Civil emergency whole system preparedness: 2025 report

Ministerial Foreword

Emergencies have the potential to bring about damage and disruption to society and our way of life, whether that be severe weather events, cyber-attacks, or pandemics. In recent years, Scotland has been impacted by several of these types of crises. No government can prevent emergencies from occurring entirely, but it is vital that we are as prepared as possible for these inevitable challenges.

As we move through a period of increasing instability, we must recognise that the risks we face are changing, particularly as our reliance on technology increases and we continue to experience the impacts of climate change. Weather is becoming more variable and unpredictable with winds during Storm Éowyn and Storm Floris leaving hundreds of thousands of homes in Scotland without power. Major cyber-attacks against businesses and public services are an increasingly regular occurrence and have the potential to significantly disrupt our way of life. The warm and dry spring and summer of 2025 has brought some of Scotland’s largest and most extreme wildfires. The threat landscape facing Scotland is changing, and we must ensure we are prepared for both conventional emergencies and the new threats that are emerging from our increasingly volatile global landscape.

I support and recognise the importance of reporting on the risks that Scotland faces. There is significant value in increasing transparency around the actions that government is taking to improve awareness of these risks, how these risks may impact people, and how we, the Scottish Government can make improvements to systems and processes to deal with risks effectively.

However, we must not be complacent, we must aim to continually improve resilience in Scotland. Therefore, this report and future reports will set out the changes that we have already introduced, and the changes that are underway, to improve the Scottish Resilience landscape.

It is also important to acknowledge that this work would not be possible without the support and involvement of our categorised responders, such as the blue light services, health boards, local authorities and other organisations such as the voluntary and community sector. All these organisations play a key role in preparing for and responding to emergencies.

Scottish Government has taken a positive step forward in continuing to assess, prepare for, and respond to the risks which face our country. We will continue to review and refresh our approaches, ensuring Scotland can become an even more resilient nation.

Angela Constance MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs