I hope I am not a grumpy old man.

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any increased risk to public safety resulting from industrial action by the Scottish Police Federation. (S6T-02168)

The Scottish Government greatly values the dedication shown by police officers and, in recognition of that, we have made a very fair offer of a 4.75 per cent pay rise. That above-inflation offer is the same as was awarded to police officers in England and Wales and is the maximum offer affordable, given the severe pressures on public finances. Officers in Scotland have consistently been the best paid in the United Kingdom and our offer would ensure that that remains the case.

I am disappointed that the Scottish Police Federation has asked its members to withdraw good will while the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland continues to progress the claim through its conciliation and arbitration process. In the meantime, I have been assured by the chief constable and by the chair of the Scottish Police Authority that plans are in place to manage the impact of the action.

I hope that the cabinet secretary will forgive me if I am not reassured by the one sentence at the end of her answer that responded to my specific question.

This is a monumental mess of the Scottish National Party’s own making. Morale is at rock bottom in Police Scotland, good will is gone and, starved of resources by the SNP Government, the thin blue line is stretched to breaking point. David Kennedy’s letter of 30 October is a cry of despair on behalf of his members.

The action now being taken by the SPF will see a massive increase in overtime payments and huge gaps in cover. Public safety must always be the primary responsibility of any Government. Does the cabinet secretary accept that this SNP Government is failing in that duty?

I say with respect to Mr Kerr that Scotland remains a safer place today, under this Government, than under any of our predecessors. For the record, we have made a very fair offer of 4.75 per cent.

I point to the fact that this Government has increased investment in policing in every year since 2016 and that that has contributed to a police force that we are all proud of.

Once again, there is not much reassurance on the issue of public safety, given the gaps that there will now be in that very thin blue line. We have the lowest number of front-line police officers since 2007 and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland reported yesterday on the impact of the overall reduction in officer numbers.

That matters. Police officers are leaving the service at the first opportunity, stress-related absence is at an all-time high and shift safety levels are routinely ignored. It is embarrassing that the industrial action by police officers is happening when Scotland is hosting the International Criminal Police Organization—Interpol—in Glasgow.

What will the cabinet secretary do now to fix that mess of the SNP’s own making?

It is important to stress to Mr Kerr, and to Parliament, that negotiations continue. Nonetheless, I sought specific reassurances from both the chief constable and the chair of the Scottish Police Authority about what impact the withdrawal of good will would have and how that would be managed.

Thanks to this Government, investment in policing in this financial year has increased by £92 million. That is an increase of in excess of 5 per cent at a time when the consequences of Tory austerity have been very real. I am very pleased to inform Parliament that police numbers are once again rising. That is, of course, thanks to the record level of investment from this Government.

I note the cabinet secretary’s confirmation that the pay claims continue to be progressed through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland. Will she further explain the two separate processes for police pay and say whether any pay offer will be backdated?

Police officer pay is negotiated through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, involving the Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government. Police staff pay negotiations take place through the joint negotiating consultative committee, with the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland negotiating with the trade unions. Those formal structures are important. They provide police officers and staff in Scotland with a collective pay bargaining process and, as I have intimated, that process remains on-going. Once agreement is reached, that is backdated.