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This is an operational matter for ScotRail. The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

There are different types of licences which, where relevant, set specific conditions for individuals when they are released from custody into the community.

The type of licence depends on the type of sentence and includes parole licence, non-parole licence and Home Detention Curfew.

When an individual is released on licence, they may be recalled to custody because they have breached one or more conditions and/or recall is deemed necessary in the public interest e.g. due to an increased risk to public safety.

Parole and Non-Parole Licence

Individuals who are serving long term sentences, or extended sentences, of four years or more can be released on parole licence if the independent Parole Board for Scotland recommends their release. If they are not released on parole licence, they will be released on non-parole licence six months prior to their sentence end date, or for those on extended sentences at their sentence expiry date.

Individuals who are serving an Order for Lifelong Restriction or a life sentence can only be released on parole licence if the Parole Board for Scotland recommends release. They would be subject to lifelong supervision ton licence.

The latest data on the number of people recalled to custody from parole and
non-parole licence between January 2024 and December 2025 is outlined in the following tables.

In cases where recall was due to further offending it is not possible to provide a breakdown by offence type.

Table 1: Number of individuals recalled from parole and non-parole licence from Jan – Dec 2024

Through our No One Left Behind approach, we remain firmly committed to strengthening specialist employability support for experiencing structural barriers to entering and sustaining employment. Since July 2025, all 32 Local Employability Partnerships have been required to deliver Specialist Employability Support to disabled people and people with long term health conditions, supported by an additional £5million in 2025-26. Our draft 2026-27 budget protects this investment for the coming financial year.

The Scottish Government has not been prescriptive on the model of specialist support that should be implemented. In line with our partnership working agreement with Local Government, local areas will have the flexibility to design and commission services based on their needs. However, I would expect DFN Project Search to be a consideration when partners are planning their provision.

At this stage, it is not possible to confirm the precise level of cycle space provision on the new trains, as these details will be informed by manufacturers’ bids. The specification for new rolling stock will fully reflect the requirement for appropriate and accessible cycle storage.

In developing the specification, Transport Scotland and rail industry partners will balance provision for cycles alongside other essential passenger requirements, including seating capacity, toilets, wheelchair spaces, priority and family-friendly seating, door layouts and luggage storage. This balanced approach ensures that the overall configuration of new trains best meets the needs of passengers across the network.

ScotRail regularly engages representative groups, including those representing cyclists, to understand and balance customer needs.

All recall decisions are made based on an individualised assessment of each case. There is no available evidence of the potential impact of justice social work force or housing availability on the rates of recall.

When considering whether to recall someone, the Parole Board for Scotland and Scottish Prison Service will carefully consider any breach of licence conditions and/or whether any identified risks can be managed safely in the community.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-43292 on 6 February 2026, which confirms the information was still being collated. 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

A robust analytical process is underway to evaluate the impact of removing ScotRail peak fares. It will take some time to be able to meaningfully analyse the impact of this £35m Scottish Government investment.

We anticipate that we will be able to share emerging findings after the policy has been in place for at least 6 months, with further reporting towards the end of the year due to how sensitive patronage and revenue are to external factors such as pricing and weather.

Fair Work First is a key aspect of the Scottish Government’s Fair Work plan and it requires employers to meet a minimum standard of practice to access public sector grants.

The Scottish Government has had no recent discussions with any operators of a proposed ferry service with regards to Fair Work First.

While an operational matter for ScotRail, the Scottish Government expects ScotRail to ensure that the services it provides meet the passenger demand.

The number of people supported into employment through the Scottish Government’s employability programmes are set out in Tables 1 and 2.

The methodology for capturing those supported into employment through No One Left Behind has been revised, with breakdowns by Local Authority using this new methodology available from 11 February 2026.

Further information on these statistics, including their limitations and the methodological improvements underway, can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/collections/scotlands-devolved-employment-services-statistics/

Table 1. Number of No One Left Behind participants entering and moving into sustainable employment by local authority, from April 2019 to June 2025