Seòmar agus comataidhean

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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 2022 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-41138

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any potential revenue that was lost due to the illicit cigarette trade in Scotland, over the last 12 months.

Question reference: S6W-41060

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on the number of high-value car thefts committed and the location where they were reported, broken down by year since 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-41062

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address keyless car thefts.

Question reference: S6W-41147

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40336 by Angela Constance on 16 September 2025, how many Drug Treatment and Testing Orders were (a) imposed by Edinburgh Sheriff Court and (b) successfully completed in (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24, also broken down by calendar month.

The information is provided in the following tables:

Drug Treatment and Testing Orders imposed by Edinburgh Sheriff Court in 2022-23 and 2023-24, broken down by calendar month [Note 1][Note 2]

Month	2022-23	2023-24
April	5	6
May	7	8
June	16	12
July	6	0
August	c	c
September	c	c
October	0	0
November	c	c
December	c	c
January	0	0
February	c	c
March	c	c
Total for year	38	29

Drug Treatment and Testing Orders from Edinburgh Sheriff Court which were successfully completed in 2022-23 and 2023-24, broken down by calendar month [Note 1][Note 3]

Month	2022-23	2023-24
April	5	4
May	7	5
June	c	8
July	6	c
August	c	5
September	9	6
October	6	c
November	c	c
December	8	c
January	5	c
February	c	c
March	c	c
Total for year	59	39

Notes

1. [c] in tables refers to values between 0 and 3, which may have been suppressed to prevent against the identification of individuals.

2. For some DTTOs imposed by Edinburgh Sheriff Court, the person may live outwith the City of Edinburgh council area.

3. Orders can be successfully completed in a different year to the one in which they were imposed. Persons included in these figures may live outwith the City of Edinburgh council area.

Question reference: S6W-41059

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address high-value car thefts.

The investigation and prevention of high-value or keyless car theft is a matter for Police Scotland. To support policing capacity and capability, the Scottish Government has provided £1.64 billion in funding for the year 2025-26. This represents an increase of £90 million compared to 2024-25.

The Scottish Government does not hold information specific to high-value or keyless car thefts. However, statistics on motor vehicle theft more generally are published in our quarterly Recorded Crime in Scotland bulletin, available here.

Between 2023-24 and 2024-25, recorded crimes of Theft of a motor vehicle fell by 7%, from 5,090 to 4,753. Compared to 2006-07, this represents a 68% reduction. The standard data supplied by Police Scotland does not identify the type or value of vehicles stolen, nor does it capture specific items taken during housebreaking or robbery incidents where a vehicle may have been among the stolen property.

Police Scotland continues to tackle organised criminal activity through the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce, which coordinates multi-agency efforts to disrupt networks involved in offences including vehicle theft.

The UK Government’s Crime and Policing Bill proposes new offences related to the possession of electronic devices used in vehicle theft, such as signal jammers and CAN bus exploit tools. The Scottish Government has lodged a Legislative Consent Memorandum recommending that these measures extend to Scotland, and is proposing that the offences be added to the list of Scottish Criminal Lifestyle Offences.

Question reference: S6W-41063

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on the number of keyless car thefts committed and the location where they were reported, broken down by year since 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-41061

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with Police Scotland to address high-value car thefts committed by organised gangs.

Question reference: S6O-05101

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to provide financial scrutiny over NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S6T-02716

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the prison population reaching a record high of 8,430 prisoners.

Question reference: S6W-41148

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Scottish Retail Consortium’s reported view that the term “shoplifting” underplays the seriousness of the crime and the cumulative impact it is having on the retail industry, and the recommendation that the term “shop theft” be used instead across the criminal justice system, including for data collection.

In Scotland, theft is defined as the taking or appropriating property from another person without their consent and with the intent to deprive them of it. This definition encompasses various forms of theft, including shoplifting, housebreaking and malicious mischief. The legal framework for theft in Scotland is based on common law, which is developed through court rulings and precedents.

Common law theft is not defined in legislation but is established through the principles of earlier court decisions. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is responsible for the public prosecution of criminal offences in Scotland, including theft.

The Scottish Government recognises the concerns expressed by the Scottish Retail Consortium regarding the impact of retail crime and the terminology used to describe it. While “shoplifting” is commonly used, both terms – “shop theft” and “shoplifting” – refer to the same underlying common law offence of theft.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling shoplifting and retail crime in general was reaffirmed in our Programme for Government, which makes clear our strong support for Police Scotland’s robust approach in addressing this issue.

We continue to invest record levels of funding in policing, with £1.64 billion provided in 2024-25, including £3 million specifically to tackle retail crime. Police Scotland has also published a dedicated action plan to deliver a visible and measurable impact in this area.