Minutes of the Strategic Board 24 June 2026

Minutes of the meeting held on 24 June 2026.

Board members present:

Dame Alison Saunders, Non-Executive Director (Chair)

John Logue, Crown Agent and Chief Executive

Yvette Greener, Chief Operating Officer

Lindsey Miller, Deputy Crown Agent and Legal Director, Local Court

Chris Andrew, Non-Executive Director

David Watt, Non-Executive Director

Dia Banerji, Non-Executive Director

John Burns, Non-Executive Director (remote)

Jennifer Connelly, Non-Executive Director (remote)

In attendance

Rachael Weir, Director of Policy (Agenda item 6)

Laura Buchan, Legal Director, Deaths Investigations (Agenda item 7)

Moira Orr, Procurator Fiscal, Deaths Investigations (Agenda item 7)

Andy Shanks, Procurator Fiscal, Deaths Investigations (Agenda item 7)

Secretariat: 

Frances Ross – Head of Corporate Governance

Matthew Beattie – Corporate Governance Manager (Secretariat)

Apologies

None.

Declarations of Interest

No declarations of interest were made in respect of items on the agenda.

1.1 The Chair welcomed members to the meeting and noted that there were no apologies.

2.1 The Board considered the draft minutes of the previous meeting and the action tracker.

2.2 The Board approved the minutes as an accurate record.

2.3 An update was provided on the outstanding actions. The Board noted that further engagement with the newly appointed Law Officers, stakeholders and staff would take place before finalisation of the Strategic Plan 2030.

2.4 Members sought assurance that actions allocated to the Leadership Board following previous Strategic Board discussions were being progressed and closed appropriately. It was agreed that future reporting should include confirmation of progress against such actions to provide assurance to the Board.

ACTION: Future action reports should include assurance on progress and closure of actions allocated to the Leadership Board at the joint meeting.
Owner: Head of Corporate Governance

3.1 The Crown Agent and Chief Executive provided a verbal update on the appointment and induction of the new Lord Advocate and Solicitor General.

3.2 The Board noted that introductory meetings had taken place with the senior leadership team and that both Law Officers had demonstrated a strong interest in understanding operational delivery, organisational pressures, public sector reform, transformation activity and financial sustainability. Members were advised that the Lord Advocate was keen to promote greater openness about COPFS's work and decision-making and that both Law Officers intended to engage more actively with Parliament and the wider political environment in an appropriate manner.

3.3 The Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Crown Agent reflected on their introductory meetings with the Law Officers, noting their interest in operational delivery, budget pressures, public sector reform and engagement with staff across the organisation.

3.4 Discussion also explored operational court processes and the opportunities presented by technology and artificial intelligence to support prosecutors in court environments. Members were advised that opportunities were being explored through wider transformation activity.

3.5 A member suggested that future engagement between the Strategic Board and the Law Officers would be beneficial. The Chair agreed.

ACTION: Arrangements to be explored for future engagement between the Strategic Board and the Law Officers.
Owner: Head of Corporate Governance

4.1 The Crown Agent and Chief Executive introduced the June organisational update and Performance Report. The Board was invited to note the update and discuss key operational, financial and performance matters.

4.2 The Board received an update on preparations for the increase in solemn casework following the end of the amended pandemic time limits. Members were advised that detailed planning and monitoring arrangements were in place and that current projections suggested the anticipated levels of activity over the summer period were achievable.

4.3 The Board discussed implementation of the new Prosecution Code and Test, which came into effect on 22 June 2026. Members sought clarification on how the revised test would operate in practice and noted that all prosecutorial decisions would now be taken in accordance with the new Code, including consideration of the realistic prospect of conviction test.

4.4 The Board discussed the forecast financial position and the reported overspend risk. Members challenged whether the forecast position adequately reflected the underlying assumptions and sought clarification regarding recruitment plans. It was explained that the forecast largely reflected projected staffing requirements later in the financial year, particularly within National Casework, and did not represent committed expenditure. The Board noted that clear direction had been given that any additional resource requirements would require reprioritisation within existing budgets.

4.5 The Board reviewed progress arising from Summary Case Management (SCM) and noted the significant reductions achieved in outstanding trials and intermediate diets. Members questioned why these improvements had not yet translated into equivalent workforce efficiencies. It was explained that while police witness citations, witness costs and other inefficiencies had reduced, court programmes had not yet reduced consistently across all sheriffdoms, limiting the ability to realise staffing benefits.

4.6 The Board questioned whether sufficient strategic pressure was being applied to partners to ensure efficiencies were fully realised. Members were advised that engagement with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and the judiciary continued through established governance routes and that support from the Law Officers would be considered where appropriate.

4.7 The Board discussed the closure of the Designed for Success programme and the transition of remaining activities into the Transformation and Change portfolio. The Chief Operating Officer advised that a review of the portfolio had been undertaken and that governance arrangements had been strengthened through the establishment of the Transformation and Change Delivery Committee. A strategic deep dive on transformation and digital delivery was planned for September 2026.

4.8 Members emphasised the importance of ensuring that transformation activity delivered measurable benefits and operational improvements. The Board also discussed performance reporting and noted that clearer links should be drawn between performance challenges, recovery actions and transformation initiatives.

4.9 The Crown Agent also highlighted the successful prosecution of Peter Murrell and reflected on the professionalism and resilience demonstrated by staff involved. The Board recorded its thanks to the teams involved and recognised the importance of maintaining public confidence in an independent prosecution service.

ACTION: Future performance reporting should provide clearer links between measures not on target, recovery actions and transformation activity.
Owner: Director of Performance and Service Improvement

5.1 The Head of Corporate Governance introduced the review of the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) Terms of Reference and the consequential amendments required to the Strategic Board Terms of Reference.

5.2 The Board noted that the revisions clarified responsibility for review of the Annual Report and Accounts, delegated appropriate responsibilities to ARC and reflected updates to governance structures, reporting lines and committee arrangements.

5.3 The Board discussed governance interfaces between ARC, the Leadership Board and Strategic Board, including how assurance and advice from the Leadership Board is provided to the Strategic Board. Members were advised that this would continue through established reporting arrangements, Board papers and discussion at meetings.

5.4 An update was provided on the development of the Transformation and Change Delivery Committee. Members noted that the Terms of Reference were still being refined and would be shared once finalised.

DECISION: The Board approved the revised Audit and Risk Committee Terms of Reference and associated amendments to the Strategic Board

6.1 The Director of Policy introduced the paper on the impact of the new Scottish Administration. The paper considered the emerging operating environment following the Scottish Parliamentary election and sought feedback on areas requiring particular strategic focus.

6.2 The Board discussed the likelihood of a more uncertain and fragmented parliamentary environment and considered the implications for COPFS. Members discussed legislative pressures, budget scrutiny, justice reform, prison population management and potential future debate regarding the role of the Law Officers.

6.3 The Board welcomed the proactive engagement already undertaken with newly elected Members of the Scottish Parliament. Discussion emphasised the importance of maintaining regular engagement with MSPs, parliamentary committees and political stakeholders to ensure understanding of COPFS's role and challenges.

6.4 Members discussed trends emerging from public correspondence and parliamentary casework and sought assurance that thematic analysis was being undertaken to identify recurring issues. The Board noted ongoing work to strengthen customer care arrangements and organisational learning from correspondence.

6.5 The Board agreed that horizon scanning and stakeholder engagement would remain important priorities as the Government's legislative programme became clearer.

 7.1 The Legal Director, Deaths Investigations introduced the Board's functional deep dive on Deaths Investigations.

7.2 The Board received an overview of the newly established Deaths Investigations function, which brought together specialist criminal and non-criminal deaths investigation teams under a single leadership structure. Members noted that the approach had been adopted to improve consistency, enhance oversight, support parallel investigations and strengthen organisational focus on deaths investigation work.

7.3 The Board received detailed presentations on the work of the specialist teams covering homicide, road traffic fatalities, health and safety investigations, Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs), deaths in custody, COVID-related deaths and wider fatalities investigations.

7.4 The Board noted the breadth and complexity of the work undertaken and the increasing use of parallel investigations to avoid delay and improve outcomes. Members recognised the wide range of stakeholders involved in many investigations and the importance of effective partnership working with the NHS, Scottish Prison Service, Health and Safety Executive and other agencies.

7.5 Discussion focused on the benefits of the new structure, including improved consistency, greater specialist collaboration and stronger strategic oversight. Members welcomed the ability to conduct parallel investigations and avoid unnecessary duplication and delay.

7.6 The Board discussed the age profile of cases and noted that while progress had been made in reducing older cases, some investigations continued to take too long to conclude. Members explored the internal and external factors contributing to delay, including dependencies on partner organisations and the court process.

7.7 The Board discussed management information and data limitations and heard that existing systems did not provide sufficient insight into specific causes of delay or progression through investigations. Members welcomed work underway to improve management information, milestone tracking and performance monitoring.

7.8 The Board explored quality assurance arrangements and noted the use of case management panels for complex and older cases. While members recognised their value, they also noted the resource-intensive nature of the approach and encouraged continued development of more sophisticated management information tools.

7.9 Discussion also focused on staff welfare and trauma-informed practice. Members heard about the emotionally demanding nature of deaths investigations and the importance of training, support, supervision and staff wellbeing arrangements. The Board welcomed the work underway to strengthen trauma-informed approaches and support staff dealing with particularly distressing cases.

7.10 Members reflected on the role of public accountability where delays arise because of partner organisations. The Board noted the importance of transparency and considered whether there may be opportunities in future to communicate more clearly about external dependencies affecting investigation timescales.

7.11 The Crown Agent concluded that the strategic priorities for the function were to improve outcomes for families, influence wider system improvement, ensure the function has appropriate long-term resources and continue to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of investigations.

7.12 The Board welcomed the progress made since establishment of the function and recorded its thanks to staff working across Deaths Investigations.

8.1 The Board noted the Audit and Risk Committee papers and draft minutes from the May 2026 meeting.

9.1 The Board noted the Leadership Board papers from the June 2026 meeting.

10.1 The Crown Agent advised that the Jim Brisbane was currently focusing on two priority areas of work. As a result, he would no longer attend Strategic Board meetings routinely. The Chair recorded the Board's thanks to Jim for his contribution and support to the Board.

10.2 The Chair recorded the Board's thanks to Frances Ross for her contribution and support to the Board and wished her well for the future.

10.3 The Board discussed the development of the organisational performance dashboard. Members noted that a significant number of measures continued to be reported and expressed a desire to explore which measures were most strategically important and actionable at Board level. It was agreed that this should form part of future discussions on performance reporting.

The Chair closed the meeting.