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-15142

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to (a) take direct control of any of NHS Tayside’s financial operations and (b) move (i) control or (ii) management of any matter, whether financial or otherwise, that is currently controlled or managed by NHS Tayside to another body.

Question reference: S5F-02196

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2018

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that more than £400,000 was spent on consultants to oversee the British Transport Police merger.

Question reference: S5O-01938

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many appeals there were in relation to the 2017 business rates revaluation, and how many have been resolved.

Question reference: S5W-15161

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide additional funding to pay for any extra criminal justice social work that is carried out if a presumption against 12-month prison sentences is introduced and, if so, how much.

This Government has already made clear its commitment by increasing ring-fenced investment in community sentences from £4 million per annum in each of the last two years to £5.5 million in the 2018-19 budget. This is to help build capacity in advance of extending the presumption against short term sentences.

Funding for community justice services across Scotland remains at record levels. We have allocated around £100m funding to local authorities who work with a range of organisations and partners to help deliver community sentences, support the rehabilitation of people with convictions and reduce re-offending.

Question reference: S5W-15159

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact introducing a presumption against 12-month prison sentences will have on the number of (a) fiscal work and (b) community payback orders that are issued.

This Government is committed to shifting the emphasis from ineffective short-term imprisonment to greater use of robust community sentences, with the aim of reducing reoffending. Our move towards more community sentencing, including the introduction of Community Payback Orders (CPOs), has helped bring Scotland’s reconviction rates to an 18-year low.

The presumption against short prison sentences is not a ban and sentencers retain the discretion to pass the most appropriate sentence based on the facts and circumstances of the case. Therefore it is not possible to give an exact assessment of the impact that the extended presumption will have on the numbers of CPOs, although the expectation is that numbers will increase.

Fiscal work orders are a direct measure available to procurators fiscal as opposed to a sentence passed by a court and so are not impacted by the presumption against short prison sentences.

Question reference: S5W-15160

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on fiscal work and community payback order work placements being used to carry out task that were previously carried out by local authority employees.

The nature of the unpaid work placements carried out under the Fiscal Work Order (FWO) and Community Payback Order (CPO) schemes is determined by the local authority Criminal Justice Social Work team responsible for overseeing the case.

However, both the National Guidelines on Fiscal Work Orders and the Community Payback Order practice guidance advise that unpaid work placements should not be used in situations which are likely to deprive others of opportunities for paid employment.

Question reference: S5W-15141

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what financial management it is providing to NHS Tayside, and what action it will take to support the board’s financial management in the future.

Responsibility for the financial management of NHS Tayside’s business remains with the Accountable Officer. The discharge of these responsibilities is underpinned by existing systems of internal control within Scottish Government and by internal and external audit processes covering all NHS Boards.

Scottish Government has instigated an independent review of the allocation and transfer of eHealth funds to NHS Tayside and will take any appropriate action indicated by the findings of that review.

Question reference: S5W-15140

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support NHS Tayside following the departure of its finance director; whether the board will recruit a new finance director, and from which budget the costs of (a) recruiting and (b) paying them, whether through direct employment, agency cover or back-charged secondment from the Scottish Government, will be paid.

Scottish Government officials continue to work closely with NHS Tayside on the implementation of its Transformation Plan, focusing on returning the Board to financial sustainability.

The NHS Tayside Board will take a decision on the Director of Finance role later this month. In the meantime, NHS Tayside has taken a number of interim measures to provide cover for Director of Finance responsibilities:

1. The Director of Finance for NHS Grampian is providing professional advice and support to the Board in his capacity as Regional Finance Director for the North of Scotland Health Boards.

2. There has been a realignment of roles and responsibilities within the NHS Tayside Financial Team.

Question reference: S5W-15205

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on linking the Police Scotland firearms licensing system with the command and control system.

Question reference: S5W-15206

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what is position is on Police Scotland checking social media use as part of the firearms licensing process.