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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: S6O-03030

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to prevent drugs being smuggled into prisons.

Question reference: S6O-03018

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the statistics that it has published on criminal justice social work for 2022-23.

Question reference: S6O-02899

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the sale of low-welfare pets ahead of the Christmas period.

Question reference: S6W-23526

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any engagement that it has had with any organisations on the use of remote alcohol monitoring (RAM) technology within the justice system.

Question reference: S6W-23525

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the use of remote alcohol monitoring (RAM) technology within the justice system.

The Scottish Government is committed to expanding electronic monitoring use across a broader range of licences and community orders, including exploring use of remote alcohol monitoring as provided for by the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019.

A new national contract for electronic monitoring was procured in 2020 that would allow for use of new technologies. In May 2022, provisions in the 2019 Act were commenced to allow electronic monitoring as part of bail and to allow electronic monitoring with Community Payback Orders at first disposal.

As work continues to embed these recent changes, we are now engaging with justice partners to explore the potential uses of new technologies, including remote substance monitoring technologies.

Question reference: S6W-23251

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide all financial analysis that was undertaken in relation to its 2019 announcement to transfer HMP Kilmarnock into public ownership in 2024.

The 25-year contract for HMP Kilmarnock under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for a privately constructed and operationally managed prison expires on 16 March 2024. The decision to bring HMP Kilmarnock into public management and ownership and not to tender for a new private contract was taken in 2021. This is in line with Scottish Government policy that prisons should be owned and managed by the public sector, which has been in place since 2007.

The cost of private sector prison contracts depend on the market conditions at that particular point in time and in order to establish the cost of a new private sector contract for HMP Kilmarnock from 2024 this would have to be put out to tender. In line with Government’s long-running policy on private prisons the decision was made not to put it out to tender.

SPS is working to agree proposals for a transitional operating model, and a target operating model, which is to be adopted within the first year of the prison transferring to the public sector.

Question reference: S6W-23358

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it first became aware of the Chief Constable of Police Scotland’s reported 120-mile journey from Edinburgh to Durham in a police vehicle driven by an on-duty police officer.

Scottish Government officials were notified about this matter by the Scottish Police Authority on the 1st November 2023. This was for information only as the governance and scrutiny of Police Scotland is for the Authority and not Ministers. No engagement with Police Scotland was required.

The Chair of the Authority has discussed this with the Chief Constable, who has apologised, and the SPA now considers the matter closed.

With regard to the assistance being provided to Police Scotland by Durham Constabulary, while this is an operational matter for the Chief Constable, it is good practice for police organisations to share their knowledge and experience. Police Scotland routinely collaborates and works in partnership with police forces across the UK, and beyond.

Question reference: S6W-23361

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide full details regarding the reported assistance being provided to Police Scotland by an assistant chief officer from Durham Constabulary.

Question reference: S6W-23359

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any discussions that it has had with the Scottish Police Authority regarding the Chief Constable of Police Scotland’s reported 120-mile journey in a police vehicle from Edinburgh to Durham.

Question reference: S6W-23002

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the full details of any payments that it has reportedly made towards the legal costs of Sheriff Jack Brown in relation to fitness for judicial office tribunal proceedings.

Sheriff Jack Brown is subject to ongoing Fitness for Judicial Office Tribunal proceedings. Under Section 23(6) of the Court Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, Scottish Ministers are obliged to pay such expenses as they consider are reasonably required to be incurred to enable a tribunal to carry out its functions. The Scottish Government will publish costs of the tribunal at the conclusion of the proceedings.