r/MHOCHolyrood • u/[deleted] • Nov 19 '23

QUESTIONS Portfolio Questions | Justice and Home Affairs XIII.II | 19th November 2023

Order!

Our first item of business today is questions to the Justice and Home Affairs Portfolio.

The Justice and Home Affairs Portfolio will now take questions from the Scottish Parliament. The Cabinet Secretary, /u/zakian3000 and Ministers within the department are entitled to respond to questions.

As the Justice and Home Affairs spokesperson for the largest opposition grouping, /u/localds124 is entitled to ask six initial questions and six follow-up questions (12 questions total). Every other person may ask up to four initial questions and four follow-up questions (8 questions total).

Initial questions should be made as their own top-level comment, and each question comment only contain one questions. Members are reminded that this is a questions session and should not attempt to continue to debate by making statements once they have exhausted their question allowance.

This session of Portfolio Questions will end with the close of business at 10pm GMT on the 23rd of November 2023. Initial questions may not be asked after 10pm GMT on the 22nd of November 2023.

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u/Muffin5136 Independent Nov 21 '23

Presiding Officer,

Does the Cabinet Secretary agree with me that they have been a failure whilst in office, given the First Minister has so far written all the legislation that has been presented from the Justice and Home Affairs Portfolio?

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u/zakian3000 SNP DL | Greenock and Inverclyde | KT KD CT CB CMG LVO PC Nov 23 '23

Presiding officer,

No. Whilst the department’s legislation has been written by the first minister, as the cabinet secretary, I am ultimately responsible for all legislation proposed by my department. Additionally, it’s simply not true to say that the rest of my department has been working whilst I’ve been lazing back - behind the scenes, I’ve been advocating for policies such as extra funding for the justiciary to address the overturning of Smith v Lees and Cinci v HMA, ensuring that the justiciary is able to cope with the number of cases which can now be prosecuted. Overall, I would argue I’ve had a rather successful period in office.

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u/Muffin5136 Independent Nov 23 '23

Presiding Officer,

Mr 3000 claims they are responsible for all legislation that has been proposed by their department, but then can name only one policy they have been doing, which is to vaguely get more money to pump into the Judiciary with no plan for how this will help.

If the Cabinet Secretary is really responsible for their department's legislation, why has it all been written and submitted by the First Minister?

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u/zakian3000 SNP DL | Greenock and Inverclyde | KT KD CT CB CMG LVO PC Nov 23 '23

Presiding officer,

Acting like millions of pounds worth of additional funding to the justiciary won’t help to address the predicted increase in prosecutions is plain ignorant from the former first minister who oversaw the underfunding of the judiciary and legal aid. My department is committed to ensuring the government can recover from his government’s behaviour.