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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-35412

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service regarding the number of police officers cited for court but not required to give evidence.

The citation of witnesses is a matter for the independent Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The Scottish Government is, however, supporting justice partners to drive reforms to improve our criminal justice system to make it more efficient and ensure that it works better for everyone.

That will include reducing the number of police witnesses who are required to attend court and reducing the length of time that cases take. It will also mean enabling more cases to be concluded earlier, and fewer victims and civil witnesses needing to come to court.

Two key programmes being rolled out across Scotland are the judicially led summary case management programme, which provides a new approach to summary criminal cases, and the digital evidence sharing capability programme, which allows digital evidence to be shared at the earliest opportunity including the evidence from Body Worn Video technology which is being rolled out by Police Scotland this year. It is anticipated that combined these will deliver benefits for both civil and professional witnesses.

Question reference: S6W-38104

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37624 by Kate Forbes on 22 May 2025, and in light of the detailed Project Willow report by EY-Parthenon, what its position is on whether Regional Growth Deals are necessary to enable the delivery of the nine projects identified in the Project Willow report, and for what reason it has "no current plans for any future growth deals".

Project Willow sets out a truly transformative future for Grangemouth and will be possible if the public and private sectors work together. The current 10 year Deal was signed in November 2024, so our focus is on delivering the Growth Deal, which commits £50 million of Scottish Government funding over ten years to projects in the area. The Deal will complement the aims of Project Willow and we will work with partners to progress both the Deal and Project Willow. As previously stated, there are no plans for a further Deal.

Question reference: S6W-38579

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many incidents of aggression or violence towards female teachers in schools have been recorded in the past five years.

Question reference: S6W-38578

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many older people are currently on waiting lists for a social care assessment.

Question reference: S6W-38577

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36873 by Neil Gray on 1 May 2025, whether it will provide an update on the programme of work being undertaken to understand and respond to the current financial viability pressures in the social care sector and the impact that this change will have, including any contingency plans that it has in place.

Question reference: S6W-38413

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many confiscation orders issued prior to 2016 remain unpaid in full or in part.

Data regarding confiscation orders is held by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS). SCTS publish the Courts Data Scotland bulletin on a quarterly basis, which provides national level information on confiscation order penalties currently going back to 2020-21. The latest publication can be found at https://scotcourts.gov.uk/media/puudlhmh/courts-data-scotland-fines-edition-64-workbook.xlsx

Question reference: S6W-38093

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported 600% increase in serious assaults by teenagers over the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-38414

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors compliance with confiscation orders, and whether this process is subject to independent audit.

Question reference: S6W-38412

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to recover the £5 million reportedly owed in unpaid confiscation orders.

Question reference: S6W-38417

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish an annual update on unpaid confiscation orders and any enforcement action taken.