Chamber and committees

As the minister knows, response times are not the only issue. I understand from speaking to the fire service that one major concern is that the first appliance might arrive but it might not be possible for the crew to act because of the lack of a second or third appliance. Does the minister agree with me that, as well as response times, the reduction in the number of appliances is a major concern?

Scottish Labour has lodged the motion because the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is in a state of crisis. The Fire Brigades Union Scotland has been warning for years about the devastating impact of underinvestment in our Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and about the threats that we are now facing after years of cuts and failure by the Scottish Government to deliver investment.

Over the past 13 years, 1,250 firefighters’ jobs have been lost, which represents more than a sixth of the total workforce. That figure includes 729 whole-time operational firefighters and 368 retained operational firefighters. Those are direct cuts to vital, life-saving front-line services. The number of volunteer firefighters has also reduced by 35 per cent, which negatively impacts on emergency cover in many of our remote and rural communities. In control rooms, there has been a 26 per cent reduction in staff—staff who are vital in handling calls and supporting individuals in emergencies, including those that pose a risk to life.

When I met FBU Scotland yesterday, its representatives laid out the impact of those job losses on response times. Average response times have increased from six minutes and 51 seconds to eight minutes and 20 seconds. Every second counts when waiting for a response from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The FBU fears that, without the investment that is needed in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, response times could eventually reach more than 10 minutes.

Response times to incidents that pose a risk to life have also increased. In 2016, the average response time to such incidents stood at around seven minutes and 30 seconds. Last year, it stood at eight minutes and 50 seconds. In such situations, when there is a risk to life, every minute counts.

In control rooms, job losses have contributed to an increase in call-handling times. Call-handling times for incidents that pose a risk to life have increased from one minute and 10 seconds in 2016 to one minute and 32 seconds. Staffing levels in control rooms are generally considered to be inadequate and regularly fall below agreed safe levels.

FBU Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to commit to no further cuts to firefighter numbers. I urge the minister to give such a commitment today. Since its creation in 2013, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has faced cuts of tens of millions in funding from the Scottish Government. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service resource budget for this financial year stands at £332.1 million, which represents a real-terms cut of more than £56 million in the past 12 years.

Sustained underinvestment in our fire capital budget has also led to a capital backlog of more than £800 million, and many fire stations are no longer fit for purpose. The fire service has estimated that £80 million per year would be needed to improve the condition of fire stations and control rooms. FBU Scotland is calling for increased and sustainable real-terms investment in the service from the Scottish Government. Ahead of this year’s budget process, I urge the minister to engage with the firefighters’ union, with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and with firefighters across Scotland.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s service delivery consultation recently closed, with more than 3,500 responses. The consultation outlined several options, including changes to fire cover, the permanent withdrawal of 10 appliances and the closure of 13 fire stations.

Rachael Hamilton makes her point well, and I agree.

The plans that have been outlined would further damage the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and add to the negative impact that underinvestment and cuts have already had. Fire cover would change across Scotland, including in rural areas, but also in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Dunfermline. In my region—West Scotland—fire cover would be affected at the Milngavie, Inverclyde and Helensburgh stations, and in many other parts. Let us be clear that those changes to fire cover would lead to increased response times.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service board is set to decide on the consultation proposals by late December. Although it is the board that will ultimately decide, we should remember that the board members are appointed by the Scottish Government, and the Minister for Victims and Community Safety is ultimately accountable to the Parliament for the delivery and provision of fire and rescue services. After the board makes its decision in December, MSPs must have adequate time and opportunity to scrutinise and debate any proposed changes, especially as those changes are set to have a negative impact on service delivery if some of the proposals proceed—particularly due to the likely increases in response times. I therefore call on the minister to commit today to a debate in Government time, to ensure that Parliament gets its opportunity to have a say on any proposals.

I am sure that other colleagues will pick up the many other issues that I could have raised in this debate on fire and rescue services, but I will conclude by thanking Scottish firefighters for their vital work in keeping our communities safe. I pay tribute to all our firefighters, and particularly to Barry Martin and Ewan Williamson—two brave firefighters who lost their lives while on duty. We owe it to them and to all of Scotland’s firefighters to ensure that Scotland’s Fire and Rescue Service gets the investment that it needs. I therefore hope that the Parliament will support Scottish Labour’s motion.

I move,

That the Parliament expresses concern at the cuts proposed by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS); recognises the Cuts Leave Scars campaign, which was set up in 2023 in response to a decade of underfunding by the Scottish Government; notes the loss of over 1,250 firefighter jobs across Scotland since the establishment of the SFRS in 2013, leading to pumps being unavailable as a result of too few firefighters to crew them; regrets that, as a result of cuts, call handling times have increased in control rooms and response times have increased from 6 minutes and 51 seconds to 8 minutes and 20 seconds, which risks lives in Scotland; notes with concern the plans to close 13 stations and permanently withdraw 10 appliances, and encourages the Scottish Government to work alongside the SFRS and the Fire Brigades Union Scotland to ensure that there are no further cuts to firefighter numbers or fire cover and that safe crewing levels are guaranteed.

Will the minister be addressing the concerning increases in response and call-handling times?

My constituents Roseanna Clarkin and Lauren McDougall have a petition before the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee relating to complications that have arisen from the use of surgical mesh by the NHS. The Scottish Government has previously indicated that it will monitor the progress of the new British Hernia Society registry, to gather more information about the scale of the complications that have arisen from the use of mesh in hernia repairs. I previously submitted freedom of information requests to health boards across Scotland, and I got information from some health boards but not from others. We have the British Hernia Society registry, but will the cabinet secretary ensure that all health boards retain records on complications arising from the use of hernia mesh and that that information is made available to inform decision making?

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report from the Scottish Funding Council stating that universities and colleges are in unsustainable financial situations, with some at risk of insolvency in the current financial year. (S6T-02699)

The report highlighted that 11 universities have underlying operating deficits. The University of the West of Scotland, which is in my region, is expected to post an £8.4 million deficit, which could result in more than 75 academic job losses, while senior staff who earn more than £100,000 get pay increases of more than 30 per cent. Does the cabinet secretary agree with calls from trade unions for greater transparency in financial planning for universities?

I press my amendment.

I will speak to amendment 309 and my other amendments in the group. Amendment 309 would require relevant bodies to ask individuals who they have reason to believe might be homeless or threatened with homelessness whether their situation arose as a result of either past or on-going experience of abuse.

Amendment 310 would define “abuse” under the definition that is outlined in section 43 of the bill, as conduct

“giving rise, or likely to give rise, to physical or mental injury, fear, alarm or distress”.

Amendments 311 and 312 would require the relevant body, where it is informed that a person is either homeless or threatened with homelessness

“as a consequence of ... having experienced or experiencing abuse”

to provide details of support to that person.

Amendments 328 and 329 were lodged after discussions with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, which highlighted the need for greater security for victims of domestic abuse who may be left vulnerable to homelessness after ending a joint tenancy with their abusers.

Amendment 328 would allow a joint tenant who

“has experienced, is experiencing or is at risk of domestic abuse”

to end their interest in the tenancy

“without giving notice to each of the other joint tenants”.

The amendment, which would apply to registered social landlords, would require that, when a landlord receives notice under the provision, they

“must provide the tenant with details of such other support that may be available to the tenant in relation to domestic abuse”.

The amendment would address a gap in the law and similar issues, which I spoke to last week in relation to my amendment 293.

Social landlords are clear that they need such statutory footing in order to be able to implement their domestic abuse policies—I stress that amendment 328 relates to social landlords, not the private sector. I raised the issue at stage 2 and discussed it with the cabinet secretary and her predecessor. Given that the amendment relates to domestic abuse in circumstances in which the landlord accepts that there is or has been domestic abuse, a longer period than one week’s notice should not be required; one week’s notice is sufficient.

As I said, the provision in amendment 328 has been requested by social landlords. For example, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said in its briefing:

“We strongly support amendment 328”.

It believes that the new section that the amendment proposes is needed for registered social landlords to be able to implement domestic abuse policies, which has been asked for by various campaigns.

Amendment 329, which also relates to social landlords, would require a domestic abuse policy to include the steps that can be taken to write off rent arrears where there has been domestic abuse.

I move amendment 309.

Much of the report focuses on further education colleges, which have historically been underfunded and more vulnerable because of their reliance on Scottish Funding Council grants. Unless the deficits are addressed, it is projected that there will be 667 full-time equivalent job losses. Will the Scottish Government respond to those pressures with greater investment in the further education sector?