Chamber and committees

The member will be aware that the Scottish Government has given an annual update to the Parliament each year since 2017 on our support for veterans and the armed forces community in Scotland, accompanied by a published report. I thank the member for his contribution to that debate last year—and, I think I am right in saying, in previous years. We will provide a similar update in November this year. We also intend to publish a refresh of our veterans strategy action plan, detailing our commitments to the veterans and armed forces community in Scotland, during the first half of this year.

I agree with the member; veterans are assets to our society and the Scottish Government’s ambition remains to make Scotland the destination of choice for service leavers, wherever they come from, and their families. By doing that, we can offer high living standards, great job prospects, and a society that respects and values their contribution.

I repeat my encouragement to the UK Government to work collaboratively with us to deliver as soon as possible a veterans ID service that meets the needs of veterans across the UK.

We do not discuss such matters directly with the Lothians and Scottish Borders police—the discussions that I have are with the chief constable and the chair of the Scottish Police Authority, and sometimes through organisations such as the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents. Those discussions are based on the national police force that we have. I believe that the increased budget for police that we managed to agree this year goes a long way in helping the police to meet the demands of crime.

The levels of some crimes have increased—the member mentioned violent crime, although homicide numbers are down at an all-time low since records began in the 1970s. The situation is complex, but we provide the resources and discuss with the police the resources that are required to allow them to do that most important job of addressing any instance of crime in their area. That is discussed on a national basis rather than on the regional basis that the member mentioned.

Again, Beatrice Wishart raises an important point. The Scottish Government does not support the Cancard system for a number of reasons; I am happy to correspond with her on that.

Beatrice Wishart is right to say that people who are in receipt of those prescriptions should have clarity about what the checks are. I am willing to write to Police Scotland to ask whether it wants to publicise the advice that it uses, which is issued by the National Police Chiefs Council, as the matter is reserved. I know that some of the issues that her constituent experienced were to do with the use of the Royal Mail. People should have clarity on what is likely to cause them issues. There is no need for a prescription at the Royal Mail stage, but when an issue is picked up by dogs, a prescription has to be used. There is a need for more clarity, and I am willing to write to Police Scotland to ask it if it is able to provide that clarity.

The information that Ms Hamilton requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. She has been a member of the Parliament for some years, so I am sure that she is aware that the recruitment and deployment of police officers and staff is a matter for the chief constable, who regularly reviews the size and shape of the policing workforce in light of changing demands.

Local police divisions have a core complement of officers who are always dedicated locally to community and response policing and who draw on specialist expertise and resources at a regional and national level. Current Scottish Government statistics show that we have about 32 officers per 10,000 of population. Just over the border from the Scottish Borders, there are 23 officers per 10,000 of population in England and Wales.

I am always happy to meet members to discuss concerns. I did not catch the whole of the requested remit for the meeting, but I am happy to meet members.

In relation to backing anything that the Conservatives suggest, we must start from a position of agreed facts. The fact is that the Scottish Government has not cut police numbers by 59, as has been said. I mentioned—and I think that most people know and support this—that it is for the chief constable to decide the disposition of police forces. I point out the hypocrisy in attacking the level of police numbers in one area when, just over the border from that area, numbers are substantially lower. Although that area happens to be overseen by a Government of a different persuasion, it does not mean that the point should pass without comment.

What Rachael Hamilton says is an attack on the Police Service, because the Police Service, through the chief constable and the Scottish Police Authority, decides on the matter. Before the Tories revert to making an argument about budgets, I point out that they did not seek in Parliament to amend the police budget, even though they promised for many months that they would give more funding.

If we could start from a position of agreed facts, perhaps we could discuss what we can and cannot support in relation to Conservative initiatives. However, I reiterate that I am more than happy to meet Rachael Hamilton to discuss the issues that she is concerned about.

As a first responder, Police Scotland collaborates with local health boards, NHS 24, the Scottish Ambulance Service and others to support those in distress. The Scottish Government has invested £1.1 billion for national health service boards and integration authorities in response to the pandemic. That includes putting £6 million towards additional telephone and online support services. In addition, £2.1 million was provided to expand the NHS 24 mental health hub so that it could be available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Police Scotland collaborated with NHS 24 to develop a mental health pathway, allowing police call handlers to provide a streamlined journey for people experiencing poor mental health and to direct callers to the mental health hub.

Guidance was issued by the National Police Chiefs Council on the rescheduling of cannabis-based products for medicinal use in November 2018, and it was shared with Police Scotland. Only individuals who are in receipt of a valid prescription from a specialist clinician are able to legally possess a cannabis-based product for medicinal use. Individuals who have a prescription for those products can show that prescription to the police as evidence that they are entitled to the product. Police officers can also make inquiries with the prescriber to ensure that the product has been legally obtained.

The Government is reviewing its veterans strategy action plan with a view to publishing a refreshed version during the first half of this year, so we will work with key stakeholders to determine the extent to which existing commitments remain valid and, of course, to determine where there is an opportunity to add to them.

We intend to consult with the local authority armed forces and veterans champions, not least Frank Ross, the lord provost of Edinburgh, whom the member mentioned. We will consider the views and the findings of the City of Edinburgh Council’s document, “The Strategy for our Ex-Forces Personnel” when developing a refreshed set of commitments to support veterans and the armed forces community in Scotland.

I commend Frank Ross for his work with veterans over a number of years.

We believe that it is important that, should they choose to do so, veterans are able to easily identify themselves as such when accessing services. I urge the UK Government to press ahead with its plans to undertake a scoping study for the provision of digital verification of veteran status and I thank it for involving the Scottish Government in the recent discovery work for that project, which I think involved interaction with consultants. I encourage the UK Government to continue to work collaboratively to deliver a service that meets the needs of veterans across the UK as soon as possible.