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-02656

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01987 by Derek Mackay on 8 September 2016, in light of the link it supplied not providing information regarding the location of every ministerial visit, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding the provision of a breakdown of all ministerial visits to (a) Orkney and (b) Shetland since May 2007, also broken down by (i) location, (ii) date and (iii) the name of the person or group that was met.

Question reference: S5W-02234

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01402 by Michael Matheson on 9 August 2016, whether it has reconsidered any aspect of its policy on armed policing since 12 July 2016.

Question reference: S5W-02233

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01402 by Michael Matheson on 9 August 2016, for what reason this did not address the matter of the remarks made on Radio Scotland on 12 July 2016.

Since 12 July 2016, the Scottish Government has received one representation from a member of the Scottish Parliament only. Senior officials from the Scottish Government meet regularly with senior officers to discuss a range of issues including armed policing. I also meet regularly with the Chief Constable to discuss a range of issues, most recently on 7 September 2016.

As I said in my statement to Parliament on 16 June 2016 Police Scotland keeps its policy on the deployment of armed police officers under constant review. The Chief Constable is advised on armed policing by its armed policing monitoring group. The Scottish Government’s position continues to be that any future consideration by Police Scotland of any proposed change to the model of deployment should be subject to wide consultation by Police Scotland and take into account the views of the public, stakeholders and Parliament. The vast majority of Scotland’s police officers are not routinely armed and we have made an unequivocal commitment that that position will not change.

Question reference: S5W-02237

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01402 by Michael Matheson on 9 August 2016, for what reason the answer did not address steps to "inform and engage the public regarding the use of armed police."

Question reference: S5W-02236

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01402 by Michael Matheson on 9 August 2016, whether it has received representations from any (a) MPs and (b) MSPs on armed policing since 12 July 2016.

Question reference: S5W-02235

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01402 by Michael Matheson on 9 August 2016, whether it has had discussions with senior officers of Police Scotland concerning public information about its policy on armed policing since 12 July 2016.

Question reference: S5W-02238

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01402 by Michael Matheson on 9 August 2016, what steps are being taken to inform and engage the public regarding the use of armed police.

Question reference: S5W-02950

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 19 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will establish a Scottish consumer taskforce, as set out in the Programme for Government.

Question reference: S5W-02949

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 19 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will set out the consumer and competition principles, as set out in the Programme for Government.

Question reference: S5W-02919

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on consulting on its proposed family justice modernisation strategy, and when it will publish the strategy.

The Scottish Government held a Family Justice Modernisation Strategy summit on 17 March 2016. The outcomes of that summit will be published shortly. The Scottish Government is still considering how best to take the Strategy forward, and an announcement will be made in due course. A key part of the Strategy is about the voice of the child being heard in family cases. The Family Law Committee of the Scottish Civil Justice Council, which advises on court rules and procedures, is already taking forward work on the voice of the child in family actions, following a policy paper prepared by the Scottish Government. The Committee is also in the process of commissioning research on case management to inform its work. More details of the work of the Committee can be found on the Scottish Civil Justice Council's website.