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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-31833

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of a convicted sex offender using a dating app to organise a date in which he subsequently sexually assaulted someone, what its position is on whether dating websites should be informed about persons on the sex offenders register, and what action it can take to facilitate this.

I cannot comment on the specifics of any individual case, however this Government is committed to doing all that it can to minimise the risks posed by those convicted of sexual offences. Scotland’s Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) manage the risks posed by such individuals. MAPPA “Responsible Authorities” can, and do, disclose information for the purpose of victim safety-planning and public protection.

In Scotland, disclosure of specific information about a registered sex offender can already take place legally in three ways:

the individual can self-disclose;
a public interest disclosure can be made by police;
and a disclosure can be made by social workers in relation to protection of children and vulnerable adults.

The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland gives men and women the right to ask Police Scotland about the background of a current or new partner if they are concerned about abusive behaviour.

There are no current plans to routinely make disclosure information available to online dating websites. That does not of course preclude those companies from taking any steps they feel are appropriate to protect users of their services, such as advising them of reasonable precautions they can take to keep themselves safe.

Question reference: S5W-30668

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 21 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the data it is using to commence quarantine checks for international arrivals in Scotland was not considered to be of sufficient quality on 22 June 2020.

Access issues resulted in delays to Public Health Scotland (PHS) colleagues being able to access data held by the Home Office. This was resolved by passenger arrival information being provided to PHS by the Home Office. PHS then take a sample of those passengers who are required to quarantine and pass the data to NHS National Services Scotland, which runs the National Contact Tracing Centre. The National Contact Tracing Centre contact a random sample in order to provide public health advice and support.

PHS advised that they first received access to this data on 29 June. The National Contact Tracing Centre began contacting individuals who arrived in the country from 22 June on 7 July. Almost 281,042 travellers have arrived in Scotland since the 22 June.

Although the contacting of individuals started later than planned, all the information governance arrangements between PHS and the Home Office are now in place, as are similar arrangements with Police Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-04614

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made with its commitment to recruit 850 extra teachers and around 200 additional support staff to help schools deal with the pressures arising from their reopening following the lockdown.

Question reference: S5W-31552

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 16 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it plans to administer the 2020 seasonal flu vaccine at drive-through centres.

Question reference: S5W-31551

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 16 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what methods of delivery it will use to administer the seasonal flu vaccine in 2020.

Responsibility for delivering the Seasonal Flu Vaccine in 2020/21 rests with Health Boards and Integration Authorities. This is a change from previous years, where GP practices, took the lead role in providing flu immunisations.

NHS Scotland Boards will therefore use the delivery model which is most suitable for their local circumstances, whilst maintaining a Covid-safe environment and maximising efficiency.

The seasonal flu vaccination will be administered by injection to adults, with nasal sprays being administered to children aged 2-5 (not yet at school) and primary school children.

Question reference: S5W-31550

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is planning to announce any additional funding for the NHS to tackle winter pressures in 2020.

Question reference: S5W-31456

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 11 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-24915 by Christina McKelvie on 12 September 2019, whether the remaining £500,000 of the £2 million it committed to provide to encourage victims of domestic or sexual abuse to come forward has now been allocated.

The additional £500,000 has now been allocated as part of a wider package of measures to sustain projects and support and respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, an additional £1.6 million has been allocated to support women and children experiencing domestic abuse and gender based violence, as well as £200,000 on a national campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse and encourage people to seek support. In addition, the Scottish Government has extended funding for services and projects supported through our Equally Safe Fund for an additional 15 months, to September 2021.

Question reference: S5W-31457

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on establishing an independently-chaired group to ensure that the technology used by Police Scotland is done so in an effective and ethical manner.

As I indicated in my letter of 1 September 2020 to the Sub-Committee on Policing, the need to address the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic has meant that some of the work the Scottish Government had hoped to progress over the first part of the year has inevitably been delayed.

The work to set up this independent reference group is one such area, but my officials have recently revived this workstream and I am pleased to be able to report that Dr. Elizabeth Aston, Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research and Associate Professor of Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University, has agreed to take on the role of Chair.

With Dr. Aston in place my officials anticipate that the first substantive meeting of the Group will take place in the next few months, and I have undertaken to update the Sub-Committee with details of the final remit and membership of the Group once they have been agreed with her.

Question reference: S5W-31459

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government which parts of the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 have been used to strengthen the Home Detention Curfew regime.

Regulations were laid in parliament which commenced a number of legislative provisions contained within the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 on 11 October 2019. Several of these provisions related to Home Detention Curfew (HDC).

Specifically, sections of the Act were commenced which introduced new powers of recall from HDC for the Scottish Prison Service. The Act introduced and commenced the offence of remaining unlawfully at large, as recommended by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS). We have also commenced additional powers for the Police to apprehend those who remain unlawfully at large. The Act also now provides for a common legislative basis for the sharing of information prior to HDC release (between SPS, Local Authorities, Police Scotland and the Scottish Courts & Tribunal Service).

Full details of the commencement order are available here:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2019/309/made

Question reference: S5W-31458

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on reviewing the process used to develop and publish the criminal justice bodies’ annual standards of service for victims and witnesses.

A formal process of engagement on the development of the criminal justice organisations’ annual standards of service for victims and witnesses has been agreed between the organisations and the Victims’ Organisations Collaboration Forum Scotland (VOCFS), which is chaired by Victim Support Scotland and includes Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid, amongst others. This work is overseen by the Victims Taskforce.

The criminal justice organisations are committed to engaging with VOCFS after the standards of service are published in the spring. This provides an opportunity to obtain feedback on both the standards of service and the annual report and discuss how best to highlight the standards to victims and witnesses and disseminate them amongst partner organisations.

The criminal justice organisations are also committed to developing a 6-month update on delivery of the standards of service in the autumn and engaging with VOCFS to discuss the update and seek views on key issues the standards should focus on in the following year.

In addition, a stakeholder workshop, to review the standards in more detail, was planned for spring 2020, however this was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We will work with partners to find a suitable date to reconvene this workshop ahead of the development of the standards of service for 2021-22.