Chamber and committees

Police Scotland has 10 drones currently in operation.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) does not currently operate any drones. However, there is a strategic intent to develop a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capability, which includes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), sub-surface drones, and ground-based robotic systems. This work is at a concept development stage and is being led by an internal team to explore future operational use.

There are currently 14 trained drone operators in Police Scotland, all of whom are police officers.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) currently has one qualified drone pilot who holds a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licence. While that pilot is fully trained, the Service does not currently have an operational drone capability. Other SFRS personnel may hold personal drone qualifications independently, but these are not recognised in an official capacity for Service operations.

the Scottish Government is updating guidance on Employment, Skills and Training within the Sustainable Procurement Tools, there are no current plans to issue a new Policy Note on social impact.

Scotland has been delivering social value through procurement for many years, embedding our commitment within legislation over ten years ago with a requirement to include economic, social, and environmental wellbeing in procurement decisions. For contracts valued at £4 million or more, public bodies must consider including community benefits and justify their exclusion if not appropriate. Legislation also requires that awards are not based on price alone, but on the best balance of cost and quality, which includes a commitment to sustainable outcomes.

Scottish Procurement Policy Note 6/2020 reaffirms these requirements, outlining how social impact should be considered in public procurement. In addition to scored social impact questions, it highlights other practical ways to achieve social and economic outcomes, such as:

• While Including social requirements in specifications,
• Dividing contracts into lots to facilitate access for SMEs and third sector organisations,
• Reserving contracts for supported businesses.

The effectiveness of this approach, which includes extensive training and support to implement these policies, is evidenced in the 2023 report Scotland’s Journey of Achieving Sustainable Procurement Outcomes (2002–2022) and in annual procurement activity reports.

We expect NatureScot’s work to progress the Scotland’s Great Trails brand to a new model will to be concluded in late 2026.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Details on how many drones are in operation in NHS Scotland would require to be requested from NHS Boards.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36643 on 2 May 2025. 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.

Below is a list of how many buses were ordered under each round of the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme broken down by manufacturer. As previously advised in answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 on 3 July 2025, the Scottish Government does not collect data on the locations in which vehicles are manufactured.

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.

Round 1

Alexander Dennis Ltd

• 12 ADL Enviro 400 EV
• 23 ADL Enviro 200 EV

Yutong

• 22 Yutong E12

Round 2

Alexander Dennis Ltd

• 113 ADL Enviro 400 EV
• 59 ADL Enviro 200 EV

Yutong

• 33 Yutong E12
• 10 Yutong TCe12

Below is a list of how many buses were ordered under each round of the Scottish Green Bus Fund broken down by manufacturer. As previously advised in answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 on 3 July 2025, the Scottish Government does not collect data on the locations in which vehicles are manufactured.

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

Round 1

Alexander Dennis Ltd

25 ADL Enviro 400

19 ADL Enviro 350H

4 ADL Enviro 200

Round 2

Alexander Dennis Ltd

9 ADL Enviro 400

Optare

3 Optare Solo

Volvo

10 Volvo 7900H

Round 3

Alexander Dennis Ltd

3 ADL Enviro 350H

Optare

1 Optare Solo

Volvo

20 Volvo 7900H

Round 4

Alexander Dennis Ltd

18 ADL Enviro 400 (with Volvo B5LH chassis)

Volvo

14 Volvo 7900H

Round 5

Alexander Dennis Ltd

29 ADL Enviro 400

58 ADL Enviro 200

Optare

6 Optare Solo

Volvo

20 Volvo 7900H

Wrightbus

30 Wrightbus Streetlite

Round 6

Alexander Dennis Ltd

26 ADL Enviro 400

Volvo

20 Volvo B5LH

Round 7

Alexander Dennis Ltd

25 ADL Enviro 400

Optare

1 Optare Electric

Volvo

6 Volvo B5LH

Round 8

Alexander Dennis Ltd

125 ADL Enviro 400

3 ADL Enviro 200

(a) Enviro400EV – (SULEBs) 125, (ScotZEB) 59.

(b) Enviro200EV – (SULEBs) 82, (ScotZEB) 74.

(c) Enviro100EV – (SULEBs) 0, (ScotZEB) 21.

(d) Enviro400MMC – 0.

(e) Enviro200MMC – 0.

Through ScotZEB 1, the average subsidy per vehicle, excluding infrastructure was £176,000. Through ScotZEB 2, the average subsidy per vehicle, excluding infrastructure is £108,000. ScotZEB 2 is still a live project in its delivery phase, and consortium membership and vehicle numbers may be subject to change. Both phases of ScotZEB have been designed to bring about a market transformation in Scotland’s bus sector, to see the rapid adoption of zero-emission technologies.

Through ScotZEB 1, all subsidy was offered to bus operators, not to bus manufacturers. Similarly, through ScotZEB 2, the grant award was made to Zenobe Energy, to manage on behalf of their consortium of operators, and no subsidy went directly to manufacturers.