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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-17473

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposed merger of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland, whether it will commit to meeting the long-term liabilities of a segregated pension scheme.

Question reference: S5W-17468

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposed merger of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland, which external consultants have been engaged by (a) it and (b) Police Scotland since January 2016 to advise or work on integration, broken down by the (i) average daily and (ii) minimum and maximum daily rate that each was paid.

Question reference: S5W-17467

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposed merger of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland, whether it will provide details of any costs that are yet to be established, such as (a) information and communications technology and (b) signage.

Question reference: S5W-17471

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken of whether the integration of British Transport Police in Scotland and Police Scotland will achieve its stated aims to deliver greater accountability, access to specialism and seamless command and control.

Question reference: S5W-17469

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposed merger of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland, whether it will confirm the advice given at the staff engagement session on 20 June 2018 regarding the Scottish Government meeting the full costs of integration.

Question reference: S5W-17472

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to evidence given by Police Scotland at the meeting of the Justice Committee on 1 May 2018 (Official Report, c. 20), whether it will publish the Government Actuary’s Department's advice that was referred to.

In response to a Freedom of Information request the Scottish Government published on 26 March 2018 an extract from a note from the Government Actuary's Department on the British Transport Police Integration Programme staff and officers pensions,

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-00612/

Following initial engagement with the pension Trustee, proposals to allow officers and staff to remain in their existing arrangements are ongoing, and this includes consideration of Scottish Government backing for the new sections.

Question reference: S5W-17543

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the updated rules for Scottish Police Authority board meetings and the extension of circumstances in which meetings may be held in private.

This is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority. However, the Scottish Government welcomes any improvements aimed at strengthening the Scottish Police Authority's corporate governance procedures and revisions to its Standing Orders are part of that. The Standing Orders, approved by the Authority’s Board on 28 June 2018, provide greater transparency as to why an agenda item may be taken as an item of private business.

Question reference: S5W-17465

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16958 by Humza Yousaf on 13 June 2018, what its position is on the robustness of the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill Financial Memorandum, which states that the transitional costs would be "minor" and were "expected to be small".

Question reference: S5W-17392

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16736 by Michael Matheson on 4 June 2018, in light of the workbook referred to in the response providing the information on an individual court basis only, whether it will confirm (a) how many and (b) what percentage of (i) sheriff and (ii) justice of the peace court cases nationally were dealt with from caution and charge to verdict within the 26-week target in each year since 2007.

The number and percentage of cases dealt with within 26 weeks of caution and charge to verdict nationally in each year since 2007-08 is shown in the following table:

	Sheriff Courts		JP Courts
	Num cases in 26 weeks	% cases in 26 weeks	Num cases in 26 weeks	% cases in 26 weeks
2007-08	50728	66.3	23389	71.4
2008-09	51131	72.8	27635	76.5
2009-10	47210	75.5	31031	77.8
2010-11	41745	72.7	30183	74.1
2011-12	40810	71.8	25992	76.1
2012-13	37765	71.0	24683	77.8
2013-14	38111	70.4	27693	73.2
2014-15	35901	65.1	26121	61.6
2015-16	38782	64.8	22148	58.5
2016-17	39822	65.7	21943	62.9
2017-18	36149	67.7	18970	65.0

Source: Criminal Justice Board Management Information System

Question reference: S5W-17394

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 19 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the figures in the report, Criminal Proceeding in Scotland, 2016-17, which record a 74.9% reduction in the number of antisocial behaviour fixed penalty notices since 2009-10.

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling all forms of antisocial behaviour and recognises how this can blight people’s lives. The Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 provides a wide range of measures for dealing with all forms of antisocial behaviour and our national strategy is based on prevention, early intervention and diversionary activities.

It is likely that the reduced use of antisocial behaviour fixed penalty notices (FPN) is the result of an overall fall in levels of antisocial behaviour committed in Scotland – as demonstrated by our population surveys and similar to the significant reduction in levels of recorded crime (down 43% since 2006-07) – and the introduction of the Recorded Police Warning scheme, which commenced in January 2016 which provide an additional tool to police when dealing with antisocial behaviour.

The Scottish Government is currently working with a group of local authorities to use their expertise and knowledge to inform, refresh and update all of the guidance documents on tackling antisocial behaviour.