Seòmar agus comataidhean

The age of firefighters, broken down into 5 year age bands is published on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Website under its Organisational Statistics. Under the various firefighter final salary pension schemes, the majority of firefighters chose to retire after 30 years service rather than at a particular age. Government Actuary Department data shows that between 31 March 2016 to 31 March 2020, the average retirement age was 54.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Chair asked chief constables in England and Wales to take immediate action to check officers and staff against the national police database. While Police Scotland are a member of the National Police Chief’s Council, the direction in this case was provided via the Home Office. However, following discussions with the NPCC, Police Scotland have confirmed that they will align with the work being taken forward in England and Wales and check all officers and staff against national systems for criminal records and ongoing investigations.

In 2022 Police Scotland increased vetting resources by nearly 50% and introduced an additional check for new recruits, prior to being sworn into office. From April, they are also introducing dip sampling which will see around 1,200 vetting reviews of officers and staff being conducted each year.

As stated in the answer to S6W-13242 responsibility for the publication of costs on delayed discharges rests with Public Health Scotland, and future plans for publication of this information is currently being reviewed by PHS .

The Scottish Government does not hold this information as responsibility for ensuring the safety of Police Officers and for Police Scotland vehicles sits with the Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Constable. I have asked Police Scotland to write to the member with this information.

The report from Glasgow University covers a range of distinct topics which can be considered individually.

The safe treatment, health, and wellbeing of all those in custody is a priority for this Government and it is vital that people who live in our prisons are supported. It is imperative that when problems do occur, individuals receive the necessary treatment, care and respect, in a timely manner.

Preventing suicide and supporting people who self-harm are key areas for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), including in developing its Health and Wellbeing Strategy. We continue to work closely with NHS Boards, SPS and the National Prison Care Network to implement the healthcare recommendations from the Independent Review of Deaths in Custody. We are also engaging closely with SPS as we implement the new Suicide Prevention Strategy Creating Hope Together and the first 3-year action plan, which includes a focus on key settings where suicide risk is higher, such as prisons.

‘Talk to Me’ (TTM), the SPS Suicide Prevention in Prison Strategy, was developed in partnership with experts in suicide prevention and aims to care for those ‘at risk’ of suicide by providing support based on individual needs and promoting an environment where people in custody can ask for help. The strategy is currently subject to a planned review and the Scottish Government and SPS are committed to making improvements to care and help prevent suicide in custody and the community.

Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) are an independent, judicial process. The Crown Office has significantly reformed its processes to reduce the time taken to investigate deaths and to bring FAIs to court more quickly.

Workforce planning for the next phase of the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan is ongoing and therefore we are at present unable to provide a comprehensive overview of recruitment for 2023.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days

The early prisoner release power within the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act was used once, in May 2020. This power was used to protect the security and good order of prisons and the health, safety and welfare of prisoners and prison staff alike. Such measures were taken across the world, including elsewhere in the UK.

Steps were taken to manage the risks around those being released early to as low a level as realistically possible. That included statutory exclusions and a governor veto where there was a known risk to a specific individual. Furthermore, the scheme applied only to those sentenced to eighteen months or less, with 90 days or less left to serve in custody, at the time of the power being used.

A proportion of those prisoners were returned to custody for a number of reasons including, in some cases, due to reoffending.

No level of reoffending is acceptable. That is why this Government is focused on driving a greater shift away from short-term prison sentences, which those released under this power were serving, towards community-based interventions which we know are more effective at reducing reoffending.

The facilities in place at the 357 fire stations in Scotland are an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

Decisions on the allocation of its capital budget, including whether to prioritise fleet, equipment or buildings is a matter for SFRS.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with SFRS to ensure it has the resources it needs to keep communities safe. SFRS is currently undertaking an assessment of the risks faced by communities and the assets which are needed to deal with those risks and this will inform future discussions on both capital and resource budgets.

The Charge Place Scotland (CPS) network currently hosts 2445 publicly available electric vehicle charge points. Historical data relating to CPS’ development is not available broken down by Local Authority area.

The following table shows the total number of installations across the CPS network in each year since its inception. There are 105 charge point installations that cannot be reconciled with a specific year due to different methods of recording installs employed by CPS’ operators since the network was established, hence the current publicly available total is higher than the figures in the following table.

The information provided only presents charge points registered on the Scottish Government funded CPS network. The Scottish Government does not hold information relating to commercial electric vehicle charging networks.