Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is supporting work led by the Prison Pharmacy Group to develop a Prison Pharmaceutical Care Package that will help identify and manage risks associated with polypharmacy, drug interactions and medicines-related harm within prisons.

In addition, prescribing guidance developed jointly by prison pharmacists, GPs and nursing leaders supports the safe prescribing and management of medicines, including addressing risks associated with poly-substance use and the diversion of prescribed drugs.

The Scottish Government has also supported the implementation of long-acting injectable buprenorphine (Buvidal) across prisons, reducing reliance on medicines that are more vulnerable to diversion.

Teachers’ terms and conditions of service, including maternity pay, are matters determined through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), which comprises teaching unions, local government employers and the Scottish Government.

Maternity pay arrangements, alongside a broader range of family-friendly policies, are currently being reviewed through ongoing discussions within the SNCT.

This review is intended to ensure that these policies continue to meet the needs of a modern workforce, while taking account of equality considerations, service delivery requirements and affordability.

Any changes to maternity pay arrangements would require agreement between all SNCT parties.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

SFRS publishes Fire Safety and Organisational statistics and Incident statistics on their website https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about/statistics/, the next edition of Incident statistics is expected on 30 October 2026. There are currently no official statistics on the average incident response times in Scotland.

SFRS continues to respond to every emergency incident with the appropriate level of resources. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's (SFRS) Operations Control rooms dynamically mobilise fire appliances based on their real-time location and availability, rather than fixed station response areas. This approach ensures that the nearest available resource is always deployed to achieve the quickest possible response time.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and has responsibility for operation of prisons including staffing.

SPS provides a comprehensive range of occupational health, wellbeing and psychological support interventions for staff experiencing workplace stress and exposure to traumatic incidents. These include workplace stress risk assessments, Occupational Health services, confidential counselling, specialist trauma support, Mental Health First Aid training, wellbeing and resilience support, and digital wellbeing resources.

SPS has also implemented a Post Trauma and Resilience Policy, developed the Lifelines Prison Service resource in partnership with NHS Lothian's Rivers Centre for Traumatic Stress, and established a dedicated Senior Leader Wellbeing Support Programme.

Deployment of resources is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, (SFRS). As a national service it has the ability to strategically mobilise operational capabilities from across Scotland to meet operational risk and demand.

SFRS has established specialist wildfire capabilities, including Wildfire Tactical Advisors, dedicated wildfire support assets and specialist vehicles strategically placed throughout the country and have in place defined escalation arrangements for larger incidents.

The Scottish Government is assured that the SFRS continually reviews and develops its operational capability to respond to wildfire incidents, recognising that climate change is increasing both the frequency and complexity of wildfire events in Scotland.

The Scottish Government supports Ferguson Marine through the provision of parent company guarantees when these are required to support new vessel and steel fabrication contracts. Scottish shipyards can also utilise the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme delivered by UK Export Finance that provides a partial guarantee to a lender making a loan to a ship-buyer or operator, so that new vessels, or refits, retrofits or repairs of existing vessels can be procured from UK. Commercial shipyards and financial institutions in Scotland have not raised the Spanish tax lease system or the use of other international tax leasing frameworks with the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has made substantial progress in implementing the recommendations contained within the University of Central Lancashire report, Minimising Firefighters' Exposure to Toxic Fire Effluents.

Measures implemented include the introduction of a dedicated Fire Contaminants Standard Operating Procedure, enhanced decontamination arrangements, improvements to PPE and laundering arrangements, exposure recording processes and investment in firefighter welfare measures.

The majority of recommendations have been implemented or incorporated into ongoing programmes of work.

Further work continues in longer-term areas including health surveillance, exposure monitoring, welfare infrastructure and future estate improvements. SFRS continues to review emerging evidence and participate in research to inform future developments.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and has responsibility for the operation of prisons.

The information requested is not recorded by SPS.

As SPS continues to face significant overcrowding and population pressures, restricted regimes may be necessary at times to ensure the safe and effective operation of prisons.

SPS does not use fixed numerical thresholds when implementing restricted regimes. Decisions are taken locally, based on daily dynamic assessments of safety and operational capacity. Governors also consider the stability of the establishment and staffing levels to ensure that statutory rights and essential services are prioritised.

Where a full regime cannot be delivered safely, restrictions may be applied to purposeful activities to ensure that key legal entitlements, including access to open air, meals and visits, continue to be met.

The Scottish Government is taking forward a range of measures aimed at improving continuity of treatment and support for people leaving prison, recognising that the period immediately following liberation carries a heightened risk of drug-related harm and overdose.

These include implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards, support for transitions between prison and community healthcare services, pre-release GP registration arrangements, and access to throughcare services that help individuals remain engaged with treatment and support following liberation.

Together, these measures are intended to support continuity of prescribing and reduce the risk of drug-related harm during the period following release from custody.

My officials completed a scoping exercise and considered evidence on: accommodation conditions and the results of engagement with farm employers, local authorities, Scotland’s Rural College, the Workers Support Centre and the National Farmers Union of Scotland.

Following consideration of this work, the previous Cabinet Secretary for Housing wrote to COSLA on 13 March 2026 stating her expectations that local authorities should use the powers granted them to introduce byelaws suited to their areas and the specific circumstances relating to seasonal workers in their area’.

These powers are given to local authorities in Section 315 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.

Following the letter being sent, an initial meeting took place between officials and COSLA to reiterate the Scottish Government’s expectations.