Meeting of the Parliament 26 June 2024
I thank the member for his interest in the issue. The issue that he raises is not specific to Aberdeenshire; there are challenges in Highland Council and a number of other rural parts of the country. I have worked closely with officials in Aberdeenshire Council and elected members who are in the member’s party to provide support. For example, this year, we have been able to increase the number of probationers allocated to that area, and the local authority welcomed that in my engagement with it.
More broadly, as the member knows, in answering recent parliamentary questions, I have said that I am keen to look at the probationer scheme and how it is supporting local authorities such as Aberdeenshire Council. We know that, post-pandemic, many probationers are opting not to tick the box to go anywhere—there is a reticence to do that. We need to look again at the probationer scheme, which is fully funded by the Scottish Government, and ensure that it is better meeting the needs of local authorities such as the member’s.