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The implementation cost of DESC is funded by Scottish Government. There is no cost expected to be paid from Police Scotland or other justice partners existing budget.

When DESC is fully implemented the lifetime management costs of DESC are expected to be met from justice partners, including Police Scotland. The efficiency benefits delivered by DESC are projected to offset these costs.

The full implementation cost for Digital Evidence Sharing Capability is £33 Million over a 10-year period which is detailed in the full business case. This figure includes supplier costs, storage, and resources from justice partners. DESC will deliver considerable savings of time and cost in the way that evidence is managed and used.

Police Scotland are the lead delivery partner for Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) and are responsible for planning and milestone management. DESC roll out is currently expected to start in early 2024.

Four of the six key provisions in the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 have been implemented to date.

The prohibition on supply to children came into effect on 10 October 2022 alongside the aggravation of offences for emergency workers. New offences relating to pyrotechnic articles in public places and at designated venues and events came into force on 6 June 2023, and firework control zones provisions commenced on 22 June 2023. For the remaining measures:

• Our ambition is to have the firework licensing scheme operational ahead of Bonfire Night next year. A specific date has not yet been identified for this.
• The implementation of the restricted days of supply and use provisions is paused to a future financial year. This includes the compensation regulation making power, which is attached specifically to restricted days of supply.

As noted in the answer to S6W-21903, ferry operators are responsible for crewing arrangements whilst complying with the appropriate employment legislation and standards. Shipping safety and seafarer welfare and employment conditions are matters reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government does not have powers over employment conditions for seafarers.

The Scottish Government expects the highest shipping safety and crew welfare and employment conditions to be observed by those vessels and for those crew working in Scottish waters. International ferry services can often have skilled crew from around the world, and not domiciled in the UK. However the UK Seafarers Act ensures crew will be entitled to National Minimum Wage equivalent whilst working in Scottish waters.

The City of Edinburgh Council formed a part of the Firework Control Zones Working Group, which co-developed the Guidance for Local Authorities.

Representatives from City of Edinburgh Council attended information sharing sessions for local authorities held by the Scottish Government, in partnership with the Scottish Community Safety Network.

Formal representations have been made by the City of Edinburgh Council to the Scottish Government to express interest in availing themselves of the funding for firework control zones.

Officials at Transport Scotland are currently engaging with British Transport Police, ScotRail, Scottish Rail Holdings, Transport Focus and Trade Unions, amongst other organisations, to ensure that all views on continuing alcohol ban on ScotRail trains are given due consideration and all impacts, including antisocial behaviour, assessed.

I refer to recent answers regarding Liberty Steel in Scotland, in particular my answers to written questions S6W-17169 on 4 May 2023 , S6W-17708 on 16 May 2023 and S6W-21489 on 26 September 2023.

Scottish Government maintain an open dialogue with Liberty Steel and have a number of regular meetings with them.

The question of whether or not to install additional equipment at the Dalzell is an operational matter for Liberty Steel. I understand from the business that there are currently no plans to install an Electric Arc Furnace at Dalzell.

The Clydebridge site is not currently operational and no staff are currently employed at the site. The future of the site is an operational matter for Liberty Steel.

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 Scottish Government is continuing the phased implementation of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019. A presumption in favour of pre-recording the evidence of child witnesses in cases which involve specified offences is already in place in the High Court, unless specific exceptions apply. We remain committed to extending this presumption to children giving evidence in relevant cases in the sheriff courts and will publish a revised Implementation Plan by the end of March.

We continue to support national rollout of the new Scottish Child Interview Model for Joint Investigative Interviews with over £2 million funding and have committed further support through the Bairns’ Hoose Pathfinder Phase. The model aims to secure a child’s best evidence at the earliest opportunity, while minimising retraumatisation. We have commissioned an independent evaluation of the model and its expected outcomes. It is anticipated that the model will be available across Scotland by the end of 2024.

As noted in the answer to S6W-22430 by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2023, we do not hold specific data on the frequency or average duration of road closures for the purpose of crime scene investigation. This is consistent with the answer to S4W-23569, answered by Derek Mackay in 2015, which noted that Transport Scotland does not hold definitive data that indicates when Police Scotland have carried out a crime scene investigation.

The information provided with the answer to S4W-23569 sought to be helpful by providing what information was held by Transport Scotland i.e. the number and duration of closures on specific routes. However the answer clearly advised that the information provided represented where police attendance was reported and which may or may not have involved a crime scene investigation. It also noted that Police Scotland do on occasions close roads for crime scene investigation without notifying Transport Scotland.

We would therefore reiterate that the closure of a road in the aftermath of an accident is a matter for Police Scotland, who liaise with NHS colleagues as appropriate to understand if accident investigation is merited. The decision to reopen a road after an investigation is also a matter for the Police in their operational capacity.