Chamber and committees

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

SPS welcome HMIPS inspection report of HMP Barlinnie, especially the recognition of the encouragement given to the efforts shown to try and bring many of those in our care back into education.

SPS are currently experiencing a challenging period caused by an increased population we do, however, continue to recognise the importance in our role in preparing those in our care to return to their communities. As such, we have now developed a multiyear recovery plan to prioritise the delivery of offending behaviour programmes, including the introduction of new delivery sites to increase programme delivery and capacity.

We recognise the need for ongoing action to address skills needs and we continue to provide additional targeted support across a range of sectors for example, we will invest an additional £3.5 million in our colleges to create an Offshore Wind Skills Programme and College Care Skill Programme, supporting a pipeline of skilled workers.

The Scottish Government also significantly invests in apprenticeships, which play a crucial role in giving young people pathways into rewarding careers. They provide employers with a vital route in which to invest in their future workforce, helping develop the skills we need for our economy and essential public services.

We also recognise the need to take action to ensure our post school learning and education system is fit for the future through our extensive programme of reform. This programme is about driving agility and efficiency through the system, making it simpler for learners to engage with, and making the best use of the substantial investment that we make for the benefit of Scotland’s people and economy.

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

There has been a total of 168 confirmed drone incidents within the SPS estate from 1 January 2021 - 31 March 2025.

The following table provides a breakdown of the number of confirmed drone incidents by year:

The Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) was published in 2021 and was intended to cover the period 2021-22 - 2025-26. However, as announced in the Scottish Government’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, the current IIP has been extended by a period of one year. This means the IIP will run to 2026-27 and the next IIP will cover the period from 2027-28. We intend to publish a draft for consultation well in advance of commencement.

The safety and wellbeing of everyone in the prison estate is a priority for this government and the Scottish Prison Service and we continue to aspire to comply with all relevant standards and international obligations.

The further refurbishment, including the cells, within HMP Barlinnie has been fully assessed but continued refurbishment is not a long-term solution.

The Scottish Government agrees with the Inspectorate that the need for a replacement prison through the planned new HMP Glasgow is “overwhelming and urgent”. That is why it is welcome that the construction contract for HMP Glasgow was signed in January this year.

HMP Glasgow, with a design capacity of 1,344, will add 357 places to the prison estate, featuring larger cells than previous builds and meeting international standards set by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

A sustainable reduction in the prison population, also highlighted in the report, remains a focus for this Government as we work with justice partners to develop measures which prioritises prison for high-risk offenders whilst working on solutions to reduce reoffending and aid reintegration into the community.

The Scottish Government’s seventh Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) will be published week commencing 23 June 2025, alongside a Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan.

Publishing in June will allow the MTFS to reflect the outcome of the UK Spending Review on 11 June, enabling the Scottish Government to publish a more robust central funding forecast as the basis for its financial strategy and delivery plan.

The MTFS will provide the Scottish Government’s medium-term (five-year) economic and fiscal outlook and spending projections. It is underpinned by the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s forecasts and provides the context for annual Scottish budgets.

The MTFS will also set out the Government’s strategic approach to setting the public finances on a sustainable pathway over the medium-term.

The Scottish Government does not collate data on the number of people who have cited ADHD as part of their defence.

Having ADHD would not amount to a defence in law to a criminal charge, though it might be something a defence solicitor presents in mitigation on behalf of a client with ADHD.

The information held on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Services (SCTS) live operational case management systems is structured to support the processing of court business, rather than for statistical reporting or research purposes. SCTS and their staff provide administrative support to the Scottish courts, tribunals and their judiciary and rely on information provided by justice partners to consider any adjustment that may be required to facilitate a court hearing.

The list of public appointments by public body, which was published on 25 March 2025, is an exhaustive list of Ministerial regulated public appointments. Ministerial regulated public appointments are those governed by the Ethical Standards Commissioner and the Code of Practice for Public Appointments (2022). The Code requires publication.

The list covers daily rate and/or total remuneration and time commitment. It is intended to be updated regularly so that it reflects recently made appointments. It was corrected on 25 March 2025 following the identification of errors.

Details added to the spreadsheet should be correct at the point of the appointment commencing. These details may change over time and become out of date. A process is underway to update the spreadsheet to ensure accuracy, including rectification of any other errors identified, and it will be re-published when complete.

There is currently no standard dataset covering the number of people being prescribed medication for ADHD in Scotland, and consequently the Scottish Government does not hold figures for this year or for previous years.

The relevant legislation in this context is the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016, which outlines the areas where the retention of salmon is prohibited, meaning catch and release is mandatory when fishing for salmon in these areas.

There were no prosecutions, where it was the main offence, under the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016 between 2013-14 and 2022-23.

Please note: The latest available information on proceedings and convictions is for the financial year 2022-23.