Chamber and committees

As the recruitment and deployment of officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Police Scotland has confirmed that its recruitment planning takes into account the position 12-18 months ahead to inform the probationer intake process. This process is designed to be agile and depends on the actual number of leavers, which are projected in advance and thereafter managed in accordance with confirmation of numbers. During the current financial year, Police Scotland has set out its intention to recruit around 780 new officers.

The Scottish Government is investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26, an increase of almost £90 million of additional funding from the 2024-25 budget. Our investment in policing enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in 2024-25 than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025 and into 2026. Police Scotland has stated that it has a healthy recruitment pipeline.

Scottish Government does not hold this information. Stabilisation is provided by some standalone services in Scotland, but it is often provided by facilities and services which provide other forms of support. Accessing stabilisation can provide an essential pathway into treatment and recovery and we are exploring how this can be further supported and evaluated.

The recruitment and deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland keeps retirement rates under review to ensure that new officer recruitment intakes are underpinned by workforce planning data. Since the beginning of 2024 Police Scotland has welcomed around 1,500 new officers, to ensure sustainability of the workforce.

The Chief Constable has made it clear that frontline strength goes beyond an overall officer headcount. Police Scotland’s Three-year Business Plan 2024-2027 sets out an ambitious programme of workforce modernisation, reducing back-office duplication.

The Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, with £1.64 billion being invested this year. Scottish Government funding in 2024-25 enabled Police Scotland to undertake the highest level of recruitment since its inception and Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales.

Police officers in Scotland remain the best paid in the UK, at the minimum and maximum salary points for basic pay at all ranks compared to counterparts in England and Wales.

The recruitment and retention of officers are operational matters for the Chief Constable, with oversight provided by the Scottish Police Authority.

Scottish Government does not hold any information relating to drug and alcohol stabilisation centres in Europe that is not available publicly.

As I sent out in response to question S6W-39931 on 1 September 2025, the recruitment and deployment of officers is a matter for the Chief Constable. The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government is investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26, an increase of almost £90 million of additional funding from the 2024-25 budget. Our investment in policing has enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in 2024-25 than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025. Police Scotland has stated that it has a healthy recruitment pipeline.

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.

Following the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation for a targeted lung cancer screening program, the Scottish Government established a Scottish Expert Advisory Group for lung screening to provide advice on the scoping, implementation, establishment and delivery of a targeted lung cancer screening programme within Scotland. The group concluded that it would take 7-10 years for a full programme to be implemented due to the complexities of establishing a screening programme of this size. These complexities were recognised by the UK NSC.

As a first step in implementing a national programme, the Scottish Government is funding a lung screening pilot which is anticipated to begin in 2027. The pilot will invite eligible individuals in areas experiencing the highest levels of socio-economic deprivation, as evidence shows that they are at higher risk of lung cancer, and have poorer outcomes. It will allow the NHS to test potential delivery models and understand the impact on existing services, and it will provide valuable evidence regarding the best strategies to address screening inequalities.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that Scotland’s prison estate is safe, secure, and fit for purpose. In 2025-26, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) was allocated £355m of capital funding to enable them to progress the major projects HMP Highland and HMP Glasgow, as well as wider estate maintenance.

HMP Highland, which will replace HMP Inverness, is expected to be completed in 2026. HMP Glasgow, which will replace HMP Barlinnie, is expected to be completed by 2028. The wider maintenance programme encompasses a range of activities aimed at ensuring the continued safety, functionality, and efficiency of the physical estate, including asset replacement, building fabric maintenance, surveys and condition assessments and compliance and safety works, with varying time-scales for delivery.

Future capital funding for the Scottish Prison Service is being considered as part of the annual budget process and the Scottish Spending Review, due to be published alongside the 2026-27 Scottish Budget.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling retail crime was reaffirmed in our Programme for Government, which makes clear our strong support for Police Scotland’s robust approach in addressing this issue.

The Scottish Government has commenced work on the 2026-27 Budget and the Scottish Spending Review in order to set out our spending plans to 2029-30.

Policing is a priority for the Scottish Government, as demonstrated by investing more than £14.6 billion in policing since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.

As part of the financial memorandum accompanying the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill 2024, the Scottish Government provided a low, central, and high estimate for the potential number of individuals with convictions that may be quashed through the operation of the legislation. These estimates were given with a significant degree of uncertainty given the nature of the issues covered by the Act. The low estimate was 100, the central estimate was 200, and the high estimate was 300. To date, the Scottish Government has identified 64 individuals with convictions quashed by the Act, and one alternative to prosecution within the scope of the Act.