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

If a prison officer is suspected of engaging in corrupt practices, SPS will implement its Anti-Corruption Policy and Guidance. Where information suggests that a prison officer has participated or has become involved in corrupt activity, those matters will be progressed in accordance with SPS’ Code of Conduct policy.

If information exists to suggest that corruption may have, or is alleged to have taken place, the matter will be referred to Police Scotland who will determine whether any criminal proceedings should be brought against those thought to be involved.

The specific criminal offences that a prison officer could be charged with will depend on the nature and extent of corrupt behaviour and/or activity that they have been found or alleged to have participated in.

While the vast majority of staff adhere to the highest standards of conduct, SPS is always vigilant to any potential corruption within establishments. Maintaining the safety and security of Scotland’s prisons is and remains, an absolute priority.

The Scottish Government does not hold the requested information.

Trading Standards Scotland reports any suspected criminality directly to the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service.

The recruitment and retention of staff is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as the employer. There are currently six on call fire stations in the Argyll and Bute Council area with a full staffing complement. When an appliance is not available, a response will be provided from the next nearest available location.

The recruitment and retention of staff is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as the employer. The 29% vacancy rate refers to on-call establishment figures. SFRS is taking action to recruit more on-call firefighters though the use of 50 full time on-call support officers and in providing targeted assistance to potential candidates. In addition more flexible contracts have been introduced which can reduce the time commitment needed to be an on-call firefighter.

The allocation of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) resources to respond to wildfires and indeed to respond to any emergency incident that requires its attendance, is an operational matter for SFRS.

Since the launch of its Wildfire Strategy in 2023, SFRS is investing £1.6 million in vehicles and operational equipment including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The provision of wildfire PPE has been focused on the specialist fire stations which deal with the majority of wildfire incidents. Firefighters from non-specialist wildfire stations who respond to support operations continue to wear standard structural PPE.

The Chief Fire Officer has provided assurances to the Scottish Government that firefighter safety is an absolute priority, that all specialist wildfire PPE and existing standard PPE in place is safe and that SFRS remains fully prepared and equipped to respond to wildfires.

There are challenges in recruiting and retaining on-call firefighters in some rural areas of Scotland and there are currently no on-call fire stations in the Highland Council area with a full staffing complement. However, a full staffing complement is not required for an on-call fire appliance to be deployed because it can attend emergencies if there are 4 crew available at any given time. When an appliance is not available, a response will be provided from the next nearest available location.

At this time there is no agreed pay award for Scottish Government.

Following a period of negotiation the Scottish Government made a formal pay offer to the recognised trade unions (PCS, Prospect, and FDA) on 14 July 2025. The offer was rejected by PCS and Prospect. FDA indicated they could not recommend acceptance to their members. We will continue to explore next steps with the trade unions to find a solution.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the Just Transition Fund (JTF) is responsive to the needs of the North East and Moray. This includes full consideration of the recommendations of the independent evaluation to support ongoing improvements to the 10-year Fund in a way which aligns with Scottish Government’s budget position.

The independent evaluation highlighted the positive and catalytic impact of support delivered through the Fund in its first two years of operation. We have already delivered against some of the report’s recommendations. For example, updated application material and guidance were issued as part of the 2025-26 open capital funding round for the JTF to support greater transparency of process.

The Scottish Government increased the capital budget from £32.5 million in 2023-24 to £43 million in 2024-25 and £47 million in 2025-26. Decisions on how this budget is spent between fleet, equipment and buildings is a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Officer. SFRS is currently consulting on a range of possible service delivery changes to better match its assets with the risks present in communities. This will allow SFRS to take decisions on closing, merging or upgrading fire stations over the next 5 years.

The recruitment and retention of staff is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as the employer. There are currently two on call stations in the Orkney Islands Council area with a full staffing complement. When an appliance is not available, a response will be provided from the next nearest available location.