Liam Kerr
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“Producing the same amount of electricity through ground-mounted solar—a technology that I stress I support and that must form part of our energy mix—requires many times more land. Most of us would agree that reducing emissions matters.”
“In the years since I first contributed to a debate in this Parliament on new nuclear power in Scotland, four of the six parties in the chamber have come to support the proposition that I put forward, in some form or other. In that, they are on the side of the majority of the public, which supports nuclear power.”
“No wonder: electric vehicles, heat pumps, hydrogen production, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and high-tech industries all require enormous amounts of reliable power. That means nuclear. However, we do not just need reliable power. We need local power.”
“In 2019, it even legislated for a 75 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030, although it scrapped that target five years later because it could not meet it.”
“In fact, over the year, wind turbines operate only around 25 to 40 per cent of the time. The point is that we must be able to guarantee electricity when homes, businesses and hospitals need it.”
“For more than 65 years, the STV North news programme has done far more than simply report the news. As Maggie Chapman said, it has given a voice to rural and regional communities. It has reflected local priorities and provided scrutiny, balance and accountability at every level of Government and public life.”
The complete record
Every one of 538 lines we hold for Liam Kerr, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 11.
“Surely, as Ash Regan passionately reminded us, if we have an opportunity to reduce violence against women and girls, we must explore it. That means progressing the bill to stage 2. The minister says that there is insufficient time left to make the bill work. My observation is that, when the Government wants to do something, it finds the time to do it. When it wanted to release criminals early from prisons, it found time and avoided consultation by forcing through emergency legislation. When the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill initially contained the utterly appalling suggestion of removing trial by jury, the Government pushed it to stage 2, removed the entire part and then lodged nearly 300 stage 2 amendments, which were considered over four committee sittings.”
“For example, I have concerns about the definition of the offence of paying for the performance of a sexual act by a person. I have concerns about the quashing provisions, which may not be within competence and could offend the separation of powers. I am also concerned that Police Scotland has warned that the cost of the bill could be at least £320 million. In addition, I have significant concerns about the effect that the proposed offence might have on the safety of women who are involved in prostitution. Michelle Thomson: [Made a request to intervene.] Liam Kerr: May I come back to the member? I am sorry, but I really want to get to the next part of my speech first. This is where I diverge completely from what the minister has just said.”
“At stage 1 of a bill, the Parliament debates the general principles of that bill, not whether it should become law. The bill before us seeks to reduce the amount of prostitution in Scotland because of the evidence of exploitation and the harms that it is causing. It does that principally by creating a new criminal offence of paying for sexual acts. The minister accepts the fundamental principle of criminalising the purchase of sex, because, as she has said, “prostitution is violence against women and girls.” On that, we agree. The bill also proposes to repeal the offence of soliciting, to quash convictions for certain offences and to provide a right to assistance and support. The minister says that the bill before us would require a great deal of work in order to achieve its goals. On that, I agree, too.”
“However, Mr Kerr needs to recognise that, although the Government can take steps to manage the population, we know, for example—because we look closely at the detail—that the impact of the current early emergency release programme is lower than expected because of higher inflows into the system over the festive period and the use of the governor’s veto. It is key that we all step back from our rhetoric and look at and appreciate the evidence on why Scotland is such an outlier in having an exceptionally high prison population. Leaving aside the rhetoric, it does not serve our communities and people well to have an overpopulated prison population, because that is contrary to achieving safety in our communities. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, cabinet secretary. We will need briefer answers.”
“Angela Constance: Presiding Officer, with the greatest respect, I am not going to take lessons on supporting victims from a member who did not support the most recent victims bill. With regard to the member’s trip down memory lane, it is almost a quarter of a century since I worked in the Prison Service and, at that point, short-term prisoners were automatically released halfway through their sentence. However, I say to Mr Kerr, because his point about demonstrating outcomes is important, that of course we can demonstrate the impact of the wide range of actions and steps that I have taken, directly or indirectly. One example is that after the implementation of the STP40 programme last year, the short-term prisoner population between February and November was reduced by 8 per cent. I can give other examples.”
“The cabinet secretary has come to Parliament today talking at length about her inputs, but in just two paragraphs, we have learned that the only outputs will be hardened criminals, released after serving just 30 per cent of their sentence. What research has been done that demonstrates that a 30 per cent release scheme will be any more successful than previous failed schemes? Has the cabinet secretary changed the previous failure of Government to keep any formal records of the risks, objectives and rationale related to prisoners being released early? In addition, in previous similar statements, the cabinet secretary focused on protections for victims; in this statement, she does no such thing. Does that not clearly show where the Government’s priorities lie?”
“I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement. Criminals get up to four years for things such as drug offences, serious assault and possession of offensive weapons. There was a time when a sentence of four years meant four years. Then, for years, that came to mean automatic release at the halfway point. Since February 2020, such prisoners were let out after serving only 40 per cent of their sentence. In the past couple of years, we have also had several so-called emergency release programmes. In December 2023, the prison population was just under 8,300. Today, it is just over 8,300. The Government’s knee-jerk, unevidenced, panicked schemes have failed.”
“Although the increase to the community justice budget is welcome, the reoffending rate remains stubbornly high at 27 per cent. What assessment can the cabinet secretary point to that examines where the shortfalls in historical funding were most missed? When are the increased sums projected to show an improvement in the reoffending rate? Angela Constance: I am pleased that Mr Kerr recognises the increased investment. This is the third year in a row under my tenure in which there has been increased investment, which totals £35 million. I am pleased that the bulk of the £169 million of funding—£148 million—will be invested in justice social work. There is a plethora of information that speaks to the importance of justice social work in supervising community payback orders, which leads to their success.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the five national performing companies are essential infrastructure investment and whether the funding that it provides to them is sufficient. (S6O-05422)”
“The Scottish Government has previously acknowledged using artificial intelligence to answer FOI requests from the Scottish Conservatives. Did using AI filtering have any impact whatsoever on the Government’s assessment of and/or release of the documents in this case? Graeme Dey: I have to be honest—I do not fully understand the question that the member is asking. This is a simple and straightforward case; we have committed to releasing the information, and we are undertaking a detailed process to ensure that we do not commit contempt of court. Liam Kerr: Did AI have— Graeme Dey: I hear the member speaking from a sedentary position, but I cannot make out what he is saying. I offer him the assurance—as I have done to Katy Clark—that the Government is working at pace to provide the release of the information while acting responsibly.”
“We will continue to represent the industry as much as we can. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Question 8 was not lodged. That concludes portfolio question time on rural affairs, land reform and islands.”
“On that point, there is a long-standing concern that contracts for malting barley, which is an important combinable crop in the UK, are extremely volatile. Rising whisky costs and a fall in demand mean that it has been hard for those arable farmers to secure contracts ahead of this year’s harvest. What discussions precisely has the Scottish Government had with the UK Government to support those arable farmers and to find new markets for whisky? Jim Fairlie: Liam Kerr makes a very good point. Given the current global disruption, I applaud the First Minister’s efforts to ensure that tariffs are reduced in America, because that is exactly where malting barley products go. As I have said, we are part of the conversations that the UK Government is having on supply chain fairness, and that work is on-going.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that grooming gangs are targeting children living in residential care homes in Scotland. (S6T-02850)”
“I have met the Lord President and we discussed the requirements of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, and we will continue to discuss those matters. However, the investments that we are making across the justice system will ensure that people receive justice in a timely manner— that is what the Government is focused on.”
“I declare my interest as a practising solicitor. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service warned that, without a £40 million baseline uplift, trials will be delayed and that some will take more than two years to conclude. The budget will deliver an uplift of £4.2 million, which is a tenth of what is needed. What advice does the cabinet secretary have for victims of crime who are waiting more than two years for justice? Shona Robison: Under Liam Kerr’s plans, that budget would be cut because there would be £1 billion less to spend on public services. Members on the Tory benches cannot come to the Parliament and ask for more money when they want to cut investment in public services by £1 billion.”
“Now here we are, 11 weeks from the dissolution of this Parliament and all that that entails, and the overwhelming impression is that the issue is not being prioritised sufficiently. Nearly a decade on from Emily’s tragic death, the campaign tells me that it has yet to see tangible progress. Thanks to Claire Baker’s motion, the report that prompted it and all who contributed their time and expertise to it, the cabinet secretary has the chance, in her closing speech, to set out exactly what will be done to address the issue before May’s election. She must not countenance any delays. We have a duty to Emily and all those impacted by the vicious practice of non-fatal strangulation—we owe it to them. Close the gaps, act now and make sure that no woman becomes another victim of this appalling violence. 13:14”
“Here is my biggest concern: the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee considered that petition last April; the Criminal Justice Committee examined it last summer; the Scottish Government’s programme for government stated that it would carry out a comprehensive assessment of the law to determine whether further action is needed; and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs updated the justice committee in November, saying that that comprehensive assessment would take place. In December, the Lord Advocate wrote to Fiona Drouet—who joins us in the public gallery today— acknowledging the concern and explaining the current position, but giving no firm direction forward.”
“Police Scotland and the Crown Office now recognise strangulation as a red flag for homicide risk, but absent such an offence, there is no statutory requirement that every report of strangulation should trigger an immediate medical assessment, specialist medical imaging or a specific risk or safeguarding review. From the start, the EmilyTest campaign—it can be found on emilytest.org if anyone who is watching is impacted or concerned by what they are hearing—demanded action, setting out clear and articulate deliverables through means, including a petition, for a stand-alone criminal offence.”
“It carries a high risk of delayed death and is one of the strongest predictors of future lethal violence. Because of that, the EmilyTest campaign was set up to demand that strangulation should always trigger an urgent medical response and enhanced police safeguarding, even where the victim appears outwardly unharmed. The campaign is also one of many calling for non-fatal strangulation to be a stand-alone offence, as it has been in England and Wales since 2022, and in Northern Ireland since 2023. It is certainly arguable that the absence of such an offence means that police and prosecutors lack a clear legal category, that data collection on incidents is poor, that the seriousness of strangulation might not be sufficiently recognised or deterred, and that public awareness of the life- threatening nature of strangulation remains low.”
“Emily Drouet was a law student at the University of Aberdeen. She was kind, compassionate, intelligent and thoughtful. Emily died in 2016 when an incident occurred following a pattern of abuse by her boyfriend, Angus Milligan. The incident was initially treated as non-suspicious, but it later emerged that she had reported to the university an earlier assault that included strangulation. At that time, non-fatal strangulation was poorly understood and often characterised as a minor assault. Police and medical professionals failed to recognise strangulation as a high-risk indicator of homicide. However, we know from the report, the study that has been referenced and the powerful motion for today’s debate that non-fatal strangulation is incredibly serious. It can directly cause internal injuries, including brain injury and hypoxia.”
“There are 40 traineeships, but we are looking at 20 initially, and we are also looking at progressing other initiatives that are not yet in the public domain but being negotiated with the Law Society. I will keep the Parliament updated. Scottish Prison Service (Crown Immunity) 2.”
“In 2024, United Nations human rights monitors warned that low fees and poor retention were hollowing out Scotland’s legal aid system. Faced with that warning, the Government promised a legal aid reform bill and promptly abandoned it. Rather than addressing the fees issue, the minister has fallen back on the traineeships that start next year, even though there are only 20. Can the minister provide the data that shows that 20 new nationwide traineeships will arrest the workforce collapse in Scotland’s legal aid representation, particularly in rural and island communities? Siobhian Brown: Negotiations are on-going with the legal profession regarding an uplift. Two offers have been rejected. I hope that we will be able to come to a conclusion shortly, but the budget is due next week.”
“With that, I move, That the Parliament notes the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee’s 9th Report, 2025 (Session 6), Complaint against Ash Regan MSP (SP Paper 945), and agrees to impose the sanction recommended in the report that Ash Regan MSP be excluded from all meetings of the Parliament and its committees for two sitting days, with those sitting days being the next Wednesday and the next Thursday following the agreement of this motion. 17:53”
“I draw the member’s attention to paragraph 26 of our report, which says: “The Committee considered a number of factors in what it considered to be the appropriate period of exclusion”— which appears in the motion. The report continues: “This included whether there were any mitigations that could be taken into account.” The report and the sanctions that are proposed in today’s motion were unanimously decided by the committee. I hope that that assists the member in his thinking.”
“Can the convener help me understand? Martin Whitfield: I can certainly endeavour to do so—but I have no intention of stepping across the First Minister’s responsibility for the Scottish Government and the ministerial code of conduct. Noting the way that I have articulated the proposal in the motion today, along with what is in the committee’s very full report, I draw attention to the fact that, as a committee, we do not follow precedent in a strict form, but we do of course look at previous incursions. We also look at the circumstances of the very specific case that is before us because, under natural justice, that is not only what we are expected to do, but what we should do.”
“Will the member take an intervention? Martin Whitfield: I will do if he is very quick. Liam Kerr: I am genuinely listening to what Mr Whitfield is saying, and I am trying to work out what is best to do. I wonder whether the committee convener can help me understand something. People who are watching these proceedings will see a sanction being applied for a breach of the rules, which is to be a two-day suspension. People will have been watching the Parliament earlier on and will have seen that a cabinet secretary has been found, on two counts, to be in breach of the ministerial code, and has come before the Parliament to give a statement and carry out the remedy that was advised in that case. I worry that people will be looking at these proceedings and asking whether the sanction that has been handed out by the committee is proportionate.”
“This may be of little interest or consolation to members of the Opposition but, at the end of the day, the biggest critic of me is me. This rests with me. Where action has to be taken and where there has to be accountability, that rests with me as a minister. That is what comes with being a minister. As I said to your colleague earlier, walking away is always the easy option, but standing up and being accountable for your actions is the harder road, and I will take the harder road each and every time. The Presiding Officer: Always speak through the chair, please.”
“Angela Constance: I can say to Mr Kerr that I have had much to reflect on and, when it comes to regrets, I certainly have a few. My on-going commitment to Parliament is that I do not and will not abdicate any of my responsibilities. I will not repeat the evidence that I gave to the Education, Children and Young People Committee, as we now have the judgment of the independent advisers and their conclusions and recommendations. Was I given advice? The answer is no. However, I do not want that to be misinterpreted. I am answering a straight question, because that is the challenge that has been put to me. What I do not demur from for one minute is what rests with me. I ain’t for a minute pointing the finger at spads, officials or anybody else.”
“I choose to believe that the cabinet secretary did not intend to mislead when she intervened on me in September. However, the failure to correct the record in the face of many colleagues and voices in civic Scotland highlighting the error was, I think she would acknowledge, a monumental error of judgment. It was disrespectful to Parliament and, worst of all, it was a shocking abdication of responsibility to the victims of this most abhorrent of crimes. A straight, closed question begs a straight answer. Between 3 October and her appearance at the Education, Children and Young People Committee in December, was the cabinet secretary advised by anyone in her private office, by her special advisers and/or by the First Minister’s office to correct the parliamentary record?”
“There was a change to the weather warnings very late last night by the Met Office, and the Cabinet Secretary for Transport communicated about that very late last night to ensure that members of the public were aware of the escalation to an amber warning. I assure Mr Kerr and Mr Bowie, who has written to me, that all resources are mobilised to help the situation. We are working closely with Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council. If those authorities require any assistance, the Government will be happy to take forward that work. That is what our liaison officers are doing on a constant basis.”
“The community response to the weather—today it was declared a major incident—has been admirable and extraordinary, unlike the Government’s absence, inaction and lack of communication, which have been appalling. Will Andrew Bowie MP’s call for immediate mobilisation of all resources be agreed to? What discussions has the First Minister had with Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council to offer Scottish Government help in the face of brutal cuts that have limited council resources? The First Minister: There has been full engagement with public authorities on all these issues, as there is on every occasion. There has also been very active communication on the issue by ministers and those who act on our behalf.”
“I find it persuasive that, without legislative consent, Scotland could be seen as being less stringent and therefore a destination where the sentencing of such offenders is less rigorous. Having given due consideration to the legislative consent memorandum and the representations that were made yesterday and today, I find myself in agreement with the Scottish Government’s recommendation. I confirm that the Scottish Conservatives will vote in favour of the motion at decision time tonight. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Pauline McNeill to open the debate on behalf of Scottish Labour. 14:05”
“I rise to speak to the motion on legislative consent. The legislative consent memorandum on the same bill was considered and scrutinised in committee yesterday. As the cabinet secretary set out, this issue arises due to the Crime and Policing Bill that is going through the UK Parliament; its clause 8 and schedule 2 contain provisions that require the consent of the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government has recommended that the Parliament consent to the relevant provisions in the bill and has clearly set out the reasons for that in the detail of its legislative consent memorandum. I also found the cabinet secretary’s evidence highly persuasive, both yesterday and just now, particularly on the need to ensure that Scotland is consistent with the rest of the country in its treatment of these offenders.”
“That was a worthwhile piece of work and this has been a worthwhile debate. It is exactly the kind of topic that we should be debating and keeping on the agenda, and I am grateful to all the members who have contributed to the debate. The Presiding Officer: That concludes the debate on cybercrime. Pension Schemes Bill 17:07”
“Such representations will be important at that time. The Parliament’s scrutiny responsibilities for issues around the digital economy, such as AI tools, safety and resilience and prosecuting cybercrime, currently lie between the Economy and Fair Work Committee and the Criminal Justice Committee. As Liam McArthur said, it is for members in the next parliamentary session to decide what issues should be debated in that session. However, the point has been well made that we must keep those issues in mind, and the Criminal Justice Committee needs to be cognisant of them when drafting its section 6 legacy report for its successor committee. I again thank all those who provided the Criminal Justice Committee with written and oral evidence on cybercrime and cyber resilience.”
“At this point, it is important to note that Marie McNair MSP is hosting an event tomorrow on the national cybersecurity centre’s cyberfirst secondary 2 girls competition, which aims to inspire young women who have a passion for technology to explore careers in cybersecurity. Audrey Nicoll: On the point that Liam Kerr made about resilience and supporting organisations that are working on the front line, we must not forget about funding to support some of the organisations and third sector organisations that are working to do ground-level, granular work. That funding can be small amounts of money, but it is important. Liam Kerr: That is an important point and it was well made. I hope that it will be in people’s minds during the budget process and also during CyberScotland week, which will be from 23 to 28 February 2026.”
“The Scottish Government might also then update us on its progress regarding discussions with the UK Government on ensuring that the new Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill, which is currently before the House of Commons, is fit for purpose. It is my great hope that that bill will protect citizens and the vital public and commercial IT systems on which our society relies. However, it is important that we know about the issue in Scotland. Richard Lochhead told us about the many good companies that are working on the front line to protect us. Sharon Dowey went into that and talked about the cyber and fraud hub, which is empowering women to get involved in cybersecurity.”
“At the outset of the debate, Sharon Dowey reminded us of the importance to the police of funding and resources, and Police Scotland’s budget submission explicitly requests additional funding for digital and cyber capability. Maurice Golden put the figure that is required at £6 million. I hope that that is in the mind of the Government when it comes to setting the budget. Bringing things back to the proceedings of this place, I understand that the Criminal Justice Committee can look forward to receiving a written response to our report from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs by mid-February next year. In that, I hope that the Scottish Government will take the opportunity to set out its progress with key partners on delivering the objectives of the cyber resilient Scotland 2025 to 2030 strategic framework.”
“That means building the awareness to recognise threats, the discipline to reduce risk and the readiness to respond swiftly and confidently when, not if, an attack comes.” Fulton MacGregor raised the update that we received this morning from the SPA, which announced many welcome developments, including a new key performance indicator that counts every crime in relation to which a cyber tag has been applied on the crime system, in order to improve understanding of the scale and complexity of crime involving a cyber element. That addresses the exact point that was made about reporting. Liam McArthur made what I thought was a really important point on the police. Cybercrime demands specialist policing skills, an investment in digital forensics, cyber and fraud specialists, cryptocurrency experts, data scientists and intelligence officers.”
“The police have told us that they actively push out a prevention message and that, although they are there to investigate and get a positive outcome, they are also helping businesses to recover from cyberattacks. Age Scotland told the committee that people need to become more confident in reporting what has happened to them, which Maurice Golden was quick to highlight. How do we move forward from this debate? Maggie Titmuss, the chair of the national cyber resilience advisory board, said: “The message is clear: we must be proactive.”
“This week, in her first speech in post, Blaise Metreweli, the new director general of MI6, made an interesting point when she said that “the front line is everywhere” in our shared struggle against cybercrime. We have heard that there is lots of good work out there. The cabinet secretary told us of the strategic partnership between CyberScotland and the Scottish cyber co-ordination centre. Rona Mackay told us of the Scottish Government engaging closely with the UK Government and the National Cyber Security Centre. In November 2025, the Scottish Government published “The Strategic Framework for a Cyber Resilient Scotland 2025-2030”.”
“The police told us how such crimes are often borderless. Rona Mackay raised an interesting point about how such crimes might involve networks of people who do not know each other except through a screen. At an individual level, life savings can be lost and data stolen, and there is the trauma that is caused by the non-consensual sharing of images and the impact of ransomware. As the convener said when she opened the debate, it is not always easy to identify solutions, and the public, private, commercial and charitable sectors must work with the Government, the police, security services and key cybertechnology partners to develop a whole-society approach to cybercrime and cyber resilience.”
“Jamie Hepburn raised the attack on Arnold Clark in December 2022, in which a large amount of sensitive customer and corporate employee data was stolen. That sort of attack has a massive impact on employees and customers. Pauline McNeill talked about the £300 million in lost profits at Marks & Spencer, and Liam McArthur raised the issue of the elderly, who might be targeted through emails or text messages. As Age Scotland told the committee, developments in AI and deepfakes can make things look very convincing and difficult to differentiate from the real thing. As the cabinet secretary said, cyberattacks can cause massive disruption, reducing trust in institutions and, in our interconnected world, resulting in outcomes such as islanders being left without food, as happened following an attack on the Co-op.”
“An estimated 4,070 sexual crimes that were recorded last year were cybercrimes, nearly 1,500 of which involved victims under the age of 18. Jamie Hepburn and many others made the point that many such crimes will not be reported. Maurice Golden raised the evidence from Age Scotland that around 20 per cent of victims of fraud-related crime do not report it. That means that the true figures are likely to be much higher. We have heard this afternoon about some of the forms that these crimes take and just how disruptive they are. A Vodafone business survey estimated that small businesses in Scotland lose about £386 million annually due to cyberattacks. Katy Clark told us that NatWest protects us from 100 million attacks per month. That requires huge investment to defend our money.”
“The committee heard about “The Cost of Cyber Crime” report, which—members should note that this figure is 14 years old—set out that the estimated cost of cybercrime to the UK was £27 billion per annum. That was 14 years ago. Maggie Chapman brought that right up to date by telling us about the recorded crime in Scotland statistics, according to which cybercrimes account for more than 5 per cent of total reported crime, including more than a quarter of sexual crimes, nearly all threats and extortion crimes and nearly half of all frauds. The Scottish crime and justice survey said that approximately 37 per cent of last year’s reported fraud involved cyber, such as online banking scams, investment scams and phishing.”
“It has been a useful and important debate. On behalf of the Criminal Justice Committee, I thank all those members who have taken part in it, and I commend the Parliament for allocating time to debate what is such an important issue. In its second paragraph, our report set out that our aim was to “inform parliamentary debate and raise awareness of the impact of cybercrime and cyber-security.” Rona Mackay told us that such cases are at double their pre-pandemic levels, which shows just how important it is that we put the issue on the agenda. Pauline McNeill referred to the fact that the chief constable told us that there has been significant growth in complex digitally enabled and globally driven crime, including reported sexual offending and fraud, but today’s debate has made that real.”
“In relation to his amendment, one of the officials from the education team was keen to point to the existence of other commissioners in the education space— for example, the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland. I am mindful that Mr Kerr will be au fait with that from his time on that committee. However, his substantive point about data is important, and I go back to the quote that I read out from a survivor who contacted me last week. We require to establish the evidence base that we do not yet have. That may lead to the establishment of an inquiry. I do not want to prejudge the outcome of that review, but I will come back to the Parliament in February to set out more detail to that end.”
“The absence of reliable data was exactly the issue that I raised in my amendment to the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill in September, so I recognise the imperative of gathering that. However, given the time that has already been lost, can the cabinet secretary tell me clearly when the review will conclude, what the key milestones and dates are, and—crucially— what findings or thresholds would trigger a full independent inquiry? Jenny Gilruth: I thank Liam Kerr for his interest in the matter. I reassure him that that point was discussed at the Education, Children and Young People Committee this morning, with my ministerial colleagues and officials.”
“To ask the Scottish Government how many farmers in the North East Scotland region have applied for the future farming investment scheme this year, including how many of those were unsuccessful. (S6O-05298)”
“[Interruption.] Offshore Energies UK has offered an alternative fiscal regime to the UK Government, but it ignored that at the budget a couple of weeks ago. It needs to look at it again. The ball is still in its court. I have to say—[Interruption.] I have to say that I cannot hear myself think, so I am just going to sit down, because Liam Kerr is heckling me from a sedentary position. Liam Kerr: I was waiting for an answer. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Can we please ask questions with a degree of respect and also listen to the responses with a degree of respect? I will give some latitude for members to respond and react to what is being said, but it needs to be within reason.”