Scottish Budget: draft budget 2018-2019

Chapter 8: Justice

Portfolio Responsibilities

The purpose of the Justice portfolio is to keep our communities safe and secure, and to administer justice in its various forms.

The Justice portfolio has responsibility for the civil, criminal and administrative justice systems which include Scotland’s prisons, courts, tribunals, the legal aid system and criminal justice social work services. It supports the police and fire and rescue services. The portfolio supports safe, secure and more resilient communities and works to build Scotland’s resilience by improving Scotland’s preparedness against a range of hazards and threats, including cyber-attacks and terrorism, through multi-agency planning, strengthening national work on risk and prevention, and working with partners to build and deliver capacity.

The Justice portfolio provides a range of vital public services in which powers are largely devolved to the Scottish Parliament. It also works closely with the
UK Government and its agencies to ensure that Scotland and its communities are appropriately and proportionately protected from terrorism. It helps to create an inclusive and respectful society in which all people and communities live in safety and security, where individual and collective rights are supported, where disputes are resolved fairly and swiftly and where our responses are proportionate, effective and promote recovery. It recognises that certain protective characteristics, for example gender or age, can increase levels of risk of experiencing violence and abuse and contributes towards tackling inequalities by enabling our communities to be safe and resilient, by reducing crime and offending, supporting victims and witnesses and improving wellbeing and life chances.

Brexit has the potential for significant destabilisation across these responsibilities. The removal of EU law from the Scottish legal system threatens access to numerous cross-border co-operation measures in areas of law enforcement, criminal law and civil law which will impact on our Justice system from Exit day and risks it being left behind as the EU 27 secure faster and simpler ways of delivering justice in an increasingly complicated landscape.

The ‘Justice in Scotland : Vision and Priorities’, published in July 2017, was developed collaboratively with justice organisations and is a collective commitment to seven key priorities for the Justice portfolio.

The Scottish Government continues to deliver radical reforms to Scotland’s justice system, to improve access to justice and ensure the system meets the needs of people in the 21st century. This includes major reforms implemented in Scotland’s courts; securing the benefits of reform to police and fire services; and the creation of a new national body, Community Justice Scotland. This radical reform of public services has focused attention on preventative approaches and community-based solutions to tackle the root causes of crime and help communities and individuals to achieve their full potential. We will maintain access to justice for individuals through the Legal Aid system.

Our Priorities

Police

We will continue to support a modern and effective police service to ensure the safety and security of Scotland’s people and communities.

Building on the success of police reform we will support the Scottish Police Authority ( SPA) and Police Scotland to deliver the priorities in the Policing 2026 Strategy which was laid before Parliament in June 2017. The Strategy sets out how Police Scotland will strengthen its service to communities and respond to changing demands. Police Scotland is currently developing a three year implementation plan.

From April 2018 we have ensured that policing will fully benefit from being able to reclaim the VAT previously paid to the UK Government. In addition to the changes in this budget document, the change to VAT status means that the effective spending power on policing will increase by around £25 million compared with previous years.

In 2018-19 we will:

continue to protect the revenue budget of the SPA in real terms, an additional £20.4 million in 2018-19;

• work with the SPA and Police Scotland to strengthen the community focus of policing in line with the Strategic Policing Priorities;
• continue to support the SPA and Police Scotland to transform the police service in line with the Policing 2026 strategy, to ensure Scotland continues to benefit from a modern and responsive police service that shapes its services around the needs of citizens and communities;
• provide continued reform funding in 2018-19 to support the implementation of Policing 2026;
• allow Police Scotland to benefit in full following the UK Government’s announcement that it will legislate to allow Police Scotland to recover VAT from April 2018. This will ensure that the £25 million benefits of this change flow directly to funding day-to-day policing;
• continue to support the work of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner ( PIRC);
• fund the core Airwave communications system for police in Scotland; and
• ensure Scotland’s participation in the GB-wide Emergency Services Mobile Communication Programme to deliver next-generation telecommunications capability for the emergency services in Scotland.

Fire and Rescue

Through the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2016, we are investing in the next phase of transformative reform of the fire and rescue service in Scotland.

Working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service ( SFRS) we will support the transformational shift that focuses on prevention and collaboration, as well as a modern and effective response to emergency incidents reflecting the changing risks our communities face.

In 2018-19 we will:

• provide investment for service transformation to support and encourage SFRS to modernise the fire-fighter role to meet new and emerging risks;
• allow SFRS to benefit in full following the UK Government’s announcement that it will legislate to allow SFRS to recover VAT from April 2018. This will ensure that the £10 million benefits of this change flow directly to keeping our communities safe;
• explore opportunities for SFRS to make a wider contribution to public sector outcomes through working more closely with other emergency services; and
• work with SFRS to deliver the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2016.

Resilience

Developing and maintaining resilience in Scotland requires a flexible and adaptive approach. We will continue to develop community resilience, building on themes of empowerment and preparedness through identifying trends and new risks, prevention, planning, response and recovery to ensure that the people of Scotland are able to cope both with potential disasters such as fire, flood or climate change, and with the everyday challenges and risks faced by families in need.

We will collaborate with partners to ensure we have the capacity and capability to tackle the threat posed by terrorism and organised crime.

To deal with the increasing cyber threat, we are developing action plans to help strengthen the resilience of Scotland’s public, private and third sectors against cyber-attacks. We will work to strengthen our learning and skills system so that it supports our citizens to operate safely and confidently in the digital world, providing them with opportunities to develop cyber specialist skills and career paths that help retain talent in Scotland. And we will work to improve our ability to capitalise on the economic opportunities that an increasing focus on cyber security in the global economy will bring for Scotland.

In 2018-19 we will:

• lead on the development of vision, guidance, policy and training on resilience in Scotland recognising the challenges and risks that impact on Scotland;
• provide funding to support the development and implementation of action plans to help strengthen Scotland’s approach to cyber resilience; and
• engage with essential services’ operators to encourage them to further protect and enhance the critical infrastructure resilience of their assets, systems, networks and people.

Safer Communities

We will continue to build safer communities working in partnership with local authorities and core agencies including Neighbourhood Watch, Crimestoppers and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to promote prevention and support people to feel safe and protected from harm. We will focus our efforts on reducing violence, anti-social behaviour and sectarianism as well as ensuring that we deliver on our national Missing Persons Framework to prevent fewer people going missing across Scotland.

In 2018-19 we will:

• fund violence reduction educational programmes, anti-violence initiatives, and support the work of national Violence Reduction Unit;
• work in partnership to reduce the risk of unintentional harm and build strong and resilient communities by promoting local grass roots initiatives; continue to support initiatives to reduce harm to communities by managing the highest risk offenders; and
• support work to combat sectarianism, hate crime and the behaviours that lead to these.

Domestic abuse and violence against women

We will build on our commitment within the Equally Safe Strategy to tackle and eradicate violence against women and girls. We will continue to strengthen the justice system response to tackle and prevent the unacceptable levels of violence against women and girls in Scottish society. This will include creating a specific offence of domestic abuse through the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill currently before Parliament, and supporting advocacy and other services for victims and their families. We will work with justice agencies to improve the specific experience of victims of sexual offending through the justice system. We will continue to support other sectors such as health and education to develop a consistent response to violence against women across Scotland.

In 2018-19 we will:

• create a specific offence of domestic abuse through the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill (currently before Parliament);
• support training requirements for police officers in preparation for the introduction of the new domestic abuse offence;
• implement justice actions in the Equally Safe Delivery Plan;
• work with justice agencies to improve the experience of victims of sexual offences through the justice system;
• support the work of the Taskforce for the improvement of services for adults and children who have experienced rape and sexual assault recognising the importance of a collaborative approach across health and justice partners;
• continue to work across government with other policy areas to prevent harm to those most at risk of gender-based violence, in particular younger females; and
• expand the innovative Caledonian Programme so that more male perpetrators of domestic abuse can receive specific rehabilitation services designed to address the issues giving rise to their offending behaviour.

Victims and Witnesses

We will continue to support the efficient investigation and prosecution of crimes. We will work to ensure that the justice system is equipped to respond to the needs of victims and witnesses (particularly child and vulnerable witnesses) and strive to ensure that those who engage with the justice system have confidence in the services they receive. This includes enabling the much greater use of pre-recording evidence of child and vulnerable witnesses in advance of the criminal trial.

In 2018-19 we will:

• bring forward a Bill to enable the much greater use of pre-recording evidence of child and vulnerable witnesses in advance of the criminal trial;
• continue to support the work of third sector organisations working to assist the victims of crime;
• continue to meet the cost of compensation payments to victims of crime in Scotland; and
• fund a share of the running costs of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in line with the memorandum of understanding.

Justice Reform

We will continue to improve the administration of justice.

In 2018-19 we will:

• ensure that those most in need are able to access publicly-funded legal assistance and also progress a range of projects to enable access to justice; and
• continue to work to ensure that disputes are resolved at the most appropriate level in the justice system and progress work to reform criminal and civil procedure to keep pace with societal changes and international standards.

As part of our approach, we will make best use of digital technology to enable and transform the services we provide for users of the justice system. We will develop a model for a digital evidence sharing capability to transform how evidence is stored and shared in the criminal justice system and create a platform for further digital transformation.

Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service

We will continue to work with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service ( SCTS) and other partners to develop the proposals set out in the ‘Evidence and Procedure Review: A New Model for Summary Criminal Court Procedure’, of which the digital evidence sharing capability is a key enabler.

In 2018-19, SCTS will:

• deliver criminal justice reforms and improvements to sheriff and jury procedures;
• place digital innovation at the centre of service delivery to improve access to justice, support quicker outcomes and minimise physical appearance in courts;
• further develop proposals for a new approach to summary criminal procedure, building on the development of digital solutions in the management of evidence and casework and communication with witnesses;
• develop solutions that will better protect the interests of children and vulnerable witnesses, including the much greater use of pre-recording evidence;
• continue to transform civil justice by implementing new court rules and introducing technology-driven case management systems in civil courts and in the Office of the Public Guardian; and
• continue to support the important work of Scotland’s Tribunals.

Scottish Prison Service ( SPS)

In 2018-19 we will:

• ensure that SPS is equipped for the future through the delivery of its programme of transformational change arising from the SPS Organisational Review;
• continue work on our innovative approach to addressing female offending, taking forward the Strategy for the Management of Women in Custody including the development of a smaller national facility at HMP Cornton Vale and the design of two innovative community-based custody units for women in Glasgow and Dundee;
• contribute to the Scottish Government’s defining mission to close the poverty-related attainment gap through continuing to deliver our strategy for young people at HMYOI Polmont;
• work with partner organisations to further develop through-care support services for those leaving prison;
• support our vision for penal reform reflecting the values of a modern and progressive Scotland;
• continue to take forward work on the future of Scotland’s prison estate to meet the changing demands of the prison population; and
• work with partners to develop models of care and support for an ageing prison population with heightened social care needs.

Reducing Re-offending

We will work with our new national body Community Justice Scotland and local partners, including the third sector, to support robust sentencing options and greater diversion, where appropriate. This will support collaboration and improvement across youth and community justice to prevent offending and improve life chances. This will include a focus on early and targeted intervention to prevent offending by young people and others and to reduce re-offending by improving links between employment, housing, education and health services. We will support efforts to increase the use of and confidence in community sentences, including the expansion of electronic monitoring. Underpinning this focus, we have committed to extend the presumption against short-term periods of imprisonment to include sentences of 12 months or less.

In 2018-19 we will:

• deliver better outcomes for individuals and communities through our National Community Justice Strategy;
• expand support for robust community disposals, such as community payback orders;
• support services to meet the specific needs of women offenders;
• progress the recommendations of the expert Electronic Monitoring working group to expand access to electronic monitoring; and
• support projects aimed at reducing the cycle of repeat offending.

We will work with the SPS, justice and health partners, as well as other public services, to continue to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of people leaving custody back into our communities, taking forward and implementing our National Strategy for Community Justice in order to prevent further offending.

Human Trafficking

We will continue to work with partners to implement Scotland’s trafficking and exploitation strategy with the explicit vision of eliminating human trafficking and exploitation, through actions to identify victims and support them to recovery, identify perpetrators and disrupt their activity, and address the conditions that foster trafficking and exploitation.

Veterans

We are committed to help former Service personnel and their families. Funding will be maintained for the Scottish Veterans’ Commissioner and other measures to support veterans, primarily through the Scottish Veterans’ Fund.

Spending Plans

Table 8.01: Justice Spending Plans (Level 2)

Level 2	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Community Justice Services	30.7	33.6	35.4
Judiciary	40.5	31.6	34.0
Criminal Injuries Compensation	17.5	17.5	17.5
Legal Aid	136.9	137.2	137.4
Scottish Police Authority	1,069.6	1,092.4	1,137.8
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service	294.7	316.4	321.6
Police Central Government	80.4	117.9	90.3
Safer and Stronger Communities	7.1	4.1	5.7
Police and Fire Pensions	350.6	350.6	350.6
Scottish Prison Service	357.2	361.0	361.4
Miscellaneous	38.2	37.4	43.5
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service	88.9	105.6	117.7
Total Level 2	2,512.3	2,605.3	2,652.9
of which:
Fiscal Resource	2,313.3	2,372.5	2,410.0
Non-cash	124.2	128.8	130.1
Capital	74.8	104.0	112.8
Financial Transactions	-	-	-
AME	-	-	-
Central Government Grants to Local Authorities	86.5	86.5	86.5

Table 8:02: Spending Plans (Level 2 Real Terms) at 2017-18 Prices

Level 2	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Community Justice Services	31.2	33.6	34.9
Judiciary	41.1	31.6	33.5
Criminal Injuries Compensation	17.8	17.5	17.2
Legal Aid	139.0	137.2	135.4
Scottish Police Authority	1,085.9	1,092.4	1,121.2
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service	299.2	316.4	316.9
Police Central Government	81.6	117.9	89.0
Safer and Stronger Communities	7.2	4.1	5.6
Police and Fire Pensions	355.9	350.6	345.5
Scottish Prison Service	362.6	361.0	356.1
Miscellaneous	38.8	37.4	42.9
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service	90.3	105.6	116.0
Total Level 2	2,550.6	2,605.3	2,614.2
of which:
Fiscal Resource	2,348.5	2,372.5	2,374.9
Non-cash	126.1	128.8	128.2
Capital	75.9	104.0	111.2
Financial Transactions	-	-	-
AME	-	-	-
Central Government Grants to Local Authorities	87.8	86.5	85.2

Table 8.03: Community Justice Services Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Offender Services	29.8	30.4	32.2
Miscellaneous	0.9	3.2	3.2
Total	30.7	33.6	35.4
of which:
Fiscal Resource	30.7	33.6	35.4
Non-cash	-	-	-
Capital	-	-	-

What the Community Justice Services budget does

This budget includes funding to support offenders who are serving community-based sentences, electronic monitoring of offenders (e.g. through Restriction of Liberty Orders) and offender mentoring services. It supports the work of Community Justice Scotland, Scotland’s national body for promoting the highest standards of community justice services across Scotland.

Table 8.04: Judiciary Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Judicial Salaries*	30.6	30.6	33.0
Judiciary**	9.9	1.0	1.0
Total	40.5	31.6	34.0
of which:
Fiscal Resource	40.5	31.6	34.0
Non-cash	-	-	-
Capital	-	-	-

*This is non-voted spend which is met from the Scottish Consolidated Fund but is also part of the Departmental spending limit.
**From 1 April 2016 the judicial pensions element of the Judiciary line sits with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

What the Judiciary budget does

The Judiciary budget provides for the running costs of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon, salary costs for the Lord Lyon, the Lyon Clerk, the Auditor of the Court of Session, as well as Commissioners and former Commissioners of the Scottish Land Court.

Table 8.05: Criminal Injuries Compensation Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Administration Costs	2.7	2.7	2.7
CIC Scheme	14.8	14.8	14.8
Total	17.5	17.5	17.5
of which:
Fiscal Resource	17.5	17.5	17.5
Non-cash	-	-	-
Capital	-	-	-

What the Criminal Injuries Compensation budget does

The GB-wide Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme provides compensation to the blameless victims of crime and is administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice).

Table 8.06: Legal Aid Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Administration	10.8	11.1	11.3
Fund	126.1	126.1	126.1
Total	136.9	137.2	137.4
of which:
Fiscal Resource	136.5	136.8	136.8
Non-cash	0.3	0.3	0.5
Capital	0.1	0.1	0.1

What the Legal Aid budget does

The Fund element of this budget pays for demand-led legal aid provision in Scotland, which is administered by the Scottish Legal Aid Board (‘the Board’), an executive non-departmental public body. It also enables the Board to:

develop a network of Board-employed solicitors who provide criminal legal advice and representation (Public Defence Solicitors Office) and to develop and monitor advice services on civil matters using Board-employed solicitors (Civil Legal Assistance Offices); and administer grant-funded advice services, including the In Court Advice projects.

The Administration element enables the Board to meet its staffing and accommodation costs, as well as cover costs relating to various matters including researching and analysing the operation of legal aid, the trends and the impact on the wider justice system. It also includes a budget allocation to meet the Board’s capital expenditure.

Table 8.07: Scottish Police Authority Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Scottish Police Authority*	1,069.6	1,092.4	1,137.8
of which:
Fiscal Resource	1,003.4	1,022.4	1,064.8
Non-cash	50.0	50.0	50.0
Capital	16.2	20.0	23.0

* Police Scotland will benefit in addition from the ability to reclaim around £25 million in VAT, following the UK Government’s announcement that it will legislate to allow this from April 2018.

What the Scottish Police Authority budget does

This budget is provided to the Scottish Police Authority to enable the delivery of an effective and efficient policing service to the people of Scotland that reflects the needs of local communities.

The capital budget for 2018-19 will support the police in delivering key components of their capital plan.

Table 8.08: Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service*	294.7	316.4	321.6
of which:
Fiscal Resource	259.2	259.2	264.4
Non-cash	24.7	24.7	24.7
Capital	10.8	32.5	32.5

* SFRS will benefit in addition from the ability to reclaim around £10 million in VAT, following the UK Government’s announcement that it wil legislate to allow this from April 2018.

What the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service budget does

This budget funds the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to work in partnership with other agencies, the public and private sectors and communities on fire safety, prevention, protection and emergency response to improve the safety and wellbeing of the people of Scotland. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service priorities are contained within the SFRS’s Strategic and Annual Plan, which aligns with the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2016.

Table 8.09: Police Central Government Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Police Support Services	0.1	0.1	0.1
National Police Funding and Police Change*	80.3	117.8	90.2
Total	80.4	117.9	90.3
of which:
Fiscal Resource	60.4	95.7	76.0
Non-cash	2.2	2.2	2.2
Capital	17.8	20.0	12.1

* In 2017-18 funding for the Government’s contribution to the Home Office-led emergency Service Mobile Communications plan transferred from Miscellaneous to Police Central Government. 2018-19 reduction reflects the recent amendment to VAT rules to allow the SPA to recover VAT. £25 million has been mainstreamed into the SPA resource and capital lines as a result.

What the Police Central Government budget does

The Police Central Government budget supports the delivery of police transformational change and reform programmes, including Policing 2026. It also includes funding for Airwave, the GB-wide Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme and the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.

Table 8.10: Safer and Stronger Communities Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Safer Communities	5.1	4.1	5.7
Drug Misuse*	2.0	-	-
Total	7.1	4.1	5.7
of which:
Fiscal Resource	7.1	4.1	5.7
Non-cash	-	-	-
Capital	-	-	-

* Responsibility for Drug Misuse now sits within the Health and Wellbeing Portfolio.

What the Safer and Stronger Communities budget does

This budget supports a range of initiatives to build safer communities, reduce violence, tackle sectarianism, prevent misuse of guns and other crime.

Table 8.11: Police and Fire Pensions Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Police Pensions	278.4	278.4	278.4
Fire Pensions	72.2	72.2	72.2
Total	350.6	350.6	350.6
of which:
Fiscal Resource	350.6	350.6	350.6
Non-cash	-	-	-
Capital	-	-	-

What the Police and Fire Pensions budget does

This budget provides funding to the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to contribute towards the pension costs of retired police and fire officers. In 2018-19 we will meet our obligations to provide for these pensions in full.

Table 8.12: Scottish Prison Service Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Operating Expenditure	347.2	345.2	345.2
Capital Spending	10.0	15.8	16.2
Total	357.2	361.0	361.4
of which:
Fiscal Resource	314.2	311.2	312.2
Non-cash	33.0	34.0	33.0
Capital	10.0	15.8	16.2

What the Scottish Prison Service budget does

The Scottish Prison Service ( SPS) budget covers expenditure associated with operating the prison system (both publicly and privately-managed prisons) and the provision of a Court Custody and Prisoner Escorting Service on behalf of Scottish Courts, Police Scotland and the wider justice system. The SPS provides a wide range of services to care for and support those who are in custody and their families, as well as operating a Victim Notification Scheme for registered victims of crime.

Table 8.13: Miscellaneous Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Residential Accommodation for Children*	4	-	-
Scottish Resilience**	16.2	8.8	8.3
Victim/Witness Support	5.4	15.8	17.9
Other Miscellaneous	12.6	12.8	17.3
Total	38.2	37.4	43.5
of which:
Fiscal Resource	30.7	36.2	37.4
Non-cash	-	0.1	0.1
Capital	7.5	1.1	6.0

*Funding for Residential Accommodation for Children has been transferred to the Education and Skills portfolio.
**Funding for the Scottish Government’s contribution to the Home Office led Emergency Service Mobile Communications Plan ( ESMCP) has transferred from Miscellaneous to Police Central Government in 2017-18.

What the Miscellaneous budget does

This budget covers a wide range of smaller justice-related spending areas including the Scottish Law Commission, the Parole Board for Scotland and the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission. It also includes provision for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons in Scotland, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue in Scotland, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prosecutions in Scotland, core funding for third sector organisations whose work supports the victims of crime and support for the justice contribution to tackling violence against women and girls.

In addition, the budget supports work to build Scotland’s resilience through improved multi-agency planning and response to emergencies and support to help communities become more resilient. This budget also provides funding to support the armed forces and veterans community in Scotland.

Table 8.14: Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Operating Expenditure*	76.5	91.1	94.8
Capital Spending	12.4	14.5	22.9
Total	88.9	105.6	117.7
of which:
Fiscal Resource	62.5	73.6	75.2
Non-cash	14.0	17.5	19.6
Capital	12.4	14.5	22.9

* From 1 April 2016, the budget includes funding for the administration of judical pensions.

What the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service budget does

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service ( SCTS) provide the people, buildings and technology to support the judiciary, the courts, the tribunals and the Office of the Public Guardian. The SCTS is a non-Ministerial department, chaired by the Lord President.

Table 8.15: Central Government Grants to Local Authorities

Spending Plans (Level 3)

Level 3	2016-17 Budget £m	2017-18 Budget £m	2018-19 Draft Budget £m
Criminal Justice Social Work	86.5	86.5	86.5
of which:
Fiscal Resource	86.5	86.5	86.5
Non-cash	–	–	–
Capital	–	–	–

What the Central Government Grants to Local Authorities budget does

This ring-fenced funding supports local authorities in providing Criminal Justice Social Work services across Scotland. These services include supervising those offenders aged 16 and over who have been subject to a community disposal from the courts; providing reports to courts to assist with sentencing decisions; and providing statutory supervision (throughcare) for certain offenders on release from prison. There are also special services for certain key groups of offenders.