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The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is a Member’s Bill, not a Scottish Government Bill.

The UK Government will be aware of the Scottish Government’s view, as set out in the Memorandum submitted to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, that the Bill as introduced is outside the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and that further processes would have to be gone through in order to bring it within competence. That Memorandum sets out that the issue of what steps will be required to bring the Bill within competence will require to be revisited should the Bill pass the Stage 1 vote.

The memorandum to the Committee can be found on the Scottish Parliament’s website at: Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults SG Memorandum.

As set out in the Memorandum submitted to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 30 September 2024, the Scottish Government’s view is that the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, in its current form, is outside the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and that further processes would have to be gone through in order to bring it within competence.

If the Bill passes at Stage 1, the issue of what steps will be required to bring the Bill within competence will need to be revisited.

The memorandum to the Committee can be found on the Scottish Parliament website at: Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults SG Memorandum.

The allocation of resources within the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is an operational matter for the Chief Fire Officer and SFRS Board.

The SFRS is currently conducting a Service Delivery Review, which aims to ensure that SFRS staff, stations and appliances are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland. SFRS is now in the final stages of an options appraisal process which will lead to a full public consultation exercise, planned for the summer 2025. Any changes to SFRS station footprint or how SFRS delivers core emergency services is subject to this full public consultation and final decision by the SFRS Board.

Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.

Many on call firefighters have primary jobs and have a primary employer. SFRS has an Employers Recognition Scheme whereby employers are recognised for their efforts in supporting their employees to become on call firefighters. SFRS also has an On Call Guide for Employers. This enables employers to learn more about what is involved, how they can support their employees to become On Call firefighters. Also outlined are the benefits to their organisation and the valuable contribution to their local communities.

We do not want to see the closure of good quality care homes and we understand the concern this causes for residents and their families, as well as for the wider community. Of course, when a home closes this can have a knock-on impact to the local economy, this particularly is felt in rural and remote areas of the country.

The economic impact on families and communities can go beyond traditional economic measures and can be greatly influenced by individual’s own circumstances and their reactions to any such changes.

We know that Scotland’s Adult Social Care sector is a significant contributor towards the Economy, adding multiple billions in Gross Value Added and employing tens-of-thousands of people. Whilst challenging to estimate we do note recent reports, commissioned by the Skills for Care and Development Alliance, which provides some indication of the potential scale of the economic value of social care in Scotland (Economic and social value of the UK adult social care sector: Scotland).

Additionally, I would highlight that although we have overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, the statutory responsibility for delivering, commissioning, providing appropriate social care capacity at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS boards and integrated Health and Social Care Partnerships. This includes the responsibility for these local authorities to develop contingency plans for each service they commission or provide, to have robust plans in place should a service close, as well as risk assessments to determine potential impacts on the local social care sector, wider system and economy.

While I recognise the seriousness of the risks faced by the social care sector, the projections from partners such as Scottish Care are the worst-case scenario. Investment by the Scottish Government into the social care sector has increased quite substantially, during a period in which pressures on public finances have been most acute

We do understand the anxiety and growing concerns within the care home and wider social care sectors regarding the current pressures on the financial viability of the sectors. Pressures that have been significantly added to by decisions taken by the UK Government, such as the increase in employers National Insurance Contributions, changes to the social care visa system and salary threshold levels.

Scottish Government officials are undertaking a programme of work to understand and respond to the current financial viability pressures in the sector and the impact that this change will have. That work remains ongoing and will continue to work with partners across social care to help manage the current risks and move towards a more sustainable future for social care within the country.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

SFRS remains ready and able to respond to any instance of wildfire that occurs across Scotland. I have received assurances from SFRS that they had the resources needed, along with working with partners, to deal with recent wildfires.

The budget for 2025-26 provides SFRS with an additional £18.8 million in support of front line services, which will bring the total budget to £412.2 million. Decisions on the allocation of the SFRS budget are a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Officer.

We are providing this information as at 31 December 2024 using data from the most recent official publication of the Scottish Government's workforce statistics. As at that date, the total number of staff employed within SG Core was 9,349.

As at that date, 115 Scottish Government staff were registered as taxpayers elsewhere in the UK and earning over £50,000 (inclusive of any pay allowances). This represents 1.2% of staff and includes staff who are based in Scotland House, London; are in overseas postings; or are in off-shore Marine seafaring roles (where it is a feature of that labour market for the workforce to be resident in a range of different countries).

This information has been compiled with reference to address information held on our HR systems as at December 2024. It is therefore a snapshot as at that date and does not, for example, reflect where individuals may have since relocated to Scotland following their appointment to the Scottish Government or where a revised tax code is awaited from HMRC.

We are providing this information as at 31 December 2024 using data from the most recent official publication of the Scottish Government's workforce statistics. As at that date, the total number of staff employed within SG Core was 9,349. Of these staff, 8 were Senior Civil Servants who were registered as taxpayers elsewhere in the UK which represents less than 0.1% of staff and includes staff who are based in Scotland House, London or in overseas postings.

There is an expectation that individuals will relocate to live in Scotland if they are employed by us, however this is not a legal requirement unless there is an occupational reason to reside within a certain travelling distance of the workplace. Employees are required to attend their contractual work location in Scotland as required for business need.

This information has been compiled with reference to address information held on our HR systems as at December 2024. It is therefore a snapshot as at that date and does not, for example, reflect where individuals may have since relocated to Scotland following their appointment to the Scottish Government or where a revised tax code is awaited from HMRC.

Workforce recruitment within the Highland region is managed by NHS Highland and therefore this information is not held by the Scottish Government.