I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS hold our serving staff and prospective staff to the highest of standards. While the vast majority of our staff adhere to the highest standards of conduct, SPS continue to be vigilant to any potential corruption concerns within our establishments. Maintaining the safety and security of Scotland’s prisons is and remains an absolute priority.

The following table sets out the number of prospective or serving employees who have been removed, dismissed or prevented from taking up post due to security concerns.

SPS is only in a position to provide full year data from 2022 due to changes in reporting and recording processes.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS hold our serving staff and prospective staff to the highest of standards. While the vast majority of our staff adhere to the highest standards of conduct, SPS continue to be vigilant to any potential corruption concerns within our establishments. Maintaining the safety and security of Scotland’s prisons is and remains an absolute priority.

The below table sets out the number of prospective employees who have failed pre-employment checks in each of the last 5 full years across all SPS job roles.

The Scottish Government supports music venues through Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Funding which has increased by £20 million, providing a major boost to Scotland’s cultural sector. This investment provides stability for organisations to plan and deliver high-quality programmes in theatre, visual arts, literature, and music.

Forty-six music organisations now receive multi-year support which is more than double the previous number – with potentially three more in development for
2026-27. The Scottish Government has also put in place 40% non-domestic rates relief for Music Venues with capacity up to 1,500 for 2025-26.

The Scottish Government maintains regular communication with the United Kingdom Government regarding the Dunard Centre, as joint funders of the project through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. On the additional capital costs for the project, we have engaged regularly with the UK Government and regional partners through a range of interactions over a number of months.

The additional £20 million pledge from the Scottish Government towards the construction of the Dunard Centre, Edinburgh’s first purpose-built concert hall in 100 years, will be factored into the upcoming spending review and is not set to impact wider funding for culture.

As part of the due diligence required for the additional £20 million pledge, the Scottish Government continues to work with IMPACT Scotland to ensure all cost mitigation measures have been taken to reduce the risk of further increases in construction costs, in addition to assessment of the affordability of latest cost estimates and future sustainability of the organisation post-construction.

The Scottish Government was informally updated that the project capital costs for the Dunard Centre were expected to rise during the course of regular engagement with IMPACT Scotland, the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Programme Management Office and the United Kingdom Government. The Scottish Government was then notified of the scale of the increase in project capital costs for the Dunard Centre on 26 June 2025 as part of a discussion with IMPACT Scotland.

Following the appointment of Lord Scott to chair the Emma Caldwell Public Inquiry, I have consulted with the Chair, and met with the Caldwell family and a range of key parties to discuss the Terms of Reference of the Inquiry.

In these discussions I outlined my intention to keep the Terms of Reference focused on the original investigation of Emma’s death but sufficiently broad to allow Lord Scott to look at wider issues he considers to be pertinent to the Inquiry. This approach was broadly supported.

The Solicitor General, on behalf of the Law Officers, is content that the prosecutorial decision-making is examined by the Inquiry in connection with the investigation into the murder of Emma Caldwell.

I am pleased to confirm that the Inquiry will formally begin its work on 9 December 2025. The Inquiry’s setting up date marks the point at which I hand over full responsibility of the Inquiry to Lord Scott and the work of the Inquiry will commence.

The Terms of Reference agreed with Lord Scott are provided below:

PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO THE INVESTIGATION OF THE MURDER OF EMMA CALDWELL – TERMS OF REFERENCE

On 28 February 2024 Iain Packer was convicted of the murder of Emma Caldwell, 19 years after her death. I announced on 7 March 2024 that there would be an independent judge-led inquiry given the gravity of the case, the length of time that it took for justice to be served and the extent of the sexual violence suffered by the victims and survivors.

The Inquiry’s Terms of Reference are set out below. The Terms of Reference do not attempt to present a definitive list of every issue the Inquiry will consider. They specify areas of investigation which the inquiry will interpret flexibly.

Terms of Reference

• To examine the investigation carried out by Strathclyde Police, under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, into the murder of Emma Caldwell, including (i) the investigative strategy and decision making; (ii) the giving of direction by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (iii) any steps which could reasonably have been taken and, had they been taken, might have resulted in the offender being apprehended and prosecuted at an earlier stage; (iv) the roles and responsibilities of those involved; and (v) any other factors relevant to the circumstances of the investigation and related prosecution and to make recommendations to address any finding in that regard.
• To examine whether any failures in training, procedures, operating models or systems of working contributed to failures (if any) by Strathclyde Police or the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in relation to the investigation and to make recommendations to address any finding in that regard.
• To report to the Scottish Ministers on the above matters and to make recommendations as soon as reasonably practicable.

LFASS is an area-based payment under article 31 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 focuses on providing financial support to farmers operating in areas that face natural or other specific constraints.

The eligibility is contained within The Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2010 which were developed and approved by the European Union at that time.

The importance of supporting our producers on our most constrained land is very well understood. We are committed to a thriving rural Scotland, and we are working with all stakeholders to ensure that our remote communities, and those producing in areas of constraint, are supported through the new framework.

Thousands of farmers in rural areas will begin receiving LFASS payments totalling more than £56m this week. This highlights our continuing commitment to investing in rural Scotland and supporting our iconic livestock sector.

Scottish Government remains fully committed to co-developing the future payment framework of the four-tier support system. We will work with our farmers, crofters and stakeholders to ensure any changes to LFA support continue to deliver stability and investment.

All the 2024 LFASS payment calculations were, in part, based on historic data.

Part of the payment calculation includes values based on a historic year, which stem from farming activity at that time.

The Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) undertaken for the continuation and uprating of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) found that the policy primarily affected low-cost, high-strength products and was not expected to significantly disadvantage Scottish businesses compared to those dispatching alcohol from outside Scotland.

As well as a BRIA, an Island Communities Impact Assessment was developed to assess the impacts of the continuation and uprating of MUP on those living in the Islands. No evidence was found during the five-year evaluation to show the implementation of MUP at 50ppu has had an effect on the island communities in a way that is significantly different from its effect on the mainland. The Scottish Government, therefore, concluded that the increased price of 65 pence per unit strikes the appropriate balance between achieving the public health aims of Ministers and minimising the potential effects on business, industry and consumers.