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

SPS remain vigilant to the threat presented by weapons within our estate. Despite tactical and security measures, there are a number of those in custody who continue to attempt to introduce illicit articles (including weapons) into our estate, or those who are found to have fashioned everyday items into a weapon.

SPS will continue to report these instances to Police Scotland and seek conviction where appropriate. In addition, SPS also utilise the Prison and Young Offender Rules (Scotland) 2011 to mitigate known risk and preserve the good order and discipline within our establishments.

The table below shows how many offensive weapons there has been found in each of the past five calendar years in HMP Greenock and HMP Kilmarnock.

Establishment 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
HMP Greenock 2 9 9 5 6
HMP Kilmarnock 39 35 29 51 53
Total 41 44 38 56 59

This information is not held by the Scottish Government as in-work benefits such as Universal Credit are reserved to the UK Government. Additionally, the recording of personal data relating to police officers with additional jobs or business interests are matters for the Chief Constable.

The Scottish Government values the dedication shown by police officers in Scotland. That’s why our police officers remain the best paid in the UK recognising the hard work and valuable contribution they make daily as well as our commitment to investing in policing.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission published its most recent independent forecasts on 25 June 2025, which sets out its latest five-year economic and fiscal forecasts, and includes forecasts of Social Security benefits expenditure to 2030-31.

The publication can be found on the SFC’s website: Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts Update – June 2025 | Scottish Fiscal Commission

Based on the latest SFC’s forecasts, the Scottish Government anticipates to spend £9.3 billion on Social Security Assistance in 2030-31.

The SFC will publish its next set of five-year economic and fiscal forecasts alongside the 2026-27 Scottish Budget later this year.

The Westminster Commission on Forensic Science, set up by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Miscarriages of Justice in 2022, visited the Scottish Police Authority Forensic Services Division (SPA-FSD) in early 2025. Subsequently, the Commission published its report which highlighted Scotland’s different model of forensic delivery in comparison with the police and privatised market driven model in England and Wales. The Scottish model of delivery is cited in the report as publicly governed, multi-disciplinary and scientifically rigorous in comparison with the position in England and Wales.

On 20th November 2024, the Director of SPA-FSD and the Chair of the SPA alongside scientific experts attended the Scottish Parliament to showcase the work of SPA-FSD to MSPs. This included demonstrating Scotland’s world leading services, how they are deployed to scenes of crime in Scotland and how the captured evidence provides vital intelligence to Police Scotland in the investigation of crime. Given that the Scottish Government has no role in operational policing, it is for the SPA to highlight good practice in the provision of forensic services for the investigation and prosecution of crime in Scotland. The SPA Board regularly receives reports on SPA-FSD’s performance and standards.

Police Scotland has 10 drones currently in operation.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) does not currently operate any drones. However, there is a strategic intent to develop a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capability, which includes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), sub-surface drones, and ground-based robotic systems. This work is at a concept development stage and is being led by an internal team to explore future operational use.

The letter of 11 July sets out that the Scottish Government internal Trans and Non Binary Equality employment policy is under active review in light of the ruling in For Women Scotland V The Scottish Ministers.

This is an internal employer policy that covers Scottish Government staff. Changes to our workplace policies and procedures will be consulted on in line with normal practice, including: internal staff engagement in line with our organisational vision and values; engagement with relevant corporate and policy teams; and partnership working with the Council of Scottish Government Unions.

The timing and approach will be shaped by the emerging advice. This is a complex area of law involving the interaction between different pieces of legislation, and we want to ensure we get it right for all our staff.

We are working with Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and Public Health Scotland (PHS) to develop our Eating Out Eating Well Framework, one of the actions from our Out Of Home Action Plan https://www.gov.scot/publications/diet-and-healthy-weight-out-of-home-action-plan/. The new Framework is designed to help businesses serving food Out Of Home, such as restaurants and cafes, to provide healthier options for customers, and includes developing a Code of Practice for children’s menus.

PHS has recently completed a pilot for our new Eating Out Eating Well Framework. Papers for the pilot and more detail about the Framework have already been published and can be found at: https://eatingouteatingwell.publichealthscotland.scot/

We are also currently working with PHS and FSS to review learnings from the pilot. Once this review has been concluded and its recommendations considered, the Framework will be finalised and published.

The food environment, including promotions, significantly influences the food choices people make, both in and out of home. This report adds further to (the evidence base and) our understanding that promotions can encourage impulse spend and can lead to people buying more than they need, overlooking cheaper and healthier alternatives.

The Scottish Government is taking forward wide ranging action to support people make healthier choices in the out of home sector.

On 17 June, the Scottish Government confirmed that it will introduce regulations to restrict the promotion of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt to the Scottish Parliament this autumn. These regulations will, amongst other things, restrict unlimited refills for a fixed charge of non-prepacked soft drinks with added sugar in qualifying out of home businesses. Further detail on the final scope of the policy is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/restricting-promotion-food-drink-high-fat-sugar-salt-hfss-consultation-detail-proposed-regulations-scottish-government-response/.

We are working with Food Standards Scotland and Public Health Scotland to develop our Eating Out Eating Well Framework https://eatingouteatingwell.publichealthscotland.scot/, one of the actions from our Out Of Home Action Plan https://www.gov.scot/publications/diet-and-healthy-weight-out-of-home-action-plan/. The new Framework is designed to help businesses serving food out of home, such as restaurants and cafes, to provide healthier options for customers, and includes developing a Code of Practice for children’s menus. Further detail is set out in the answer to question S6W-39402 on 8 August 2025. 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/questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government will consider further action to improve the food environment, including in out of home settings, under the Population Health Framework.

The £2 million investment in 2025-26 through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) to support local authorities to return more privately owned empty homes to use is a new investment. It is part of a two-year fairer funding pilot, with a further investment of £1.3 million in 2026-27.

The £2 million is funding:

• additional empty homes officers across Scotland (£750,000),
• innovative local and national projects (£700,000) such as the Dundee project referenced in the answer to question S6W-39184 on 7 August 2025,
• SEHP core functions, such as its advice line and support for local authority empty homes officers, as well as enhanced support to deliver the additional work above in conjunction with local authorities (£550,000).

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.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) provide a Victim Information and Advice (VIA) service in criminal court cases. When COPFS first consider a new criminal case, they refer to VIA any victims who should receive extra support. This includes victims of domestic abuse. If the victim wishes VIA support, VIA will proactively notify the victim of court hearing dates and bail decisions, including bail conditions of the accused person.

When the court is deciding whether to grant bail, the prosecutor and the defence are given the opportunity to make submissions to the court on the question of bail. In doing so, the prosecutor can make the court aware of any safety concerns which they consider arise based on the individual facts and circumstances of the case. This is particularly relevant under the new bail test, which came into effect on 14 May 2025, and which centres public safety, including safety of the complainer from a risk of harm, in bail decision making.

Where held, COPFS will consider the views of the victim with regard to bail and bail conditions, in forming their overall submission on bail. This may include information obtained from the victim by the police in the initial police report, information from specialist support services or information from VIA engagement with the victim directly.

Domestic abuse involves very complex dynamics where it can be important that information about concerns that may lead to a partner or ex-partner being placed on remand or subject to stringent bail conditions is not attributed to information provided by the victim. This may make victims reluctant and fearful to engage in a case.

It is for this important reason that the prosecutor, who acts independently in the public interest, is best placed to provide victim safety information to the court, including the seeking of further conditions of bail.

Ultimately, the question of bail and bail conditions is a matter for the independent court informed by the information they are provided with.