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: S6W-10904

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a progress update to its cancer strategy for children and young people 2021–2026.

Question reference: S6W-10627

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many offences have been recorded under section (a) 2, (b) 3 and (c) 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in each local authority area in each year since 2019, and how many subsequent (i) prosecutions and (ii) convictions there were.

In terms of recorded offences, the data received from Police Scotland for producing the National Statistics on Recorded Crime, is a simple count of the number of crimes and offences, for each local authority, which the police have recorded and cleared up.

The nature of this data is such that while some crime codes refer to a single act or section of legislation, others include a wider range of legislation. As such we are unable to separately identify crimes and offences recorded under either Section 2 or Section 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. We are able to separately identify crimes recorded under Section 3, which relates to careless and inconsiderate driving. This document has been placed with the Scottish Parliament, bib number 63591. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The document provides figures for 2018-19 to 2021-22, along with data for the years of 2013-14 to 2017-18. Those earlier years were requested through a previous PQ S5W-22619 on 2 May 2019 and in preparing updated information for this PQ, statisticians identified a small coding error in the calculations made in 2019.

The error meant a small number of cases included in the earlier answer were for another part of the Road Traffic Act, beyond Section 3. This had a negligible impact on the implied magnitude of offences recorded under Section 3 (accounting for less than 0.5% difference for each year at the Scotland level). However we would like to use this PQ answer to highlight the amendment and issue the revised figures for 2013-14 to 2017-18.

In terms of (i) prosecutions and (ii) convictions: These are also included in the aforementioned document (placed with the Scottish Parliament, bib number 63591) – split into each of Sections 2, 3 and 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Care should be taken when comparing different data sources relating to the criminal justice system. For example recorded crime statistics count crimes and offences at the time that they came to the attention of Police Scotland, while criminal proceedings statistics report on cases which have concluded in court. This means that a crime may be recorded by the police in one year, with charges brought and court proceedings concluded in subsequent years. In addition, a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime, or a set of crimes with more than one victim, in a proceeding, but only the main charge is counted in these court proceedings statistics. There is also the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings.

Question reference: S6W-10630

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to improve the energy efficiency of (a) business buildings, (b) local authority buildings (excluding housing), (c) social housing and (d) domestic housing in each year from 2020 to 2022.

Funding the Scottish Government has allocated to improve energy efficiency of buildings 2020 to 2022

	2020 - 2021	2021 - 2022	2022- 2023
(a) Business buildings	£8,000,000	£8,750,000	£8,000,000
(b) Local authority buildings	£1,590,000	£3,085,000	£4,500,000
(c) Social housing	£20,000,000	£30,000,000	£30,000,000
(d) Domestic housing	£103,000,000	£137,000,000	£161,000,000

* The Schemes and funding included in the figures: (a) Business Buildings - SME Loan Scheme and SME Cashback, (b) Local authority buildings - Public Sector Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme, (c) Social housing - Zero Emission Housing Fund and “Fabric First” Energy Efficiency Projects, (d)Domestic housing - Home Energy Scotland Loan, Home Energy Scotland Cashback, Area Based Schemes and Warmer Homes Scotland. The schemes and funding cover both heat and energy efficiency and can't be separated. The Domestic housing figures do not include Social Housing funding.

Domestic housing figures do not include Social Housing funding.

Question reference: S6W-10626

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been convicted of motoring offences where being unfit to drive due to alcohol or drugs was the main charge in each year since 2017.

Information is available from the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2020-21 statistical publication.

Table 4(b) in the main tables provides information on the number of convictions for 'Driving under influence'; and the additional dataset titled 'Drink and Careless driving' provides further information on the number of convictions for causing death by careless driving when under influence of drink/drugs.

These can be found under the 'Supporting documents' at this link - .

Question reference: S6W-10903

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether any resources have been allocated (a) within its Health and Social Care directorate and (b) to NHS boards to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer in children.

The Scottish Government allocates funding to the Managed Service Network (MSN) for Children and Young People with Cancer on an annual basis for both children and teenagers and young adults services. This funding provides support for administrative and strategic roles within the MSN, and some clinical posts within NHS Boards to ensure that all children and young people in Scotland receive the right diagnosis, aligned with the right treatment, delivered by the right team in the right place.

The MSN works in partnership with charities and third sector organisations to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer in children and young adults. Examples include working with Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group on the Childhood Cancer Diagnosis Study and spearheading the Headsmart campaign with The Brain Tumour Charity.

Question reference: S6W-10716

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has carried out for the Islands Energy Strategy.

Work to develop an Islands Energy Strategy was delayed during the pandemic. In the interim period there have been significant changes to the policy landscape, including the commitments to take forward an Energy Strategy Just Transition Plan for Scotland and the Carbon Neutral Islands Project. An Islands Energy Strategy will follow and build on these pieces of work in 2023 allowing alignment with Scotland's national plans. Stakeholder engagement is ongoing.

Question reference: S6W-10213

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report July 2022, which states that "Observers in Scotland noted an increase in the proportion of criminally exploited children who were charged with crimes and underscored that more trafficking victims faced criminal justice processes than traffickers".

Child trafficking and exploitation is abuse. When there is reason to believe that a child may have been trafficked or exploited an immediate child protection response is required and an inter-agency referral discussion (IRD) should be undertaken. In cases where a child or young person has been subject to any form of exploitation or trafficking their safety and protection is paramount. Child trafficking and exploitation victims must be cared for and supported within the context of Scotland’s child protection system and the national Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach.

In September 2021 Scottish Government published the revised which includes detailed advice for all practitioners who support children and families on identifying and supporting victims of human trafficking and exploitation, including criminal and sexual exploitation.

The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 required the Lord Advocate to issue instructions regarding the prosecution of persons who are, or appear to be, the victims of trafficking, slavery, servitude or forced or compulsory labour and who have allegedly committed a criminal offence. The instructions set a strong presumption against prosecution of child victims who have committed an offence in the course of, or as a consequence of, being trafficked or exploited.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with operational partners to better understand what child protection procedures are followed in cases of trafficking and exploitation, and ensure that child protection procedures are activated immediately.

Question reference: S6O-01363

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Orkney Islands Council to discuss its budget settlement.

Question reference: S6W-10628

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when 4G masts in Rackwick and Stronsay in Orkney, as part of the Scottish 4G Infill Programme, will go live.

Construction of the masts at Rackwick and Stronsay is complete. Both masts are being developed in collaboration with the Home Office’s Emergency Services Network (ESN). 4G service will, ultimately, be provided on these sites by mobile network operator EE. To move these sites to activation requires the Home Office to execute a Change Request as part of their ESN programme. The Scottish Government is aware of a substantial delay in the Home Office enacting this Change Request which is preventing these masts from moving to service activation.

All efforts are being made by the Scottish Government to expedite this issue which, once resolved, will enable a number of masts including Rackwick and Stronsay proceed to activation.

Question reference: S6O-01322

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Orkney and what issues were discussed.