- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many fatal accident inquiries have been delayed as a result of outstanding investigations or reports from external agencies in each of the last five years, broken down by agency.
Answer
COPFS does not hold this information.
There are a number of agencies who may be involved in carrying out inquiries into the circumstances surrounding a death. It is important that the results of those inquiries – which may be specifically instructed by COPFS or part of a separate investigation process - are carefully considered by COPFS before any decisions can be taken on the holding of an FAI.
COPFS has limited influence over the timescales for the completion and provision of reports by other organisations. However, we are currently constructively engaging with many of the public bodies responsible for the completion of internal investigations to ensure that they are completed to an acceptable standard, with outcomes provided to COPFS at the earliest possible stage.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any consultations conducted by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks or its contractors with farmers regarding machinery heights routinely used along the route of the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project, and how any such information obtained has informed the project’s safety design.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the design criteria for electricity infrastructure projects prioritise cost and visual impact at the expense of agricultural safety, and what representations it has made to regulators or electricity network companies regarding this issue.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it expects Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks to undertake with farmers and agricultural contractors regarding the safety impacts of overhead power lines, before the design freeze stage of the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any requests from landowners or farming stakeholders for design changes to the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project on safety grounds, and how any such requests have been addressed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken or plans to undertake an independent review of the safety aspects and any agricultural impacts of the route selected for the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project fully complies with the Construction (Design Management) Regulations 2015, specifically with regard to assessing and mitigating any safety risks to farmers and agricultural workers arising from overhead power lines.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many exclusions of (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils have taken place in each year since 1999, broken down by (i) local authority area and (ii) pupil year group.
Answer
The number of exclusions in primary and secondary schools broken down by local authority from 2005-06 is set out in Table 1 and Table 2.
Statistics on the number of exclusions in primary and secondary schools broken down by pupil stage for 2002-03-2022-23 are published in Table 1.5 of the school exclusions 2022-23 statistics.
Table 1. Cases of exclusion in primary schools by local authority since 2005-06
Local Authority | 2005- 06 | 2006- 07 | 2007- 08 | 2008- 09 | 2009- 10 | 2010- 11 | 2012- 13 | 2014- 15 | 2016- 17 | 2018- 19 | 2020- 21 | 2022- 23 |
Aberdeen City | 392 | 335 | 385 | 310 | 343 | 316 | 349 | 293 | c | 276 | 77 | 73 |
Aberdeenshire | 191 | 223 | 162 | 182 | 175 | 102 | 124 | 118 | c | c | 94 | c |
Angus | 123 | 172 | 194 | 134 | 173 | 94 | 36 | 29 | 71 | 84 | 55 | 65 |
Argyll and Bute | 37 | 48 | 33 | 64 | 30 | 50 | 35 | 27 | 29 | 36 | 6 | c |
City of Edinburgh | 390 | 293 | 339 | 294 | 265 | 311 | 245 | 233 | 268 | 261 | 137 | 179 |
Clackmannanshire | 76 | 72 | 54 | 66 | c | 40 | 45 | 134 | 76 | c | c | 0 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 82 | 118 | 121 | 113 | 94 | 130 | 84 | 91 | 132 | 97 | 38 | 128 |
Dundee City | 344 | 376 | 358 | 255 | 277 | 264 | 293 | 205 | 142 | 80 | 34 | 40 |
East Ayrshire | 261 | 148 | 173 | 143 | 115 | 94 | 140 | 201 | 199 | 185 | 47 | c |
East Dunbartonshire | 50 | 57 | 49 | 41 | 43 | 30 | 47 | 18 | 25 | 45 | 17 | 21 |
East Lothian | 56 | 111 | 116 | 148 | 159 | 110 | 104 | 94 | 103 | 38 | 39 | 86 |
East Renfrewshire | 48 | 55 | 39 | 20 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 0 | c | 0 | c | c |
Falkirk | 90 | 85 | 97 | 90 | 89 | 69 | 71 | 113 | 132 | 122 | c | c |
Fife | 398 | 478 | 379 | 307 | 307 | 237 | 269 | 233 | 324 | 319 | 169 | c |
Glasgow City | 874 | 814 | 794 | 685 | 530 | 537 | 420 | 351 | 520 | 195 | 79 | 79 |
Highland | 137 | 107 | 163 | 194 | 189 | 143 | 138 | 114 | c | 113 | 78 | c |
Inverclyde | 116 | 131 | 126 | 123 | 127 | 92 | 45 | 13 | c | 17 | c | 8 |
Midlothian | 109 | 136 | 182 | 115 | 109 | 127 | 104 | 83 | 121 | 125 | 51 | 33 |
Moray | 92 | 85 | 61 | 75 | 158 | 172 | 175 | 151 | 128 | 99 | 21 | 20 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | c | 9 | 12 | c | c | c | c | 0 | c | c | 8 | c |
North Ayrshire | 222 | 170 | 166 | 148 | 62 | 101 | 58 | 42 | 62 | c | 21 | 50 |
North Lanarkshire | 357 | 451 | 376 | 352 | 252 | 261 | 285 | 240 | 379 | 287 | 128 | c |
Orkney Islands | c | 11 | c | c | 0 | c | c | 0 | c | 6 | c | 0 |
Perth and Kinross | 309 | 301 | 232 | 189 | 136 | 114 | 153 | 94 | 97 | 80 | 58 | 40 |
Renfrewshire | 213 | 206 | 151 | 196 | 149 | 121 | 65 | 38 | 81 | 87 | 35 | 60 |
Scottish Borders | 134 | 144 | 179 | 125 | 133 | 170 | 170 | 46 | 85 | 37 | 7 | 12 |
Shetland Islands | 10 | 10 | c | c | c | c | c | 0 | 0 | c | c | c |
South Ayrshire | 46 | 87 | 83 | 73 | 41 | 51 | 32 | 37 | 38 | 27 | 15 | c |
South Lanarkshire | 174 | 166 | 192 | 174 | 146 | 151 | 142 | 145 | 239 | 112 | 63 | 59 |
Stirling | 49 | 84 | 44 | 80 | 57 | 62 | 29 | 55 | 48 | 53 | 11 | 8 |
West Dunbartonshire | 127 | 175 | 102 | 78 | 54 | 75 | 55 | 65 | 92 | 95 | 37 | 57 |
West Lothian | 267 | 356 | 240 | 164 | 151 | 144 | 137 | 215 | 271 | 130 | c | c |
Table 2. Cases of exclusion in secondary schools by local authority since 2005-06
Local Authority | 2005- 06 | 2006- 07 | 2007- 08 | 2008- 09 | 2009- 10 | 2010- 11 | 2012- 13 | 2014- 15 | 2016- 17 | 2018- 19 | 2020- 21 | 2022- 23 |
Aberdeen City | 1,237 | 1,426 | 1,157 | 885 | 1,059 | 951 | 725 | 579 | 726 | 945 | 331 | 573 |
Aberdeenshire | 979 | 1,045 | 982 | 762 | 734 | 699 | 642 | 613 | 654 | 755 | 423 | 965 |
Angus | 612 | 761 | 701 | 641 | 541 | 340 | 235 | 207 | 268 | 322 | 122 | 290 |
Argyll and Bute | 684 | 729 | 697 | 534 | 353 | 334 | 261 | 191 | 134 | 169 | 139 | c |
City of Edinburgh | 1,681 | 1,436 | 1,297 | 1,085 | 1,315 | 1,048 | 794 | 692 | 693 | 525 | 374 | 540 |
Clackmannanshire | 366 | 463 | 488 | 463 | 402 | 178 | 100 | 183 | 121 | c | c | 0 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 677 | 869 | 967 | 864 | 564 | 524 | 338 | 360 | 260 | 336 | 260 | 263 |
Dundee City | 1,927 | 1,912 | 1,646 | 1,552 | 1,689 | 1,534 | 1,300 | 960 | 545 | 357 | 185 | 333 |
East Ayrshire | 1,073 | 1,053 | 668 | 709 | 629 | 610 | 577 | 443 | 486 | 90 | 123 | 222 |
East Dunbartonshire | 658 | 721 | 699 | 606 | 454 | 454 | 298 | 167 | 137 | 108 | 101 | 116 |
East Lothian | 568 | 706 | 631 | 531 | 569 | 532 | 374 | 398 | 379 | 205 | 106 | 234 |
East Renfrewshire | 144 | 140 | 118 | 140 | 142 | 101 | 47 | 18 | c | 53 | c | c |
Falkirk | 785 | 801 | 576 | 547 | 455 | 426 | 461 | 293 | 271 | 226 | 161 | 150 |
Fife | 2,385 | 2,645 | 2,341 | 1,943 | 1,677 | 1,573 | 1,255 | 973 | 868 | 643 | 469 | 659 |
Glasgow City | 6,180 | 6,329 | 5,460 | 3,989 | 3,012 | 2,685 | 1,852 | 1,612 | 1,276 | 642 | 314 | 495 |
Highland | 630 | 620 | 612 | 706 | 565 | 558 | 558 | 514 | 551 | 521 | 315 | 587 |
Inverclyde | 826 | 860 | 805 | 621 | 559 | 487 | 328 | 171 | 154 | 172 | 121 | 135 |
Midlothian | 501 | 566 | 514 | 526 | 423 | 476 | 333 | 401 | 428 | 269 | 77 | 165 |
Moray | 399 | 411 | 451 | 281 | 250 | 282 | 276 | 280 | 268 | 172 | 151 | 227 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 68 | 86 | 104 | 93 | 62 | 86 | 83 | 19 | c | c | 71 | c |
North Ayrshire | 1,916 | 1,895 | 1,613 | 1,154 | 898 | 705 | 529 | 367 | 300 | 178 | 152 | 320 |
North Lanarkshire | 2,794 | 3,165 | 2,470 | 2,408 | 2,254 | 1,817 | 1,530 | 1,189 | 1,152 | 1,293 | 603 | 500 |
Orkney Islands | 16 | 18 | 23 | 39 | 41 | 21 | 9 | c | c | 11 | c | 43 |
Perth and Kinross | 655 | 703 | 552 | 465 | 501 | 457 | 354 | 386 | 346 | 411 | 181 | 328 |
Renfrewshire | 1,533 | 1,406 | 1,200 | 1,048 | 948 | 852 | 609 | 348 | 408 | 553 | 446 | 638 |
Scottish Borders | 383 | 422 | 501 | 486 | 522 | 375 | 479 | 239 | 228 | 255 | 58 | 116 |
Shetland Islands | 43 | 38 | 39 | 42 | 32 | 21 | 16 | c | 21 | c | c | c |
South Ayrshire | 1,126 | 1,157 | 818 | 594 | 415 | 329 | 246 | 230 | 213 | 216 | 198 | c |
South Lanarkshire | 2,329 | 2,224 | 2,302 | 1,763 | 1,763 | 1,517 | 1,254 | 929 | 986 | 802 | 472 | 721 |
Stirling | 246 | 217 | 217 | 154 | 165 | 134 | 162 | 138 | 156 | 168 | 78 | 124 |
West Dunbartonshire | 1,376 | 1,120 | 816 | 732 | 520 | 574 | 338 | 295 | 437 | 276 | 180 | 181 |
West Lothian | 1,492 | 1,519 | 1,440 | 1,341 | 1,152 | 1,008 | 743 | 889 | 859 | 602 | 410 | 330 |
These statistics include temporary exclusions only. These statistics relate to cases of exclusion so due to pupils being excluded multiple times, some pupils may be double-counted.
The Scottish Government does not hold exclusion data from before 2005-06.
Since 2010-11, the Scottish Government has collected exclusion data every two years, meaning data is only available for odd-numbered years after this point.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it uses when deciding whether to hold discretionary fatal accident inquiries.
Answer
In terms of Section 4 of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016, an Inquiry is to be held if the Lord Advocate considers that the death was sudden, suspicious or unexplained, or occurred in circumstances giving rise to serious public concern, and decides that it is in the public interest for an inquiry to be held into the circumstances of the death.
Detailed guidance is also available for COPFS staff to assist them in identifying cases where it may be appropriate for a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry to be held.
The views of the nearest relatives about the holding of an Inquiry will always be taken into account, although the decision is ultimately for COPFS to make.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether proposed minimum safety clearance heights for overhead power lines should be adjusted in response to the increasing size of modern agricultural machinery used across Angus and Aberdeenshire.
Answer
Responsibility for the delivery of the transmission network infrastructure including compliance with safety standards, sits with the transmission owner working within a regulatory framework overseen by Ofgem and other relevant regulators such as the Health and Safety Executive.