- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many visits to schools for engagement events have been made by community police in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in each year since 2010, broken down by (a) capital and (b) resource budget.
Answer
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was established on 1 April 2013 so 2013-14 is the first year of funding allocation. The allocations provided to SFRS in the annual budget Acts were as follows:
Year | Resource | Depreciation | Capital | Total |
13-14 | 277.2 | 22.0 | 15.3 | 314.5 |
14-15 | 287.5 | 22.6 | 22.3 | 332.5 |
15-16 | 259.2 | 24.7 | 25.3 | 309.2 |
16-17 | 259.2 | 24.7 | 10.8 | 294.7 |
17-18 | 259.2 | 24.7 | 32.5 | 316.4 |
18-19 | 264.4 | 24.7 | 32.5 | 321.6 |
19-20 | 269.9 | 24.8 | 32.5 | 327.2 |
20-21 | 276.0 | 24.8 | 32.5 | 333.3 |
21-22 | 284.4 | 26.0 | 32.5 | 343.7 |
22-23 | 294.2 | 26.0 | 32.5 | 352.7 |
23-24 | 304.2 | 27.0 | 32.5 | 363.7 |
24-25 | 317.3 | 33.0 | 43.0 | 393.3 |
25-26 | 332.2 | 33.0 | 47.0 | 412.2 |
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to ensure that the mental health and wellbeing of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service staff is supported, in light of the service delivery review proposals.
Answer
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has had extensive engagement with staff who could be impacted by the Service Delivery options for change. A full 12 week public consultation will take place from the end of June where staff, stakeholders and member of the public will be given the opportunity to express their views.
SFRS takes the mental health and wellbeing of its staff seriously and have a variety of measures in place. Updates have been provided at key stages, supported by intranet resources and newsletters. Potential impacts and options have been discussed, and wellbeing support is available to all staff.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the economic impact of cybercrime losses on households.
Answer
Assessing the total economic impact of cybercrime losses on households in Scotland is challenging, as a significant proportion of these crimes are not reported to the police. In recognising the value of improving the evidence base on this topic, new questions were added to the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) for 2023-24 onwards. New headline findings were then published on the 10th June 2025 (Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2023/24 - gov.scot).
Further analysis of the survey shows that 2.2% of adults (aged 16+) living in private households in 2023-24 lost money as victims of a cyber-enabled fraud or computer misuse crime. The vast majority of these crimes were fraud. The median amount lost was £103 per crime, though a minority lost significantly more with 9% of crimes above £1,000. In around half of all cases (48%), the ultimate direct economic impact on the household was limited, as they received a full or partial refund (most often from a bank or building society).
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for the reported 30% increase in road deaths from 2023, and what its position is on whether its current road safety strategy is effective.
Answer
The Key Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2024 publication shows that while overall casualties decreased in 2024, the number of fatalities increased by 9%.
This performance is not something we can accept, nor am I prepared to accept it. Every road death is one too many and the Scottish Government remains committed to the delivery of the Road Safety Framework to 2030 and eliminating road deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
To support this, we are investing a record £48 million in road safety in 2025-26 to deliver targeted, evidence-led initiatives aimed at reducing road casualties and enhancing safety across Scotland’s roads.
On the 26 March, I announced a Mid-term Review of the Framework would be undertaken. The review will cover our safety performance indicators, our road safety delivery, as well as a review of what high performing countries are doing so we can make the necessary changes to improve, not only our learning, but most importantly our road safety performance.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many convictions there have been under section 2(1) of the Air Weapon and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 since the Act came into force, broken down by sentence imposed.
Answer
The number of convictions and sentence imposed in Scottish courts where the main charge was under section 2(1) of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 since it came into force on 20 December 2017 to 2022-23 are as follows:
People convicted in Scottish courts where the main charge was under section 2(1) of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 since it came into force on 20 December 2017, 2016-17 to 2022-23 |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Financial Year |
2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Total convicted | 3 | 56 | 92 | 92 | 54 | 72 | 50 |
Absolute discharge | . | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4 | . |
Imprisonment | . | . | 1 | 3 | . | . | 2 |
Fine | 1 | 36 | 68 | 54 | 36 | 51 | 31 |
Community Payback Order | 2 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Admonished | . | 9 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
No order made | . | . | . | . | . | 1 | . |
Restriction of Liberty Order | . | 3 | 3 | . | . | 1 | 3 |
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many lives it estimates could be saved annually by completing the dualling of the (a) A9 and (b) A96.
Answer
It is estimated that completion of the A9 Dualling Programme between Perth and Inverness will result in an average of three fewer fatalities annually with early analysis of dualling the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen estimating an average of one fewer fatality every two years.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what share of the £1.64 billion policing budget is allocated to specialist sex crimes units.
Answer
Despite unprecedented challenges to public finances, the 2025-26 Scottish Police Authority budget has increased to £1.64 billion, an increase of almost £90 million when compared to the 2024-25 budget.
The operation of Police Scotland, including decisions on the allocation of resources and the deployment of officers and staff, is for the Chief Constable, under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority. This includes the allocation of resources to specialist sex crimes units.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that cladding remediation costs do not worsen housing affordability or new build viability.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the current pressures on the sector including affordability and ensuring the right conditions are created for building new homes.
The funding of cladding assessment, mitigatory and remedial works in Scotland will require collective action taken by central Government, building owners in social housing and developers.
The Government announced earlier this year that it was setting up a £10m fund for owners (including those in the social housing sector) to apply for funding to have their building assessed using the Single Building Assessment Standard. Owners or their representatives can express interest in the scheme through the Single Open Call on the Scottish Government website, available here: Cladding Remediation: Single Open Call for Expressions of Interest - mygov.scot.
In addition, the Developer Remediation Contract (DRC) once signed will ensure developers take responsibility for remediation. However, developers who do not have an annual operating profit of £10m on average are not being invited to sign the contract, aligning with the position in England.
We have already committed to setting out an approach to funding the social housing sector where mitigation and or remedial works would threaten the financial viability of the respective Registered Social Landlord and Local Authority.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 20 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many prosecutions there have been under section 2(1) of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 in each year since the Act came into force.
Answer
The number of prosecutions in Scottish courts where the main charge was under section 2(1) of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 since it came into force on 20 December 2017, to 2022-23, is noted below. Criminal proceedings data was most recently published in December 2024.
People prosecuted in Scottish courts where the main charge was under section 2(1) of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 since it came into force on 20 December 2017, 2016-17 to 2022-23. |
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| | Financial Year |
2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Total prosecuted | 3 | 62 | 100 | 99 | 58 | 77 | 58 |
Acquitted | . | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
Convicted | 3 | 56 | 92 | 92 | 54 | 72 | 50 |