Thank you. That concludes general questions. The next item of business is First Minister's

questions. At question number one, I call Douglas Ross. Thank you, President Officer. The Horizon

Post Office scandal is a horrendous miscarriage of justice that ruined hundreds of lives. Politicians

of all parties will rightly reflect on what they should

have done sooner. The UK Government has now acted to overturn the wrongful convictions of

innocent victims. In Scotland, however, prosecutions were handled by the Crown Office,

not the post office. So, can I ask the First Minister, has he established if a consent motion to UK law is the fastest

way to clear all victims here in Scotland, and will he confirm to Parliament how he will

work with the UK Government to overturn these convictions as quickly as possible?

First Minister.

Mr Minister, I first and foremost pay tribute to Alan Bates and all the other hundreds of campaigners.

The sub-postmasters, all of the sub-postmasters and sub-postmisters who campaigned

tirelessly over decades to ensure that they receive justice,

justice they are still waiting for. Of course, it should not have taken a TV drama for action

to have to be taken.

Douglas Roche is right. There is a need for reflection for all of those involved.

The post office is a wholly reserved institution,

which is accountable to UK Government Ministers. The difference, as Douglas Roche rightly points out

here, is that prosecutions in Scotland have been taken forward by the Independent Crown and

Procureate of Fiscal Service. I spoke to the Law Advocate just this morning and the Solicitor General

this morning. She is willing to provide a briefing to NAMSPs that have an interest in

the Crown zone handling of these issues. To answer Douglas Ross's question directly, the Justice Secretary has written

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