Chamber and committees

The Policy Memorandum for the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill set out the reasons the Scottish Government proposed to reduce jury size to 12. This included evidence from the independent Scottish Jury Research - gov.scot.

In its Stage 1 report the Criminal Justice Committee did not support the reduction in jury size. I therefore confirmed in my letter of 31 October 2024 to the Committee that, as I am satisfied that the abolition of not proven does not require an associated change to the jury size, I would bring forward amendments to retain a jury of 15, in line with the Committee’s position. I have tabled these ahead of the current Stage 2 scrutiny.

The use of telematics technology on police vehicles is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority.

Marine Planning in Scotland’s waters is governed by two Acts – the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. Together these set out the requirement for the development of marine plans.

A Planning Position Statement for NMP2 was published in November and covers how the requirements of the Marine Acts and other relevant legislation are being considered in the development of NMP2, as well as the initial thinking on policy direction for NMP2.

The responses to the consultation on the Planning Position Statement are currently being considered, and these stakeholder perspectives alongside the policies established in the fisheries management strategy and fisheries management plans, will inform the development of the NMP2.

To deliver maximum value to the public purse, it is appropriate for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to attempt to maximise the potential revenue return from any sale of excess assets. It is normal to seek outline planning consent in advance of any potential sale of land and SFRS is working with Glasgow City Council to achieve that.

The development of the proposed new fire station at Stewart Street is a matter for SFRS and Glasgow City Council.

Information on the total number of times that police have been called to incidents in schools, both primary and secondary, is not held centrally.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold the information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water Group's (including Scottish Water Horizons) generating capacity by technology (2023-24) is detailed in the following table:

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold the information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Currently, Scottish Water hosts 0.17MW of hydro (estimated @ 1.3GWh/annum) and 279MW of wind (estimated @ 831GWh/annum).

The income received from hosting 3rd party renewables was £5.9m in 2023-24 and £3.6m in 2024-25 (note that this income tracks the wholesale cost of electricity).

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold the information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water does not currently have any arrangements in place with community-owned providers.

While the Scottish Government provides the overarching guidance for patient travel expenses reimbursement, NHS Boards are responsible for developing local policy to best meet the needs to their populations, and for assessing eligibly for financial support and level of that support. This includes setting and reviewing reimbursement rates.

Boards are expected to consider local and individual circumstances, ensuring patient care is at the centre of all decisions made.

Our Equally Safe at School (ESAS) project, developed by Rape Crisis Scotland and Zero Tolerance, applies a whole school approach to inequality and gender-based violence in schools. As of August 2023, there were 79 schools registered with an ESAS account.