Chamber and committees

The 2022 Country and Regional Analysis (produced by HM Treasury) includes analysis of expenditure on public services in Scotland and comparisons with other parts of the UK as a whole. In 2021-22 public order and safety spending in Scotland was £3.3bn. On a per capita basis spending in Scotland was 13% higher than in England and 7% higher than in Wales:

Public Order & Safety Expenditure (per capita)

Enforcement of legislation around the sale and purchase of nicotine vapour products (NVPs) is carried out by Local Authorities as part of the Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme (ETSEP). This is overseen by the Society for Trading Standards Officers in Scotland (SCOTSS) and funded by the Scottish Government.

SCOTSS membership includes representation from every Scottish local authority trading standards service. We regularly meet with SCOTSS, our last meeting took place on 21 June 2023, and our standing agenda includes enforcement in relation to NVPs and tobacco.

Through this engagement, we continue to support strong national and local alliances to tackle the availability and sale of tobacco and NVPs to under 18s.

The Scottish Government received two reports in 2022, one jointly from NHS Fife and NHS Lothian and one jointly from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Ayrshire and Arran. The reports contain data on the number of women in threatened extreme preterm labour (labour at less than 27 weeks gestation) who were transferred from NHS Fife to NHS Lothian or from NHS Ayrshire and Arran to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in anticipation of the requirement for specialist neonatal care for their baby.

Building on the success of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) Programme, which connected over 15,000 premises in the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency to fibre broadband, the Reaching 100% (R100) programme is ensuring that all homes and businesses can access superfast broadband.

R100 contract build is being deployed in line with plans submitted by BT plc as the successful bidder for the R100 North contract, that covers the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency. Contract build is being delivered in phases that have been designed to maximise efficiency, aligning contractual build with commercial build plans in an area when possible. We will continue to work closely with Openreach, as BT’s delivery partner for the R100 North contract, to accelerate contract build where opportunities allow.

The R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (R100 SBVS) offers eligible properties up to £5,000 to secure a superfast connection. The R100 programme team continues to engage with commercial operators with a view to them becoming registered suppliers for R100 SBVS in the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

We have committed to building a system of school age childcare, providing year-round childcare for families on low incomes by the end of this Parliament. This involves working with Local Authorities to design and deliver a system that works for those who use and deliver it.

This year, we are investing £4 million to support Local Authorities with costs related to the delivery of planned summer programmes for children from low-income families during the 2023 school summer holidays. This is in addition to the £21.75 million investment for delivery of holiday free school meal alternative payments for eligible families. We are also investing around £3 million to expand and deliver services in our four Early Adopting Communities (Glasgow, Clackmannanshire, Dundee and Inverclyde).

(a) The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) considered the Scottish Police Federation’s (SPF) Deep Dive report in detail and was satisfied with the remedial actions which were planned and put in place by Police Scotland. The condition of the police estate remains a high priority for the SPA, and it continues to scrutinise Police Scotland’s plans for the delivery of improvements, which support the delivery of the Police Scotland Estate Strategy.

(b) Prior to the publication of the SPF report, Police Scotland had already commenced improvement works to these two properties in Dunoon. The properties were closed and residing officers were decanted to suitable temporary accommodation whilst the improvement works were underway.

Since then, the SPA has approved Police Scotland’s Housing Strategy (2022) which aims to bring all of Police Scotland’s housing stock up to Scottish Government’s EESSH2 2032 standards over the next 3-5 years.

Police Scotland is currently undertaking further work around its Dunoon housing requirements as part of delivering its Housing Strategy.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) did not refer itself to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The SPA considered the Scottish Police Federation Deep Dive report in detail and was satisfied with the remedial actions put in place by Police Scotland. Since then, the SPA has approved Police Scotland’s Housing Strategy (2022) which aims to bring all of Police Scotland’s housing stock up to Scottish Government’s EESSH2 2032 standards over the next 3-5 years.

The condition of the police estate remains a high priority for the SPA, and it continues to scrutinise Police Scotland’s plans for the delivery of improvements, which support the delivery of the Police Scotland Estate Strategy.

(a) The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) considered the Scottish Police Federation’s (SPF) Deep Dive report in detail and was satisfied with the remedial actions which were planned and put in place by Police Scotland. The condition of the police estate remains a high priority for the SPA, and it continues to scrutinise Police Scotland’s plans for the delivery of improvements, which support the delivery of the Police Scotland Estate Strategy.

(b) Police Scotland closed its Oban custody suite between 3rd and 7th May 2019 to allow for urgent upgrade works to be carried out, during which time custody suite operations were moved to Fort William.

Following this initial work, the custody suite was re-opened and a continuous and extensive programme of upgrade works was implemented at Oban, both to the police station and the custody suite. As a result of this work Police Scotland is confident that the works identified in the SPF report were completed and the standard across both the police station and the custody suite were significantly improved.

Following the publication of the SPF report, additional inspections have been introduced and further works have been carried out which involved close collaboration with Police Scotland’s Health & Safety Team, SPF and Union representatives. Police Scotland’s Health & Safety Team has confirmed that the improvement works meet health and safety requirements.

Given the age of Oban Police Station, Police Scotland has embarked on a programme of work which seeks to replace Oban Police Station, including a new custody suite.

(a) The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) considered the Scottish Police Federation’s (SPF) Deep Dive report in detail and was satisfied with the remedial actions which were planned and put in place by Police Scotland. The condition of the police estate remains a high priority for the SPA, and it continues to scrutinise Police Scotland’s plans for the delivery of improvements, which support the delivery of the Police Scotland Estate Strategy.

(b) Police Scotland closed its Lochgilphead custody suite between 3rd and 7th May 2019 to allow for urgent upgrade works to be carried out, during which time the custody suite operations were moved to Fort William.

Due to its rural location, and the distance to the nearest police stations, Police Scotland did not close Lochgilphead Police Station while other remedial repair works took place within the police station itself. As a result of this work Police Scotland is confident that the works identified in the SPF report were completed and the standard across both the police station and the custody suite were significantly improved.

In the years following the publication of the SPF report, additional inspections have been introduced and further works have been carried out which involved close collaboration with Police Scotland’s Health & Safety Team, SPF and Union representatives. Police Scotland’s Health & Safety Team has confirmed that the improvement works meet health and safety requirements.

Police Scotland continues to consider options for the future of Lochgilphead Police Station in line with the delivery of its Estate Strategy.

As at 29th June 2023, the number of premises in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency scheduled for connection through the Reaching 100% (R100) North contract is 2,206. A further 1,975 premises are eligible for a connection through the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (R100 SBVS). This is, of course, in addition to the 15,099 premises already connected to fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) Programme.

Our online checker at www.scotlandsuperfast.com remains the best way for anyone to track the most up-to-date connectivity status of premises, including the most recent plans and indicative timescales for R100 contract build and eligibility for the R100 SBVS.