Chamber and committees

The estimated number of Full Time Equivalent operational staff for 2025/26 is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Workforce figures up to the year 2023/24 are available on the SFRS website at Statistics | Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (firescotland.gov.uk)

As a result of £65m of public investment since 2011, and increasing private sector investment, Scotland has one of the most comprehensive public EV charging networks of any part of the UK, with over 5,800 public EV charge points, and is on target to have 6,000 public charge points by 2026. On a per head of population basis Scotland has more public charge points than any other part of the UK except London, and more rapid charge points than any other part of the UK.

The Scottish Government does not collect information about how many public EV charge points are suitable for any particular vehicle type. However, EV charge point parking spaces designed to accommodate passenger cars should also be able to accommodate the majority of light commercial vehicles which have broadly similar dimensions. Engagement with industry suggests that many larger fleets do not intend to make use of the public EV charging network in Scotland and are instead working with commercial charge point operators to develop fleet-specific solutions.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with the UK Government and Petroineos. Most recently the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Net Zero convened a trilateral discussion with the UK Government and Petroineos on 2 September. The Scottish Government has used these engagements to consistently convey to the business that refining must continue at Grangemouth for as long as practicable.

Support with travel costs for music instructors in rural local authority areas is ultimately the responsibility of local authorities as their employer.

Music instructors working in remote schools or who are employed in a school on a distant island, receive a remote school or distant islands allowance as stipulated by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers Handbook (SNCT) in addition to the normal salary. These payments are made directly by the relevant local authority. There are, however, conditions to these allowances which are outlined in the SNCT handbook (Appendix 2.5).

The information requested is not held centrally.

As independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities, any decisions around borrowing and the interest rate charged are a matter for individual local authorities.

The Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour is expected to report to Ministers, COSLA and Police Scotland by the end of 2024.

The Grangemouth Future Industry Board continues to meet regularly with the last meeting of the programme board taking place on 19 August. At the invitation of the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Net Zero, the leadership forum will now be co-chaired by the UK Government Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Figures for the full time equivalent (FTE) number of operational staff in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service at year end 2023-24 can be found at the SFRS published Fire Safety and Organisational Statistics 2023/24. These are a snapshot of the organisation on 31 March 2024 Fire Safety and Organisational Statistics, 2023-2024, Statistics | Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (firescotland.gov.uk).

For ease of reference the figure of FTE operational staff at the end of 2023-24 is 3419.

The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) at the University of Glasgow to provide a coordinated approach to the surveillance of marine species (e.g., cetaceans, seals and basking sharks) stranded around the Scottish coast. As well as investigating major causes of death, the scheme also helps identify any substantial new threats to the conservation status of these species as well as assisting in the identification of other pressures and threats.

This information is used by the Scottish Government and NatureScot to take forward action that can help to prevent strandings in the future and to meet its commitment to achieve and maintain Good Environmental Status for cetaceans. This includes delivering action to minimise, and where possible eliminate, bycatch of sensitive marine species, including cetaceans, to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries, as well as supporting ongoing work to ensure the coherence of our marine protected areas network.

Much of this work is supported by the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund and Scottish Government's Nature Restoration Fund which is managed by NatureScot.

No discussions have taken place between ministers and Local Authorities regarding the wearing of safety helmets by delivery drivers.

As outlined in the Highway Code (a matter reserved to the UK Government), riders are recommended to wear a correctly fitted cycle helmet. However, this is not a legal requirement and remains a matter of personal choice.

However, the Scottish Government takes road safety seriously. Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030 (RSF2030) was published in February 2021, with the goal of Scotland having the best road safety performance in the world. It adopts the ‘Safe System’ approach to road safety which is recognised internationally as best practice in road safety delivery. It sets challenging targets for the years ahead, with a 50 per cent reduction in fatal and serious injuries and a 60 per cent reduction in child fatal and serious injuries by 2030.