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 MSPs 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: S7W-02883

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what clinical guidelines are being developed to manage the risks associated with poly-substance use and the diversion of prescription drugs within prisons.

The Scottish Government is supporting work led by the Prison Pharmacy Group to develop a Prison Pharmaceutical Care Package that will help identify and manage risks associated with polypharmacy, drug interactions and medicines-related harm within prisons.

In addition, prescribing guidance developed jointly by prison pharmacists, GPs and nursing leaders supports the safe prescribing and management of medicines, including addressing risks associated with poly-substance use and the diversion of prescribed drugs.

The Scottish Government has also supported the implementation of long-acting injectable buprenorphine (Buvidal) across prisons, reducing reliance on medicines that are more vulnerable to diversion.

Question reference: S7W-02885

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Criminal Justice Committee’s recommendations in its January 2026 report, Inquiry into the harm caused by substance misuse in Scottish Prisons, whether it will commit to publishing national figures on staff exposure incidents and subsequent health outcomes, which are currently recorded only for internal purposes.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and has responsibility for operation of prisons including staffing.

Information on health outcomes is not held by SPS as responsibility for prison healthcare services rests with NHS Boards.

SPS has worked proactively in partnership with the Trade Union Side to develop and implement protocols designed to support and protect staff who may encounter situations involving potential exposure to unknown substances. This collaborative approach helps ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for staff and supports a consistent operational response across the prison estate. SPS continues to review how such incidents are recorded with a strong focus on staff safety, welfare and support.

Question reference: S7W-02849

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what financial approvals remain outstanding in order for the artificial intelligence technology proposed to support thrombectomy services to be deployed, and what the expected timescale is for each such approval.

Funding in 2026-27 to procure artificial intelligence technology to support thrombectomy service expansion has been approved by the Scottish Government. There are ongoing discussions to finalise the award to a supplier.

Funding for future years is dependent upon the costed thrombectomy expansion model being developed by Public Serviced Delivery Scotland and will be subject to the usual financial approvals processes.

Question reference: S7W-02848

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether all the public funding required for the deployment of artificial intelligence technology proposed to support thrombectomy services has been approved, and, if not, what funding remains to be approved.

Question reference: S7W-02850

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government who has responsibility for providing the final financial approval required for the deployment of artificial intelligence technology proposed to support thrombectomy services.

Question reference: S7O-00252

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that frontline police officers are not routinely used to fill any gaps in mental health provision.

Question reference: S7W-02837

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 16 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to work proactively with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to address any systemic delays in the prosecution of sexual offences and to improve support for survivors of sexual violence.

Survivors show great bravery and trust in our justice system when they come forward to report sexual violence. There has been a long-term increase in the reporting and prosecution of sexual offence cases, which in part reflects the growing confidence victims have in reporting, as well as the success of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in prosecuting these cases.

The Scottish Government and COPFS meet regularly at both Ministerial and official level, and improving the experiences of survivors of sexual offences is a key area of focus. Through the Victims Taskforce, co-chaired by myself and Lord Advocate, we are working with justice partners to improve the experiences of victims and survivors, including those affected by sexual violence - in particular COPFS are members of the Trauma-informed Workstream of the Taskforce, dedicated to implementing the trauma informed knowledge and skills framework, and the Communications Workstream, which focuses on improving communication with victims and witnesses. The Taskforce’s work is informed by the Victims and Survivors Advisory Board, ensuring that lived experience is central to the development of a trauma-informed and person-centred justice system that better meets the needs of victims and survivors.

The Scottish Government has also significantly increased investment in COPFS over recent years, recognising the growing volume and complexity of casework, including the increase in sexual offence cases. The Crown Office budget allocation for 2026-27 is £259.9 million – more than double the Service’s published budget for 2019-20.

Question reference: S7W-02879

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the specific timeline is for the commencement and funding of section 12 (Duty to engage in release planning) and section 13 (Throughcare support standards) of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023.

Section 13 was commenced on 9 February 2026. The legislation requires that a set of standards for through care support be published within two years of that commencement date. Since commencement, officials have been engaging with the organisations named in the legislation to support the development of these standards. A full 12-week consultation on the draft standards is planned for early 2027.

Section 12 has not yet been commenced. As with the remaining provisions of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023, commencement is being progressed in a phased and considered manner, with close engagement across relevant partners to ensure operational readiness and support effective implementation.

As set out in the financial memorandum accompanying the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland)Bill at introduction, it is not anticipated that Sections 12 and 13 will give rise to significant additional costs for local authorities or other public bodies. The duties in these sections do not require named partners to provide new or additional services beyond those already available to people leaving custody.

Question reference: S7W-02881

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the long-term effectiveness of Emergency Early Release schemes and the reduction of the automatic release point to 30% in achieving a permanent reduction in the prison population.

Scotland’s emergency early release (EER) mechanism enables Scottish Ministers to release groups of short-term prisoners within 180 days of their scheduled release, where it is considered necessary and proportionate to do so in order to protect the security and good order of prisons, and/or to protect the health and well-being of prison workers and prisoners.

EER is a temporary measure designed to mitigate acute population pressures by bringing forward the release of a limited cohort of prisoners who are already approaching their scheduled release date. As such, it is not intended to produce a sustained reduction in the prison population.

The EER process that operated between November 2025 and April 2026 was used to address the critical prison population at the time. Over this period 614 individuals were released earlier than their scheduled release date.

The change in the automatic release point for certain short-term prisoners to 30% from 40% implemented from May 2026, forms part of a wider package of measures taken to manage prison population levels over the longer term.

It is estimated that the prison population today would be around 240 to 310 higher had the change in release point to 30% not been introduced.

Question reference: S7W-02877

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to integrate the database systems of the Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

The Scottish Government continues to support reforms across our justice services – responding to society’s changing needs, removing duplication and ensuring there are modern user-centred digital services which deliver best value for money and fully support all users of the justice system, including expanding digital evidence sharing capability and enabling police and expert witnesses to give their evidence remotely.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) is an independent, judicially led, public body, chaired by the Lord President. The scheduling and delivery of programmes, including database integration, are operational matters for the SCTS Board and the Scottish Prison Service.