The Scottish Government supports third sector delivery of voluntary throughcare support. We recognise that these organisations are uniquely positioned to offer flexible, community-based and person-centred support to individuals transitioning from prison back into their communities.

A review of throughcare provision by Community Justice Scotland in 2023 found that using a partnership approach to delivering voluntary throughcare was an effective way of supporting people leaving prison, as it enables different partners to apply their specific expertise to address a wide range of needs.

This approach aligns with the National Strategy for Community Justice, which emphasises continuity of care and the importance of reducing reoffending by ensuring that people receive consistent, holistic support during this critical period of transition.

The Scottish Prison Service established, operated and suspended their throughcare support service independently. Any decision regarding reinstating this service would be for the Scottish Prison Service.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) plays a role in supporting food safety education in schools, providing accessible, science-based resources to help young people develop essential food hygiene and nutrition skills. FSS continues to engage with educators, public health partners, and digital platforms to promote food safety awareness among young people albeit on a more reactive basis currently.

FSS also provides free teaching materials and support materials for lesson planning aligned with the Curriculum for Excellence, helping schools integrate food safety into learning. The FSS website hosts interactive educational content and games, offering guidance on foodborne illnesses, allergens, and safe food handling. A supply of physical teaching resources including food flashcards and large printed versions of the Eatwell Guide are available upon request to support classroom learning. FSS has a dedicated Facebook group for teachers, providing direct support, lesson ideas, and food safety resources tailored for school use.

FSS’ people strategy 2022 - 2026, defines their priorities around four key pillars including the Employee Experience. FSS has been committed to employee health and wellbeing and was a Healthy Working Lives Gold award holder. FSS’ Healthy Working lives group aims to maximise the benefits for staff by providing high quality advice. resources and signposting a range of health and wellbeing topics that focus on helping people to feel good and function well. FSS has invested in training and has a bank of trained mental health first aiders who are available to support staff. FSS also offers access to an Employee Assistance Service (EAS) which offers 24-hour helpline and counselling support including, emotional, financial and relationship support. FSS employees can be referred to Occupational Health service for advice and support if they are at work or returning from a period of long-term sickness absence.

(a)Number of people receiving fines for speeding offences on trunk roads, where main crime, in Scottish Courts, by court location (LA), 2018-19 to 2022-23.

Scottish Government officials wrote to all CLLD delivery stakeholders on 18 December 2024 to extend the deadline to submit final claims to 14 April 2025.

The deadline is aligned with Scottish Government end of year financial procedures. This allows for payment of claims to be attributed to the financial year in which they were budgeted, which is a financial standard required by audit.

The Scottish Government is committed to ongoing engagement and dialogue with representatives of the hospitality sector including through the New Deal for Business consultative sub-group on Non-Domestic Rates and regular roundtable meetings with Ministers.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the Scottish Assessors who are independent of local and Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The management of the Police Scotland Estate is an operational matter, and is the responsibility of the Chief Constable under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority.

In line with its Estates Masterplan which will continue to have a community focus, Police Scotland will undertake public consultation on its plans for public facing properties, including for disposal, in advance of any decisions being made.

Scottish Government officials wrote to all CLLD delivery stakeholders on 18 December 2024 to extend the deadline to submit final claims to 14th April 2025.

The deadline is aligned with Scottish Government end of year financial procedures. This allows for payment of claims to be attributed to the financial year in which they were budgeted, which is a financial standard required by audit.

The Scottish Government has utilised emergency early release legislation on two separate occasions in the last five years (May 2020 and June/July 2024).

Public and victim safety is central to our decision making, particularly when releasing individuals early from their prison sentence.

In each instance, the emergency action was necessary and proportionate to ensure prisons were able to operate safely, and to protect the health and wellbeing of prison staff and those held in custody. These decisions were not taken lightly, and on both cases strict eligibility criteria were set out, and agreed by Parliament.

In both cases, the number of individuals released was carefully limited to the level required. Only individuals who were close to their scheduled release date were eligible for release. There were important exclusions put in place for domestic abuse and sexual offences, long-term sentenced individuals were excluded, and Governors could veto the emergency early release of an individual, if this would present a risk to an individual or group.

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

The table below shows the average length of sentence reduction for prisoners released under either the 2020 COVID 19 Early Release Scheme or the 2024 Emergency Early Release Regulations within the last 5 years: