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Zero Waste Scotland's (ZWS) Corporate Plan for 2025-2030 includes present and future targets beyond the life of this Corporate Plan.

The reference to seeking reduction of Scotland's extraction of raw materials by one third is based on a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report, which stresses the importance of high-income countries reducing their material footprint by bending the resource use curve to achieve economic growth, reduced inequality, improved quality of life and dramatically reduced environmental impacts.

During the lifetime of the current Corporate Plan, Scottish Government will continue to work with ZWS in developing data and policies required to establish a baseline and trajectory for future target setting to measure progress towards a circular economy.

To deliver maximum value to the public purse, it is appropriate for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to attempt to maximise the potential revenue return from any sale of excess assets. It is normal to seek outline planning consent in advance of any potential sale of land and SFRS is working with Glasgow City Council to achieve that.

The development of the proposed new fire station at Stewart Street is a matter for SFRS and Glasgow City Council.

Information on the total number of times that police have been called to incidents in schools, both primary and secondary, is not held centrally.

Following a period of negotiation with the contractor Kier on the construction contract price, the total project cost of £998.4 million was confirmed in November 2024.

I received regular updates on the pricing and commercial process of the HMP Glasgow construction contract from the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service over the course of 2024. On 13 January 2025 Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs received formal advice confirming the total project cost £998.4m.

The construction contract is fixed price and the total project cost includes contingency for risk.

The Policy Memorandum for the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill set out the reasons the Scottish Government proposed to reduce jury size to 12. This included evidence from the independent Scottish Jury Research - gov.scot.

In its Stage 1 report the Criminal Justice Committee did not support the reduction in jury size. I therefore confirmed in my letter of 31 October 2024 to the Committee that, as I am satisfied that the abolition of not proven does not require an associated change to the jury size, I would bring forward amendments to retain a jury of 15, in line with the Committee’s position. I have tabled these ahead of the current Stage 2 scrutiny.

The use of telematics technology on police vehicles is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority.

The Law Officers’ role is secured by the Scotland Act 1998 and any changes to that role would require legislation in the UK or Scottish Parliaments depending on any changes proposed. As we have said, the Scottish Government will engage further with the UK Government on any changes that might be considered.

The recruitment and deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable. In 2023, Police Scotland restructuring led to a new establishment figure of around 16,500 to 16,600 officers. The Scottish Government’s record investment of £1.55bn in 2024-25 has enabled Police Scotland to undertake the highest level of recruitment since its inception, bringing officer numbers up to 16,508 at 31 December 2024.

Police Scotland’s three-year Business Plan 2024-2027 aims to make maximum impact with a workforce that has the right skills and capacity to keep people safe. Through workforce modernisation, they will reduce back-office duplication and create capacity to deal with new and increasing threats by moving more officers to frontline roles.

The Chief Constable has been clear that the context of frontline strength goes beyond an overall officer headcount and that of a police workforce which includes police staff.

NHS Boards have reporting systems to capture data on violence and aggression - including sexual assault. I strongly encourage staff to report any and all instances of violent and aggressive behaviour.

Health Improvement Scotland are working with all NHS boards and partner organisations to standardise the reporting of adverse events, and have developed a national framework which was published in February.

This details the importance of national standards of reporting and the requirement for monitoring and publishing of data. This will facilitate the collation of accurate data nationally.

The courts have extensive powers to deal robustly with sexual offending. All instances of such behaviour should be reported and escalated to Police Scotland as quickly as possible for consideration of necessary action.

All calls received by Police Scotland receive an initial assessment based on the THRIVE model (Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigative Opportunity, Vulnerability and Engagement) to enable informed decision making on prioritisation. Given the unpredictable and often violent nature of domestic abuse, incidents are assessed with consideration given to the safety of the victim and family, background history for the victim and suspect, severity of the allegation and evidential opportunities.

Police Scotland have advised that an incident will be graded appropriately and fast tracked where necessary with the police response will be victim led as much as possible.

Police Scotland’s three year business plan also seeks to ensure that victims are fully heard and supported through a service that is tailored to their needs, and that the service works with partners to ensure vulnerable people can access appropriate care at the right time.