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: S5W-07719

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Mark McDonald on 2 March 2017 (Official Report, c.46) that it will develop a flagging system on the National Vulnerable Persons Database, before creating a National Child Protection Database, what access rights to information parents and guardians will have in the interim arrangements; which (a) organisations, (b) public bodies, and (c) government bodies will have access to this data; what the data retention policy will be, and what information will be recorded for each child.

As recommended by the Child Protection Systems Review, the Scottish Government has committed to working with Police Scotland to develop a flagging system on the national vulnerable persons database that will identify all children who are placed on local child protection registers. Preliminary work to develop this will begin shortly and we will work with Police Scotland to identify and address issues of access and data retention.

Question reference: S5W-07689

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the consultation, Electronic Monitoring in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-07692

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders it invited to engage in the consultation, Electronic Monitoring in Scotland.

"Electronic Monitoring in Scotland – A Consultation on Proposals for Legislation" is a public consultation and the Scottish Government is keen to hear from all those with an interest in this area.

We are particularly interested in the thoughts of a range of people and organisations working in the justice system, people who have been victims of crime and those with a history of offending.

Question reference: S5W-07694

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it helps people break out of the reoffending cycle.

This Government is committed to action to reduce reoffending and we are taking forward a range of measures to support individuals to break this cycle. These include:

maintaining record levels of funding of nearly £95 million for Criminal Justice Social Work services to tackle reoffending and the causes of crime;
investing an additional £4 million in 2016-17 to increase the use of robust community services which evidence shows are more effective at reducing reoffending than short prison sentences, and this funding continues in the budget for this coming financial year; and
providing £15.5 million over 2012-17 through the Reducing Reoffending Change Fund to support third sector services delivering practical, one to one offender mentoring services to women and prolific young male offenders, a substantial advance in the support previously available across Scotland to those completing short term prison sentences.

From 1 April, our new model for Community Justice will come into effect. Statutory Community Justice Partners will jointly plan and deliver services to prevent further offending and support those who have offended to reintegrate into communities. This approach will strengthen the way services and communities work together to break the cycle of offending, reduce re-offending and ultimately make our communities safer.

Question reference: S5W-07687

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the expansion of GPS and alcohol monitoring technologies will have on the daily cost of monitoring (a) overall and (b) per person compared with the cost for custodial sentences.

Question reference: S5W-07716

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years on 2 March 2017 (Official Report, c. 46), for what reason the minister will chair the National Child Protection Leadership Group, in light of the recommendation by the Child Protection Systems Review that the group "should report and account to Scottish Ministers".

The Scottish Government has accepted all the recommendations of the Child Protection Systems Review, including the recommendation to establish a National Child Protection Leadership Group. As I stated in my answer to the member in the chamber, given the expectations that I am setting out for others to show leadership in this area I decided that I should demonstrate my own commitment to leadership by chairing the Leadership Group.

Question reference: S5W-07718

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years on 2 March 2017 (Official Report, c. 46), in light of the minister's comment that "new legislation will be brought before this session of Parliament introducing a new definition and criminal offence of abuse and neglect of children", whether the minister will reconsider his response to question S5W-03999 in which said that the Scottish Government has “no plans to bring forward legislation to repeal existing legal defences for parents in relation to physical punishment”.

Question reference: S5W-07714

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years on 2 March 2017 (Official Report, c. 46), when the national child protection policy will be published and what support it will provide for this.

Question reference: S5W-07710

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years on 2 March 2017 (Official Report, c. 46), whether the consultation on the proposed legislation for a new definition and criminalisation of abuse and neglect of children will give respondents the opportunity to comment on the appropriateness of removing the defence of justifiable assault.

The Scottish Government understands that John Finnie MSP intends to forward a member's Bill on physical punishment of children. The Scottish Government will consider this Bill once it is available.

The Scottish Government will work with key partners across the children's sector to develop the consultation on proposed amendments to section 12 of the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937 (Cruelty to persons under sixteen).

Question reference: S5W-07965

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether, following reported comments by Michael Matheson on October 2015, that "short sentences do nothing to stop reoffending in our communities and only result in offenders going in and out of prison time and time again and reoffending upon release", it will provide an update on the actions that it has taken since then to reduce reoffending.