Chamber and committees

While the impacts that AI will create are not yet fully understood, the Scottish Government will develop improved methods for assessing the potential impact of AI on jobs in Scotland, recognising the urgent need to understand both the risks and emerging opportunities in a rapidly evolving labour market.

The Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, and £1.64 billion in 2025-26.

Decisions on how these resources are allocated, including the deployment of police officers, is a matter for the Chief Constable, under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority.

The total costs of overtime paid by Police Scotland to its workforce over the last five financial years are detailed in the following table.

The deployment of officers and staff are matters for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland has stated that, “The nature of policing is unpredictable, and overtime is a flexible mechanism which can help to ensure we maintain an effective service for all our communities”

The Scottish Government is investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26, an increase of almost £90 million of additional funding from the 2024-25 budget to support police capacity and capability. Our investment in policing has enabled Police Scotland to undertake the highest level of recruitment since its inception in 2024-25. Police Scotland has stated that it has a healthy recruitment pipeline.

Police Scotland’s three-year Business Plan 2024-2027 sets out an ambitious programme of workforce modernisation which aims to bring frontline policing to its strongest possible position.

The Scottish Government continues to consider, alongside potential investors, regulatory and policy barriers to investment, including those outlined in Project Willow. We are already making tangible progress with the conclusion of an initial study by the James Hutton Institute and Scotland’s Rural College on the potential for cover crops to be grown in sufficient quantities that could support a potential biorefinery project at Grangemouth which will be published shortly. This will now progress to field trials to ensure a comprehensive approach is being taken to satisfactorily address the recommendation in the Project Willow.

Scottish Enterprise continue to make significant progress in identifying credible propositions, including the 9 projects identified by Project Willow, that will secure the long term and sustainable future of the Grangemouth industrial cluster. Scottish Enterprise have now received over 100 enquiries from businesses interested in opportunities on the Grangemouth site, including a number of near term developments related to the Project Willow plastic waste recycling, biorefining and fuel switching technology pathways.

Every person, family and business impacted by the closing of the Grangemouth refinery matters and our focus, rightly, is on providing those who are losing their jobs with targeted skills support.

The £25m Grangemouth Just Transition Fund will be utilised to support new projects aligned to a Just Transition at Grangemouth. Scottish Enterprise are engaging with several emerging projects which have been identified via their triaging process and Ministers will provide further information in due course.

This additional £25m means that the Scottish Government – with a finite budget – has committed or already invested £87 million in Grangemouth.

The Scottish Government is providing £2 million towards the development of the Grangemouth Sustainable Manufacturing Campus as part of the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal. The project is being led by Scottish Enterprise and Falkirk Council, with Scottish Enterprise currently assessing the most effective approach to move the project forward, in order to develop the project business case.

The Scottish Government is committed to doing all it can to secure the future of the business’ operations at Grangemouth. As such, Scottish Ministers engage regularly with the management of INEOS O&P. Most recently, the Deputy First Minister met INEOS O&P UK CEO, Stuart Collings, on 22 August to discuss the challenges that the business continues to face and the role that the UK Government must play to support the business.

‘Unallocated’ and ‘Functionless’ are not terms which are applied to the categorisation of roles within the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government continually monitors its operations to ensure its resources are deployed as effectively and efficiently as possible. This is achieved through prioritisation, effective vacancy management and adapting to changing needs.

In line with the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the Flexible Working Regulations 2014 employees have a statutory right to make a flexible working request and for that to be considered by their employer. This includes requests to work a compressed hours working pattern.

The Scottish Government’s Flexible Working policy allows staff to request informal or formal compressed hours where this form of flexible working is suitable for the post and the needs of the Directorate. Such arrangements are based on fulfilling the Scottish Government’s contracted full time working hours of 35 hours per week in whatever working pattern is agreed (e.g. four days per week, nine day fortnight etc).

Compressed hours requests are made and considered at an individual employee level and are not applied as a singular working pattern at a directorate or organisational level where the standard full time working week continues to be five days. In considering individual requests for a compressed hours working pattern from an employee, managers are required to ensure that adequate cover remains in place within their team across the full working week. Where that would not be the case, such requests may be rejected.

Regarding the four-day working week, a pilot was undertaken by two public bodies (Accountant in Bankruptcy and South of Scotland Enterprise) as part of the 2023-24 Programme for Government where staff piloted working a 32 hour week. This pilot will end on 3 November.

The SG and its agencies will not be moving to a 32 hour week however the findings from the pilot will be shared with the Scottish Government and wider public sector to support ongoing public service reform efforts.