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-01026

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many children under the age of 16 were detained in custody and held overnight in cells during (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16, broken down by (i) Police Scotland division, (ii) age and (iii) how long each child was held for.

Question reference: S5W-01028

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is Police Scotland procedure to detain in custody children under the age of 16 overnight in cells and under what circumstances this would occur.

Children will only be kept in police custody as a last resort.

When very minor crimes are committed it is common for children not to be taken to a custody centre but rather taken home and, if deemed necessary, cautioned and charged in front of their parents/carers. If a child has been charged with an offence and the police decide not to release them, they must be kept in a place of safety. Only in extreme circumstances would they be kept in a police station after they have been charged. Such circumstances are prescribed in section 43 the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995.

Question reference: S5W-01027

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the longest period a child under the age of 16 was held in custody for during (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; for what reason; how old the child was, and whether they were subsequently charged.

The information requested is a matter for Police Scotland and is not held centrally. However, the implementation of a new custody system in 2017 will enable Police Scotland to provide this information in the future.

Children will only be kept in police custody as a last resort. If a child has been charged with an offence and the police decide not to release them, they must be kept in a place of safety. Only in extreme circumstances would they be kept in a police station after they had been charged.

Question reference: S5W-00761

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to encourage joint working between NHS boards and local authorities in (a) Orkney and (b) the rest of the country.

The Scottish Government is providing a broad range of support – financial and practical – to health and social care partnerships.

In agreement with local government and the NHS, Scottish Government officials have begun a programme of direct engagement with health and social care partnerships across Scotland, as well as holding regular development sessions for Chairs and Vice Chairs of Partnerships to facilitate communication, relationships and learning. Further, we have commissioned leadership development support for Chief Officers and have commissioned NHS NSS to provide linked data for health and social care to local systems, and support its better use as a foundation for effective strategic commissioning of services.

The Scottish Government provides the £100 million integrated care fund to health and social care partnerships, to help drive the shift towards prevention and further strengthen our approach to tackling inequalities. Orkney’s allocation for this financial year is £410,000. In addition, we are investing £30 million each year for the delayed discharge fund, of which £123,000 has been allocated to Orkney. Our 2016-17 budget set out our plans to invest a further £250 million each year through health and social care partnerships, to protect and grow social care services. Orkney’s allocation of this is £1.07 million.

Question reference: S5W-00763

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that community health posts in remote and rural areas are protected.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the delivery of sustainable high quality healthcare in remote and rural areas. However, it is important to ensure that community health workers serve all our communities, which is why we have provided funding for 500 additional health visitors. Furthermore, the number of community nursing and midwifery staff has increased by over 2,500 whole time equivalent, or 28 per cent under this government.

Question reference: S5W-00762

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many community health posts have been relocated (a) in and (b) from (i) Orkney and (ii) the Highlands and Islands in each of the last five years, and how this compares with the rest of the country.

Question reference: S5W-00710

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 27 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00174 by Roseanna Cunningham on 31 May 2016, by what date it will (a) set and (b) announce the emissions targets.

Question reference: S5W-00711

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00175 by Roseanna Cunningham on 31 May 2016, whether it remains committed to its plan set out in Aileen McLeod's letter to the convener of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee on 26 November 2015 "to lay a draft setting out [RPP3] proposals and policies for meeting targets to 2032 in the Parliament towards the end of 2016".

The Climate Change Act (Scotland) 2009 requires that, as soon as reasonably practicable after setting a batch of annual targets, ministers publish a report detailing proposals and policies for meeting those targets. Targets in the period 2028-32 require to be set in legislation by 31 October 2016, or as soon as reasonably practicable afterwards.

Work is on-going on the third report on policies and proposals (RPP3) setting out how we will meet targets out to 2032, and I intend to lay a draft of RPP3 before Parliament in December 2016. The draft report will be subject to a 60-day period for Parliamentary consideration.

Question reference: S5W-00320

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 21 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00087 by Aileen Campbell on 25 May 2016, how many applications to tackle diabetes have been made to the research initiative.

Question reference: S5W-00503

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 06 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00142 by John Swinney on 2 June 2016, which (a) ministers, (b) officials and (c) stakeholders had pre-release access to the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy, and on what date this access was provided.

In addition to professional and production staff the following post holders were given pre-release access:

First Minister

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Special Advisers, Private Office

Head of the First Minister’s Policy and Delivery Unit

Strategic Policy Adviser, First Minister's Policy and Delivery Unit

C1, B3, B3, B2 Communications Smarter

Permanent Secretary

Director General Learning and Justice

Director of Learning

Deputy Director Curriculum, Qualifications and Gaelic

Head of Curriculum Unit

C1, C1, B3, B2 Curriculum Unit

C2, Curriculum, Qualifications and Gaelic Division

Deputy Director Strategy and Performance

Head of Strategy and Performance Unit

C1, B3 Strategy and Performance Unit

Head of Raising Attainment Unit

C1, B3 Raising Attainment Unit

Deputy Director People and Infrastructure

Head of People and Leadership Unit

C1, People and Leadership Unit

Head of Empowering Schools Unit

C1, Empowering Schools Unit

Chief Executive Education Scotland

Strategic Director, Education Scotland

Assistant Director, Education Scotland

Senior Education Officer, Education Scotland

Head of Communications, Education Scotland

Communications and Media Manager, Education Scotland

Head of Assessment Development and Delivery, SQA

Assessment Manager, SQA

Communications, SQA

In line with the, ministers and officials can have pre-release access to final form statistics five working days in advance. This date was 20 May 2016 (to account for two public holidays i.e. non-working days).