Draft budget includes £50m to tackle Covid-19 backlogs in criminal justice

Humza Yousaf

Mr Yousaf yesterday announced a £104.4 million increase across the justice portfolio and a further £72 million allocated in Covid-19 consequentials, totalling more than £3 billion for “safer, just and resilient communities”.

As the SNP does not have a majority in the Scottish Parliament, ministers will need to secure the support of at least one other party to pass the budget.

As well as an extra £50 million for the Recover, Renew and Transform (RRT) programme, the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) budget will be increased to £129.3 million. Community justice services have been allocated £118.7 million.

The record £1.3bn police funding includes a £60m increase in the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) resource budget and an extra £15m to mitigate the impact of Covid-19. The overall policing settlement will eliminate Police Scotland’s structural deficit and protect the policing workforce.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) will have a £72.8 million capital investment budget to help “modernise the prison estate, including the innovative new female custodial estate”.

Meanwhile, there is increased resource funding of more than £18 million for services to support victims of crime and deliver measures to improve their experiences of the justice system.

Mr Yousaf said: “Scotland’s police, justice system partners and the wider emergency response sector, have stepped up to the challenges of the pandemic and the Scottish Government is supporting them to deliver a safer, just and resilient Scotland with more than £3 billion funding.

“Our sustained, strategic commitment to long-term programmes to promote community safety, crime prevention and the rehabilitation of offenders has meant less crime and fewer victims than a decade ago – key indicators of what works.

“This year has highlighted the critical role Police Scotland plays in keeping communities safe, and I’m pleased that our record £1.3 billion investment in policing will see us exceed our commitment to deliver a £100 million boost by 2021. It will also eliminate the structural deficit, delivering a sustainable budget for a modern policing service with the right mix of skills and expertise to help people stay safe in their homes, in their communities and online.

“Across the wider justice system, and building on our existing responses to Covid-19 such as establishing the first remote jury centres in the UK, we will invest a further £50 million in our Recover, Renew, Transform programme. We will drive further reform, including greater use of digital tools and improved support for victims and witnesses, as we tackle backlogs built up while necessary public health restrictions have been in place.

“We will also invest more than £70 million to modernise Scotland’s prison estate, ensuring it is fit for the future and able to meet the changing demands and complexities of today’s prison population. Across a range of services, our latest budget will ensure that the people of Scotland continue to be well served by a modern, responsive justice system.”