 I ask those members who are leaving the chamber to please do so quickly and quietly. The final item of business is a member's business debate on motion 7.522, in the name of Rona Mackay, on the cost to families of imprisonment and release. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I would ask those members who would wish to speak in the debate to please press the request-to-speak buttons. I call on Rona Mackay to open the debate up to seven minutes, please. The cost of living crisis is affecting everyone in some way or another. For those with a loved one in prison, it is a crisis that is disproportionately damaging. We know that when someone is sentenced to a prison term, the adverse ripple effect on families is immense. A cost of living crisis coming on the back of a decade of austerity and the Covid pandemic is really taking its toll. The impact of that harsh reality is highlighted in a new report from Families Outside, an excellent third sector organisation that has been supporting families of prisoners in Scotland for many years. The report is called, Paying the Price, The Cost to Families of Imprisonment and Release, and it sets out starkly the situation that families now find themselves in. The consultant to the report, Dr Brezh Nugent and the superb team at Families Outside, led by Professor Nancy Laux, highlighted that one in six UK households at 4.4 million, approximately, is now in serious financial difficulties. As convener of the cross-party group on women, families and justice, can I take this opportunity to thank all the stakeholders who attend the group regularly? We are very fortunate in Scotland to have such a stellar third sector network of organisations and professionals concerned with the welfare of families and children affected by imprisonment. The report reveals that 27 per cent of children are living in poverty and in areas such as Glasgow, that rises to 1 in 3. Single parents, predominantly women and low incomes, have been especially affected and the worries that parents face about putting food on the table and paying bills is described in the report as a toxic brew having an adverse impact on mental health. For the report, which was funded by ABRDN financial fairness trust, families outside were able to hear directly from families affected by imprisonment to understand the impact that this was having. There are currently approximately 7,400 people in prison, 96 per cent of whom are male, 280 of whom are women, 100 of whom are on remand and 102 of whom are on remand and most have children. For families with those on remand, it was an especially uncertain, stressful and costly time. Remember that those are people who have not been convicted of any crime. Scotland has one of the highest remand populations in Europe, with nearly 30 per cent of all people in prison held on remand. The bail and release bill, currently proceeding through Parliament, will hopefully alleviate that, but there is no doubt that remand is an especially costly and stressful time for families, with £300 per month on average spent providing support, if for some it rose to £1,000. The cost for families with those who had been sentenced, the costs are also stark. For someone who has served six years in prison, the median total spent on calls, travelling and visiting per month was £180 a month, that is £2,160 a year supporting the person in prison. Alison, a kinship carer in her sixties, is supporting her daughter who is in prison on a short sentence. She said, I cannot keep doing this, the stress is around us all the time, I have all the responsibility and it is wearing me down, it has affected my mental and physical health. The first two months after the person is out of prison are the most stressful and costly, as the person is often without any money until their benefit claims are set up, housing arrangements are made and they have no money needed simply to exist post-prison. As is almost always the case, women are left to quote, cope when a family member is in prison or has been released. They do that by careful management of their already pressured budgets by skipping meals, not buying clothes or visiting food banks. They stop socialising or engaging in activities that cost money, leading them to have a diminished lifestyle, which in turn affects their mental health. Rising energy costs are of particular concern, adding to the stress of eking out the family budget. Children miss out on activities and many interviews said that the concept of family time no longer existed as it had done before. There is no doubt that the Scottish Government's £25 per child benefit, not available anywhere else in the UK, will be a lifeline to many families at this time. Many prisons have now introduced excellent family units and early learning practitioners to help with family contact. What more can be done? Families outside who offer such amazing practical and emotional support to families have suggested many common sense recommendations and I only have time to mention a few. They ask for a removal of charges for electronic payments made into prison accounts, to allow families to hand in items rather than post them, maintain free access to video calls, maintain free allocation of minutes for phone calls, provide free basic hygiene products and packs in prison and to reduce the cost of food available in visitor centres, which is often way too high. Access to funds must be improved and financial support for families such as benefits, claims and travel passes should be available immediately upon release from prison to help that prisoner back into society. People should always be placed in prisons close to their homes and are required for an assessment of the potential impact of family contact before a person is transferred to another prison. Finally, reducing the stigma families affected by imprisonment facing society, there are a number of ways that can be done, such as removing the use of the HMP prison stamps on post-received from establishments and implementing measures to promote education and equalities, for example training on the impact of imprisonment, reference to the impact of imprisonment as part of PSE classes in school. In conclusion, we must provide alternatives to prison, particularly for women. Many women who are incarcerated are victims of domestic abuse, have addiction and mental health issues. We have the evidence that prison wrecks families. It creates, sustains and deepens poverty among children and families. They are guilty of no crime, and we must do everything that we can to support them. I am grateful to Rona Mackay for holding the debate today. I welcome the findings of Families Outside's report on the cost of families of imprisonment and release. The debate is an incredibly important one, as those costs can be devastating for families. We need to acknowledge the concerns that prison has a role in creating, sustaining and deepening poverty among children and families, as well as the emotional impacts. There is a shocking statistic that around 27,000 children in Scotland are affected by appearance imprisonment. That is more than those affected by divorce. We must acknowledge the issue of remand. Scotland has a large remand population, and in the majority of cases, people are later released. We need to consider reforming the system while protecting public safety to ensure that families are not affected by the shock of someone ending up in prison temporarily before being acquitted. That is one reason why the Scottish Government's bail and release bill is much needed and I look forward to seeing it progress. The report from Families Outside states that the families of people held in prison overwhelmingly live on very low incomes, often below the minimum income standard. At the same time as bearing the loss of an average household monthly income of £890, some families find themselves spending a considerable proportion of their disposable income on supporting loved ones in prison. That has been made worse by four families by a decade of Tory austerity, which has now been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. On release, the costs of support do not fall, but the Families Outside report highlighted that families face average costs of £300 a month in the first months after release. Rona Mackay's motion calls for more support for people who leave in prison, which in turn would help their families. Research indicates that better mainstream opportunities employment after release reduces the lightliness of re-offending. There is some good work being carried out in this regard. I recently visited a Thimson store in East Kilbride and was pleased to learn about their charity, The Thimson Foundation. We all know Thimson as the business that fixes our shoes and cuts our keys, but the foundation's work could offer a blueprint for industry to offer those opportunities to people. The Thimson Foundation specialises in the recruitment of marginalised groups within society, including those who have been in prison. Approximately 10 per cent of their 6,500 employees are made up of people who have criminal convictions, with a staff retention rate of around 75 per cent. By choosing not to judge people by their past, treating their recruits and employees with respect and by offering them autonomy through training and employment, Thimson is actively addressing the stigma faced by people who have spent time in prison. The Thimson Foundation goes further than simply employing people who have been in prison. They have invested in a number of training academies situated in prisons across the UK. They also train prisoners on release on temporary licence programmes, helping people into employment after leaving prison. To sum up, I would be interested to know whether the Scottish Government can support businesses and the public sector to follow the Thimson Foundation's lead. Importantly, I thank families outside for the work that they do to support families who are affected by imprisonment, as well as carrying out important research such as the findings that we are talking about today. I'm grateful to Arona Mackay for bringing this debate. Scotland has a prison population of around 7,500, with around 25 per cent of prisoners on remand. Many prisoners have families in our communities, partners, children, elderly relatives. In committing their crimes, they've knowingly put their loved ones at risk. There's financial hardship, stigma, mental burden. These financial pressures are happening at a time of continent-wide economic downturn, a global energy crisis and a war raging in central Europe that threatens to overspill. In recent years, our courts have seen a marked increase in common assault, rape and attempted rape, as well as threatening or abusive behaviour. In fact, the Scottish Government's stats find the number of people in prison for sexual offences has doubled over the last decade. The proportion of the prison population held in remand has also increased substantially. Our criminal justice system incarcerates people in order to protect the public at large, sometimes by breaking up crime syndicates. Removing perpetrators from society is also punishment, while prison also provides support for rehabilitation, which is important to reduce re-offending. Rehabilitation stands a much better chance of success if we are strict about eradicating drugs from the prison estate and we strengthen mental health support. It's estimated that 15 per cent of Scotland's prison population has a long-term mental health condition, with 17 per cent having a history of self-harm. While the Scottish Prisoner Survey found that 39 per cent of those convicted had used illegal drugs at some point while in prison, we can't net up on mental health support. That should also be provided to our huge remand prisoner population, who are not entitled to quite the same meaningful activity as convicted prisoners. My colleague Jamie Greene has been very vocal on this problem and of self-harm and suicide of prisoners on remand. For partners and children separated from offending family members, their mental health is often so stretched to the limit, particularly the mental health of children, and this cannot be swept under the carpet. Yet we know that the Scottish Government has failed to tackle country-wide backlogs in mental health support just as it has failed to tackle our country's mounting drug and alcohol deaths. Teenagers in Scotland refer to child and adolescent mental health services with eating disorders suspected ADHD, where autism are being told to expect a two-year wait for CAMHS appointments, and parents with savings are being asked to go privately at a cost of around £1,500 for assessment. This is simply not an option for many families, especially those of prisoners. As for prisoners and their families who suffer with addictions, our right to recovery bill should be at the heart of a health-led approach to combating addiction, which is so often the source of offending. The Scottish Prisoner Survey has found that 45 per cent of prisoners reported being under the influence of drugs at the time of their offence, while 40 per cent said they were drunk. Everybody who seeks treatment for addiction should be able to access a preferred treatment option unless it is deemed harmful by a medical professional. The focus of today's member's motion is on prisoners and their family, but there is one glaring omission—the victims of crime and their families. Victims also suffer financial stress as a result of theft, higher insurance premiums and loss of paid work. They experience anxiety, loss of confidence. Many are victims of sexual or physical violence. Some victims feel forced to move away and change jobs. Others simply do not have that option. Families affected by the imprisonment of criminals should be treated with fairness so that they can be supported to live healthy lives free from stigma. That should also apply to families of prisoners and also families of victims. Over the coming three weeks, I am looking forward to hearing from SNP leadership candidates on how they intend to reverse an alarming increase in sexual assault and violent crime and, for once, start to emphasise the right of victims and their plans to support all families impacted by offenders. The report from Families Outside rightly highlights the extraordinary strain that imprisonment of a family member places on some of our poorest families in Scotland. All those strains are greatly amplified, as previous speakers have pointed out, by the current cost of living crisis, where any flexibility in income has been greatly reduced. It is right that Parliament considers those impacts. I thank the member for bringing the motion tonight. The report highlights the importance of the immediate post-release period and found that all too often the burden of support fell solely on families who have already endured so much during the period of imprisonment, and the amount of resource that is highlighted that is spent by families is a huge amount of any income that they have to support prisoners when they are inside members of their own families. There is an urgent need for quality through-care support for people leaving prison and their wider families to best ensure that people do not return to prison and that the cycle of poverty is not further entrenched. The report is especially needed for those struggling with substance misuse, and my remarks this evening will focus on that pressing issue. In 2019, the Dundee Drug Commission report raised the challenges posed to accessing good quality treatment both pre- and post-release. In July 2022, the National Drugs Death Task Force report recommended nine actions relating to prisons. One such action calls on the Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service to establish an integrated case management approach so that the individual receives support from before sentencing right through until after they are released from prison. That work is directly complementary to the conclusions of the report that we are here to discuss tonight, so I would appreciate if the Minister in summing up could give an update on that vital work. Before we allow a newly released prisoner to emerge to chaos, to poverty, to hunger, we greatly increase the chances that they will soon be back in prison or, as in far too many cases, that their life can be lost within mere days of parole. We can ask then what was the purpose of all of this. The report was clear that the first two months after leaving prison are especially challenging, particularly with regard to finances. I find the report particularly insightful and illuminating concerning the fact that our devolved system of welfare was meant to allow for payments to be scheduled for release but, in practice, that almost never happens. The door opens to poverty and the path leads back to crime. More must be done to allow those released from prison to reintegrate into society to find work to prevent the cycle of poverty and feelings of despair that can lead to further substance misuse. The cost of government and action in all of this is counted out in lives lost and weighed out in the pain of loved ones who are left behind. According to the national drug-related deaths database report in 2017, 10 per cent of all drug-related deaths in Scotland were of people who had been released from prison in the last six months. In 2018, the figure was 9.7 per cent. Data for the subsequent years has not yet been published, something that I find to be entirely unacceptable. I continue to struggle to see how any policy approach can be properly assessed when we wait five years for data as to who lives or dies. We can only speculate on the impact of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis that we have had. Scottish Labour welcomes the cost to families of imprisonment and release report. We look forward to hearing what action the Government will take to address the problems that it correctly diagnosis. I congratulate my colleague Rona Mackay on bringing this debate to the chamber and for her continued work to promote fair, progressive approach to prison policy and to Scotland's justice system. I also thank the charity Families Outside for all the work that they do to support families impacted by imprisonment. In my contribution this evening, I will touch on the report from Families Outside and I will also touch on the work of prisoners abroad, which is another charity that supports the families of those from the UK who are serving sentences in other countries. Presiding Officer, the evidence is clear that the cost to families of imprisonment is stark. Here are a few key statistics for families here in Scotland. For those who held on remand that average distance travelled per visit by families was 74 miles and the cost £70 a month. A £60 per month was spent on food snacks at visits and £100 into the personal account and £55 on other costs. Rona Mackay has mentioned the food costs on visits as well. For example, it costs £1 to purchase a galaxy chocolate bar from the vending machine in Parliament, but at pole month it costs £2.50 for the same chocolate bar. The profit is going direct to the private vending machine company. Why are the prices in Parliament and the prices in prison so different? I was interested to find that fact out. Is it just because it is a captive audience or is it just for pure profit? Additionally, if a person is sentenced, the cost increases significantly compared to remand. Rona Mackay has outlined some of those costs as well. Again, the average distance, if somebody is in prison that is serving six years, that was the average that they looked at. The family travelled twice a month for the visit. The average distance was 106 miles for a return journey, costing £77 a month on travel and £36 on supplemental snacks, £88 in the personal count and £75 on other costs. Those costs are pretty significant. The median total that was spent per month was £180 a month, around a third of the household income and £2,160 per year supporting the person in prison. I know that Rona Mackay has mentioned that already, but it is worth reiterating. The financial costs are significant and, of course, we need to reflect on the emotional impacts of having a family member in prison as well. There are clear ways to improve that. Families outside reported that they would like toiletries, prison clothes and footwear to be free for the telephone calls and the canteen to be cheaper and for the prisoner wages to be improved for the in-person work that they carry out. That would allow those in prison to be more self-sufficient in terms of not total reliance on the family, many who are impacted already by increased costs and, of course, the cost of living crisis as well. As the Scottish Government continues to move Scotland's justice system to a more progressive system that focuses on prevention, education and rehabilitation, I ask the minister to seriously consider those recommendations and outline the Scottish Government's position on them. Turning to families with prisoners abroad, that is my final point, Presiding Officer. There are 750 people from the UK in prison abroad. 196 are being held in the United States in federal or state prison. The cost to families visiting family members abroad, particularly in the United States, is in excess of £2,500 per visit. That includes airfare, insurance, car hire, accommodation, food as well, and the cost of paying for additional snacks, canteen and toiletries. In the United States, the same issues are reflected as what we are seeing in Scotland with the additional cost. Prisons abroad, the UK-wide charity supporting families of prisoners abroad, have called on the UK foreign office to consider the feasibility of creating a grant scheme that could allow family members to visit family in prisons abroad. I ask the minister whether that is something that could be considered or could you even raise it with the UK Government, as we know how vital it is for the welfare of families and for those in prison to maintain family contact. In closing, Presiding Officer, there are many complex issues associated with prisoners and families, and I have just highlighted a few, so I look forward to the minister's response. I thank Rona Mackay for bringing this extremely important debate to Parliament, and if I may say so, for making one of the most thoughtful opening speeches in a member's debate, I have heard for a very long time. It is right that we reflect on the human cost of imprisonment, the anguish and the hardship of families outside, the impact on children, but on parents, on aunties, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, the wider family network too. Their voices must be listened to and heard. All those worlds turned upside down, the devastating toll that it can take. I want to focus on the toll that one family has faced, the ultimate toll. I speak of the family of Alan Marshall. Anyone who has met Alan Marshall's loving family, as I have been privileged to do, or has witnessed from afar their denial of justice, will welcome the Lord Advocate's announcement just this morning that, on her instruction, his death in custody back in 2015 will at last be the subject of a police investigation. It is an investigation that may lead to the prosecution of the Scottish Prison Service for Corporate Homicide. We cannot, of course, prejudge that outcome. There is a live police inquiry, but what we do know is this. Alan Marshall was just 30 years old. He had two young children, a son and a daughter. He was in Sutton prison, not convicted but on remand. On remand for breach of the peace and for non-payment of fines. We know as well that 13 prison officers held him down or to use the jargon, restrained and controlled him. They did it with such force that a fatal accident inquiry concluded that his death was, I quote, entirely preventable. That is why today's decision by the Lord Advocate is welcome. It is a completely unprecedented move that may end up with the Scottish Prison Service being held corporately responsible, but it begs the question whether it was right that prison officers who were described by the fatal accident inquiry as, I quote, mutually dishonest should have been granted immunity in the first place. And there are other questions which arise from this case which have a wider resonance in tonight's debate. Why did the Scottish Prison Service believe that it could just ignore three of the 13 recommendations of the fatal accident inquiry, including the recommendation? Leonard, I do not wish to be unduly restrictive, but the member will realise that we do have a motion in front of us and I am sure that the member would wish to bring it back as important as the issues that he has raised are. He would wish to bring the issues back to the actual details of the motion. Thank you. Presiding Officer, Rona Mackay spoke about paying the price. This is one family's story of a prisoner held on your man. That is why I have given the member latitude, but I do think that focusing on the family of the individual that Mr Leonard referred to would perhaps be of more relevance now in his last minute in the debate. Well, let me finish with just two final points, if I may, Presiding Officer, because one of the other questions that arises is why was the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Humza Yousaf, prepared to sanction the Scottish Prison Service, taking out an interdict to censor the free press and stop the Sunday mail reaching the newsstands? Mr Leonard, I have made it quite clear that we need to address the motion. If the member wishes to bring a different debate at a different time, that is absolutely up to the member, but we are dealing with this debate. Please bring it back to the family of the individual that he is referring to. Thank you. Well, tonight we consider the price paid by all families with loved ones in prison, and tonight our and Marshall's family believe they are one step closer in their fight for justice. Our thoughts are with them all, our fight for justice and for a better world than this carries on. Thank you, Mr Leonard. I now call on the minister, Elena Whitham, to respond to the debate up to—oh, no, I'm sorry, I don't call on the minister, I'm off my stride. I call on Audrey Neco to make her contribution. Up to four minutes, please, Ms Neco. Thank you. I'm very grateful to Rona Mackay for bringing this debate forward today on an issue. I know that she is passionate about, as demonstrated by her convenership, of the cross-party groups on women, families and justice and men's violence against women and girls. As we've already heard, Families Outside is, for many, a lifeline organisation that supports families and navigates the challenges arising from a loved one serving a prison sentence. I commend the detailed research and analysis set out in their report, The Cost to Families of Imprisonment and Release. It outlines the ripple effect of financial, emotional, mental and physical harm experienced by families and, in particular, single women on low incomes affected by imprisonment. Today, I would like to focus on release, an issue that both Rona Mackay and Michael Marra referenced in their contributions. That has been considered recently by the Criminal Justice Committee during its work on the bail and release from custody bill. That seeks to give greater focus to rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals leaving custody. In their report, Families Outside narrates the challenges of the financial cost of someone leaving prison, anything from £30,000 to £1,000 a month. Women interviewed for the study felt very much left to get on with it, describing the first two months following release as the most stressful and costly, often at a time when money is short due to benefits not yet being in place. Meeting and taking someone home from prison can incur significant cost. One woman had to travel the day before, reside overnight in a hotel before travelling home, costing around a quarter of her monthly budget. A woman spoke of the cost of basic items such as a kettle, a TV, curtains, where a family member was moving into new accommodation having lost their previous home. Two interviewees were unaware of the grants available within the Scottish welfare fund. One interviewee spoke of the cost of protecting a friend from returning to the area where she was likely to resume drug use, covering costs of clothing and food until her benefits were set up and keeping on the heating during the day. One mother spoke of the pressure of taking time off work, having to take time off to settle her son in his flat. That is by no means an unusual scenario. During its scrutiny of the bail and release from custody bill, the Criminal Justice Committee heard from Professor Fergus McNeill, who referred to research undertaken by the University of Glasgow on post-prison integration, and they need to address key facets, including housing, employment, skills development, social integration and political participation. The conclusions set out by families outside add to this analysis recognising the added impact of austerity, service cuts, a pandemic and now the cost of living on families affected by prison. The report sets out ideas for development around release, including reinstating through-care and facilitating making benefits claims and engagement with support services while in advance of release. Indeed, on our recent visit to HMP Grampian, the governor there, Mike Heddon, reflected that planning for release should begin the day that someone enters prison. The ideas set out by families outside align with much of the evidence heard by the Criminal Justice Committee. I very much hope that we will inform a robust and meaningful response from the Scottish Government and lead to positive change in policy and practice, so that release from prison is no longer a burden, rather it is a starting point for all families in Scotland. Once again, my thanks to Rona Mackay for bringing this motion forward this afternoon. I now call on the minister, Elena Wittam, to respond to the debate up to seven minutes. I also would like to thank Rona Mackay for bringing this important issue to the chamber today. The impact of imprisonment on families as families outside report makes clear significant and often unseen. That makes it all the more essential that these issues are openly discussed and debated. That is not someone else's problem. We all have a responsibility to listen to these families and to take action. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge as others have done the vital work that families outside do. I know that they are a lifeline to many families affected by imprisonment. Twenty years ago, when I worked supporting young people at risk of homelessness, many facing addiction issues, experience of care, childhood trauma—often times it felt like I was on my own—trying to hold everything together when one of my young folk was in prison and it is extremely exhausting for everyone, not less their families. The report covers a number of extremely important issues, and I cannot do them all justice in the time that I have, but I like to focus on some key points. Firstly, the report emphasises the negative impact on imprisonment and calls for the use of prison to be truly a last resort. The Government has been clear that whilst prison will always be necessary for those who pose a risk of serious harm, we need to look again at how custody is used in a modern and progressive Scotland. There is no reason why we should have the highest imprisonment rate in Western Europe. We know that short periods of imprisonment, including on remand, do not address the underlying causes of offending or support rehabilitation. It is important to take a second to understand that many of those people who are in prison are often victims of criminal acts, so, although they may be offenders, they are indeed victims. We know that many people in contact with the justice system have experienced multiple and severe disadvantage. We should not use imprisonment to address wider societal harms. As the report highlights, the impact on the children and families of people in custody can be devastating and wide-ranging. That is why we are taking action to shift the balance towards greater use of community-based interventions that we know are more effective than short-term imprisonment at reducing re-offending. That includes continued investment in community justice services. In 2023-24, the Scottish Government will invest a total of £134 million in community justice services. That includes £123 million to local authorities to support the delivery of community-based sentences and interventions, including alternatives to remand. That is not by any means soft justice. It can be transformative justice at the heart of our communities. We have also introduced legislation in the bail and release from custody bill, which members have already referenced this evening, which will be shortly debated in the chamber at stage 1. That bill focuses on two of the key issues raised in the report—the impact of remand and improving support for people leaving prison. Remand removes people from their families, homes, jobs and communities. We must remember that those are mostly people who have been accused of an offence and have not been convicted of any crime. The bill seeks to refocus how remand is used so that custody is reserved for those who pose a risk to public safety or the delivery of justice. The bill also seeks to improve the pre-release planning and support that is provided to people leaving prison to enable their successful reintegration. We know that holistic well-planned support for people leaving prison can reduce their risk of reoffending and improve their outcomes, and the provisions within the bill are intended to support that. That is alongside on-going investment in national third sector through-care services. As has been referenced tonight through-care, we know is a hugely important thing. We need to provide that one-to-one support for people leaving prison. That investment currently totals £3.7 million a year. I know firsthand from my work in homeless and services just how crucial the support is at the time that someone is liberated. Our third sector partners are providing that critical lifeline. We must strive to ensure that support is in place in advance of someone leaving prison and why embedding the shore standards, which is the sustainable housing on a release for everyone standards across all areas, is important via local authorities and rapid rehousing transition plans. The report also highlights the importance of specific financial and emotional support for families of people in prison. That includes the critical role that prison visitor centres play. The Scottish Government has provided funding currently up to £800,000 a year since 2016-17 to support the development of PVCs across Scotland. I am delighted that there are now 12 of those centres. We remain committed to maintaining funding for prisoner visitor centres in 2023-24. I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge well-done to East Ayrshire's recovery enterprises, who have been providing the PVC service at HMP Kilmarnock since January. I know the team personally and I know how committed they are to supporting folk during difficult times and their families. As highlighted in the report, the Scottish Welfare Fund can be an essential source of support. The fund, which was established in 2013, is administered by local authorities and provides two forms of discretionary awards—a crisis grant and a community care grant. The community care grants can be awarded to prisoners leaving to help them to establish or maintain a settled home in the community, and that is invaluable support, especially when someone's previous tenancy has been lost and belongings have been cleared. They can also provide to family members to assist in the care of an individual who has been released from prison on a temporary release. We also must recognise the gendered nature of how supporting a family member in prison, especially during a cost of living crisis. Women bear the cost and income maximisation vital, so we must support those families to ensure that they are receiving all support that they can. I highlight the work of the Scottish Prison Service in supporting family contact and mitigating the impact of the cost of living crisis for prisoners and their families. That includes trying to keep prices within the prison canteens at a minimum and reviewing the application of prisoner wage policy. Whilst the vending machines and prisons are a matter for the SPS, I hope that they have heard Emma Harper's call to ensure that pricing is reasonable. I think that the example that she gave today is quite a stark one. The SPS is also committed to making visits as family friendly as possible. That may look different in each establishment, but it includes reviewing visiting timetables in light of family feedback, having family days and supporting virtual visits where appropriate. The SPS is currently revising their family strategy informed by active consultation with prisoners and their families. That strategy aims to support and encourage those SPS that care to play an active role in building strong and stable families. I would like to take a second to talk about the stark statistic that Collette Stevenson told us earlier when we think about the number of children who are in families where there is divorce is actually numbered by the number of children who are experiencing the trauma of having a family member in prison. I also reassure her that the Scottish Government and the SPS are actively working with Timsons and other employers to figure out how we can best support them to give people the opportunity to thrive and bring them opportunities. Michael Marra, I would like to assure you that we have established a cross portfolio mysterious working group to explore the urgent issues that he brought to the table tonight, but I would be really happy to meet you on a one-to-one to discuss all of that because you brought some really important points to the chamber. I would also like to take the opportunity to recognise Alla Marshall's family and their stoic and steadfast seek of justice for him, but I cannot comment any further at the moment. He will understand due to the ongoing issues at hand. I would like to say to everybody today that is out there who has a family member in prison, we have heard your voices loud and clear through this report. Thank you. Thank you Minister. That concludes the debate and I close this meeting.