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The Scottish Government has not carried out any assessment between the number of potholes and road cycling accidents on the trunk road network.

An analysis of injury collisions for all severities on the trunk road network for the most recent full 3 year period (8 November 2019 to 7 November 2022) identified a total of 78 collisions involving a pedal cyclist. This makes up approximately 3.6% of the total number of injury accidents on the trunk road during this period. Of these 78 accidents, none were identified with a contributory factor “Poor or defective road surface”.

The Scottish Government recognises the positive economic and environmental impact that canals and inland waterways make to Scotland.

Scotland’s canals contribute significantly to the nation’s economic, social and environmental prosperity, from supporting tourism and local businesses to creating jobs, stimulating housing development, helping to tackle health inequalities and encouraging greater accessibility to green and blue spaces for millions of people.

The results of an economic study in 2019, conducted by Peter Brett Associates (now part of Stantec), assessed the investment in the canal corridors across Scotland since the re-opening of the Lowland inland waterways in 2002. It found that the regeneration of Scotland’s canals has acted as a catalyst for £1.53 billion of investment on and around their banks, contributing to the creation of thousands of new houses and jobs. It further showed that the revitalisation of Scotland’s canals has attracted a substantial investment windfall in regeneration, tourism and infrastructure projects across the Highland and Lowland canals.

Scottish Canals is tasked with environmental responsibility, ensuring that the canals contribute to resilience in the face of climate change, and also contribute to the ambition of a decarbonised future.

Scottish Canals produces an Environment Strategy which seeks to define a clear route to delivering sustainable benefits on the canal network and the wider environment. The purpose of this strategy is to directly contribute to the Scottish Government’s National Outcomes by creating sustainable places, reducing the environmental impact of Scottish Canals’ use of resource and protecting and enhancing the built and natural environment. Scottish Canals will be updating this strategy in 2025.

My Officials have engaged with members of the Inland Waterways Association through the Cross-Party Group on Recreational Boating and Marine Tourism. I last met with the Chair and Board at the Falkirk Wheel on 25 August 2022 and my officials meet with Scottish Canals on a regular basis.

The Scottish Government notes the recommendations included in the Waterways for Today report and recognises the importance of the issues raised by the Inland Waterways Association. The report highlights some of the positive work that Scottish Canals has undertaken in recent years, including the groundbreaking Glasgow Smart Canal.

Scottish Canals has benefitted from significant increases in Grant in Aid awards in recent years. Since 2019, the Organisation has received an annual uplift in resource funding from the Scottish Government and substantial increases to the capital grant allocation. This highlights the value that the Scottish Government places on Scotland’s canal network.

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 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 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.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the amount of money lost through cryptocurrency scams and fraud in Scotland, and the data held for the Criminal Proceedings statistics is unable to separately identify any related charges and convictions which involve cryptocurrency. Collecting data on this subject is very challenging, with the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) highlighting that for most types of cyber fraud, a majority of victims did not report the incident to the authorities.

Scottish Government statisticians are continuing to develop the evidence base in this area. For example, the Recorded Crime in Scotland National Statistics now include analysis of cyber-crimes recorded by the police. In 2021-22 almost half (48%) of recorded fraud was estimated to have been online/through the internet, representing around 8,000 crimes. Whilst this will include incidents of cryptocurrency scams, these cases are not separately identifiable within the data. Work is also being taken forward to develop and incorporate a new module into the SCJS, which will allow us to estimate the volume of fraud and computer misuse experienced in Scotland, including those crimes not reported to the police. These new questions will include details of financial loss arising from cyber fraud. Users will be kept informed as to the development of this work, including when the first results are expected to be published.

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

The decision as to whether a member of staff discloses that they have attended hospital is one for the individual member of staff, and there is no requirement for this information to be shared. SPS has a focus on supporting staff who may have been injured, and ensuring that any reasonable preventative measures can be put in place to ensure that the likelihood of a similar incident occurring is mitigated as much as possible.

At this time, there are no plans to change the current methods of recording, however SPS will always look at ways which we can ensure we provide the right support to our staff.

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 Scottish Government does not hold this information as responsibility for the maintenance of Police vehicles sits with the Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Constable. Police Scotland has confirmed that they hold a stock of replacement dash cameras which can be fitted to their vehicles should one develop a fault; dependant on the locality of the vehicle, type of equipment fitted and the type of fault, this can be done on the same day.

I have asked Police Scotland to write to the member with this information.