A Scottish Government report by the Public Audit Committee has highlighted concerns in the efficiency, economy and effectiveness in the management of cases through summary courts.

The report, “An overview of Scotland's criminal justice system” follows last week’s report into the summary justice reforms which found that the public had little awareness of the sweeping changes to the regime which reversed the fundamental presumption of innocence in key areas of justice.

The Committee said progress had been made by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to improve the efficient management of cases, but said that it sought further information on the impact of recent staff reductions on “summary case quality and efficiency.”

"This is in addition to our concerns about the poor performance monitoring of Criminal Justice Authorities undertaken at a national level in relation to the outcomes they should deliver from the public funds they receive,” committee convener Iain Gray said.

“Our committee has requested information from the Scottish Government on its plans to address these concerns.”

The report can be read here.