Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government’s budget for 2025-26 includes £412.2 million for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) which is an increase of £18.8 million. This will enable SFRS to continue to deliver the high standard of services required to keep communities safe. This includes an increase from £43 million to £47 million in capital funding which will allow the service to invest more in property, fleet and equipment. The allocation of resources is a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Officer.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with SFRS to ensure continuing priority is given to the implementation of its wildfire strategy. The Service’s planned spend is circa £1.6 million over the course of the 3 year roll-out of its strategy. New equipment, vehicles and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) continues to be rolled out and SFRS will fully implement its wildfire strategy during the course of 2025. Within it, SFRS is adopting ‘burn suppression’ techniques such as those in use in the new Mediterranean-style specialist wildfire units. Due to extensive training and the use of new techniques, SFRS’s ability to tackle wildfires has never been so advanced.

In recognition of the potential risks which could be caused by contaminants, it is Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) policy for firefighters who are breastfeeding to not undertake operational activity. In addition, employees who wish to continue to breastfeed upon their return to work following maternity leave are supported to do so, through the provision of appropriate facilities to express and store milk.

Recruitment and retention of firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Scottish Government have had no recent discussions with the British Medical Association (BMA) regarding clinical risks associated with NHS 24 services.

This is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government does not operate a compensation scheme for those affected by wildfires. Standard UK home insurance policies generally cover fire damage to both the building and its contents. Coverage can include structural repairs, personal belongings, damage caused by emergency services, and temporary accommodation if required.

During a large multi agency incident a local Emergency Liaison, Local or Regional Resilience Partnership (RRP) may be stood up by any agency. These are established by multi-agency partnerships comprising representatives from local public services, including emergency services, local authorities, the NHS, and others. These partners, known as Category 1 Responders, are mandated by the Civil Contingencies Act. RRPs also collaborate with Category 2 responders, such as utility companies and the Highways Agency, to ensure comprehensive preparedness, response and recovery to emergencies.

The terms and conditions of firefighters are negotiated on a UK wide basis through the National Joint Council. The Fire Brigades Union is the largest staff representative body at those negotiations and that is the appropriate avenue to change pay and conditions for firefighters. The Scottish Government is not part of those negotiations as that is rightly a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as the employer.

The following table shows the intake targets for medicine from 2019-20 to 2025-26.

For some, but not all, of the requested years, a minimum Scottish Domicile intake was set and where applicable this is indicated

Our Fisheries Management Strategy sets out actions to support the fishing fleet to modernise, and for appropriate use to be made of new and additional technology and gear innovation. As part of this the Scottish Government has delivered on our commitment to introduce remote electronic monitoring requirements for pelagic and scallop vessels, with legislation being passed in June 2024. The legislation can be found at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2024/165/contents/made

Our commitment to improve the inshore fisheries evidence base through the use of appropriate and proportionate onboard electronic technology monitoring on under 12 metre vessels is currently being progressed.

Through our Future Catching Policy will take further action to improve selectivity by introducing additional technical measures to reduce unwanted catch and tackle discarding and bycatch of sensitive marine species, which will improve sustainability. Stakeholder engagement is ongoing to explore various selectivity proposals to deliver pragmatic solutions.

In regard to Marine Fund Scotland and post project monitoring, publication of individual data is not standard practice, but the analysis of post project monitoring contributes, as part of a range of information, to Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy. This published strategy, in turn, informs Marine Fund Scotland assessment and will inform future decisions.

We are unable to provide specific information on expenditure that exclusively supported new jobs. Successive budgets within the current parliamentary session have prioritised expenditure to support economic growth, including business growth and the jobs they generate.

In terms of ensuring people have the skills for jobs of the future, our 2025-26 Scottish budget allocates over £2 billion for colleges, universities, and the wider skills system, prioritizing support for students and ensuring access to education. We are focussing on maximising high-quality apprenticeships with an investment of over £185m to deliver 25,500 new Modern Apprentices, 5,000 Foundation Apprentices and 1,200 Graduate Apprentices, while continuing to support around 38,000 apprentices already in training.

Through the Just Transition Fund we've also spend £9.7 million on a package of skills interventions, including a digital offshore energy skills passport and the Energy Transition Skills Hub.

As part of the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal, we have committed £4 million for a Skills Transition Centre at Forth Valley College – to ensure that people can get the training they need for jobs in new and emerging sectors, including at the Grangemouth site. We have also allocated of up to £450k to support those workers who have been made redundant at the Grangemouth Refinery into new in-demand jobs. We are committed to ensuring that those highly skilled people continue to contribute to businesses in Grangemouth and the wider Scottish economy.

The support referenced about is not exhaustive. A diverse array of national, regional, and local support services are available across the public and private sectors, making a comprehensive overview impractical and information not all held by SG.