Whether it will respond to Point of Concern 4 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for…

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:A response to this, and the other points made in the association's Annual Report, will be sent to the association shortly. A copy will be sent to the member.Most visiting committee costs relate to the travelling and other expenses of committee members. Most committee members are members of the local authority that appointed them, and their expenses are paid by their authority rather than SPS. The expenses of other members are paid by SPS, either by the relevant establishment or from a central budget. The functions of visiting committees are clearly laid down in section 8 of the Prisons (Scotland) Act 1989 and in the Prison Rules, which include provision for committee members to visit prisons, hear complaints from prisoners and report any matters of concern to the prison governor and the Scottish ministers. Current funding arrangements allow for these functions to be carried out and committee members are in no way prevented from carrying out their duties by lack of funds. Current financial arrangements do not compromise the independence of visiting committees, and we therefore have no plans to change them.