Chamber and committees

How big an impact did the underreporting that you mentioned have?

Can you tell us a bit more about the barriers? In your evidence to the Criminal Justice Committee last week, you said that you want things to happen on the ground. You also said that there were implementation gaps. You have great policies and you want things to happen, but they are not happening. Are we holding the officials—the people who should be making sure that things happen—accountable enough? You said earlier that “we have not got time to wait” and that “We are in a drugs death crisis”.

You just talked about your feet being held to the fire, but we already have lots of data. I sigh when I am in a committee meeting and hear that we are going to have another working group to look at something that we already have the answer to. We know what the issues are. What are the barriers to implementation and seeing a difference on the ground?

Thank you. Tricia, would you like to respond?

Do you have a breakdown of the figures that you sent in? Your submission refers to “All Business Incidents”. When you say that there has been an increase in—

Maggie, do you have anything to add?

The cabinet secretary and I are both aware of a case where a developer is ready to put shovels in the ground, yet delays persist because paperwork has not been signed off. I have raised this in the chamber and I have written letters, while the developer, who, for nearly two months, has been ready to start on site, has also reached out, but with no conclusion. If this situation continues, investors will simply take their projects elsewhere. The Scottish Government might say that it is serious about house building, but can the cabinet secretary honestly say that that is matched by any action?

For justice to be delivered, people need to serve their sentences and receive meaningful rehabilitation. Neither happens with early release.

The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 was intended to support reintegration and release and help to reduce reoffending, yet key provisions such as those in sections 12 and 13 have still not been implemented and the timescales are still being worked out. Given the pressures of prison overcrowding, when will clear implementation plans be set out and what engagement has the Government had with justice agencies to overcome any delays?

I thank Katy Clark for securing this important debate for the chamber.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is a life-saving organisation, which protects people, homes, businesses and the environment every day. Its importance can be seen in towns and cities, where firefighters race to put out potentially devastating fires in minutes, and it can increasingly be seen in the countryside, as they tackle raging wildfires that threaten to run out of control, ruin wildlife and pose risks for those who live in remote and rural communities.

The importance of firefighters is seldom more recognised than when they put themselves in danger, without hesitation, to ensure that we can live safely. In the process, many have been injured and some have tragically lost their lives. We should take the opportunity to again remember the ultimate sacrifices that were made by Ewan Williamson in 2009 and, more recently, by Barry Martin in 2023. In fact, it seems that the Scottish Government is alone in not fully comprehending the fire brigade’s importance. It is quick to praise firefighters and to talk up its support for them, but the money and the numbers tell a vastly different story.

Since the creation of the single fire service in 2013—a move that was supposed to create a nimbler and more effective organisation—things have got decidedly worse. There has been a reduction of 1,215 uniformed firefighters in that time, which represents a drop of almost 16 per cent, and, although ministers talk about uplifts in funding, the real-terms picture shows that there have been devastating cuts to the budget over a number of years. Scottish Conservative research shows the effects that those cuts have had on performance statistics. Average response times have increased by one and a half minutes.

That all begs the question, why? Why did the Scottish National Party Government centralise the fire service only to subsequently oversee brutal cuts and woeful mismanagement? The minister in charge likes to make the point that Scotland has more firefighters per head than England, but anyone who understands the geography of Scotland and appreciates how spread out and remote our communities are in comparison with those in England knows that that is a completely ridiculous argument.

The efficiencies that are proposed by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are truly terrifying and difficult to believe. The chief officer, Stuart Stevens, is on record as saying that the efficiencies will go ahead only if they ensure

“the safety of the community of Scotland.”

If that is the case and the service’s damaging proposals can be vetoed on the ground of people’s safety, those changes must be stopped and an improved funding settlement from the Scottish Government delivered.

I fully support the FBU and its cuts leave scars campaign. Unlike the Scottish Government, it understands the genuine risks that the proposed efficiencies will pose. The fire brigade is facing a range of new challenges, yet it is expected to meet them with fewer tools.

I am sorry.

Wildfires are on the rise. Newer developments such as recycling centres and battery energy storage systems also present a fresh challenge. Scotland’s population is increasing and ageing and is therefore becoming more vulnerable. Instead of constantly asking firefighters to do more with less, the Scottish Government needs to completely change direction. John McKenzie, the Scottish secretary of the FBU, said:

“The Minister’s call for improved fire safety at a time when she is overseeing a service being systematically stripped of jobs and fire fighting capacity shows she is in complete denial about what is going on in the service she is responsible for.”

Brave firefighters save lives, keep communities safe and place themselves in grave danger while doing so. They need to know that the Scottish Parliament has their backs. I ask all members to support my amendment, which will show firefighters that that is the case and will, I hope, trigger an urgent rethink on funding and resources.

I move amendment S6M-19124.1, to insert at end:

“; recognises that the Scottish Government’s mismanagement of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has resulted in an £800 million operational backlog that has mostly resulted from the failure to bring stations up to modern standards, with 18 fire stations lacking running water; notes that the SFRS is coming under increasing strain thanks to the pressures presented by wildfires, and that the public are becoming more concerned about the fire hazards presented by battery storage sites, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that firefighters have the basic resources to do their job, to ensure that lives are not needlessly lost.”

Would I get the time back, Presiding Officer?