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This is an operational matter for Police Scotland. However the recent HMICS report notes that Police Scotland have indicated social media will be used as a source of information in the future.

Equality and Diversity within Police Scotland are matters for the Chief Constable and the Scottish Police Authority. Police Scotland's latest Equality and Diversity Mainstreaming Progress Report and Equality Outcomes can be found on their web site at: . The Scottish Government provides financial support to the Scottish Women’s Development Forum in support of Police Scotland’s gender equality agenda.

Police Scotland and NHS Dumfries and Galloway will evaluate the impact of mental health triage arrangements being piloted across Dumfries and Galloway. The Scottish Government supports initiatives that bring justice and health partners together to improve outcomes for people with mental ill health and vulnerability and is providing strategic leadership at national level through the a new Health and Justice Collaboration Improvement Board.

The Scottish Government is committed to providing regular reports to Parliament on the status of the programme. The approach to scrutiny of those reports is a matter for the Parliament.

Under the auspices of the Joint Programme Board (JPB), Police Scotland and BTPA have established a joint project to deliver the operational aspects of the programme. On 20 February, the JPB was advised that further time is needed to deliver integration most effectively and safely for railway passengers, staff and officers. Their assessment is that the current scheduled integration date of 

‎ 1 April 2019 will not be achieved. Ministers have accepted this advice and a detailed re-planning exercise will now take place over the coming months to ensure robust delivery plans are in place for all of the key elements of the programme, including ICT, and to establish a new delivery date. Resourcing will also feature as part of the re-planning exercise.

Further to the meeting of the Joint Programme Board on 20 February a detailed re-planning exercise is now underway to ensure robust delivery plans are in place for all of the key elements of the programme and to establish a new delivery date. Resourcing will also feature as part of the re-planning exercise. Transitional costs for the Authority and Police Scotland are being funded from the police reform budget and will not be an additional burden on the operational policing budget or rail operators.

The British Transport Police pension schemes are shared cost schemes where members pay 40% of the required contributions and employers pay 60%. The Scottish Police Authority as the sponsoring employer will therefore be legally responsible for any employer liability under these arrangements. Work is ongoing to develop the preferred option for transferring BTP staff and officers in line with Scottish Ministers’ aim of no detriment to their pension provisions with funding of the scheme being considered as part of this position.

The rate of employer contributions payable by the Scottish Police Authority for the transferred officers and staff at the point of transfer has still to be agreed. The employer contribution rate payable by the Scottish Police Authority will be determined following regular valuations of the Fund.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government.

The Joint Programme Board continues to implement the key findings of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland’s report that was officially released and published on 8 December 2017. The JPB is also overseeing key risks and delivery of benefits related to the programme.