Contents
- Portfolio Question Time
- Asylum Policy and Legislation (United Kingdom Government)
- Business Motion
- Parliamentary Bureau Motions
- Motion without Notice
- Decision Time
- Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Jobs (East Kilbride)
- Correction
Portfolio Question Time
Constitution, External Affairs and Culture
Good afternoon. The first item of business is portfolio question time. The first portfolio is constitution, external affairs and culture. I remind members that, if they wish to ask a supplementary question, they should press their request-to-speak button or enter the letters RTS in the chat function during the relevant question.
Arts and Culture (Scottish Budget 2024-25)
To ask the Scottish Government what feedback it has received from arts and culture stakeholders following its announcement of the Scottish budget 2024-25. (S6O-02926)
We are increasing funding to the culture and heritage sector by £15.8 million in the next financial year, to £196.6 million. That is the first step on the route to investing at least £100 million more annually in culture and the arts by the financial year 2028-29. In 2025-26, we aim to provide an additional £25 million to the culture sector. That commitment to additional funding, despite the challenging budget situation, signals our confidence in the Scottish culture sector.
The board of Creative Scotland welcomed the proposed settlement for the agency of just over £68 million in grant-in-aid funding for 2024-25, which compares with £55 million for the current financial year, particularly given the continued pressure on the public finances. I welcome views from other stakeholders as part of the Scottish Parliament budget process over the forthcoming weeks.
The Scottish National Party Government claims that it increased culture funding by £15.8 million in the latest budget, but the Campaign for the Arts said that £13.2 million of that funding was for restoring cuts. To cut through the SNP’s spin, barely any of that funding was new money. Jack Gamble, director of the Campaign for the Arts, said:
“Amid a perfect storm of challenges for artists and organisations, the Scottish Government needs to go much further, much faster”,
and it is nowhere near the £100 million extra for culture that the SNP pledged. Is that just another broken promise? What does the SNP have to say to disappointed businesses and organisations in the culture sector?
I point Sharon Dowey to the answer that I just gave about Creative Scotland’s welcome for the increased funding that it is receiving.
If the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party has specific suggestions about additional funding that it believes that the culture sector requires, I would be very pleased to hear them from Sharon Dowey or the front-bench members. I would also be pleased to hear from them where they would identify cuts elsewhere to make those additional commitments. This Government has made commitments for increased spending. We are delivering it, and we will deliver more over the years ahead. I welcome the support of members in other parties in recognising that fact.
Scottish Government Overseas Offices
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of its overseas offices. (S6O-02927)
Last month, I was pleased to publish an annual report on the work of our overseas offices covering the period 2022-23. That showed how Scotland’s international network delivers crucial benefits to Scotland’s people, businesses and institutions at home and abroad.
From international investment and growing our exports to facilitating cultural exchanges, promoting tourism and building our diaspora network, we continue to enhance our international reputation across the world. Most recently, that included delivering a successful series of events to celebrate St Andrew’s day and preparing a programme of events for Burns night later this month.
I hope that Graham Simpson will join me in thanking all our international network staff and GlobalScots and wishing them well for 2024.
It is good to see the cabinet secretary in Parliament today. I wonder whether, this year, he plans to beat his record of travelling to six countries in the first seven months of last year, which cost £5,500. The Scottish National Party Government’s budget for its overseas offices is increasing to £7.8 million. That is happening while budgets for transport, councils and housing are being slashed. What is the return on that investment?
That is a very good question. I point Graham Simpson to the report that I mentioned. It is clear from the tone of his question that Graham Simpson has not read that report, because it lists the benefits, which are significant. For example, the work of Scottish Development International is predicted to generate £1.7 billion of trade revenue. The report goes on to list other benefits: the creation of 1,000 Scottish real living wage jobs through investments from the United States of America; the creation of 500 such jobs as a result of Chinese investments; £120 million of capital investment is planned as a result of our presence in Canada; and 190 new connections for Scottish businesses have been made through our Ireland office. I could go on.
I would welcome some consistency on the matter from the Scottish Conservative Party, because while its front-bench members request that we increase our presence internationally, its back-bench members criticise us. I make no apology for promoting Scotland internationally. I wish that members on Graham Simpson’s side of the chamber would welcome that.
Can the cabinet secretary provide any updates regarding what assessments have been made as to the real benefits that Scotland’s international network brings to our economy?
I repeat that the report that was published last month on the work of our overseas offices is extremely important, and I recommend that all members take the opportunity to read what it says.
I pay tribute to—I am sorry that we did not hear this from the Conservatives, even though they had the opportunity to say it—and welcome the hard work of the people who work on our behalf, whether in Scottish Government offices, Scottish Development International offices, our GlobalScot network or as trade envoys. They are out there day in and day out, week in and week out, promoting Scotland, promoting our economy, promoting jobs and promoting tourism. We should get behind them rather than undermine them.
Scotland’s international offices provide a great opportunity to connect Scotland with its diaspora and to share Scotland’s unique culture across the world. They also provide a unique opportunity to seek out funding and collaboration opportunities for projects in Scotland. When the Scottish Government last reviewed the location of its international offices, did it measure the availability of funding opportunities in the countries in which it has such offices in comparison with those countries where it has no international offices?
I commend Foysol Choudhury not just for his positive question and for recognising the good work that is done to promote Scotland, our economy, our culture and our tourism sector but for his thoughtful query about the network and where we have offices and people in situ. Incidentally, it is very positive that the Scottish Conservative Party’s front-bench spokesperson has asked about that in committee.
There are parts of the world in which we do not yet have a presence, and I think that it is worth our while looking at that. We are committed to maintaining the network as it currently exists, and we are committed to establishing a presence in Poland—there is widespread agreement on why that is a good thing.
Beyond that, questions have been raised—for example, by Donald Cameron—about our having a presence in South America or in Africa. Given his expertise in the region, I have no doubt that Foysol Choudhury would make a strong case for our having a presence in the Indian subcontinent, to cover India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. That is very much worth looking at, and I welcome the positive contribution by those who wish to promote Scotland internationally, as opposed to those who want to undermine our international position.
Scottish Government Independence Publications (Lessons from Parliaments with Unelected Members)
To ask the Scottish Government whether, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, any of its future publications on independence will cover any constitutional lessons that can be learned from structures used in Parliaments elsewhere that include unelected members. (S6O-02928)
As is set out in the paper “Creating a modern constitution for an independent Scotland”, the written constitution in an independent Scotland will be founded on democracy, human rights and equality protections.
We can learn many lessons from Westminster’s House of Lords, with its membership of more than 800 unelected lifelong members, largely around practices that we should seek to avoid in an independent Scotland.
Only with independence can we ensure that sovereignty rests with the people of Scotland. We have no plans for any unelected element in an independent Scotland’s legislature.
Does the minister agree that, following Baroness Mone’s disastrous television interview last month, the lesson that no Parliament, if it wishes to be accountable in any way whatsoever to the electorate, should have an unelected house has once more clearly—if rather painfully—been made?
Minister, please speak to matters within your responsibility.
I agree with that. I should say that it is not just Ms Mone who has acted in a manner that is unbecoming of a person in public life as a member of the UK legislature. We have seen other issues, such as peers claiming expenses just for the mere act of turning up at Westminster.
However, there are serious questions regarding Ms Mone. First, there are questions around the judgment of the Conservatives in sending her to the Lords in the first place, and, secondly, there are questions regarding an individual who used her position as a member of the House of Lords—at a time of international crisis, when we saw many people in all communities across Scotland freely volunteering their time to support their communities—to seek to rake in millions of pounds for her own family and not declare an interest. That hardly speaks to a proper system of governance.
The focus of the question was on lessons to be learned
“from structures used in Parliaments elsewhere that include unelected members”,
and I think that we have kind of got the gist of that.
In reference to the question, which referenced “future publications on independence”, rather than commit to yet more papers on separation, which will inevitably end up out of date and in the political dustbin at a massive cost to the taxpayer, when will the Government focus its efforts on dealing instead with the issues that people actually care about?
I remind Mr Cameron that this Government has a mandate to pursue that work. We won the election and his party lost it. There are many benefits to be gained by Scotland becoming an independent country. We will continue to advance the case, which will include the case that we should not have a legislature with an unelected element, including minor nobility from Scotland. Mr Cameron will have to seek to continue to be elected to this Parliament.
Culture Sector (Investment)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it plans to further invest in the culture sector. (S6O-02929)
As I have already confirmed to the chamber, next financial year we will increase funding to the culture sector by £15.8 million to £196.6 million. That is the first step on the route to investing at least £100 million more annually in culture and the arts by the financial year 2028-29.
The commitment has already been given by the Deputy First Minister in the recent budget that, in 2025-26, we aim to provide an additional £25 million to the culture sector. That commitment to additional funding is despite the challenging budget situation, and signals our confidence to the Scottish culture sector, including in Clydebank and Milngavie.
I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to increased spending on culture.
I have met numerous arts and culture groups in my constituency. Those groups are so important because they not only create safe spaces in which creatives can thrive, but allow for development of meaningful connections that can reduce the social isolation that people face in our constituencies.
What approach is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that additional investment will be shared fairly across all communities?
I pay tribute to Marie McNair, who has been a doughty campaigner for the culture and arts community in Clydebank and Milngavie.
It is incredibly important that the benefits of funding for the culture and arts sector be felt throughout the whole country. An example of that is the Culture Collective programme, which is a Scotland-wide programme that we fund to develop in our communities grass-roots participatory arts experiences, including projects to reduce social isolation.
We want, through increased investment in culture over the next five years, to drive up opportunities for participation in creative pursuits—which, of course, includes those in Clydebank and Milngavie.
I have received requests for three supplementaries, and I intend to take all three.
Despite what the Scottish National Party Government would have us believe—that the £6.6 million in the recent Scottish budget is increased funding—it is actually reinstatement of the 10 per cent cut to Creative Scotland that was revealed a year ago, dropped in the spring, then reinstated in September. That is now being disguised as an increase in investment.
Following the announcement of £25 million for 2025-26, can the cabinet secretary say how much of that funding is genuinely additional and will actually be delivered?
We are committed to delivering all the funding. I am not sure that that was a welcome for the increase—I did not hear that. I know, from the role that he plays in committee, that Alexander Stewart is a strong supporter of culture and the arts. We all need to row behind the culture and the arts sector.
We want to provide the necessary funding. It is important that Creative Scotland has the funding that it requires; it will have it. I look forward to positive discussions, which I have offered to members and parties across the chamber. I will welcome any good ideas about how we can ensure that the culture and arts sector can thrive with the support of additional Scottish Government funding, and I will welcome the member’s participation in that process.
I was pleased to hear the cabinet secretary’s response to Marie McNair about every community benefiting from culture spend, because the analysis of EventScotland and Creative Scotland shows huge variations across the country. In Perth and Kinross, the spend is three times higher than spend in Fife, and in Stirling, it is four times higher. In Dundee, the spend is six times higher, in Glasgow it is 11 times higher, and in Edinburgh it is 14 times higher than the spend in Fife. What is the minister doing to make sure that every community benefits from that spend?
I commend Willie Rennie, because he has asked that question a number of times and wants to ensure that there is the maximum possible spend for the culture and the arts sector in North East Fife, and that the rest of Fife can be secure. I have said to him previously that it is important that we have separation between our arm’s-length cultural organisation—Creative Scotland, which makes the decisions—and ministers. It is not for ministers to direct specific regional projects.
If Willie Rennie is aware of culture projects that are not being appropriately funded, will he please make me and Creative Scotland aware of them. I and my colleagues want to ensure that our culture and arts sector across Scotland is properly funded.
I welcome Willie Rennie’s input and extend to him and his party colleagues an offer to input any suggestions that they might have about the increase in spending that we will undertake in the years ahead. I welcome his input on where relative priorities should be.
Despite £2 billion having been spent on ticket sales across the UK, every week last year at least one grass-roots music venue permanently closed its doors. Other countries have shown that there is a way out of that decline through ticket levies supporting the development of grass-roots music and venues. Does the cabinet secretary agree that 2024 is the year in which to turn the situation around, including by accelerating progress towards establishing a ticket levy on arena and stadium tickets to support the grass roots?
That suggestion has been made and is being repeated, and it is being promoted very actively by some members of the cultural community. That community has suggested that the suggestion needs to be explored further, and I am open to learning about it. As I have said to the committee that Mark Ruskell serves on, we need to look imaginatively at all kinds of ways in which we could secure the necessary funding for the culture and arts sector. The suggestion, which Mark Ruskell has made a number of times, is one that merits further consideration. I look forward to the committee looking at it closely and to receiving more advice on it. No doubt we will look at it together with other suggestions, to ensure that the culture and arts sector receives the funding that it requires. I know that Mark Ruskell supports that. I certainly do.
Question 5 was not lodged.
UCI Cycling World Championships
To ask the Scottish Government how much it spent on the UCI cycling world championships in Glasgow in 2023. (S6O-02931)
The total funding for the 2023 UCI cycling world championships is in the process of being finalised and will be confirmed in due course. It includes contributions from the Scottish Government, UK Sport, British Cycling, Glasgow City Council and a number of other local authorities, as well as from commercial revenue streams. Any additional funding that might be required will be managed centrally by the Scottish Government.
I welcomed the UCI cycling world championships being in Scotland. Dumfries and Galloway, which is a region that has already etched its name in the history of cycling as the birthplace of the pedal cycle bike in 1839, played host to the road competitions for paracyclists. South of Scotland Destination Alliance suggested that there might have been a £6 million boost to the local economy, but given the significant costs of hosting the event, including what we believe will be a significant overspend, what assessment has the Scottish Government made of the impact of that investment, and what work will it do with Dumfries and Galloway Council to ensure that it can deliver a long-term legacy?
The Scottish Government meets 2023 Cycling World Championships Ltd weekly to oversee the closing down of contracts and to achieve a final position on delivery costs. We expect a final position by the end of the financial year. We also expect event evaluation information—which goes to the heart of the question—on the economic benefit to Scotland, including the south of Scotland. That will be published in February.
I take this opportunity to record our thanks to the outgoing chief executive of the UCI world championships, Trudy Lindblade, and to wish her well as the new chief executive of Cricket Scotland.
“Building a New Scotland”
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the total cost to date of its “Building a New Scotland” series of papers. (S6O-02932)
The Scottish Government is publishing the publication costs of all the papers in the “Building a New Scotland” series. Parliament has been informed of costs for the first nine papers in the series. The cumulative cost has been £151,657.40, which means that the average cost of each of the first nine papers in the series was £16,850.21.heating. [Jamie Hepburn has corrected this contribution. See end of report.] That cumulative total represents a value of around 0.00025 per cent of the total Scottish Government budget for the financial year. We will continue to publish the cost information for future papers once they are published, as we have committed to do.
So far, the Scottish National Party Government has wasted about £151,000 on nine independence prospectus papers. What a complete waste of taxpayer money, when the propaganda papers fail to answer any key questions about currency, the fiscal framework or pensions. Even the First Minister previously described them as material
“that frankly sits on a website and nobody reads.”
Does the minister agree with the First Minister’s comments? Can he explain to Scottish taxpayers why that money would not be better spent on our schools, our health service or our police?
It is pretty clear that Mr Lumsden was looking for a figure that was rather higher than a value of around 0.00025 per cent of the total Scottish Government budget for this financial year. He was clearly not listening when I responded to Donald Cameron, so I remind Mr Lumsden that we won the last Scottish Parliament election and so have a mandate to take forward that activity. The Conservatives lost the last Scottish Parliament election, which is why the SNP is in government. The money is well spent.
Ireland has an income per head that is 24 per cent higher than that of the UK; in Denmark, income per head is 35 per cent higher than that of the UK; and in Norway it is 61 per cent higher than that of the UK. We have a boorach of a UK economy as a result of Brexit, and the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts that gross domestic product will be 4 per cent lower in the long run because of it. The only way that we can escape that mess is through independence, so we will continue to make the case for it.
Can the minister provide an update on how the United Kingdom’s gross domestic product per capita compares to that of the comparator countries that are used in the “Building a New Scotland” series of papers?
That was a bit wide of the question that is in the Business Bulletin, I am afraid, because we are looking for an update on the total cost of the actual papers, not the cost of the substance of the papers.
Having previously urged the Scottish Government to build a clear and credible independence strategy, former SNP minister Alex Neil now says that, in the view of many independence supporters, the SNP has
“abandoned any pretence of trying to get independence anytime soon”.
How does the Scottish Government justify the costs of the white papers and how does it hope to build consensus around its independence strategy—as set out in the white papers—when it cannot achieve consensus within its own party?
I have to say—not for the first time—that I disagree with Alex Neil. I believe that we are building a credible and compelling case for independence. I have already made the point about the advantages that countries that are similar to Scotland have as a consequence of their independence. I would have thought that the Labour Party might have agreed, because the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said that destitution is on the increase in the UK, but is being mitigated by the Scottish Government, and the Resolution Foundation has pointed out that if the UK had the average income and levels of inequality of similar countries, typical households would be £8,300 better off, which rises to £10,200 when we are compared with countries that are similar to Scotland. I had thought that Alex Neil, the Labour Party and other members would be able to see the benefits of independence. That is the case that we will continue to make.
Historic Environment Scotland Sites (Reopening)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the reopening of Historic Environment Scotland sites following the completion of work to make them safe for the public, including when the remaining sites will reopen. (S6O-02933)
I am pleased to say that Historic Environment Scotland’s inspection programme concludes at the end of March 2024. Once it is completed, Historic Environment Scotland will have a clearer indication of the scale of the challenge and of the resources that will be required to carry out conservation works.
There is now full or partial access at 53 of the 70 sites where access was restricted because of high-level masonry issues. I am pleased that Historic Environment Scotland continues to put the health and safety of individuals first and is reopening sites only when it is safe to do so.
Details of the inspection programme and site reopenings are published on the Historic Environment Scotland website.
In my constituency, Corgarff castle, which played an important role in the Jacobite risings, closed at the height of summer last year because of staffing issues. According to Historic Environment Scotland, the issue affected a number of sites, especially sites in rural areas. The cabinet secretary asked earlier for examples that he would support. Can the minister guarantee that sites such as Corgarff castle and others in rural areas will not be affected by that issue this summer?
I take into account the issue that Alexander Burnett has raised about the staffing of sites, particularly in his area. I have to say that Brexit is the biggest driver of the lack of staff in rural areas. We should take that into account.
On the reopening of facilities and historic properties, Historic Environment Scotland publishes all the updates on its website. The information can be easily found by anyone, but I would be happy to make sure that Historic Environment Scotland updates Alexander Burnett on the issues that affect his particular case.
On a number of occasions, Historic Environment Scotland has offered to take individual members on visits to sites to talk through some of the issues, and I urge Alexander Burnett to take up that offer.
Justice and Home Affairs
GEOAmey (Staffing)
To ask the Scottish Government whether GEOAmey, the prisoner escort service provider, has offered any assurances that it will tackle the reported staffing challenges that currently mean that islanders acting as witnesses have to travel to jury trials on the mainland. (S6O-02934)
We have been supporting the Scottish Prison Service and other partners in delivering an improvement in the GEOAmey contract that has resulted in early positive signs, with a slowdown in staff attrition and improved staff numbers.
Following the pausing of the post-pandemic reintroduction of solemn jury trials to the sheriff courts at Lerwick, Kirkwall, Portree, Stornoway, Lochmaddy and Wick, assurances have been given by GEOAmey that it will be able to properly resource the courts from spring 2024.
According to a recent audit of the contract, GEOAmey’s on-going poor performance is resulting in delays and inefficiencies across the justice sector, which impact on policing, prison services and the courts. It now requires direct funding from the Government. In the light of that, will the Government confirm that there is no question of extending GEOAmey’s contract for a further four years, as would be permitted, and that its record will be taken into consideration during future bids for lucrative Government contracts?
There is no doubt that GEOAmey’s performance has been utterly unacceptable and that that has had huge impacts across the justice system. The criminal justice board has been engaged with issues relating to the contract and, as Teresa Medhurst, the Scottish Prison Service chief executive, stated at the Criminal Justice Committee last month, all options remain under consideration in relation to prisoner escort arrangements in Scotland.
GEOAmey’s performance will definitely be a vital factor to be considered when decisions are being made about the future model of the prisoner transport service contract. The SPS continues to monitor the performance of the contract carefully to ensure that targeted thresholds are met and that we see an appropriate level of service that meets the needs of the Scottish justice system.
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs will know from our correspondence during the summer of my concerns regarding the impact on local access to justice of the loss of sheriff and jury trials in the islands and rural courts. I welcome the fact that those will resume from the spring, although the duration of the loss is longer than anyone would have liked. Can the cabinet secretary offer reassurance that the changes to the contract with GEOAmey will ensure that rural and island courts are not seen as the expendable end of the justice system?
Mr McArthur and I have exchanged correspondence extensively on the matter—I have it here with me. We are seeing promising early signs. For example, there has been an increase by 40 in the number of police custody officers in the past three months, a number of officers are currently in training and staff attrition is down by 40 per cent. Nonetheless, we must closely monitor the situation. The point that Mr McArthur makes about the Highlands and island communities is well made. There have been particular issues in rural Scotland and in other areas of Scotland that we are focused on.
Domestic Abuse Victims (Protection)
To ask the Scottish Government what protection is available to victims of domestic abuse when harassment and exclusion orders expire. (S6O-02935)
A non-harassment order can be made in certain circumstances by a criminal court or civil court. The criminal or civil court can make a non-harassment order that runs for an indefinite period of time if it considers that to be appropriate. A person can apply for an exclusion order from a civil court to exclude from the family home their spouse or civil partner or, in certain circumstances, their cohabiting partner. Those orders end automatically in certain circumstances, such as when a couple divorce. Anyone who remains at risk of abuse or harassment after an exclusion order or a non-harassment order ends could apply to the civil court for a further non-harassment order or an interdict.
I thank the minister for that answer, but that has not been the experience of a constituent of mine who has struggled to get legal representation and to navigate the court process. More needs to be done. I would be keen to understand from the minister when domestic abuse protection orders will be implemented by the Scottish Government. Does the minister agree that a two-plus-year delay in getting that additional measure in place sends the wrong message to victims?
Non-harassment orders are intended to provide a means of ensuring that on-going harassment can be prevented. They can be especially important in protecting victims from on-going abuse by a partner or ex-partner who has been convicted of a domestic abuse offence, particularly if there are long-term coercive or controlling behaviours. However, discretion lies with the court in each individual case to determine whether to impose an NHO.
Women in Shetland continue to struggle to get legal support for domestic abuse cases, including to obtain harassment and exclusion orders. They are required, sometimes with great urgency, to find and engage a solicitor on the Scottish mainland who will take on legal aid cases. Does the Scottish Government agree that that situation is unacceptable, with island victims of domestic abuse facing unique barriers to justice at often critical and vulnerable times?
Our current legal aid funding arrangement ensures that around 70 per cent of people are eligible for a form of civil legal aid in Scotland. Means testing remains an important lever to ensure that we retain the wide scope of cases for which legal aid is available in principle. We have invested significant funding in front-line services, and we work closely with statutory agencies to improve their response to victims and survivors. We also provide support to the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre.
Police Stations (Proposed Closures)
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the proposed closure of Paisley, Ferguslie Park, Greenock, Bishopbriggs and Milngavie police stations. (S6O-02936)
Through the delivery of its estate strategy, Police Scotland is putting plans in place to modernise its estate to make it fit for purpose. We are supportive of plans to co-locate with other parts of the public sector, including local authorities, which promotes closer working and collaboration, delivering better outcomes for individuals and communities.
I agree with the deputy chief constable Malcolm Graham, who said that the presence of policing in communities
“is not defined by buildings but by the officers and staff who work there”
and I encourage anyone with an interest to respond to the consultation, which is available on the Police Scotland website.
It is important that the Scottish Government does not wash its hands of this or say that it is only an operational matter when my constituents in Paisley, Greenock, Ferguslie Park, Milngavie and Bishopbriggs are extremely concerned about the possible closures of their local police stations.
What financial support will the Government provide to protect local stations if the police and public deem them necessary? Where the police have indicated that they support a replacement presence—for example, in Paisley and in Greenock, where they are located in town centres, are open 24 hours a day, have criminal investigation departments and, as in the case of Greenock, have a custody suite—does the cabinet secretary agree that any replacement should be on a like-for-like basis?
I recognise that, in some instances, people feel very strongly about the police estate and about police buildings in their local communities, hence the consultation. However, it is crucial, as we move forward, that we have modern and fit-for-purpose facilities and that we bear in mind that police officers tend to be mobile in their work.
Regarding Mr Bibby’s locality, it is important to recognise that there is a consultation and that Police Scotland is taking part in discussions with Renfrewshire Council about co-location and about identifying appropriate community engagement facilities. The consultation is about using co-location to enhance the effectiveness of policing and to enhance local partnership working, as well as to improve the visibility and presence of policing in our communities.
As the cabinet secretary says, Police Scotland has said that the selection of properties for possible disposal under the service’s estate strategy is part of moves towards co-location with partners, where that is possible, and to ensure that services are delivered in the most efficient and effective way. Will the cabinet secretary provide further detail of the success that has already come from co-location?
We all agree that we want our public services to be effective and efficient. Co-location with suitable partners makes the best use of the public sector estate and offers the opportunity for increased visibility and closer working.
There are more than 60 examples of successful co-location across the Police Scotland estate—which is around 20 per cent of that estate—and 13 of those co-locations are blue-light collaborations. There is a great example of that in my own constituency, in West Lothian, and there are also examples of co-location with Clackmannanshire Council in Alloa, with Aberdeen City Council and in Inverness, where there is a co-location with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.
It is also important to recognise that, in its pre-budget scrutiny report at the end of last year, the Criminal Justice Committee said that the police and fire services
“should explore the provision of newer co-located premises which offer improved facilities for officers, firefighters and staff”.
Police Officer Numbers (South Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact that the Scottish budget 2024-25 will have on police officer numbers in the South Scotland region. (S6O-02938)
As outlined in the recent budget, we will increase the Scottish Police Authority resource budget by £75.7 million in 2024-25. Although it is for the chief constable to decide how best to deploy police resources, I welcome her statement to the Criminal Justice Committee on 20 December that the budget settlement would allow the recruitment of officers to restart before the end of this financial year.
Police Scotland has recruited almost 600 officers in 2023 and around 1,480 new recruits since the beginning of 2022. As at 30 September 2023, there were 379 more police officers than in 2007. Scotland also has more police officers per capita than England and Wales and offers higher pay ranges, with 30 officers per 10,000 of the population compared to 25 per 10,000 in England and Wales.
We have seen police officer numbers plummet right across Scotland in recent years. In the smallest division, Dumfries and Galloway, numbers have been cut from 411 in June 2020 to just 354, which means that, at certain times, just a couple of officers are covering a huge geographical area.
Can the cabinet secretary confirm whether the recent budget means that we will return to the levels of June 2020 in Dumfries and Galloway? Given that the SNP’s commitment to maintain police numbers at the level when Police Scotland was established, a decade ago, now seems dead in the water, what exactly is the Government’s current specific target for officer numbers?
The establishment and agreement of officer numbers is, of course, an operational matter for the chief constable. When she appeared at the Criminal Justice Committee just before Christmas, she made it very clear that she welcomed the budget settlement and that it would enable Police Scotland to retain police numbers of around 16,500 or 16,600.
It is important to remember that we now have nearly 400 more officers than we had in 2006-07. In the Dumfries and Galloway divisional area, there were 354 officers as of 30 September 2023, which compares to 349 on 30 September the year before. I hope that that small increase gives some reassurance to Mr Smyth about the stabilisation of police resources in his area.
I met the divisional commander of Dumfries and Galloway just before the recess. He welcomed the fact that we have additional recruits in the region but noted that rurality poses huge challenges in relation to appropriate officer cover.
Will the cabinet secretary comment on whether Dumfries and Galloway could be considered a priority area for police recruitment after the end of the current recruitment freeze, given the challenges of rurality and officer coverage?
It is important to recognise that there are particular challenges for particular workforces in rural Scotland. That is why Police Scotland has undertaken targeted recruitment, including in Stranraer and Dumfries last year. I hope that I demonstrated through the numbers that I quoted to Mr Smyth that there has been a small increase in and a stabilisation of police numbers across the Dumfries and Galloway divisional area.
It should be noted that the creation of a Scottish-wide single police service means that all communities have greater access to national policing capabilities than would otherwise be the case. Local area commanders can also draw on specialist resources to support local policing wherever they are needed.
The latest recorded crime statistics from Police Scotland show that, in the Ayrshire police division, overall crime jumped by more than 10 per cent at a time when police numbers have fallen in Ayrshire since the Scottish National Party centralised our police forces. How much more should crime rise in communities such as Ayrshire before the Scottish Government starts properly resourcing our police?
For the current financial year, resourcing for policing across Scotland benefited by an additional £80 million. We introduced the draft Scottish budget before Christmas. Once again, it saw additional resource and capital for Police Scotland.
It is important to recognise that there continue to be more police officers per capita in Scotland than there are in England and Wales. Recorded crime has reduced by 41 per cent since 2006-07, so Scotland under the SNP is a safer place.
Police Scotland (Budget 2024-25)
To ask the Scottish Government how its budget for 2024-25 will support Police Scotland. (S6O-02939)
Protecting front-line services and supporting those who deliver them is a key priority for the Scottish Government. That is why, despite deeply challenging financial circumstances, the 2024-25 Scottish budget provides record funding for the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.
We will invest £1.55 billion in policing in the next financial year. The police resource budget will be increased by £75.7 million, which is a 5.6 per cent increase, with the capital budget increasing to £64.6 million, which represents a 12.5 per cent increase on the 2023-24 budgets.
I welcome the real-terms budget increase for Police Scotland. However, with the continued squeeze on Barnett consequentials and the disappointing autumn statement, will the cabinet secretary outline the impact that that will have on delivering a fit-for-purpose Police Scotland service in the long term?
Last month’s autumn statement was the worst-case scenario for Scotland, as it contained a fiscal settlement from the United Kingdom Government that undermined the viability of public services across the whole of the UK—including here, in Scotland. Our block grant funding for the budget has fallen by 1.2 per cent in real terms since 2022-23 and our capital spending power is due to contract by almost 10 per cent in real terms over the next five years. Nonetheless, protecting front-line services is a priority for the Scottish Government, and our budget is delivering for justice and for policing in particular.
It might be helpful if I quote what the chief constable said when she attended the Criminal Justice Committee and welcomed the budget settlement. She said that this budget settlement is in
“recognition of Police Scotland’s value and the contribution that policing makes to Scotland being a safe place to live and work, with historically low levels of crime.”—[Official Report, Criminal Justice Committee, 20 December 2023; c 2.]
I am very pleased to commend to Parliament a budget that, when we consider both resource and capital, has an increased investment of £92.7 million in policing for Scotland.
Every police officer in the UK has body-worn cameras, apart from in Scotland. They protect police officers and the public, support victims and witnesses and save time and money. Humza Yousaf has repeatedly promised them, but, due entirely to Scottish National Party budget choices, Scotland has been left behind.
Three weeks ago, the day after the budget, I asked the new chief constable whether the 2027 target date for full delivery would be met, but she could not tell me. When exactly will our officers finally get that basic kit?
I would have hoped that Mr Findlay would welcome two facts. The first is that the roll-out of body-worn cameras for police officers will commence this coming calendar year. The second is the record investment in policing in Scotland. Surely that is good news that we can all celebrate.
Police Stations (Impact of Proposed Closures on Antisocial Behaviour)
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the proposed closure of 29 police stations across Scotland on antisocial behaviour. (S6O-02940)
The deployment of police resources and operational matters are, of course, decisions for the chief constable. The Scottish Government has increased police funding to Police Scotland year on year since 2016-17, with £1.55 billion being committed in the 2024-25 budget.
We fully support Police Scotland and local authorities that lead on responding to antisocial behaviour, and we continue to encourage early intervention, diversion and appropriate support through multi-agency partnership approaches.
Police Scotland has confirmed that there has been a recent rise in antisocial behaviour in Linlithgow. Although it is often non-criminal, the impact that it has on the local community is undeniable. Linlithgow lost its police station a number of years ago, and constituents are concerned that the lack of police presence is contributing to young people engaging in such behaviour. What specific action is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that communities where police stations are earmarked for closure continue to feel safe and protected in their local area?
Mr Choudhury might be aware that the police station in Linlithgow has been vacant for more than six years and has therefore been declared surplus by Police Scotland.
The member might be aware that Siobhian Brown, who is the responsible minister, has established a working group on antisocial behaviour, which brings together experts and practitioners to examine our strategic approach to the issue and to propose improvements. The group will report later this year. After 20 years of the existing antisocial behaviour legislation, we are due a review, and I look forward to all members’ contributions to that.
Retail Crime (Government Response)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it and its partners are taking to tackle retail crime and its potential impact on communities, in light of the reported increase in retail crime caused by the cost of living crisis. (S6O-02941)
The Scottish Government recognises the significant disruption and harm to businesses and individuals from retail crime and continues to support the innovative Scottish partnership against acquisitive crime—SPAACE—strategy.
Police Scotland leads the partnership, working with retailers and other organisations including Retailers Against Crime and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland. The focus is on prevention, deterrence and, where appropriate, enforcement. The strategy seeks to minimise opportunities for that type of crime, to protect individuals and businesses, and to deliver clear advice and guidance on prevention.
I urge all retailers to continue to engage with Police Scotland and other partners to help safeguard their business and the people who work there.
In my constituency, there has been continued and escalating incidents of retail crime, resulting not only in a threat to the livelihoods of small business owners but in an unacceptable threat to staff’s physical safety while at their place of work. What additional support is being put in place to ensure the safety and security of staff and property for retailers and to provide effective deterrent and punishment for criminals who take part in retail crime?
We recognise the vital role that retail workers play in our society and we want to ensure that they are protected. Workers across all sectors should be safe at work and should never have to experience abuse or violence when simply doing their job.
The Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2020, which came into force in August 2021, created a statutory offence of threatening, abusing or assaulting a retail worker, ensuring that the seriousness of that behaviour is highlighted through a specific offence. From August 2021 to March 2023, 543 charges that were brought under the act led to a conviction in criminal court.
Although there has been a long-term reduction in levels of recorded non-sexual violence—25 per cent between 2006-07 and 2022-23—along with its partners, the Scottish Government is continuing to implement the violence prevention framework. That is backed by £2 million-worth of investment this year to fund a range of activities that will help to prevent and divert people away from violence.
That concludes portfolio questions on justice and home affairs. There will be a short pause before we move on to the next item of business, to allow front-bench teams to change position, should they wish to do so.