The 2018/19 audit of the Scottish Prison Service
Caroline Gardner, Auditor General for Scotland said: "Scotland's prisons are running well over operating capacity. The Scottish Prison Service faces a combination of severe pressures on many fronts; this poses a threat to operational safety, effectiveness and financial sustainability."
The 2018/19 audit of the Scottish Prison Service
Oral evidence session 26 September 2019
The Committee took evidence from the Auditor General for Scotland and Audit Scotland.
Please read the Official Report of 26 Sptember 2019
Meeting papers for 26 September 2019
Minutes from 26 September 2019
Oral evidence session 31 October 2019
The Committee took evidence in a roundtable format from -
Phil Fairlie, Scottish National Chairman, Prison Officers' Association; Steve Farrell, Regional Secretary Scotland and Northern Ireland, Community Union; Michael Guy, Director HMP Kilmarnock, Serco UK Justice and Immigration; Nigel Ironside, Chair Prison Governors' Association; Tony Simpson, Director of UK Custodial Operations, Sodexo; Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland.
Followed by evidence from the Auditor General for Scotland and Audit Scotland (in private).
Please read the Official Report of 31 October 2019
Meeting papers for 31 October 2019
Minutes of meeting 31 October 2019
Meeting correspondence and follow-up
Letter to Convener from Steve Farrell Community Union, 1 November 2019 (137KB pdf)
Letter to Convener from Paul Johnston, Director-General Education, Communities and Justice, 15 November 2019 (514KB pdf)
Oral evidence session 21 November 2019
The Committee took evidence from-
Colin McConnell, Chief Executive; Kate Hudson, Interim Director of Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement and Melanie Allan, Head of Finance, Scottish Prison Service;
Paul Johnston, Director-General Education, Communities and Justice; Neil Rennick, Director of Justice and Donna McKinnon, Deputy Director and Head of Community Justice Division, Scottish Government.
Followed by evidence from the Auditor General for Scotland and Audit Scotland (in private).
Please read the Official Report of 21 November 2019.
Meeting papers for 21 November 2019
Minutes for 21 November 2019
Meeting correspondence and follow-up
Letter from Prison Governors' Association, 6 December 2019 (129KB pdf)
Letter from the Scottish Prison Service, 12 December 2019 (177KB pdf)
Letter from Paul Johnston, Director-General Education, Communities and Justice, Scottish Government, 16 December 2019 (1.47KB pdf)
Committee Report
The 2018/19 audit of the Scottish Prison Service
Correspondence
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice to the Acting Convener, 20 April 2020 (154KB pdf)
Letter from Paul Johnston, Director-General for Education, Communities and Justice, Scottish Government, to Acting Convener, 24 June 2020 (409KB pdf)
Letter from Acting Convener to Paul Johnston, Director-General for Education, Communities and Justice, Scottish Government, 7 October 2020 (82KB pdf)
Letter from Paul Johnston, Director-General for Education, Communities and Justice, Scottish Government, to Acting Convener, 6 November 2020 (127KB pdf)