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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-39077

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the new Police Scotland Interim Guidance - Searching of transgender persons and searching by transgender police officers and police staff, including that transgender detainees can ask for a separate area search, meaning that one half of their body will be searched by one biological sex officer and the other half of their body will be searched by a different biological sex officer.

The Scottish Government accepts the recent Supreme Court judgment on the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 and expects all public bodies, including Police Scotland, to comply fully with their legal duties. The Scottish Government is aware of Police Scotland’s interim guidance, which broadly follows the interim guidance issued by the National Police Chief’s Council. While operational decisions rest with the Chief Constable, all search practices must be lawful, respectful, and uphold the dignity of individuals.

Question reference: S6W-39011

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for public confidence in local policing having reportedly fallen, following the publication of the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2023/24 results on 10 June 2025, which found that less than half of adults believed that police in their local area were doing an "excellent" or "good" job, compared with 61% the previous year.

There are a complex range of factors and influences behind confidence in policing in Scotland.

However, it would be remiss not to acknowledge the findings of the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2023-24, including those on public trust in policing is falling. Confidence in our police service is vital for a safe and just Scotland, but recent trends mirror those in England and Wales over the same period, suggesting the issues involved may not be solely specific to Scotland.

Police Scotland are already taking steps to respond – from strengthening community policing to improving how they engage with victims and local communities. That work is backed by record investment of £1.64 billion this year.

Question reference: S6W-39008

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is engaged in to address the increase of 16% in shoplifting incidents recorded in 2024-25 compared with 2023-24, and how it will work with local authorities to protect retailers and their staff.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant impact of shoplifting and retail crime on victims.

Our budget for 2025-26 includes an additional £3 million for Police Scotland to work in partnership with the retail sector to help tackle retail crime.

Furthermore, the government continues to back the Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime (SPAACE), led by Police Scotland alongside retailers and organisations like Retailers Against Crime and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland. The strategy focuses on prevention, deterrence, and enforcement, aiming to reduce crime opportunities, protect businesses and individuals, and provide clear prevention guidance.

Question reference: S6W-38790

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the increase in employer national insurance contributions from April 2025, whether it will provide additional funding to Police Scotland in the financial year 2025-26 to mitigate the impact of this increase, and, if so, how much extra funding it will provide.

The UK Government’s failure to fully fund their increase to employer National Insurance contributions has left Scotland’s public services, including Police Scotland, with a total bill running into hundreds of millions of pounds which will undermine investment in the Scottish Government’s priorities.

Despite this, we are providing an additional £15.2 million in-year funding to support the impact on Police Scotland, as part of the record £1.64 billion investment in policing in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6T-02606

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that there were almost 30,000 breaches of community payback orders in the last 11 years.

Question reference: S6W-38458

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 20 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to establishing youth education programmes raising awareness about retail crime.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant impact that retail crime can have on businesses, employees, and communities. We are committed to working in partnership with relevant sectors to prevent offending and raise awareness of young people about the consequences of such behaviour.

While there is currently no standalone national youth education programme specifically focused on retail crime, this issue is addressed within broader preventative and educational initiatives. These include community safety programmes delivered through schools, Police Scotland’s Campus Officer’s and partnerships between local authorities, third sector organisations, and community policing teams.

More widely, the Scottish Governments Youth Justice Vision 2024-2026 promotes early and effective intervention, diversion from prosecution and a preventative approach to youth offending. This framework supports local and national initiatives that raise awareness about the harms caused by offending – including shoplifting and retail-related antisocial behaviour and encourages positive decision making among young people.

The Government continues to consider how best to strengthen preventative education and is open to exploring opportunities to incorporate greater focus on retail crime within existing programmes. We are also working with stakeholders across justice, education, and business sectors to identify effective approaches to tackling the root causes of such behaviour.

Question reference: S6W-38457

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many offenders with electronic tags have breached their orders in the past five years.

You asked about how many offenders with electronic tags have breached their orders in the past five years.

In answering your question, we have taken this to mean orders of the court (as opposed to those monitored on a release licence) and by offenders, we have taken that to mean those convicted, so not those monitored on electronically monitored bail.

In the following tables, data on all restriction of liberty orders (RLOs) and community payback orders (CPOs) and drug testing and treatment orders (DTTOs) which have an electronically monitored restricted movement requirement imposed since April 2020 is provided. The data set out below shows “status at order end”, either: revoked or expired. This is what is known by the Scottish Government at the time of order end, as the decision making on whether something is an established breach of an order, sits with the court.

Compliance with an order is reported back by the monitoring provider to a court, and the court then determines what actions they wish to take in relation to that order, which may include continuing, varying or revoking that order, including to impose a further order or an alternative disposal such as custody.

An order can be revoked by the issuing court for a number of reasons including: on appeal, on breach of a concurrent order, because a new offence had been committed or a breach of an order has occurred.

The category of “expired” orders, includes orders where the outcome of any court consideration may not yet be known at the point the order ends. It will also include orders that were not being actively monitored at order end. Active monitoring could cease for reasons including: absence of the monitored person without consent, householder consent to monitor at that address being withdrawn or as the individual is otherwise absent for example they are already in custody or are in hospital.

Revoked Orders April 2020 to March 2025

Order Type	April 2020 to March 2021	April 2021 to March 2022	April 2022 to March 2023	April 2023 to March 2024	April 2024 to March 2025
RLO	192	309	317	349	485
CPO	0	0	x	16	30
DTTO	0	0	0	0	0

Expired Orders April 2020 to March 2025

Order Type	April 2020 to March 2021	April 2021 to March 2022	April 2022 to March 2023	April 2023 to March 2024	April 2024 to March 2025
RLO	327	505	480	540	618
CPO	0	0	13	35	76
DTTO	0	0	x	0	0

Orders Imposed April 2020 to March 2025

	April 2020 to March 2021	April 2021 to March 2022	April 2022 to March 2023	April 2023 to March 2024	April 2024 to March 2025
Total number of orders imposed*	3,103	3,519	3,869	4,061	4,782
% of Revoked and Expired orders*	17**	23	21	23	24

* RLO, CPO and DTTO

** The number of revoked and expired orders during 2021-22 may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notes

Some figures are not be able to be disclosed due to small numbers (less than five). These are marked with ‘x’.

These numbers are drawn from management information held by the service provider, G4S.

We are unable to provide information in relation to movement restriction conditions (MRC) which are issued by the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration in respect of a young person. This is because these conditions are not solely used in relation to offending behaviour. MRCs are measures put in place as part of a care order, rather than an alternative to custody.

Question reference: S6W-38521

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the private company that expressed interest in taking on the Tarbolton Moss landfill site, and whether any outcomes or next steps have been identified from any such engagement.

Question reference: S6W-38519

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what lessons have been learned from the Tarbolton Moss case to inform future policy on the management and remediation of abandoned landfill sites.

There are provisions in the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 and the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003 to require companies to make adequate financial provisions for landfill aftercare and this requirement is also included in the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendments Regulations 2025. However, in the case of Tarbolton Moss the company was dissolved without any such funds remaining.

Officials continue to work with SEPA to understand how this occurred to ensure that the risk for similar future scenarios is minimised.

Furthermore, to minimise risk of further site abandonment, we will continue to work closely with local authorities and commercial operators to examine challenges faced before the commencement of the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste on 31 December 2025.

Question reference: S6W-38520

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what specific steps are being taken to address the reported ongoing issue of land ownership at Tarbolton Moss landfill site.