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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-01347

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 08 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 2 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have (a) accessed and (b) successfully completed the government-supported SACRO diversion from prosecution programmes in each of the last five years, broken down by age.

The Scottish Government is committed to keeping people out of the criminal justice system whenever possible. Diversionary schemes are designed to prevent the re-occurrence of offending through early or intensive intervention outwith court. Decisions to refer an accused to a diversion scheme are taken by prosecutors after full consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case reported by the Police.

The Scottish Government supported Sacro Anti-Sectarian Services (SASS) diversion from prosecution programme was developed in late 2013 and began working with referrals in May 2014. The service is open to a wide range of organisations to make referrals although participation is voluntary, and if the client decides against participation the matter is returned to the referring body. If this is a Procurator Fiscal, Sheriff or Early and Effective Intervention team then the client may face prosecution or another disposal. I will be seeking a meeting with the Lord Advocate in the near future to further discuss the diversionary approach.

Data provided to the Scottish Government by Sacro shows the number of people that have accessed and completed the diversion programme.

2014 - 2015

Age of participant	Accessed Sacro programme	Completed Sacro programme
<16	1	1
16-20	4	2
21-30	3	3
31-40	2	2
41-50	1	1
>50	1	1
Totals	12	10

2015 - 2016

Age of participant	Accessed Sacro programme	Completed Sacro programme
<16	1	1
16-20	4	4
21-30	1	1
31-40	5	4
41-50	-	-
>50	2	2
Totals	13	12

2016 - Present date

Age of participant	Accessed Sacro programme	Completed Sacro programme
<16	5	5
16-20	2	(1 on-going)
21-30	1	(1 on-going)
31-40	1	(1 on-going)
41-50	-	-
>50	-	-
Totals	9	5

Question reference: S5W-01432

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what operational disruption will be caused to ICT users as a result of the cancellation of the i6 contract between Police Scotland and Accenture.

Question reference: S5W-01428

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the cancellation of the i6 contract between Police Scotland and Accenture will have on (a) plans to reduce and detect crime and protect vulnerable people, (b) the restructuring and development of Police Scotland as a national police force, (c) plans to improve support for operational analysis and performance reporting and (d) plans to revamp Police Scotland’s ICT, and whether there will be a revaluation of efficiency savings.

Question reference: S5W-01322

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 26 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to protect the status of EU citizens in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is exploring all options to protect Scotland’s relationship with the European Union, which includes the right of all EU citizens resident here to continue to live and work freely in this country.

The First Minister has made representations to the UK Government, seeking assurances that the immigration status and rights of EU nationals currently living in Scotland will not change in the future.

The Scottish Government welcomes those EU nationals who have chosen to make Scotland their home and who make an important and valuable contribution to our economy and society. The First Minister wrote an open letter to EU nationals living in Scotland, reiterating her belief that EU citizens’ treaty rights should be upheld and guaranteed for the longer term. Universities Scotland and the Scottish Government have published a joint statement reassuring EU students already studying in Scotland or commencing their studies in the coming months, that they will continue to benefit from free tuition and associated support for the duration of their course.

Question reference: S5W-01344

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 08 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 22 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to paragraph 2.14 of the Annual Report of the Chief Surveillance Commissioner to the Prime Minister and to the Scottish Ministers for 2015-2016, whether the appointment of the Scotland-based Commissioner has been made.

Question reference: S5W-01345

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 08 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 22 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government on what occasions between 2011 and 2016 it met the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and what was discussed.

Question reference: S5W-01346

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 08 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 22 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment in paragraph 5.28 of the Annual Report of the Chief Surveillance Commissioner to the Prime Minister and to the Scottish Ministers for 2015-2016, that “We are concerned that one police force in the United Kingdom finds itself in a different position to its counterparts across the border,” [in relation to authorisation for covert activities for the purposes of identifying any source of journalistic material] what steps have been taken to review the impact of differing procedures across the UK.

Question reference: S5W-01026

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many children under the age of 16 were detained in custody and held overnight in cells during (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16, broken down by (i) Police Scotland division, (ii) age and (iii) how long each child was held for.

Question reference: S5W-01025

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that Police Scotland should, for the purpose of scrutiny, routinely collect data regarding the detention of children under the age of 16 overnight in cells.

Question reference: S5W-01028

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is Police Scotland procedure to detain in custody children under the age of 16 overnight in cells and under what circumstances this would occur.

Children will only be kept in police custody as a last resort.

When very minor crimes are committed it is common for children not to be taken to a custody centre but rather taken home and, if deemed necessary, cautioned and charged in front of their parents/carers. If a child has been charged with an offence and the police decide not to release them, they must be kept in a place of safety. Only in extreme circumstances would they be kept in a police station after they have been charged. Such circumstances are prescribed in section 43 the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995.