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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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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 3 August 2025
Answer status
Question type

Displaying 3514 questions Show Answers

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Question reference: S6W-30344

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported proposals from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, what its response is to reports that the Metropolitan Police's use of live facial recognition technology produced verifiably correct matches on only 19% of occasions and that this was still "exceeding" its "accuracy expectations".

Question reference: S6W-30325

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Police Scotland can sufficiently monitor the workings of live facial recognition systems, as proposed by the Chief Constable, in relation to any stereotyping or harmful assumptions, in light of the so-called black box problem affecting some AI systems.

Question reference: S6W-30327

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the live facial recognition systems that Police Scotland's Chief Constable has proposed deploying for law enforcement purposes could be used to corroborate other pieces of evidence in criminal proceedings.

Question reference: S6W-30308

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the potential behavioural impact on officers would be of the reported proposals from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to deploy live facial recognition technology for law enforcement purposes.

Question reference: S6W-30332

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards will be in place to minimise any incidences of wrongful arrests under the reported proposals by Police Scotland's Chief Constable to deploy live facial recognition for law enforcement purposes.

Question reference: S6W-30309

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the reported proposals from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to deploy live facial recognition technology for law enforcement purposes.

Question reference: S6W-30339

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported low incidence of violent and criminal behaviour among the public at large, what its understanding is regarding how the risk of base rate neglect will be factored into the operational use of live facial recognition technology, under the reported proposals by Police Scotland's Chief Constable.

Question reference: S6W-30324

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Police Scotland can sufficiently monitor the workings of live facial recognition systems, as proposed by the Chief Constable, in relation to any equalities impacts, in light of the so-called black box problem affecting some AI systems.

Question reference: S6W-30313

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any legal advice about the potential equalities impacts of using live facial recognition technology for law enforcement purposes, in light of the reported proposals from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-30330

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its understanding is regarding whether, under the reported proposals by the Chief Constable, Police Scotland would use live facial recognition only temporarily for major events, or whether permanent installations would be set up.