Chamber and committees

The Strategic Board for Teacher Education has developed a workplan which contains a suite of interdependent workstreams, including workforce planning.

These workstreams contain a range of proposed actions which are in the process of being further developed and which will have individual timescales for reporting to the Board.

The Board last met on 1 February 2024 to discuss the workplan. Papers from this meeting and future meetings will be published on the Scottish Government website in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25038 on 26 February 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Scottish Government is aware of the Scottish Prison Service’s (SPS) intention to maintain existing trade union arrangements for public sector prisons and the transferring staffing group will be covered by those existing arrangements.

It is SPS’s view that their existing trade union relationships are working well and that to recognise a further trade union with collective bargaining rights for the same group of staff, i.e. prison officers, would unnecessarily complicate the trade union landscape.

Running a time-limited pilot of judge-only rape trials was a recommendation of the cross-sector review led by Lady Dorrian, Scotland’s second most senior judge, on improving the justice system in the way it responds to serious sexual offending.

The pilot is part of a package of reforms in the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill that is currently being considered by the Criminal Justice Committee. The Committee has heard a range of views including from some of the most senior, qualified and respected legal voices in the country who have spoken in support of the pilot. Strong support for the pilot has also been voiced by victim support organisations and justice agencies, such as the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

I held a programme of meetings with the legal profession in 2023 to hear their views on the pilot first-hand, and to invite them to work with the Scottish Government as plans for the pilot develop. As I emphasised to the Committee on 7 February, the Scottish Government will work to build consensus as it progresses the pilot and will continue to listen to the voices of partners from across the justice system, as well as, importantly, victims.

The purpose of the pilot is to gather empirical evidence on the most effective way to respond to rape and attempted rape cases. This includes exploring whether changing the decision maker from juries to a judge improves complainers’ experiences (for example, by resulting in shorter, more focussed trials that could minimise re-traumatisation) and whether it removes barriers to victims accessing justice. Judges will be required to provide written reasons for verdicts in the pilot, which will increase transparency, safeguard the rights of accused people, and provide unparalleled insights into the issues, deliberations and challenges in these cases.

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

The complex characteristics of our prison population requires SPS to adopt an individualised approach to establishment regimes. Due to these variances, SPS does not record this information.

Under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, the Scottish Government is responsible for developing Strategic Police Priorities (SPPs), which it does in consultation with partners. Revised priorities are due to be published by the end of 2025.

Prevention and investigation of crime already feature prominently in the existing SPPs, and Police Scotland and its officers and staff remain focused on these aims.

The changing nature of policing and criminal activity will always be considered in any future changes to the SPPs.

It is for Police Scotland, which is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority, to determine the operational delivery of policing in Scotland. When setting priorities for the upcoming year, Police Scotland considers many factors, including demand analysis, emerging threat harm and risk, and futures and horizon scanning. Furthermore, many of the Local Police Plans , refreshed for 2023-26, include specific activities focusing upon acquisitive crime and engagement with partners and stakeholders, ensuring that focus upon the concerns of retailers is addressed at a local level.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant disruption and harm to both businesses and individuals from retail crime and continues to support the innovative Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime (SPAACE) strategy. The partnership is led by Police Scotland working with retailers and other organisations including Retailers Against Crime and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland, with a focus on the prevention, deterrence and where appropriate enforcement. The Strategy seeks to minimise opportunities for this type of crime, protect individuals and businesses, and deliver clear advice and guidance for prevention.

We will invest £1.55 billion in policing in 2024-25. Specific decisions on deployment of resources are a matter for the Chief Constable and the Scottish Police Authority.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant disruption and harm to both businesses and individuals from retail crime and continues to support the innovative Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime (SPAACE) strategy.

The partnership is led by Police Scotland working with retailers and other organisations including Retailers Against Crime and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland, with a focus on the prevention, deterrence and where appropriate enforcement. The Strategy seeks to minimise opportunities for this type of crime, protect individuals and businesses, and deliver clear advice and guidance for prevention.

We will invest £1.55 billion in policing in 2024-25. Specific decisions on deployment of resources are a matter for the Chief Constable who is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority.

I would urge retailers and customers to continue to engage with Police Scotland and other partners to help safeguard their business, the people that work there and their community.

Police Scotland’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which can be accessed at: Grievance - Simplified Procedure V4.00 (scotland.police.uk), sets out the procedure to be followed should a grievance be raised against any officer or staff, including the Chief Constable. If a grievance concerns the Chief Constable, the issue should be referred to the SPA Board.

The Scotland Act emphasises the Law Officers' independence from any other person as they undertake their prosecutorial and investigation of deaths functions, a principle they uphold in everything they do in an objective and professional manner.

The Scottish Government has commissioned expert research into the functions of the Law Officers which will be considered when determining next steps.

This research will ensure a detailed baseline understanding of the many distinct roles and functions of the Law Officers and will provide information on how the functions of Law Officers operate in other countries.

Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association was awarded funding from the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults in 2021-22 and 2022-23 to support their Keeping Warm Project and mental health training.

The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults is distributed in all 32 regions of Scotland by Third Sector Interface (TSI) organisations who, working in collaboration with other local partners, are responsible for allocating the funding to local community initiatives which support mental health and wellbeing. This is based on local needs and in line with national criteria issued by Scottish Government.

The grant terms and conditions relating to this funding to Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association are determined by Highland Third Sector Interface