Chamber and committees

In your written submission, you note that a range of

“work packages have been developed and are being progressed”

as part of your recovery programme. You set them out, and they include

“Operational Strategy ... Technology ... Communications and Engagement ... Prevention, Protection and Partnerships.”

Among those packages, are there areas of work that you consider to be priorities? I am thinking about the opportunity for reform and renewal in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the actions that you might look to undertake in quicker time, while others may involve longer-term pieces of work.

That is an interesting overview.

My final question is a practical one about people’s behaviour, particularly that of vulnerable people, who the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service comes into contact with on probably a regular basis. You have some clear and productive partnership arrangements for how you respond to the vulnerable people your staff encounter.

Obviously, we were in deep lockdown and very much confined to our homes. Did any learning come from that period of lockdown, in particular about how it impacted on people confined in their homes? Are there learning opportunities for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, in particular to inform your prevention work?

My final question for you is also about training. Police Scotland will receive significant mutual aid. I am interested in how the training requirement will be managed, given that COP26 will require personnel from a number of organisations over whose training regime we, in theory, have no control. How can we be sure that the required training will be provided?

Yes, you can follow it up another time. Apologies for that.

Following on from those questions, Mr Lenehan, you mentioned some contact that you have had with Rape Crisis Scotland, which sounded interesting. The committee would be interested to hear a little more about that as that contact progresses, if that would be possible.

I am conscious of time, so I would like to bring in Fulton MacGregor, who is linking with us online.

We might have lost Mr MacDonald’s sound momentarily. Can you still hear us, Mr MacDonald?

This is extremely important and interesting, but in the interest of time, I ask everyone to keep answers as concise as possible.

Ms Clark, much as I would like to bring you in—

Ms Stevenson is next, before I bring in Mr Greene.

It is very inspiring to hear that. I am sure that you have a lot of work ahead in relation to reform and modernisation across a wide range of work areas within the service. Thank you very much—those were all my questions for you.

Moving on to our Police Scotland representatives, ACC Kenny MacDonald and Chief Superintendent Barry Blair, I want first of all to put on record my grateful thanks to your organisation for keeping us safe in what has been an extraordinary period in our recent time. Your work is very much appreciated, and I know that it was not without its challenges for your service.

In its written submission, the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents has commented on current challenges with recruitment. From my personal background, I know that this is not a new situation; indeed, I live and have worked in the north-east of Scotland, and I am aware that, for many years, Grampian Police competed with the oil and gas sector to recruit personnel. However, it seems that we are not entirely clear about what is impacting on recruitment. What are your thoughts on those challenges, and how can we move forward with redressing the recruitment balance?