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The recruitment and deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland keeps retirement rates under review to ensure that new officer recruitment intakes are underpinned by workforce planning data. Since the beginning of 2024 Police Scotland has welcomed around 1,500 new officers, to ensure sustainability of the workforce.

The Chief Constable has made it clear that frontline strength goes beyond an overall officer headcount. Police Scotland’s Three-year Business Plan 2024-2027 sets out an ambitious programme of workforce modernisation, reducing back-office duplication.

The Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, with £1.64 billion being invested this year. Scottish Government funding in 2024-25 enabled Police Scotland to undertake the highest level of recruitment since its inception and Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales.

As the recruitment and deployment of officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Police Scotland has confirmed that its recruitment planning takes into account the position 12-18 months ahead to inform the probationer intake process. This process is designed to be agile and depends on the actual number of leavers, which are projected in advance and thereafter managed in accordance with confirmation of numbers. During the current financial year, Police Scotland has set out its intention to recruit around 780 new officers.

The Scottish Government is investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26, an increase of almost £90 million of additional funding from the 2024-25 budget. Our investment in policing enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in 2024-25 than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025 and into 2026. Police Scotland has stated that it has a healthy recruitment pipeline.

Transport Scotland already operates in line with key recommendations and best practice of the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry in the delivery of major transport infrastructure projects, as evidenced by its excellent record on projects such as the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and the Queensferry Crossing.

To maintain a safe and secure prison estate, the Scottish Government increased Scottish Prison Service (SPS) investment by 10% to £481.5m in 2025-26. SPS has invested in a range of initiatives aimed at tackling violence across the prison estate, including body worn cameras, a revised control and restraint model, and body scanners. SPS are also working to mitigate the risks presented by the threat of drones and uses various technologies and intelligence - such as advanced scanners, detection technology, window grilles and sniffer dogs – to prevent illegal substances entering prisons.

The Scottish Government has also increased 2025-26 funding to the Scottish Recovery Consortium to embed a person-centred recovery focused approach in prisons and have supported the National Prison Care Network to develop a Target Operating Model for healthcare delivery in prisons. This sets out a nationally consistent service model for the delivery of the range of clinical services provided in prisons, including drugs and alcohol services.

Future resource and capital funding for the SPS is being considered as part of the annual budget process and the Scottish Spending Review, due to be published alongside the 2026-27 Scottish Budget.

The provision of opioid-substitution treatment in prisons is a matter for local services. The Scottish Government notes that the transition from prison to the community is a high-risk event in a recovery journey and welcomes moves to join up prison health services with the support available in local communities.

Through the National Naloxone Programme, we work in partnership with the Scottish Prison Service, NHS Boards and third sector partners to ensure Naloxone is routinely offered prior to liberation. The number of take-home naloxone kits issued by SPS is published quarterly by Public Health Scotland through the programme’s Quarterly Monitoring Bulletin, which provides data to track trends, compare outcomes over time, and assess the impact of the programme on preventing overdose deaths.

Further integration across services and consistent data collection are essential to fully assess the impacts on post-release relapse and re-offending rates.

The provision and procurement of uniforms and equipment is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. The Frontline focus review of tools of the trade Report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, (HMICS),identified a number of areas where Police Scotland can make improvements, including in the provision of uniforms. Police Scotland has stated its intention to take account of this review and listen to its officers and staff, to ensure they get the uniform and kit they need to deliver for communities.

The Scottish Government’s record £1.64 billion investment in policing is helping equip officers with modern tools like body worn video, ensuring they have the right resources to keep communities safe.

In February 2025, the Scottish Prison Service published a report on the number of prisoners released under emergency early release (EER) in June-July 2024, who returned to custody before the date when they would originally have been liberated had EER not been implemented. The report shows that 61 of the 477 prisoners (13%) released under EER returned to custody before their original planned release date. The report can be found here - .

The following table provides data on proceedings and convictions for ‘having an article with a blade or point’. It is not possible to disaggregate these figures by the specific type of weapon involved.

The most recent information on proceedings and convictions is available for the financial year 2022-23.

Number of people prosecuted in Scottish courts for crimes related to having an article with a blade or point, where main charge, 2013-14 to 2022-23.

There are currently no plans to introduce direct dermatology referral pathways from community optometry and pharmacy.

Our Digital Dermatology programme has provided GPs across Scotland with access to a new app which allows them to securely use their own mobile device to attach an image to a dermatology referral. This has the potential to significantly reduce the dermatology waiting list by diverting 50% of patients each year either back to their GP with advice or direct to treatment through the creation of a digital triage process in secondary care.

The Chief Executive of the National Social Work Agency is a Senior Civil Service (SCS) post and SCS pay and terms and conditions of employment are reserved to the UK Government. The advertising process for this role ended prior to the announcement of the recently publicised SCS pay award. Therefore, this role was advertised with a salary range of £108,393 to £117,329.

Following completion of the interview stage, the successful candidate will be offered the role in line with the updated pay range effective from 1 April 2025, which is £111,916 to £121,143. This salary range is within the relevant SCS2 pay range of £100,000 to £162,500 published by the Cabinet Office.