Chamber and committees

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-14735

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers is the most appropriate prison accommodation for sex offenders, and (a) how many and (b) what proportion of prisoners who are sex offenders (i) are and (ii) are not accommodated in this manner.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

SPS allocation criteria determines that those in our care should be designated to the establishment which provides the most appropriate regime to meet their identified needs. Wherever possible, this should be the establishment closest to the individual’s home. Whilst some regimes are specifically tailored for those convicted of a sexual offence, what is considered appropriate accommodation is dependent on an individual’s circumstances. It may at times be necessary to allocate an individual to an alternative establishment where their needs can be better met or when good order or security needs to be maintained.

Individuals with convictions for sexual offences are, so far as reasonably practicable, held and managed separately from the wider prison population. SPS currently hold 1,196 people in custody as a result of either being convicted of a sexual offence or being held on remand having been charged with a sexual offence.

Overall, 993 (83%) people in our care as a result of sexual offences are currently being managed in accommodation specifically intended for this group, with 203 (17%) currently being managed at other sites. Those individuals, who are not in a specifically tailored regime, are managed in a way that maintains safety and affords people the opportunity to engage with appropriate service providers according to their level of risk and need.

Question reference: S5W-14711

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 27 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in bringing forward a Damages Bill, which it referred to in its Programme for Government, and whether it remains its position that it plans to amend the law on the personal injury discount rate applying in personal injury litigation.

Question reference: S5W-14712

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 27 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the letter from the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, which called on ministers to take action to reform the personal injury discount rate.

The Scottish Government responded to the letter from the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, which called on ministers to take action to reform the personal injury discount rate, stating that it is refining its policy in light of the responses to the 2017 joint consultation with the UK Government, Personal injury discount rate: how it should be set in future and that it would bring forward a Damages Bill before the end of June 2018.

Question reference: S5O-01814

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to recruit additional staff into early learning and childcare.

Question reference: S5O-01766

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much financial assistance has been given to businesses through the Scottish Growth Scheme, and whether this was in the form of loans, guarantees, equity or another form of assistance.

Question reference: S5O-01746

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 31 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it will engage with local services to implement its social isolation and loneliness strategy.

As I said when I published our draft social isolation strategy A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections on 16 January we are actively organising a number of events – including in the member’s area – to ensure we are engaging with local communities and organisations and enabling them to have their say.

While Government can create the conditions, it is communities themselves that are best placed to tackle these issues and lead on ensuring those at risk of becoming lonely or isolated have access to the right support networks, so I want to hear from them what they need to do that. Local services are a vital part of this work, and I would encourage any organisation with an interest to respond. Following this period of consultation, we will consider carefully how we can practically implement this strategy to make a real difference for people and communities across Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-13838

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason no minute was taken of the meeting of 9 November 2017 between the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and the chair of the Scottish Policy Authority.

Scottish Ministers are routinely involved in a range of stakeholder meetings as part of normal Government business. Decisions about whether a record of a meeting is required are a matter of official judgement. On this occasion senior officials were clear that the actions were for the Chair of the Scottish Police Authority to take forward, so no record was taken. A full account was given to Parliament by me on 10 and 24 January, as well as in a follow up letter to the Public Audit and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Committee from Paul Johnston, Director General, Education, Communities & Justice. Going forward, the Government is committed to ensuring that appropriate records are kept of meetings between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Police Authority.

Question reference: S5W-13704

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether a business planning exercise was carried out to consider each of the available options regarding how it would oversee the British Transport Police following its functions being devolved and, if so, who carried this out and whether it will publish the findings.

The integration of BTP in Scotland into Police Scotland is the long-standing policy of the Scottish Government. The case for integration was submitted to the Smith Commission in 2014 with subsequent all party agreement for the devolution of railway policing. Ministers set out during Stage 1 evidence on the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill why alternative options to full integration were discounted.

Question reference: S5W-13870

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 24 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13333 by Annabelle Ewing on 10 January 2018, whether ministers have received a copy of the Review of Procurement of Structural Fire Kit and PPE report, which was referred to in the minutes of the 5 October 2017 meeting of the SFRS Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, and, if not, whether they have been made aware of the report and its conclusions and recommendations.

Procurement of Structural Fire Kit and PPE is an operational matter for SFRS. Ministers do not routinely see copies of Internal Audit reports as this is a matter for the SFRS management and Board.

The Internal Audit review of Procurement of Structural Fire Kit and PPE was commissioned by SFRS and its findings subsequently provided on 27 October 2017. The review was commissioned to ensure a thorough independent investigation was carried out to enable robust scrutiny of the processes in place and ensure lessons could be identified. SFRS has accepted all of the recommendations in the Audit Report and further consideration will be given by the SFRS Board and the relevant governance committee.

Question reference: S5W-13692

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 24 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether marches and parades fall within the definition of “events” described under the (a) Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 and (b) Road Traffic Regulation (Special Events) Act 1994; whether multiple temporary traffic regulation orders (TTROs) may be issued for the same stretches of public roads without the express permission of the Scottish Ministers, and, if not, what arrangements have been made to process any reported recent increase in such applications for a TTRO.

Section 16A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 defines a “relevant event” as “any sporting event, social event or entertainment which is held on a road”. It is for the relevant traffic authority to reach a view as to whether or not a particular event falls within that definition.

Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act and section 62 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 also provide for a traffic authority to temporarily restrict or prohibit traffic on a road by means of an order when the circumstances and conditions set out in those sections are fulfilled.

It is for each traffic authority to consider the powers available to them to regulate traffic for a particular event.

As regards the possibility of multiple TTROs being made for the same stretch of road, section 16B of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 provides that where a s16A order has been made by a local traffic authority in any calendar year, no further order (affecting the same length(s) of road) may be made under that section in that year, unless the further order is made with the consent of the Scottish Ministers.

In September 2015, Transport Scotland issued ‘Section 16A Special Events – Guidance’ to the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS), which was subsequently distributed to local authorities. This can be accessed at https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/5744/section-16a-special-events-guidance.pdf. The guidance was prepared in order to facilitate an effective and efficient handling process in the instances where local authorities are required to obtain Scottish Ministers’ consent to section 16A orders.

Transport Scotland, on behalf of Scottish Minsters, will continue to process any applications for consent to such orders as set out in the above guidance.