Chamber and committees

Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme (SCRS) is delivering 30,000 cycle repairs or services to people in Scotland, focusing on those that need the support the most. Repairs and servicing are provided through a network of over 300 shops, retailers, community organisations and sole traders. The scheme has run since August 2020 and delivered a total of 64,945 repairs to date. The amount of repairs per year is as follows:

Through support provided in Financial Year 20-21: 31,562 bikes were repaired

Through support provided in Financial Year 21-22: 21,923 bikes were repaired

Through support provided in Financial Year 22-23: 11,460 bikes have been repaired so far

It is worth noting there is a time delay in reporting and this figure will be higher.

The Scottish Ambulance Service reports that in 2022, 46888 call-outs have alcohol mentioned as a possible factor by ambulance crews when completing an electronic patient record. The Scottish Ambulance Service does not specifically record alcohol-related incidents.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.

(a) It has been Scottish Government Policy that prisons should be owned and managed by the public sector since 2007. The cost of private sector prison contracts depend on the market conditions at that particular point in time and in order to establish the cost of a new private sector contract for HMP Kilmarnock from 2024 this would have to be put out to tender. In line with Government’s long-running policy on private prisons the decision was made not to put it out to tender.

(b) The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations (TUPE) apply when a service is transferred from one employer to another, in this case ‘insourcing’. It provides those who are carrying out work which will be provided by a new employer with protection by transferring them to the employment of the new provider. Staff transferring to SPS employment will be consulted on the changes that will be made when SPS are managing the prison. Exact costs will become clear at the conclusion of the consultation exercise and the running costs are likely to be aligned to an existing public prison of a similar size.

(c) The Scottish Government consults on issues that interest and impact on members of the public, experts and civil society. It does not consult on every decision implementing long running policies on service delivery. 

The average cost per available prisoner place at HMP Kilmarnock in the current contractual year is £31,879, excluding the public sector costs to monitor the operation and manage the contract. The average cost per prisoner once HMP Kilmarnock is brought into SPS management is likely to align with an existing prison of a similar size.

Plans for the Coronation of The Monarch are traditionally led by the Royal Household. Any consideration of planning in Scotland cannot be made public until the Royal Household share their intentions.

Due to the off-market and confidentiality arrangements imposed by the seller, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) were unable to consult with the local community prior to purchase. Full consultation with stakeholders, including the local community, will be undertaken as FLS develop proposals within the Land Management Plan (LMP) for Glenprosen.

The Scottish Government is supportive of the reintroduction of ferry services from Scotland to Europe.

Transport Scotland have engaged with a number of interested parties proposing such services and we will continue to engage with potential operators and Scotland’s main ports to provide information and advice on what the Scottish Government can offer in support of a viable commercial proposition.

The Scottish Government have also recently undertaken engagement sessions with key port stakeholders as well as freight forwarders and logistics companies to explore options for increasing freight movements through Scottish ports.

Data on school support staff are collected as part of the annual school staff census.

National Statistics on selected categories of school support staff (pupil support assistants, home-school link workers, behaviour support staff, educational psychologists, school nurses and library staff) can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-support-staff-statistics/

Management information (which are not subject to the same quality assurance procedures by Scottish Government statisticians as Official Statistics) for all other support staff roles for which data is collected centrally can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-support-staff-management-information/

Statistics for all categories of support staff prior to 2017 are available as part of the Teacher Census Supplementary Data: https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-census-supplementary-statistics/

The processing and quality assurance of the statistics on school support staff from 2017 onwards has been brought into line with procedures for National Statistics on pupils and teachers. This means that statistics from 2017 onwards are not directly comparable with the data on support staff from previous years.

(a) A breakdown of buildings in the high rise inventory by decade of construction:

Under the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020, consumers are only entitled to have their deposit redeemed if they present a container that is identifiable as a scheme article, intact, empty, and not soiled.

Retailers and other return-point operators are required to retain scheme articles they have been accepted for collection by the scheme administrator, Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL) or their agent. Once collected the containers are the responsibility of CSL.