence in the safety of their homes.”
“The revenue that will be raised through the levy will be used exclusively for building safety expenditure. That includes cladding remediation, which the Scottish Government has committed to delivering at pace. By 2029, every high-risk residential building over 18m is to be resolved, with buildings between 11m and 18m placed on a clear pathway to resolution. That is an ambitious target, but it is one that residents rightly expect us to meet. Progress is being made, as we heard. I note that the Finance and Public Administration Committee made no recommendation on the general principles of the bill but expressed trust that the Scottish Government would respond constructively to its recommendations.”
“A couple of years ago, there was a fire in High Coats at a block of flats that North Lanarkshire Council has now brought down. More recently, just before Christmas, there was another fire in Calder Court in Whifflet. Although that does not seem to be directly related to cladding, the fire caused immeasurable turmoil to a number of residents in the block, who have been supported by the council, me and my office. They were forced to access hotels and have their homes cleaned up—all before the festive period. As Richard Leonard pointed out, those are real issues, and they happen all the time. Although I appreciate that there is a bit of a debate about whether the bill addresses them, for me, supporting it is the right thing to do to help people who are in such situations, such as my constituents.”
“However, there remain buildings with no linked developer or for which the original developer no longer exists. Without the levy, the cost of making those buildings safe would fall on the public purse alone or, worse, on individual home owners. That is simply not acceptable. In Coatbridge and Chryston, and across Scotland, residents in flatted developments should not be left facing uncertainty, anxiety or unaffordable bills because of historical failures in construction and regulation. The bill helps to ensure that the burden is shared more fairly across the sector that profited from house building during the period when unsafe materials were used. In my constituency in recent times, there have been fires in high-rise flats.”
“It is therefore right that the levy has been structured to minimise any negative impact on housing delivery. The Government’s assessment, which mirrors that of the UK Government, is that the levy will not a have significant macroeconomic impact and that any effect on housing supply will be small. At £30 million per year, the levy represents around 0.6 per cent of the value of Scotland’s new-build housing market. It is a modest contribution when set against the scale of the challenge that we face and the benefits of safer homes for thousands of residents. The bill also reflects a sense of fairness. It is to be welcomed that, where developers are responsible for buildings with unsafe cladding, many have stepped forward to accept responsibility for assessments, mitigation and remediation.”
“It applies to the construction of certain new residential properties and is calculated on the basis of floor area, with the precise rate to be set by regulations. Importantly, it is not a blunt instrument. The bill contains a levy-free allowance to protect small and medium-sized developers, exemptions for affordable housing and additional protections for island communities, where housing pressures are especially acute. Those design features matter. Throughout the development of the bill, the Scottish Government has been mindful of the urgent need to increase housing supply. In communities such as mine in Coatbridge and Chryston, demand for good- quality, affordable homes remains strong. Regeneration projects, brownfield redevelopment and new housing sites all play a role in supporting local jobs and meeting local need.”
“In response, the Scottish Government has accepted all 58 recommendations of the Grenfell inquiry phase 2 report, and it is taking forward a comprehensive programme of reform, including strengthened building standards, improved enforcement and clearer lines of responsibility. However, simply making policy changes does not remove dangerous cladding from buildings; that requires sustained investment over many years. The latest estimates suggest that Scotland’s cladding remediation programme could cost as much as £1.7 billion over a 15-year period. Against that backdrop, the building safety levy is expected to raise around £30 million per year, which will be a positive contribution to the funding that is available annually for cladding remediation. The levy is targeted.”
“It is about making sure that the costs of fixing historical failures in our building system do not fall on the shoulders of home owners who bear no responsibility for those failures. The Scottish Government has been clear from the outset that residents should not pay the price for unsafe cladding. That principle underpins the cladding remediation programme, and it underpins the bill. The building safety levy is designed to ensure that developers make a fair and proportionate contribution to the cost of remediation, in line with equivalent arrangements that are already in place in England. We should remind ourselves why the legislation is necessary. The Grenfell tower fire, which has been mentioned already, was a national tragedy that exposed systemic failures in building safety, regulation and accountability.”
“I am pleased to speak in support of the general principles of the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill and to place on record my backing for the Scottish Government’s clear reminder today that building safety is a fundamental tenet of construction policy. I am not a member of the committee that has looked at the bill, but I can hear that there is a bit of a debate about it. Looking over the stage 1 report in preparation for today’s debate and hearing what has been said in the chamber, I have been a bit surprised that there is conflict, although I hear the various points of view coming through. I believe that the bill is about doing what is right and necessary. It is about ensuring that people can feel safe in their homes, whether they live in a high-rise block in one of our cities or in a flatted development.”
“Fulton MacGregor: I fully support swimming lessons being part of the school curriculum. 17:15”
“There should be more pools across our communities, not fewer. I must acknowledge that the Scottish Government has recognised the pressures at a national level and increased funding for local government in the most recent budget. That is important, but it does not remove the need for targeted support where pools are at risk. Exploring options such as energy cost relief, capital investment, efficiency upgrades and longer-term sustainability could make a real difference. There is also more to do on swimming education, as others have mentioned. Although I recognise the flexibility afforded by the curriculum for excellence and the practical challenges that some schools face, we should continue to explore how every child can be given a genuine opportunity to learn to swim. The Deputy Presiding Officer: You need to conclude.”
“In my constituency, North Lanarkshire Council has recently invested millions in the well-known Time Capsule in Coatbridge, which has already been referred to and which includes a 25m pool as well as the more renowned water park. That has been very welcome, but it has partly come about because the public have always shown, at every turn, a strength of feeling towards the facility. My point is that swimming pools carry vast public support. In contrast, the nearby John Smith pool in the cabinet secretary’s constituency has been closed for some time due to the cost of on-going repairs. Given that my constituents also use that facility, I have supported him and local councillors in efforts to have the pool reopened. I am pleased that his campaign has been successful, with plans to open again soon. I commend him for that.”
“Travel distances increase, costs rise and participation drops. If we are serious about addressing health and economic inequalities, we must ensure that swimming pools remain accessible and affordable across the country. I recognise the financial pressures that local authorities face. Rising energy costs throughout the UK, which are particularly steep in the context of swimming pools, as well as ageing infrastructure and stretched budgets, have created a difficult environment. Although decisions about local facilities sit with councils, it is clear that the challenge cannot be met by local government alone. A collaborative approach is needed, involving local authorities, leisure trusts, national agencies and all levels of government.”
“That matters profoundly at a time when more people are accessing open water for leisure and health reasons. Scotland’s lochs, rivers and coastline offer incredible opportunities, but they also bring risks. If fewer people have basic swimming skills while participating in outdoor swimming, the consequences could be serious. Swimming pools are therefore as much about safety as they are about recreation. Pools also play a key role in tackling inequality. Growing up in Coatbridge, visits to the local municipal baths were built into the school curriculum, from primary right through to secondary school. Everyone took part. As I referenced earlier, from an early age, we were taught that swimming was a basic life skill. However, when facilities close, it is often those in lower-income communities who lose out most.”
“They provide structured and safe environments in which people can build confidence, learn life-saving skills and maintain active lifestyles. Scottish Swimming has estimated the social value of swimming in the UK to be almost £2.5 billion, which illustrates that modest investment now can deliver significant long-term benefits for society. As Karen Adam said, we must challenge the perception of swimming as simply another leisure activity. Swimming is a life-saving skill. For many of us when growing up, swimming lessons were embedded in the school curriculum, ensuring that every child, regardless of background, had the chance to learn. That sense of universality has weakened. Today, access to swimming lessons can depend on whether families can afford them, whether a local pool still exists and whether it can accommodate the lessons.”
“I am pleased to speak in support of the petition, which recognises the value of swimming pools and calls for financial relief to help to keep them open across Scotland. I have long advocated on the issue in the Parliament. Indeed, in this parliamentary session, I have lodged two motions on the topic, both of which achieved cross-party support. Back in March 2023, I held what I felt to be a successful garden lobby event entitled “Everyone Can Swim—Save Our Pools”. The issue is something that I am quite invested in. As others have said, swimming pools are vital community assets. They play a central role in reducing the risk of drowning and improving physical and mental health, and they support wellbeing across all age groups.”
“As I said, my remarks were used in an intervention as part of a two-day debate on what I and many victims consider to be a transformative bill. There are a number of ways that matters can be drawn to members’ attention, depending on the issue. It can be done via officials or stakeholders. To be fair, it was a stakeholder in this instance, because it was Alexis Jay who first wrote to me on 26 September, and officials then corresponded with her and then advised me of the approach to clarification, which was agreed with Professor Jay at the time.”
“Cabinet secretary, you have taken three major bills through the Parliament in the past year or so, including the landmark one that you have just referenced. Given that, combined with the numerous statements that you have given in Parliament, it is fair for us all to assume that you are familiar with the processes and have corrected the record. How are you normally made aware if there is a need to correct the parliamentary record, and were you advised to do so in this case? The Presiding Officer: I remind members of the requirement to speak through the chair. Angela Constance: In hindsight, I should have sought to correct the record earlier. At the time, I thought that the matter was dealt with. Yes, I have spoken a lot in committee and the Parliament in the past year.”
“Cyber resilience must be treated as core public infrastructure. Support for small businesses, charities and local authorities must be practical and sustained, and any legislative or policy changes must be rooted firmly in human rights and social justice. The challenge before us is not simply to become more secure but to become more just. If we rise to that challenge, Scotland can lead not only in technological resilience but in showing that safety and freedom are not opposites—they are mutually reinforcing partners. 16:46”
“The report also reminds us that responsibility cannot rest solely with individuals. Too often, people are told to be more vigilant, to be more careful and to be more cyber aware, while operating in digital environments that are designed without their safety in mind. We need stronger expectations and regulations for organisations, platforms and suppliers to build security into systems from the outset and to take responsibility when failures occur. Cybercrime exposes the cracks in our social and economic structures. It exploits isolation, poverty, underinvestment and digital exclusion. Therefore, addressing it effectively means addressing those underlying conditions as well. I welcome the committee’s decision to draw Parliament’s attention to these issues, and I urge the Scottish Government to respond with ambition as well as urgency.”
“Several members, including Rona Mackay and Fulton MacGregor, have spoken about artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Those developments raise urgent questions not only about how crime is committed but about how power is exercised. We must ensure that new tools do not deepen existing inequalities, embed bias or create systems that are impossible to challenge or understand. We have also heard this afternoon, from Jamie Hepburn and others, that our public services— and, indeed, many of the other services that we all rely on at different points in our lives—are targeted by different ill-intentioned actors. We must ensure that the services—and the infrastructure that they rely on—are secure and resilient; we cannot just patch systems that are already creaking under the strain of technological advancement.”
“Police Scotland, the courts and the wider justice system must be equipped for the world that we now live in, not the one that we wish still existed. That might mean having challenging conversations with some people. Policing is changing, so we cannot just do more of what we did decades ago, even if that is what some people expect or want. As we have heard, some of our legislation will need radical updating in order to be fit for purpose. However, I will continue to sound a note of caution: cybersecurity must not become an excuse or a gateway for expanding intrusive surveillance or weakening fundamental rights. Safety that is built on fear, secrecy or overreach is not sustainable. Trust is created not by treating everyone as a potential threat, but by ensuring transparency, accountability and respect for human rights.”
“However, I think that it is inevitable that it will be very difficult to get everybody to feel confident in reporting such crimes. Maggie Chapman: I absolutely agree. That is why we need to take a holistic view and ensure that everybody who supports older people has conversations to reassure those people that they will not be treated as daft or stupid and that their admissions about what happened to them will not be used as an excuse to change their care situation or anything like that. That is imperative. Sharon Dowey, Davy Russell and other members spoke clearly about the need to ensure that Police Scotland has the resources that it needs. I want to be clear: we support investment in specialist skills, modernised systems and co- operation across borders when crime is transnational.”
“As Liam McArthur and other members noted, that all means that the education, awareness raising and support that we provide for people must be appropriately tailored to the right audience, whether it is older people at risk of scams, young people who spend more and more of their lives in digital spaces or organisations that hold valuable data and information. Liam McArthur: Maggie Chapman has made the point that the pathways for reporting cybercrime and cyberfraud must be as empathetic and supportive as they can be. As a number of members have observed, people often feel a sense of shame about what has happened. Particularly with elderly people, there can often be a sense that admitting to what happened might call into question their capacity, which might have wider consequences, so we must be as empathetic and supportive as we can be.”
“It disrupts businesses, undermines public services, damages mental health and erodes trust, and it does so in ways that disproportionately affect those with the least power and the fewest resources. That is why the Scottish Greens will continue to argue that any response to cybercrime must start with people, not technology alone. Victims must be believed, supported and protected. Reporting systems must be clear, accessible and properly resourced. Prevention must be given at least as much weight as enforcement.”
“We must continue to scrutinise it well into the future, particularly as the threat of cybercrime grows. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to closing speeches. 16:40 Maggie Chapman: I am very grateful for the contributions that have been made during the debate. It is clear that there is a shared recognition across the chamber that cybercrime poses a profound and evolving challenge for Scotland. Where we might differ is not on the seriousness or urgency of the threat but on how we respond to it. The committee report that we are debating is careful, evidence based and grounded in lived experience. It shows us that cybercrime is not confined to laptops and servers. Such crime reaches into every corner of our society.”
“Together, those efforts will help to ensure that cyber resilience is embedded across sectors rather than treated as an afterthought. A secure digital environment builds trust. Trust enables investment. Investment supports growth and inclusion. Growth, in turn, strengthens Scotland’s ability to thrive in an increasingly digital world. Cyber resilience, at its best, fosters confidence to innovate, connect and ensure that Scotland is ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. By continuing to work together, we can ensure that Scotland remains not only digitally connected but digitally secure, resilient and fit for the future. Like other members, including Liam McArthur, I thank the Criminal Justice Committee, particularly its clerks, for allowing us to provide good scrutiny of the matter.”
“Collaboration is not an optional extra; it is the only effective response to threats that constantly evolve. That is why Scotland places such emphasis on preparedness, detection and response. The Scottish cyber co-ordination centre plays a crucial role in promoting effective incident response and recovery, which helps organisations to act quickly and confidently when incidents occur. That work is guided by the strategic framework for a cyber resilient Scotland, which was developed with partners through the CyberScotland partnership. A key development in that framework is the cyber observatory, which will strengthen intelligence sharing, improve early warning of emerging threats and help to target support to where it is needed most.”
“Meeting those challenges is a shared responsibility, and the Government has a vital role to play, but it cannot act alone, which is a point that has just been made by Rona Mackay. The Scottish National Party Government is determined to do everything that it can within its powers to strengthen cyber resilience. It will work closely with Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, the UK Government and the National Cyber Security Centre on reserved matters, and it will work, where appropriate, with our European partners. Our wider approach is rooted in partnership. We work with industry, academia, the third sector and local government, because collective effort is essential if we are to safeguard people and unlock the economic potential of a secure digital future.”
“However, those figures still underestimate the true picture. Many offences, from fraud to domestic abuse, are enabled by everyday technology and leave a digital footprint, even if they are not yet consistently recorded as cyber-related. Improving our understanding of that complexity is essential if policing resources are to be effectively directed and victims are to be properly supported. Digital forensics is therefore central to modern justice. The ability to identify, extract and present digital evidence is now integral to investigations, yet demand is increasing faster than capacity. The Scottish Police Authority continues to scrutinise Police Scotland’s approach to building a sustainable digital forensic capability, because it recognises that evidential integrity, public trust and victim confidence all depend on it.”
“The introduction of tools such as the child abuse image database, which uses face-matching technology, has transformed how officers work by using artificial intelligence to reduce the time that is spent reviewing images and to allow greater focus on identifying victims and safeguarding children. Digital forensic vans are speeding up investigations and reducing the time that people are separated from their devices. Police Scotland’s cyber alarm is supporting businesses and organisations across Scotland to identify vulnerabilities and protect themselves from attack. We must be clear about the scale of the challenge. The number of recorded crimes with a cyber element continues to grow, and new performance measures that have been introduced by Police Scotland show a rising volume of cyber- tagged crimes.”
“The SPA provides robust oversight of that work through its policing performance committee, which ensures transparency, scrutiny and public accountability. We are already seeing tangible progress. Police Scotland has established its cyber and fraud unit, which will continue to evolve as demand grows. Work is already under way to join the UK-wide fraud and cybercrime reporting and analysis service, which will help to improve intelligence, consistency and victim support. Alongside that, the policing in a digital world programme is equipping officers and staff to respond to cybercrime using the four Ps approach: pursue, protect, prepare and prevent. Innovation plays a vital role.”
“In many cases, crimes that we once thought of as traditional, such as fraud, domestic abuse, stalking and exploitation, now have a clear cyber or digital dimension. The new reality has profound implications for policing and public safety. This morning, ahead of the debate, the Scottish Police Authority wrote to the committee about that. Police Scotland’s 2030 vision, which was launched last year, recognises the changing landscape and has a clear focus on safer communities, less crime, supported victims and a thriving workforce. Crucially, it includes a commitment to strengthen Scotland’s response to cybercrime and fraud, which includes establishing a dedicated cyber and fraud unit and developing specialist skills and training across the workforce.”
“As our reliance on digital technology grows, so, too, does the importance of cyber resilience and digital safety. We all depend on websites, apps, systems and data, often without even giving it a second thought. They make life more convenient, efficient and connected, yet, in a digitally connected world, convenience comes at a cost. Cyberthreats are increasing in scale and sophistication. Incidents of cyberoffending and online harm are increasing in number, whether that is criminals seeking to exploit vulnerable people, disrupt essential services or use online activity as a gateway to wider offending. The point was made to us as a committee that such risks are no longer abstract or confined to large organisations but affect individuals, families, small businesses, charities, schools and public bodies alike.”
“Like other members, I am delighted to speak in the debate as a member of the Criminal Justice Committee. Scotland thrives when it is confident, connected and secure in today’s world, and that means being a digitally secure and resilient nation. Digital technology can no longer be considered a separate sector of our economy. It underpins almost everything that we do, from how businesses trade and grow, how public services are delivered and how families stay in touch to how communities organise themselves. Digital systems shape our daily lives and Scotland’s future prosperity. They are driving economic growth, opening up new opportunities and helping Scotland to compete in a global stage. As other members have said, however, that opportunity brings responsibility.”
“The task and finish group—to which, I think, Professor Jay alluded to in responding to the Education, Children and Young People Committee this morning—will take forward work to consider and develop options for Scotland and report into the national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group, which will be under Alexis Jay’s leadership.”
“Jenny Gilruth: As I said, we are considering the case for a broader statutory requirement on the mandatory reporting of child abuse, and we are engaging very closely on that with stakeholders, including the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood abuse, Police Scotland, Social Work Scotland, Child Protection Committees Scotland and others. The national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group has discussed the issue at its past two meetings and has agreed that more work is required to consider mandatory reporting in relation to the depth that is provided. It agreed to establish a task and finish group to develop options for a Scottish mandatory reporting model. That group is currently being set up. I again put on the record ministers’ support in principle for mandatory reporting.”