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I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-29998 on 13 July 2020 All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The introduction of in-cell telephony will provide important family contact as restrictions on visits are in place during the COVID19 pandemic. These changes are intended to remain in place after the outbreak so as to continue to maximise the contact that prisoners can have with their family and friends while detained in prison.

All mobile phones are individually allocated and registered to people in custody and must be returned upon liberation. Under Rule 62(10)a prisoner must return any authorised personal communication device in the prisoner’s possession to an officer where the officer orders the prisoner to do so. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary proceedings or the matter being reported to the police.

I refer the member to the answer provided for question S5W-30084 on 6 July 2020 which provides a comprehensive response in relation to the easing of restrictions around prison visits. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The mobile phones will operate with the same restricted security controls in place for the existing prisoner pin telephone system namely:

• the receiving party will be notified that the call originates from a Scottish Prison;
• the mobile phone can only call the phone numbers that are already on the individual’s call list. In addition, people in custody will be able to call the Samaritans at any time;
• calls can only be made from the mobile phone and cannot be received; and
• all calls will be recorded.

In addition to these controls:

• the mobile phones cannot access the internet or send or receive text messages;
• security seals have been fitted to each battery, if these are damaged, then the phone will be removed from the individual; and
• all calls can be traced back to the individuals and any identified misuse may be subject to disciplinary measures as laid out in the Prison and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2011, including removal of the service from individuals.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The mobile phones were purchased on a bulk basis and it is assessed that the unit cost of a handset is approximately £20.

We published a paper in December 2019, summarising progress made by the Victims Taskforce during its first year of operation - https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/minutes
/2019/12/victims-taskforce-papers-december-2019/documents/
paper-4-year-one-of-the-victims-taskforce/paper-4-year-one-of-the-victims-taskforce/govscot%3Adocument/Paper%2B4%2B-%2BYear%2Bone%2Bof%2Bthe%2BVictims%2BTaskforce%
2B-%2BDecember%2B2019.pdf

In addition, a work plan has been published setting out the aims of the Taskforce over five key work streams, with a set of detailed actions under each work stream - https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications
/minutes/2020/06/victims-taskforce-papers-june-2020/documents/
victims-taskforce-updated-work-plan/victims-taskforce-updated-work-plan/govscot%3Adocument/Victims%2BTaskforce%2B-%2BSecretariat%2B-%2B6th%2BMeeting%2B-%2B2020-06-10%2B-%2BUpdated%2BWork%2BPlan.pdf

Progress against these actions includes: commissioning a major service design project, ‘Transforming Services for Victims and Witnesses’, to inform the development of a victim-centred approach; issuing a questionnaire on the current provision of trauma-informed training in justice sector organisations; providing funding for NHS Education Scotland to work on the development of a trauma informed and trauma responsive workforce in the justice system; and establishing a Victims Reference Group and a Survivors Reference Group to enable the Taskforce to hear victims’ experiences directly.

Whilst progress against these actions will continue to be monitored, at the last meeting of the Taskforce on 10 June 2020, members considered the effect of the Covid-19 outbreak on victims. All papers from this meeting have been published on the Scottish Government website https://www.gov.scot/publications/victims-taskforce-
papers-june-2020/ . In response to these discussions, further consideration is being given to adapting and reprioritising the current work plan to ensure that actions focus on mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on victims and the needs of victims are a central consideration in the recovery of the justice system.

The Scottish Government committed to investing up to £125 million in the Aberdeen City Region Deal. Alongside the deal, we are committed to invest a further £254 million, including £200 million to improve capacity, performance and journey times on key rail links between Aberdeen and the Central Belt.

Transport Scotland, through Network Rail, is progressing the rail improvements in stages, in accordance with the Rail Enhancements Capital Investment Strategy and Network Rail’s eight-stage Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP).

The application of hate crime legislation is based on the motivations of the perpetrator (and thus not on whether a victim actually shares one or more of the characteristics protected by the Bill).

The latest Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service statistics show that, in 2019-20, 41 charges were reported with an aggravation of prejudice relating to ‘transgender identity’ as defined under the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009. The definition in the 2009 Act is wide enough to encompass 'non-binary persons', 'persons who cross-dress' and persons with 'variations in sex characteristics' (although those are not the terms used in that Act).

In terms of specific evidence in relation to 'variations in sex characteristics', although it is noted that more research is required, the Equality Network believe that people with variations in sex characteristics, or people perceived to have variations in sex characteristics, can face hate crime. In one of its hate crime research reports , they found that 29% of respondents with variations in sex characteristics had experienced hate crime based on having variations in sex characteristics (although noting the small number of respondents).

The phrases ‘male-to-female’ and ‘female-to-male’ transgender person are not specifically defined in the Bill because it is not considered necessary for those phrases to be given any special definitions for the purposes of the Bill.

Within the Bill’s definition of ‘transgender identity’, paragraphs (a) and (b) (‘a female-to-male transgender person’ and ‘a male-to-female transgender person’) are included to cover trans men and trans women. For example, this includes those who identify as male but were registered as female at birth, and those who identify as female but were registered as male at birth.

Gender identity as outlined in paragraph 80 of the Explanatory Notes refers to an individual’s gender identity where this is different from their sex at birth.

In line with the definition of gender identity in the answer to S5W-29943 on 7 July 2020, someone who has a gender identity that is different from their sex at birth may include someone whose perception of their own gender does not correspond with their sex at birth, such as a trans man, a trans woman, or a non-binary person.

Someone who does not have a gender identity different from their sex at birth may include someone whose perception of their own gender corresponds with their sex at birth, such as a non-trans person.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx