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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-36831

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish in full the reported internal review undertaken by the Scottish Qualifications Authority in relation to secure assessment materials being compromised, and what lessons will be learnt from this incident.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37086 on 6 May 2025.

Responsibility for any decisions on whether to publish the results of their investigation conducted in relation to the sharing of annotated materials is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-36853

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a breakdown of the average cost per bed per day of publicly funded care homes in each local authority area.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

The average cost per bed per day of publicly funded care home places is determined at the local authority level and reflects a range of factors including local commissioning arrangements, negotiated rates with care providers, and the specific care needs of individuals. As such, this data is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6W-37227

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its current plans are for the site of the former Braehead brickworks in Bargeddie, North Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S6W-37228

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its current plans are for the site of HMP Shotts.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

HMP Shotts was fully redeveloped and completed during 2013-14 at a cost of £93.1m. The establishment remains a valuable part of the SPS estate and delivers consistently high levels of care and support for those individuals who live there.

The land of the former prison site, which sits to the west of the current establishment, remains operational and is partly used for photovoltaic panels, reducing the establishment’s energy use.

SPS is currently in the process of assessing the future use of this area which includes methods to achieve a climate change journey to zero-direct emissions.

Question reference: S6W-36702

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many deaths in custody have occurred in each of the last five years, and how many of these were followed by internal disciplinary or criminal investigations.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Any death of an individual whilst is the care of SPS is a tragedy, irrespective of the cause. All deaths in custody are reported to the Procurator Fiscal and Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAI) are held in due course. Information on deaths in custody can be found on the SPS Website.

The number of deaths in custody over the past five calendar years is shown in the following table:

Year	Deaths in Custody
2024	64
2023	40
2022	44
2021	53
2020	34

Since 2020, a total of 16 internal gross misconduct investigations have been conducted in relation to matters thought to be connected to deaths within prison custody.

As the Member will be aware, any criminal investigation is a matter for Police Scotland, and as such SPS is unable to comment on the number of criminal investigations that may have been progressed.

Question reference: S6W-36701

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure full accountability and transparency in the governance of the Scottish Prison Service.

The Scottish Government ensures accountability and transparency in the governance of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) through the SPS Framework Document which was updated and published last year (2024). This includes the Chief Executive’s direct accountability to Scottish Ministers, financial and performance monitoring, ministerial oversight, and the role of the Portfolio Accountable Officer in overseeing the operational and financial performance of SPS.

The HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) plays a key role in holding SPS to account by reporting on prison conditions and the treatment of prisoners, with recommendations for improvement that must be considered and implemented by the SPS where required.

Question reference: S6W-37223

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its current plans are for the former RAF Dallachy site in Moray.

Dallachy Airfield is currently owned and managed by Crown Estate Scotland rather than the Scottish Government. Currently, there are a number of commercial leases in place at the site.

Crown Estate Scotland has submitted a Call for Ideas representation to Moray Council Planning Department for the airfield to be allocated as Industrial and Green Energy development land, as part of the Moray Local Development Plan 2027.

The Scottish Government are checking and reviewing the ownership details used for this site as it appears on the Vacant and Derelict Land Register and will update the register with any changes in due course.

Question reference: S6W-37225

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many properties it currently owns.

Question reference: S6W-37195

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what costs are associated with the implementation of the Single Scottish Estate Programme and how many staff have worked on it during the 2024-25 financial year.

Question reference: S6W-36965

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to enhance drone detection and interception capabilities across the prison estate.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6O-04558 on 23 April 2025. All answers to Oral Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Official Report: search what was said in Parliament | Scottish Parliament Website