MSPs have warned of “unacceptable cuts” unless the Scottish government finds an extra £400 million for justice services in next month’s Budget.

In a “stark assessment,” Holyrood’s criminal justice committee considered the effects of a flat settlement, maintaining the same funding in cash terms from April as was allocated for 2025-26 in its latest report.

Looking at Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), the committee found that they “achieved nearly £1 billion in savings for the Scottish Budget” since they were formed back in 2013, but concluded that opportunities for further savings in those organisations were now “exhausted” and instead called for the “reinvestment of these achievements back into their future funding.”

The cross-party committee called for a 10 per cent increase to Police Scotland funding next year, taking its budget to over £1.7bn, and a 13 per cent increase to SFRS, boosting its funding to nearly £430m in 2026-27.

In the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), which has seen successive waves of early releases in an effort to cope with a record prison population, MSPs recommended an 18 per cent growth in the budget to £983.5m, while the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) should get a whopping 29 per cent increase to deal with backlogs, taking its funding to £183.6m.

Meanwhile, the committee recommended the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) content itself with a 3 per cent rise in funding to £244.1m.

Committee convenor and former police officer Audrey Nicol said: “The scenario facing the justice sector is gravely concerning and without additional funding of £400 million it will face unacceptable cuts to front-line services.

Accepting there were “no easy answers” on funding, she warned: “It is clear that a crucial limit has now been reached in terms of funding and resources.

“Put simply, a flat cash settlement next year is not sufficient, and would lead to cuts and reductions to services which our committee cannot accept.”

A Scottish government spokesperson responded: “We appreciate the work of the Criminal Justice Committee in their pre-Budget scrutiny ahead of the Scottish Budget which will be published on January 13 2026.

“We provided a record amount for Police Scotland, the SFRS, the SPS and other agencies as part of the £4.2bn investment in the justice system in 2025-26.”