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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: S5W-23705

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 18 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21383 by Clare Haughey on 21 February 2019, what the estimated timeline is, broken down by quarter, for it fulfilling the commitment in its Mental Health Strategy to hire 800 additional mental health professionals, and what it estimates the final proportional allocation will be, broken down by (a) A&E, (b) custody suite, (c) GP, (d) prison and (e) other settings.

We expect to have over 800 additional mental health workers within the key settings of this commitment by 2022.

As part of the Reporting Framework with Integration Authorities, we receive quarterly updates from them which form the basis of the national update provided on the Scottish Government website.

As planning around workforce evolves and can change for a variety of reasons, it would therefore not be appropriate to set out a final allocation per setting in advance of 2022.

Question reference: S5T-01718

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly agreed with the SPFL to keep information regarding the extent of sectarianism at football confidential, and whether it will publish this data.

Question reference: S5O-03383

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides for college students regarding fees encountered for starting a course and then withdrawing.

Question reference: S5O-03351

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the provision of mental health services in Orkney.

Question reference: S5W-22719

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20504 by Humza Yousaf on 8 January 2019, whether it will provide the same data for (a) January, (b) February, (c) March and (d) April 2019.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

The following tables provide a breakdown of the average occupancy, design capacity and occupancy rate at each Scottish prison in 2019.

SPS has a responsibility to accommodate those sent to us by the courts. The data shows the occupancy levels of each prison when measured against design capacity. The design capacity and operational capacity of prisons are different and can change for reasons of policy, maintenance and changing operational requirements.

January 2019 (Average Prison Population = 7924)

Prison	Average Occupancy	Design Capacity	Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	701	702	99.89%
Barlinnie	1400	987	141.86%
Cornton Vale	88	114	77.25%
Dumfries	191	176	108.36%
Edinburgh	907	867	104.62%
Glenochil	702	668	105.03%
Grampian	452	552	81.83%
Greenock	224	238	94.24%
Inverness	117	93	126.08%
Kilmarnock	503	501	100.37%
Low Moss	776	784	98.97%
Open Estate	171	284	60.32%
Perth	698	631	110.67%
Polmont	456	758	60.20%
Shotts	537	538	99.90%

February 2019 (Average Prison Population = 7999)

Prison	Average Occupancy	Design Capacity	Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	699	702	99.61%
Barlinnie	1435	987	145.42%
Cornton Vale	86	114	75.09%
Dumfries	190	176	108.04%
Edinburgh	918	867	105.91%
Glenochil	727	668	108.84%
Grampian	459	552	83.20%
Greenock	218	238	91.48%
Inverness	123	93	132.26%
Kilmarnock	501	501	100.09%
Low Moss	776	784	99.04%
Open Estate	175	284	61.58%
Perth	701	631	111.07%
Polmont	458	758	60.47%
Shotts	532	538	98.80%

March 2019 (Average Prison Population = 8101)

Name	Average Occupancy	Design Capacity	Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	701	702	99.88%
Barlinnie	1441	987	146.01%
Cornton Vale	95	114	83.64%
Dumfries	191	176	108.67%
Edinburgh	918	867	105.85%
Glenochil	738	668	110.53%
Grampian	462	552	83.66%
Greenock	214	238	89.78%
Inverness	121	93	129.90%
Kilmarnock	538	501	107.33%
Low Moss	781	784	99.66%
Open Estate	183	284	64.57%
Perth	709	631	112.36%
Polmont	470	758	62.07%
Shotts	538	538	99.91%

April 2019 (Average Prison Population to 26 April 2019 = 8186)

Name	Average Occupancy	Design Capacity	Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	700	702	99.72%
Barlinnie	1449	987	146.79%
Cornton Vale	97	114	84.74%
Dumfries	194	176	110.45%
Edinburgh	920	867	106.17%
Glenochil	737	668	110.28%
Grampian	451	552	81.70%
Greenock	215	238	90.43%
Inverness	124	93	133.38%
Kilmarnock	593	501	118.46%
Low Moss	782	784	99.78%
Open Estate	194	284	68.48%
Perth	705	631	111.75%
Polmont	480	758	63.38%
Shotts	538	538	100.01%

Question reference: S5W-22717

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the recommendations in the report, Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland: review of implementation, should have led to Police Scotland making sectarian a mandatory marker for crime reporting and recording.

Professor Morrow’s report recommended that a review of hate crime legislation should consider how sectarianism and sectarian incidents could be integrated into a more general approach.

Following the Justice Committee’s recommendation, in January 2018, that a definition of sectarianism in Scot’s law should be considered, a working group was set up. The group reported in November 2018 and concluded that a sectarian statutory aggravation should be introduced along with a definition in Scots law. The group’s conclusions were included for all interested parties and individuals to comment within the hate Crime consultation, which closed in February 2019.

No decisions on establishing a statutory aggravation for sectarianism will be taken until the consultation submissions are fully analysed and considered.

Question reference: S5W-22715

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has implemented the recommendations in the report, Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland: review of implementation, and whether it will provide a progress report on each recommendation.

Professor Morrow’s review itself provided an excellent independent evaluation of the progress that the Scottish Government and its partners have made in implementing the recommendations from the Advisory Group’s report – and, as such, the Scottish Government currently has no plans to publish a further evaluation.

The review highlighted the progress that has been made particularly in areas such as education, training and the mainstreaming of anti-sectarian messages. The review – which remains live and continues to form the basis of our work on this issue - also emphasised that more is still to be done to tackle sectarianism by a range of organisations, institutions and sectors across Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-22718

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15871 by Michael Matheson on 8 May 2018, whether it will provide the equivalent figures for (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19.

The available information is provided in the following table, which has been produced from the Scottish Government’s criminal proceedings database .

Please note: Information for 2018-19 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2018-19 Statistical Bulletin. This is due to be published in December 2019.

The dates of all Scottish Government Official and National Statistics publications are pre-announced, and the up to date list of future publications can be found at: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/ForthcomingPubs

People convicted for possession of drugs1, by drug type and main penalty, 2017-18.

		2017-18
Heroin	Total	1,046
	Custody²	99
	Community payback order	151
	DTTO	26
	Fine	484
	Other	286
Cocaine	Total	853
	Custody²	20
	Community payback order	84
	DTTO	4
	Fine	601
	Other³	144
Cannabis	Total	1,096
	Custody²	31
	Community payback order	110
	DTTO	3
	Fine	599
	Other³	353
Amphetamines	Total	50
	Custody²	1
	Community payback order	6
	Fine	31
	Other³	12
Ecstasy	Total	127
	Community payback order	10
	Fine	88
	Other³	29
Other	Total	432
	Custody²	27
	Community payback order	44
	DTTO	4
	Fine	225
	Other³	132
Total convictions		3,604

1. Where main charge.

2. Includes prison, YOI, supervised release order, extended sentence, order for life-long restriction.

3. Includes restriction of liberty order, community service order, probation and other community sentences, supervised attendance order, admonition, court cautions, dog disposals, absolute discharge, no order made, remit to children's hearing, insanity, hospital, guardianship order.

The criminal proceedings database does not include information on whether community payback orders include a drug treatment requirement.

Question reference: S5W-22716

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in the report, Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland: review of implementation, that “a baseline study to enable a monitoring framework should be established by agreement with the Scottish Government, the football authorities, Police Scotland and other relevant stakeholders”, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) a copy of the baseline study, the monitoring framework and the annual outcomes of monitoring and evaluation.

Following discussions with the Scottish FA, SPFL, Police Scotland and other stakeholders, the football authorities agreed to collate data on unacceptable conduct in Scottish football for the first time from the start of season 2017-18.

This data provides a baseline for the ongoing monitoring of unacceptable conduct by the football authorities.

This information is shared with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland in confidence, at the request of the football authorities.

Question reference: S5W-22667

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 15 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21528 by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019, what discussions it has had with the chief constable regarding the findings in DCC Taylor's report, and whether it will publish the outcome of these (a) discussions and (b) findings.