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: S6W-35216

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been given early release from HMP Barlinnie in each month since January 2022.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS have proactively published a range of data relating to Emergency Release (ER) on SPS Website, this includes a recently published a summary report of ER returns to custody data.

We continue to be as open and transparent as possible, whilst continuing to meet our statutory obligation to ensure that those in our care have their personal information protected; as such we have taken the decision not to publish a breakdown of establishments of those released under the ER scheme as some of the data could relate to a small group of individuals, which may lead to their inadvertent identification.

Question reference: S6W-35293

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19194 by Paul McLennan on 28 June 2023, when it plans to publish the next local authority analysis for the Scottish House Condition Survey.

The Scottish Government publishes local authority analysis using a three-year pooled data set to ensure sufficient sample sizes. As set out in the Scottish House Condition Survey 2023 Key Findings Report (available at Scottish House Condition Survey: 2023 Key Findings - gov.scot) the lack of SHCS data for 2020 and the enforced changes for 2021 cause issues with the production of this analysis for two reasons.

Firstly, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the SHCS survey was suspended and there is no data for 2020. Secondly, the data from the 2021 external+ SHCS is not directly comparable with that for earlier years, due to methodological differences, and therefore it would not be appropriate to combine it with the data for 2019 (or earlier) to produce a multi-year analysis.

As we require three years of data to produce local authority analysis, we won’t be able to return to the usual approach for producing local authority estimates from the SHCS until the 2024 wave of the SHCS has been published in early 2026. We will then be able to produce local authority estimates from the SHCS based on a three-year average for 2022 to 2024.

Question reference: S6W-35288

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 7 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to question S6O-04224 and the two supplementary questions by Jim Fairlie on 22 January 2025, whether it will provide an update on the assurances that, under the proposed changes to the schedule 1 bird monitoring licence conditions, in cases where it is not reasonably practicable for fieldworkers to provide written notification to landowners of monitoring activity, notification can be provided through NatureScot’s licensing division.

Question reference: S6W-35287

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 7 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask NatureScot to meet with the Scottish Raptor Study Group to discuss concerns around proposed changes to the schedule 1 bird monitoring licence conditions.

Question reference: S6W-35217

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it sought or received any expert advice on construction cost controls for the replacement of HMP Inverness and, if so, whether it will publish this.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The SPS engaged the services of legal advisers and cost consultants to advise on cost controls within the contract. It would not be appropriate for SPS to publish this advice as it is commercially sensitive information, however, SPS will publish a summary of their Business Case on their website.

Question reference: S6W-35223

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many assaults on (a) staff and (b) prisoners have been recorded in HMP Inverness in each of the last five years.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The number of assaults on staff in HMP Inverness in the last 5 years are as follows:

HMP Inverness
Year	Staff violence
2020	11
2021	11
2022	5
2023	4
2024	6

The number of assaults on Prisoners in HMP Inverness in the last 5 years are as follows:

HMP Inverness
Year	Prisoner violence
2020	24
2021	21
2022	15
2023	15
2024	24

Question reference: S6W-35225

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been released early from HMP Inverness, broken down by month since January 2022.

SPS will publish information on the releases under the changes to sentencing for short-term prisoners on their website and SPS has previously published information on releases under the emergency release legislation also on their website.

SPS continue to be as open and transparent as possible, whilst continuing to meet their statutory obligation to ensure that those in their care have their personal information protected; as such SPS cannot publish a breakdown of establishments as some of the data could relate to a small group of individuals, which may lead to their inadvertent identification.

Question reference: S6W-35221

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a full breakdown of costs associated with the replacement for HMP Inverness, including any penalties for delays.

Question reference: S6W-35222

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of the reported delays to the replacement of HMP Inverness on (a) prison overcrowding and (b) early release policies.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The needs and welfare of all those in our care remains a key priority for SPS as we continue to manage our highly complex population with a person-centred approach.

SPS continually assess risk, including that presented by an increasing population. Establishment specific indicators are analysed and assessed with identified risks mitigated where possible, this includes but is not limited to the utilisation of our existing estate.

The Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Government are committed to the replacement of HMP Inverness with HMP Highland to create better environments for people to live and work, to aid rehabilitation, reduce the risk of reoffending, and support safer communities.

Question reference: S6W-35121

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it sought or received any expert advice on construction cost controls for the replacement of HMP Barlinnie and, if so, whether it will publish this.