§ 49. Mr. Foulkesasked the Solicitor-General for Scotland what proposals he has for improving the operation of the Crown Office and other departments under his control.
§ The Solicitor-General for ScotlandAll aspects of the operation of the Crown Office and the procurator fiscal service are kept under constant review so that areas in which improvements can be made may be identified and any necessary action taken to increase efficiency.
§ Mr. FoulkesSurely the Solicitor-General must agree, in the light of the result of the general election in Scotland, that it would be sensible to move the staff of the Crown Office out of the old royal high school building and to use that building for the purpose for which it was intended — housing an elected assembly for Scotland. The administration of Scotland should have an elected Government instead of being ruled by the son of a viscount, an earl, and a life peer rejected by the electorate of Scotland.
§ The Solicitor-General for ScotlandThe administration of the Crown Office is indeed based in the royal high school. As a Scottish Member of Parliament, the hon. Gentleman must recognise that our independent public prosecution system has important work to do there. The hon. Gentleman's question has nothing to do with the efficient working of that system.