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: S5W-21680

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-12112 and S5W-12113 by Michael Matheson on 3 November 2017, whether it is now in a position to list the types of restorative justice processes that are available, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) when the availability commenced.

The following report, which was published in June 2018, details the results from a questionnaire completed by local authorities to establish a baseline of how restorative justice practices are being delivered across Scotland.

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I also refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21679 on 1 March 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at

Question reference: S5W-21584

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 28 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the change to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's funding was in real terms between 2018-19 to 2019-20.

In 2018-19 the Scottish Government provided the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) with a total fiscal budget i.e. resource and capital of £296.9 million which included additional spending capacity of £15.5 million. This comprised of £5.5 million extra direct funding and ensuring SFRS was able to benefit in full from being able to recover £10 million in VAT from March 2018.

In 2019-20 SFRS has been allocated a fiscal budget of £302.4 million which includes an additional £5.5 million in support of its transformation programme.

Question reference: S5W-21624

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the criteria are for the Scottish Ministers to release a prisoner on compassionate grounds.

Question reference: S5O-02883

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the NRAC funding formula for NHS boards.

Question reference: S5O-02807

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 23 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a higher level of fixed penalty notices for more serious antisocial behaviour.

All the evidence on antisocial behaviour points towards a long-term, sustained reduction in Scotland. For example the nationally representative Scottish Crime and Justice Survey shows that the percentage of adults who think people behave in an antisocial manner in their local area has fallen from 46% in 2008/9 to 29% in 2016/17.

We remain committed to ensuring police and local authorities have the powers and resources to further reduce antisocial behaviour, including investing in prevention and early intervention. Fixed penalty notices are an important tool, forming part of a wide range of powers which enable the police and local authorities to exercise judgement when tackling antisocial behaviour. In our on-going discussions with Police Scotland and local authorities we will explore the benefits of amending fixed penalty notices.

Question reference: S5W-20898

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20569 by Humza Yousaf on 9 January 2019, whether it will confirm if any testing is now carried out in the prison estate for new psychoactive substances, in light of it setting out the then position in response to question S5W-05991 on 24 January 2017.

Question reference: S5W-20899

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20570 by Humza Yousaf on 9 January 2019, whether it will list the strategic, tactical and technological responses that the Scottish Prison Services uses to reduce drug use in prisons.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond.

SPS has established a Strategic Risk and Threat Group (SRTG) which is responsible for providing an overview of any emerging threats and for the deployment of resources and tactical options. The SRTG is responsible for the management of a national tasking log which supports planned programmes of large scale tactical searching across the estate. There is also an established Technical Support Unit which provides technical support and specialised equipment to support national search operations.

Tactical measures are supported by various technologies, including X-ray machines, body scanners and other equipment which will assist in detecting substances which may have been concealed. SPS also has a number of drug detection dogs to support the recovery of unauthorised substances. We also work closely with Police Scotland and others in intelligence lead activity to support our tactical tasking.

It would be inappropriate to place into the public domain specific detailed information on all the specific strategic, tactical and technological responses that are utilised to reduce drug use in Scottish prisons.

Question reference: S5W-20462

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it became aware of the reported error in the settlement business case for the departing chief executive of NHS Tayside.

On 6 December 2018 Audit Scotland Published its 2017-18 audit of NHS Tayside. In the context of that audit process, the Scottish Government became aware that errors has been made in the process of confirming the terms of settlement for the departing chief executive of NHS Tayside. These concern, respectively, the process undertaken for confirming a change to the former chief executive's notice period (from 3 months to 6 months), and an overpayment made to the Scottish Public Pensions Agency following the miscalculation of the former chief executive's notice period as superannuable. The Scottish Government has been assured by the board that in both instances, these errors have been retrospectively rectified.

The audit report confirms that the approach to negotiate a settlement in this case was reasonable. As with all employment matters, it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail of individual cases.

Question reference: S5W-20713

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances it would rule out full British Transport Police (BTP) integration with Police Scotland.

My letter of 13 December to the Justice Committee advised that my officials have been working with stakeholders to explore further options for enhanced accountability of railway policing in Scotland. As part of this on-going work both the Scottish Police Authority and the British Transport Police Authority have agreed to work together to explore legislation currently in force which could be used to create an arrangement that facilitates a stronger oversight role for the Scottish Police Authority in relation to railway policing. A sufficient time period will be required to settle in any agreed model before any external scrutiny and review.

Question reference: S5W-20571

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government which prisons provide body-worn cameras for (a) officers and (b) staff.