Speeches by Sullivan.

“You have emphasised the importance of a robust evaluation at the Thistle. What outcomes would you class as clear evidence that the facility does indeed benefit public health?”

“Lord Advocate, you have touched upon this point already in mentioning the role of Members as legislators. To what extent is your prosecutorial discretion an appropriate substitute for a full legal framework allowing and properly regulating safer drug consumption facilities?”

“From what you said earlier, am I correct in understanding that the proposal put to the previous Lord Advocate was substantially different from what was put to you, perhaps on the basis of a better understanding of what the law required in terms of a statement of prosecution, which would allow a more targeted facility a…”

“Lord Advocate, you mentioned some of the aims of the facility, which include reducing public drug use, reducing drug deaths and helping vulnerable people to access support to recovery. To what extent was your prosecution policy predicated on academic and medical evidence that drug consumption facilities benefit public …”

“Okay, thank you. To what extent did your assessment that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute users of the Thistle hinge on the time-limited nature of the three-year pilot?”

“As the Chair has mentioned, this Committee has visited sites in Oslo and Bergen. Did you and your office look at evidence from such sites, particularly as to comparative problems not just with drug deaths, but with drug harms, including those arising from blood-borne conditions?”

“To clarify—I am aware of time, so I would ask you to be brief on this point—you did look at comparative evidence from other cities and countries that had similar problems and at the evidence emerging of the efficacy or otherwise of drug consumption facilities.”

“Without an exclusion, what is to stop officers from identifying and intercepting regular visitors of the Thistle who they know are likely to be in possession of a controlled substance?”

“Thank you very much for coming along today. I think you have already touched upon this in your previous answer, but do you have any concerns regarding the policing of the Thistle and the surrounding community? Are there any issues that you feel have not really been addressed as yet, or any issues that have arisen that …”

“Do you think there is sufficient clarity, so there should not be any scope for different interpretations?”

“You will be aware that some key stakeholders have raised concerns that relying on a statement of prosecution policy allows room for interpretation and discretion, which may result in inconsistent and inequitable application of your policy. How do you respond to that?”

“I will just clarify my question. If there are many proposals being put to you to address an issue of public health, such as the terrible statistics that we are seeing around drug deaths, and if you are receiving repeated requests around that, do you see it as more appropriate that legislators step in to take ownership …”

“I am looking for a statement of what you would see the success criteria to be in terms of benefiting public health, as per the stated original intention.”

“To get a little more clarity on this, what outcomes would you see as clear evidence that this facility has delivered benefits to public health—for example, a reduction in drug deaths or a reduction in related illnesses and conditions? Do you have a clear set of outcomes that will in some way be measured throughout the …”

“Q15. Few things are more harrowing than a parent’s desperate and repeated attempts to access the mental health support their child needs. Organisations such as Smile, a counselling service supporting young people in my constituency, are stepping into the breach while young people languish on waiting lists without the h…”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that many of the essential services that families rely on are delivered by local authorities, and that local authorities have had their budgets slashed year on year by the Scottish Government, which impacts their ability to protect and support the most vulnerable people in our societies?”

“On Thursday 6 March this year, I attended a poignant evening of commemoration in the Bathgate Regal theatre. I believe it was the first 80th anniversary of VE Day event in the UK, and it was a fitting tribute to our local heroes. It was an emotional evening right from the get-go, when the Whitburn Band kicked off with …”

“I wish to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) for securing this debate, which has been incredibly powerful and impactful. I also wish to thank the hon. Member for Ilford South (Jas Athwal) for sharing that incredibly powerful and emotional story of Jagdeep’s journey. I am sure tha…”

“1. What recent steps his Department has taken to encourage small businesses to export.”

“I know from a recent business roundtable I hosted in my constituency of Bathgate and Linlithgow, and from many meetings with industry, that a common barrier to small business exports is supply chain instability. In the past few years, we have seen massive instability, including from the impact of the pandemic and now f…”