Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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: S6O-01875

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking through its Covid Recovery Strategy to support students.

Question reference: S6W-14274

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 1 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in response to reports that the number of warrants for entry that have been granted has trebled since 2020.

Whether or not to grant a warrant for entry is a judicial decision.

Legislation places a duty on all government ministers; law officers; and members of the parliaments to uphold judicial independence, barring them from trying to exert influence over judicial decisions.

For the purpose of upholding that independence, there is a duty on the First Minister, the Lord Advocate and the Scottish Ministers not to seek to influence judicial decisions through any special access to the judiciary. "Special access" refers to any access which they may have which a member of the general public may not.

Additionally, if judicial training is considered necessary then this is entirely a matter for the Lord President as Head of the Judiciary.

For these reasons it would not be appropriate to meet with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals service to discuss the increase or otherwise of the number of warrants granted.

Question reference: S6W-14124

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which fire stations are currently recorded as (a) lacking sufficient showering or toilet facilities, (b) lacking basic bathroom facilities, (c) lacking shower facilities, (d) lacking drying facilities, (e) lacking a water supply, (f) being in “poor or bad condition” and (g) held up at least in part by internal scaffolding, broken down by local authority area.

The facilities in place at the 357 fire stations in Scotland are an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. There are 14 stations that have been identified with defective roofing material requiring remedial action that are located in Crewe, Cumbernauld, Dalkeith, Galashiels, Hawick, Helensburgh, Huntly, Liberton, Livingston, Marionville, Milngavie, Portree, Stewarton and Tranent.

It is worth noting that the listed stations above were inherited legacy buildings which contribute to the Services capital backlog investment requirement.

Question reference: S6W-14273

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the recording and accuracy of data within the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in relation to warrants for entry.

Question reference: S6W-14051

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of capacity at prison facilities for the purpose of relocating HMP and YOI Cornton Vale prisoners during the interim period between the prison’s closure and HMP and YOI Stirling’s opening.

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

SPS continually monitor both the prison population and the number of available spaces for all those in our care. The current women’s estate, excluding HMP & YOI Cornton Vale provides 349 single room spaces as follows:

HMP Edinburgh 92
HMP & YOI Polmont 117
HMP & YOI Grampian 48
HMP Greenock 52
The Lilias Centre 24
The Bella Centre 16

The current average number of Women in SPS care is 282.

Question reference: S6W-14052

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out its contingency plans for the relocation of prisoners housed at HMP and YOI Cornton Vale in the interim period between the prison’s closure and HMP and YOI Stirling’s opening.

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

It is anticipated that the majority of the women living at Cornton Vale will transfer to HMP & YOI Polmont during the interim period where there is already a comprehensive range of services and interventions available for them.

Every effort has been made to ensure the care of the women is not compromised or reduced during the transition period and each woman will engage in an individual case discussion supported by Health Care and Social Work colleagues to identify the most appropriate transfer location for them.

A dedicated area within Polmont has been identified and work is currently underway to increase the number of available ‘safer rooms’ ahead of any relocations taking place. A number of staff who currently work with the women will also relocate to Polmont to provide continuity of care. This will be supplemented by ongoing support from partner agencies including NHS Forth Valley, Social Work Services within Stirling and Falkirk local authorities and Voluntary Third Sector Partners.

Question reference: S6W-14053

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which sites prisoners at HMP and YOI Cornton Vale are to be relocated to in the interim before HMP and YOI Stirling is opened.

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

Cornton Vale currently holds two distinctly separate population groups. Peebles House accommodates women who have achieved a Low Supervision category, while Ross House accommodates the women with the highest care needs.

The women currently living in Peebles House have taken part in individual discussions supported by SPS, NHS and Social work colleagues to identify the most appropriate location during the transition period. The identified locations for these women are:

HMP & YOI Polmont
The Lilias Centre Community Custody Unit
The Bella Centre Community Custody unit

In order to ensure continuity of care for the women currently living in Ross House with the highest needs, special arrangements are being made to accommodate these women in HMP & YOI Polmont.

Question reference: S6W-14054

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners from HMP and YOI Cornton Vale have already been relocated ahead of its closure, and to which establishments they have been relocated.

Question reference: S6T-01111

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it steps it is taking to ensure teachers are equipped to discuss and address the issue of extremist online misogyny with pupils.

Question reference: S6W-13429

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to "collate new or better use existing data sources" in relation to secondary breast cancer.

The National Cancer Quality Steering group have overseen the development of a newly proposed QPI on 'Recurrence Following Breast Cancer Treatment' in 2022. This proposal contains 3 parts - i) local recurrence (or new cancer) following conservation surgery; ii) local recurrence (or new cancer) following mastectomy; and iii) any recurrence (or new cancer) in same breast, axilla or distant site after surgical treatment.

This QPI, along with the other revisions have recently been subject to a public engagement exercise and all comments received via this process are due to be discussed at a further Breast Cancer QPI Formal Review meeting later in January prior to final agreement.

Further to this, the Scottish Government continues its dialogue with Public Health Scotland, NHS England and the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership alongside breast cancer specialists and the charity Breast Cancer Now regarding data collection for secondary breast cancer.