Chamber and committees

Such detail will be worked out as part of the in-depth operational planning for the new Scotland-wide statutory board that is being taken forward as part of phase two of the review and is due to last six months.

The bodies involved in the Enterprise and Skills Review will each retain their separate legal status.

There will be a new single, strategic Scotland-wide statutory board to co-ordinate the activities of SE and HIE, SDS and the SFC, in order to bring greater integration and focus to the delivery of our enterprise and skills support. This will focus on fully aligning and coordinating activity across the agencies to maximise their collective impact.

Our intention is that, once established, this overarching board will assume the key functions and roles of the existing agency boards whilst each of the bodies will remain in its own right. Consideration of how board functions will be distributed between levels, and what supporting infrastructure will be required to support the operation of the new board and of the existing bodies will be taken forward during phase two of the review. Existing boards will be fully involved in this, and will continue to perform their current roles during the transition process to the new arrangements.

Detailed operational planning for the new Scotland-wide statutory board is being taken forward as part of phase two of the review, which is due to last six months. We plan to consult with the current boards, including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, in taking this forward.

The phase one report identified that we should optimise what can be achieved by seamlessly working across the enterprise and skills bodies with a focus on agreed priorities and objectives, as well as the need to deal with the perceptions of a cluttered landscape by simplifying service delivery with a ‘no wrong door’ approach. Any savings which might be secured will be identified through the work being taken forward in phase two and beyond.

The agencies involved in this review are only one part of the overall enterprise and skills systems in Scotland, but they are an important one. As indicated in our Call for Evidence -Summary Analysis (see

http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00505877.pdf), respondents overall felt that a refreshed strategic focus with a single vision, goals and shared ownership could foster more effective collaboration.

Data on the number of Full Time Equivalent civilian staff in the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland is published by the SPA on a quarterly basis.

For ease, the information you have requested is provided in the table below.

Police Staff Quarterly Strength Statistics (Full-Time Equivalent), Scotland¹, from 31 March 2007 to 31 March 2016

1. Q1 represents the 31 March

The data provides a snapshot of police staff at the end of the quarter.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-04677 on 24 November 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Governance of the Police Service of Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority, as established in the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 with cross-party support.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to use its powers to direct the Scottish Police Authority under Section 5 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act in relation to this matter. The Scottish Government would encourage all members to participate in local engagement activity being led by Divisional Commanders in relevant areas.

Governance of the Police Service of Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), as established in the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 with cross-party support.

The SPA approved the Police Scotland Estate Strategy on 24 June 2015.

The Scottish Government continually engages with Diageo as an important Scottish employer. We have provided the following support to Diageo Scotland Plc over the past five years, through our enterprise and skills bodies.

Over the past five years, Scottish Enterprise (SE) has provided £157,318 in financial support to Diageo Scotland Plc. Of this funding, £47,952 supported Manufacturing Excellence projects across Diageo’s Scottish operations. £6,900 of the funding provided support towards an HR development project. The remaining £102,466 of the funding was provided towards 13 Graduate projects across Edinburgh Park, Menstrie and Shieldhall. SE’s Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service has also undertaken eight process reviews and delivered eight project days at the company’s sites in Shieldhall, Renfrew and Leven to deliver efficiency savings on site. Diageo has paid the full rate for the SMAS services provided.

Over the past five years, Highlands and Islands Enterprise have not provided any financial support to Diageo Scotland Plc. However, Highlands and Islands Enterprise are actively engaged with the company on improving broadband connectivity in remote areas, and rural where Diageo’s distilleries are based, as part of its broader support for investment in digital connectivity in those areas.

Skills Development Scotland have not provided any financial support to Diageo in the last five years. They have however worked closely with the Diageo team in driving forward their Youth Strategy through improving their ability to recruit more Modern Apprentices, streamlining their training provider relationships; advising them on how to get maximum value out of their provider contracts and supporting them in potentially becoming a provider themselves.