Seòmar agus comataidhean

Good morning. Suicide is, of course, a very sensitive subject and extremely complex, and I am fully aware of the Samaritan guidelines that you refer to in your submission. However, when I first asked the SPA about police suicides in May 2022 in this very committee, there was not even any process for recording the numbers. As of today, we know that 20 officers have lost their lives. Alasdair Hay, you have already referred to the culture changing, but that committee meeting was only two years ago. With hindsight, could the SPA have done more sooner?

Thank you. I want to ask the FRSA about the wildfire strategy, which I believe has been a work in progress for many years. What stage is that at?

An issue that affects all of you is vehicle age. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s evidence to us today was that almost one in four vehicles is past the age by which it should have been replaced. There has been an issue with vehicles—specifically, all-terrain vehicles for wildfires that were delivered to you in June 2023. There have been all sorts of concerns about their suitability and safety, and they are undergoing modifications. I understand that huge sums of money were spent on them but that they are still not in use. Is that correct?

So, it will be next year at the earliest—two years after delivery—before they are really put into use.

You represent members in different parts of the country, and if they have an issue, that issue might be different in more than eight ways. That sounds pretty complex. Why can a simple Scotland-wide agreement not be achieved?

I see that Tim Kirk wants to come in.

Thank you, and happy imminent retirement. This is the last time Ross Haggart needs to come in here—so you can say what you want. Just saying. [Laughter.]

There is a number in your submission to the committee—I know that some of the numbers are quite hard to quantify—that says that from the service being created 11 years ago the total savings are projected to reach over £900 million by 2027-28, which is almost £1 billion.

A moment ago, you said that the capital backlog has been calculated to be in the region of £800 million. I know that you are doing great work on the decontamination issue, which is urgent and very important. Can you give us any idea of when every firefighter in Scotland will have access to sufficient decontamination measures?

Is there no target date?

Using your expertise, when do you expect it to happen?

You mentioned earlier that there are recruitment difficulties, particularly for on-call firefighters. Do you have the up-to-date numbers for the levels of staffing?