Chamber and committees

The management of the Police Scotland Estate is an operational matter, and is the responsibility of the Chief Constable under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority.

Police Scotland is considering the future of both the Possilpark (Saracen) Police station and their former police station in Springburn. Police Scotland consults widely on its plans for public facing properties, including disposal, in advance of any decisions being made.

Of those who responded specifically to the question on zonal management measures, 66% were in support and 25% were opposed (with the remaining 9% being neutral).

The full consultation analysis report was published on 31 January and can be found on the Scottish Government website.

Myself and the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity have not met formally with the Anglo Scottish Fishermen’s Association since we were appointed to our roles.

Scotland’s first National Marine Plan (NMP) was adopted in 2015 and provides the guiding framework for sustainable management of marine activities and resources. In October 2022, Ministers announced the intention to update the NMP to better support our transition to net zero and tackling the nature and climate crisis through marine planning.

The timeline for the National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2) is published in the statement of public participation. The draft NMP2 is scheduled for consultation in late 2025 with plan adoption anticipated in 2027.

The Scottish Government has a crucial role in communicating with the public and uses a mix of channels to reach different audiences. This includes digital channels such as social media as well as traditional broadcast, print media and others. Channels are chosen to best meet our communications objectives in the most effective and cost efficient way, and this is regularly reviewed using insight and evaluation.

The Scottish Government’s Communications Division currently has a presence on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, coupled with inclusion in the GI scheme already provides this guarantee and the GI mark is available to be used by producers meeting the specification should they wish.

There are fourteen Allied Health Professions (AHP) across Scotland and Paramedicine is the only AHP that has a controlled intake target. There are currently no plans to extend this to any other professions within the AHP family, including Speech and Language Therapy.

The phasing of the permitted development rights (PDR) work programme has been kept under review to ensure that it reflects – and helps to promote – the Scottish Government's strategic priorities. As a priority, Phase 3 of the review focussed on PDR for domestic and non-domestic renewable energy equipment. The amended scope of Phase 3 reflected the cost and climate crises, and the need to ensure the planning system plays its part in helping to support households and businesses to adapt their properties.

We still expect to revisit the PDR related to private ways / hilltracks at a future point. This is a complex issue of interest to a wide range of stakeholders with differing perspectives, and requires very careful and detailed consideration.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme publishes data on heart disease mortality including information on deaths under 65. Data is available at: Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme report 2023/2024 - Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme (SCAP) - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

Responsibility for fire safety and monitoring at Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) sites rests with the duty holder/site owner. Many BESS locations are unmanned and monitored remotely, meaning there is typically no immediate life risk. Some BESS sites may have welfare facilities for workers during short, irregular shifts (outside of construction or decommissioning phases), and certain buildings on these sites may fall under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 in terms of general fire safety. However, these sites are normally not subject to fire risk regulations due to the processes taking place on site.

SFRS adheres to the National Fire Chiefs Council’s guidance for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), developed with the safety of both the public and emergency responders in mind.

A dedicated working group within SFRS will continue to monitor the increasing number of BESS applications and their development, alongside the Service’s role in the planning, consultation, and progression of these sites.

SFRS’ protection efforts focus on four key areas:

• The impact of life safety in the event of a fire.
• A risk-based approach to safety.
• Emerging intelligence, including operational insights and partner communications.
• Post-fire audits and analysis.

A strong focus on prevention and the adherence to industry safety standards is essential for managing risks. The SFRS specialist fire safety enforcement and community safety teams will continue to collaborate with partner agencies, and their highly skilled firefighters are ready to deploy standard and specialised national resources to any incident as needed.