News In Focus
8 December 2006
Executive funding for fines officers
A partnership led by the Scottish Court Service has received £1.85 million in funding from the Scottish Executive to introduce fines enforcement officers.
The scheme will work to increase the number of fines collected and reduce pressure on the Scottish justice system, as part of the overall plans for summary justice reform.
It will include recruiting and training fines enforcement officers to collect fines, apply appropriate enforcement measures and offer advice to those who have genuine difficulty paying fines. Other financial penalties, including fiscal fines and some types of fixed penalty fines are also covered.
A similar scheme in England and Wales increased the number of fines collected from 55% to 80% in two years.
"Efficient Government" initiative
The Executive will provide 75% (the maximum available) of the funding required in return for a commitment to deliver improved service delivery and greater efficiencies over the lifetime of the project.
The project is one of two announced by the Executive today as part of its "Efficient Government" initiative. Scottish universities and colleges are to receive over £11 million to establish a centre for expertise in procurement and to adopt the e-procurement system across the sector.
Tom McCabe, Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform, said: "This funding will help the Scottish Court Service and the further and higher education sector to deliver more efficient and effective public services, improve services and contribute to Efficient Government targets.
"The Efficient Government initiative is a key part of our drive to ensure we invest taxpayers' money as wisely as possible. All of the money saved through measures such as better procurement, streamlined processes and better use of resources will be invested in improving service delivery.
"These projects have met rigorous and robust criteria to demonstrate they will lead to long-term substantial benefits and savings for both the public sector and the people of Scotland."
Savings
Minister for Justice Cathy Jamieson added: "Collecting fines reliably and efficiently is essential for an effective criminal justice system. We have developed the new model using fines enforcement officers as part of the overall reforms of summary justice, to ensure that front line police time and court time are not being wasted pursuing late payment of fines."
The Scottish Courts Service project is expected to deliver estimated savings of more than £3 million per year by 2011.