Saturday was the official opening of the Scottish Parliament by the Queen and I was delighted to nominate Kely resident, Janet Buist, as my local hero for the occasion.

As someone who grew up in Kelty, I have known Janet for years and I have seen her drive and determination in working with other to deliver many successful community projects.

Janet is dedicated to supporting the village and it was a privilege invite her to the Scottish Parliament as my local local hero and recognise her contribution to Kelty.

Today the Scottish Government announced £4 million of funding for community sentences. As Scottish Labour’s Justice spokesperson I welcomed today’s announcement and called on the Government to bring forward plans to increase the presumption against short sentences.

My call comes ahead of the transmission of a BBC Scotland investigation to air tonight called Women Prisoners: Throw Away the Key?

You can read what I said below:

Scottish Labour’s Justice Spokesperson Claire Baker MSP said:

“Evidence shows that those who receive prison sentences of six months or less are reconvicted twice as often as those given community payback orders. This shows that the presumption against short prison sentences is working.

“As a result the Scottish Government should bring forward plans to increase the presumption against from the current three months and deliver a justice system that pursues sentences that deliver real rehabilitation.

“That is why Scottish Labour called for and welcomed the move to scrap the proposed female ‘super-prison’ and instead move towards smaller facilities with a better focus on prevention.

“At the same time we have always been clear that this can only be one part of how we modernise prison and sentencing in Scotland. This includes more alternatives to custody and support for organisations that help deliver this.

“The Government’s announcement of extra support for community sentences goes some way to addressing this and must now be followed up by taking further action on short sentences.”

Today I asked a topical question in the Scottish Parliament on tackling LGBTI hate crimes in Scotland. During the exchange with the First Minister I called for a full breakdown of LGBTI hate crime statistics.

The Scottish Parliament has a proud history in the work and legislation it has delivered to make Scotland a more inclusive and tolerant society, especially on LGBTI issues.

However we must always be vigilant that intolerance and hatred in Scotland is never given the space to grow. The 20% rise in LGBTI hate crimes shows that we must redouble our efforts to tackle violence and aggressions towards people based on their sexuality.

Today the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service released statistics relating to hate crime charges in Scotland. As Scottish Labour’s Justice spokesperson I commented on behalf of the party.

You can read my response below:

Commenting on the publication of Hate Crime in Scotland 2015-16 report from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scottish Labour’s Justice Spokesperson Claire Baker MSP said: 

“It is deeply concerning to see a rise in hate crime in Scotland. As a tolerant and inclusive society, Scotland has no place for such prejudices and the country must unite behind tackling these shameful acts.

“With the doubling of Islamic hate crimes and the year on year increases in crimes relating to both sexual orientation and disability it is clear the Scottish Government must take greater action to reverse the increase in these crimes.

“This should include supporting the Time for Inclusive Education campaign, providing a strategy which will underpin this ambition, deliver an update to the Toolkit for Teachers, and set out clear standards detailing how to support LGBTI young people and meet their needs.”

Today I was pleased to support Infant Mental Health Awareness Week and to speak to NSPCC Scotland at their stall in Parliament today.

It is important that we all work together to improve services to ensure that every child gets the best start in life, including supporting good infant mental health.