Chamber and committees

Statistics on justice journey times are published in the Journey Times in the Scottish Criminal Justice System bulletin and accompanying dashboard:

Criminal justice: journey time statistics.

The publication includes information on the time taken for accused individuals to progress through different stages of the criminal justice system, including cases involving rape and attempted rape.

However, we do not hold data on whether an accused person was on bail or remanded in custody, nor do we hold the information required to identify which cases proceeded to an evidence-led trial. Consequently, we are unable to provide times to trial for accused individuals by bail status or assess whether waiting times differ between those on bail and those remanded in custody.

The Loch Ness area is not designated as a National Scenic Area (NSA) and there have been no recent proposals to consider designating it. Any proposal to designate Loch Ness as a NSA would need to be brought forward in consultation with NatureScot and the local community.

Loch Ness and Duntelchaig is designated by the Highland Council in the Highland Wide Local Development Plan (LDP, 2012) as a Special Landscape Area (SLA).

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) Policy 4 (Natural Places) part (d) sets out that development proposals that affect a site designated as a local landscape area in the LDP will only be supported where:

i. Development will not have significant adverse effects on the integrity of the area or the qualities for which it has been identified;

or ii. Any significant adverse effects on the integrity of the area are clearly outweighed by social, environmental or economic benefits of at least local importance.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02610 on 11 September 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The location of fire stations and any specialist functions they deliver is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. All fire stations in Scotland respond to a wide range of emergency incidents, including wildfires, and SFRS keep all operational decisions under review depending on need.

Whilst any assessment made prior to timetable adjustments is a matter for ScotRail, the Scottish Government expects that services give the best reliability and availability for passengers. ScotRail advises that the service in question attracted an extremely low number of passengers. ScotRail works closely with Regional Transport Partners to ensure that local needs are taken into consideration, particularly in rural areas.

We can confirm that the remit for the study is as follows: a high-level desk top based feasibility study focussing on the technical challenges and opportunities for running tram trains on the South-Suburban line.

The outputs of the study will be published when complete.

The Terms of Reference for this feasibility study will be published in due course.

The training of firefighters, including controlled burn training, is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

The SFRS has informed Scottish Government that ten fire stations are currently participating in tactical backburn training and these are listed by local authority area as follows:

• Ballater (Aberdeenshire)
• Dumbarton (West Dunbartonshire)
• Dunblane (Stirling)
• Elgin (Moray)
• Invergordon (Highland)
• Kilwinning (North Ayrshire)
• Musselburgh (East Lothian)
• Pitlochry (Perth and Kinross)
• Stornoway (Western Isles)Ullapool (Highland)

Tactical backburn training is an essential part of the SFRS wildfire training programme and this supports closer collaboration with land managers and partner agencies, helping to strengthen a coordinated response to wildfires across Scotland.

Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with the Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to discuss current and potential subsidy referrals including Ferguson Marine. Scottish Government officials met with the SAU on 2 June and 12 August 2026 to participate in routine discussions on the general requirements of the referral process.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has invested £1.6 million in its wildfire strategy over the course of its three year roll-out, which will be complete by the end of this year.

This has been used to obtain specialist equipment and support firefighter training and SFRS intend to continue to develop its Wildfire capability with enhanced equipment, vehicles and specialist Personal Protective Equipment that will continue to strengthen Scotland’s preparedness for wildfire incidents.

The SFRS budget for 2026-27 provides an additional £23.8m, noting the total SFRS budget for this financial year is £435.96 million. This clearly demonstrates the continued commitment to support the SFRS to deliver the high standard of services required to keep Scotland safe. The Scottish Government will continue to discuss future budget requirements with SFRS.

The Scottish Government keeps the sufficiency of the early learning and childcare (ELC) workforce under continual review through a range of national data sources, including Care Inspectorate statistics, Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) workforce data, engagement with local authorities and providers, and the ELC census.

The latest SSSC workforce statistics, published on 8 September 2026, show that the daycare of children services workforce increased to 42,450 in 2025, representing the highest recorded headcount for the sector.

We recognise that parts of the sector continue to face workforce and sustainability challenges. We are therefore working with local authorities, providers, sector bodies and other partners to support workforce sustainability through ongoing workforce planning activity, investment in training and qualifications, childminder recruitment, and additional funding to support payment of at least the real Living Wage for staff delivering funded ELC in private and third sector settings.

We will continue to monitor workforce and capacity trends closely to help ensure that funded childcare remains available to children and families across Scotland.