Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 24 March 2026 [Draft]
24 Mar 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Topical Question Time
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Budget)
It is right that the service review is about the SFRS identifying the optimal service to keep communities across Scotland safe in the future by addressing changes in risk. The emergencies that the SFRS responds to have changed significantly over the years; for example, dwelling fires have reduced by more than 20 per cent since 2013. Statistics also show a 33 per cent reduction in non-fatal fire casualties between 2009-10 and 2023-24 and a 32 per cent reduction in fatal fire casualties over the same period. The SFRS chief officer would not make any changes to operations that would put the public at an unacceptable level of risk.
In the same item of business
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Con
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by the Fire Brigades Union that years of real-terms budget reductions have left the ...
The Minister for Victims and Community Safety (Siobhian Brown)
SNP
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Sharon Dowey
Con
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Siobhian Brown
SNP
It is right that the service review is about the SFRS identifying the optimal service to keep communities across Scotland safe in the future by addressing ch...
Sharon Dowey
Con
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Siobhian Brown
SNP
Absolutely not. I highlight to the member that the reduction in firefighter numbers since 2013 is not because of cuts. Forming a single national service allo...
Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
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Siobhian Brown
SNP
As I said to the other member, the chief officer has said that the service will not make any changes to operations that put the public at any unacceptable le...
Maggie Chapman (North East Scotland) (Green)
Green
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Siobhian Brown
SNP
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Ind
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Siobhian Brown
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