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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.

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Question reference: S6W-11684

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the existence and activities of a so-called "110 Overseas" centre in Glasgow, which, according to a report by the Spain-based human rights NGO, Safeguard Defenders, operates as a branch of the Chinese police service.

As the First Minister indicated in Parliament on 27 October, she was aware of the report and stated “that those reports are deeply concerning, and I want to be very clear that we take them extremely seriously. Any foreign country that operates in Scotland must abide by Scottish law. The Scottish Government fully supports individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, which is an extremely important principle".

The First Minister went on to say: "Obviously, those matters require to be fully and properly investigated. It would not be appropriate for me to go into too much detail, but I know, as a result of a conversation that I had yesterday with the Chief Constable, that the police are aware of those reports. Of course, the police are operationally independent, and it is up to them to determine what investigations would be appropriate. However, they are aware of those reports, and I repeat that those reports require to be treated extremely seriously.”

Question reference: S6O-01509

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to withhold farming payments from convicted criminals.

Question reference: S6W-11031

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any (a) internal and (b) external communications involving Scottish Ministers and officials regarding the functions and activities of Fitness for Judicial Office Tribunal proceedings that have taken place in Scotland under the procedure set out in the Act of Sederunt (Fitness for Judicial Office Tribunal Rules) 2015.

To date, there have been two Fitness for Judicial Office tribunals in Scotland. Both remain ongoing.

The Court Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 sets out that the First Minister, must, if requested to do so by the Lord President, constitute a Fitness for Judicial Office tribunal. Once constituted, under the Act of Sederunt (Fitness for Judicial Office Tribunal Rules) 2015, the process and procedure of the tribunal is a matter for the Lord President and the Chair of the tribunal and not Scottish Ministers.

Once the tribunal have made their decision, the First Minister will lay the tribunal’s report before the Scottish Parliament. Until such a time, it would not be appropriate to provide further details relating to these tribunals as the process is ongoing.

Question reference: S6W-11030

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any discussions involving Scottish Ministers or officials that may have taken place regarding the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019 in relation to the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry.

Question reference: S6W-11027

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in response to the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019.

Question reference: S6W-11029

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any meetings, correspondence and other communications between Scottish Ministers, officials and any members of the judiciary, including the current Lord President, in respect of the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019.

Question reference: S6W-11026

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which Scottish Ministers, including the current and former Lord Advocates, have had sight of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019.

Question reference: S6W-11028

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether any Scottish Ministers or officials, having been made aware of the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019, contacted Police Scotland, and, if this is the case, whether it will provide details of any such contact.

Question reference: S6W-10803

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 29 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to introduce commencement regulations for the fireworks licensing scheme, as set out in the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022.

The Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 was passed by the Scottish Parliament in June of this year and received Royal Assent on 10 August.

Firework licensing, Part 2 of the Act, will require further secondary legislation, as well as development of an appropriate licensing system, and therefore will not be in place until late 2023/early 2024 at the earliest. Commencement regulations will be introduced in advance of the system being operational.

Question reference: S6W-10204

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland's (HMICS) Assurance Review of Police Scotland Strategic Workforce Planning, including in particular the recommendation that "the Scottish Government, SPA and Police Scotland should collectively cease to use 17,234 officers as a target and focus instead on developing a workforce based on the skillset and mix required to meet the current and future challenges for policing in Scotland".

The Scottish Government welcomes the recommendations made in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland’s (HMICS) Assurance Review of Police Scotland Strategic Workforce Planning. I look forward to discussing the recommendations with both Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

The recruitment and deployment of police officers and staff in Scotland is a matter for the Chief Constable, who along with the Scottish Police Authority, will continue to ensure the capability and capacity of Police Scotland to improve and maintain the safety and wellbeing of people, places and communities in Scotland.