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: S6O-00517

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on the roll-out of superfast broadband in Orkney.

Question reference: S6W-04470

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that booster vaccinations are recorded on COVID-19 vaccine certificates.

Question reference: S6W-04133

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to respond to the reported recommendation of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry that building evacuation alert systems should be fitted in new and existing high-rise buildings over 11 metres in height.

On 1 October 2019, the Scottish Government introduced evacuation alert systems in new high rise domestic buildings with a floor over 18m. The government also published Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Existing High Rise Domestic Buildings. The guidance promotes using a risk based approach to determine the fire safety measures required. Therefore, upgrading existing high rise domestic buildings with evacuation alert systems may be implemented where the level of fire risk is justified, taking into account the time, cost and disruption to building occupants involved.

We are not aware of any recommendation from the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 1 report relating to evacuation alert systems to be installed in new and existing high rise buildings over 11 metres in height.

Question reference: S6W-04134

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it intends to require the installation of evacuation alert systems in new buildings that are between 11 and 18 metres in height.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a requirement for evacuation alert systems to be installed in new buildings between 11 and 18 metres in height. See answer to S6W-04133 on 19 November 2021.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6O-00429

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Orkney regarding the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme.

Question reference: S6W-04132

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has taken any action to alert fire safety companies to the requirements on evacuation alert systems contained in British Standard 8629:2019.

Question reference: S6W-03837

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-36076 by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2021, whether it will provide figures for each month from March 2021 to date.

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

SPS is unable provide information on the breakdown of the average monthly occupancy rates as the data is not collected in this format. The table below provides details of the weekly data collated on single cell occupancy across the prison estate.

Single Occupancy – number of people accommodated alone in a cell intended to accommodate one person
Single Occupancy Double Room – number of people accommodated alone in a cell that is designed to be double occupancy
Double Occupancy Single Room – number of people accommodated with another person in a cell intended for one person
Double Occupancy Double Room, Multiple Occupancy and Single Occupancy Dorm – number of people accommodated in a cell, or dormitory, intended for more than one person
Total Population – The total number of individuals in custody that evening.
Single Cell Occupancy % - The percentage of the total population of that evening who are accommodated in single cell accommodation.

Date	Single Occupancy	Single Occupancy Double Room	Double Occupancy Single Room	Double Occupancy Double Room	Multiple Occupancy	Single Occupancy Dorm	Total Population	Single Cell Occupancy %
22-03-2021	4992	258	1252	892	22	0	7416	70.8%
29-03-2021	4957	242	1232	942	19	1	7393	70.3%
05-04-2021	4937	248	1308	918	25	3	7439	69.7%
12-04-2021	4929	253	1306	898	31	0	7417	69.9%
19-04-2021	4933	267	1312	868	28	1	7409	70.2%
26-04-2021	4927	258	1286	874	30	3	7378	70.3%
03-05-2021	5015	274	1212	852	32	0	7385	71.6%
10-05-2021	5071	282	1122	844	33	1	7353	72.8%
17-05-2021	5072	280	1154	838	32	1	7377	72.6%
24-05-2021	5072	269	1142	838	35	1	7357	72.6%
31-05-2021	5133	260	1132	842	34	0	7401	72.9%
07-06-2021	5135	273	1128	862	28	3	7429	72.8%
14-06-2021	5056	269	1204	898	31	0	7458	71.4%
21-06-2021	5070	262	1262	884	30	1	7509	71.0%
28-06-2021	5001	265	1314	884	35	2	7501	70.2%
05-07-2021	5017	257	1316	892	33	0	7515	70.2%
12-07-2021	4982	251	1362	876	33	1	7505	69.7%
19-07-2021	4995	266	1384	870	31	1	7547	69.7%
26-07-2021	4971	248	1426	892	30	1	7568	69.0%
02-08-2021	4960	274	1454	868	33	1	7590	69.0%
09-08-2021	4919	280	1504	864	30	1	7598	68.4%
16-08-2021	4922	266	1468	910	33	1	7600	68.3%
23-08-2021	4964	252	1420	910	36	2	7584	68.8%
30-08-2021	4952	248	1452	906	38	1	7597	68.5%
06-09-2021	4934	256	1426	898	35	1	7550	68.8%
13-09-2021	4959	260	1406	914	31	1	7571	68.9%
20-09-2021	4957	254	1442	922	31	1	7607	68.5%
27-09-2021	4941	255	1444	916	33	1	7590	68.5%
04-10-2021	4901	250	1464	902	35	1	7553	68.2%
11-10-2021	4908	251	1472	894	33	0	7558	68.3%
18-10-2021	4872	248	1518	900	34	0	7572	67.6%

Question reference: S6W-04135

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government and the National Fire Chiefs Council in relation to the fitting of evacuation alert systems, including any contribution it has made to the evacuation alert systems project, and what outcomes it hopes this will result in.

The Scottish Government provided support and funding to develop British Standard for evacuation alert systems and engaged with the National Fire Chiefs Council, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the UK Government in that work.

The National Fire Chiefs Council and UK Government comprise the Stay Put Technical Steering Group which is overseeing research on means of escape from a design, management and operational perspective. The Scottish Government and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service awaits the research findings, as they are key to informing any potential improvements and future approaches.

Question reference: S6W-03943

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 22 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-00179 by Keith Brown on 21 September 2021, whether it will provide the dataset used to arrive at the assertion about the number of fatal accident inquiry recommendations.

The dataset which was used to advise of the number of fatal accident inquiry recommendations is the Fatal Accident Inquiry Report 2020-2021. The statistics that inform the report are compiled by Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and confirmed with Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The report was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 17 June 2021 and published on the Scottish Government website gov.scot.

Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs): statistics 2020-2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The published information is set out below.

The statistics for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 for Fatal Accident Inquiries under the 2016 Act are as follows.

Number of FAIs that ended during the year: 61
Number in which recommendations requiring a response were made: 8
Number of such recommendations made: 18
Number of such recommendations in relation which a response was received by SCTS under section 28(1): 17
Number of such recommendations in relation to which a notice was published by SCTS under section 28(7) (signalling that no response was received): 1

All 2016 Act determinations, recommendations and responses are accessible from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service web portal at: http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/the-courts/sheriff-court/fatal-accidents

Question reference: S6W-03838

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-35919 by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2021, whether it will provide figures for each month from March 2021 to date.

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

The following tables detail the (a) Average Occupancy (b) Design Capacity and (c) the Occupancy Rate of each prison between March 2021 to September 2021.

The Occupancy Rate and the Design Capacity rate are the average for each calendar month.

MARCH 2021

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	641	702	91%
Barlinnie	1219	987	124%
Cornton Vale	58	109	53%
Dumfries	162	176	92%
Edinburgh	874	867	101%
Glenochil	664	668	99%
Grampian	445	552	81%
Greenock	197	218	90%
Inverness	102	93	110%
Kilmarnock	504	501	100%
Low Moss	824	784	105%
Open Estate	147	284	52%
Perth	651	631	103%
Polmont	352	758	46%
Shotts	543	538	101%

APRIL 2021

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	601	702	86%
Barlinnie	1205	987	122%
Cornton Vale	57	109	52%
Dumfries	179	176	102%
Edinburgh	860	867	99%
Glenochil	694	668	104%
Grampian	446	552	81%
Greenock	192	218	88%
Inverness	97	93	104%
Kilmarnock	532	501	106%
Low Moss	831	784	106%
Open Estate	149	284	52%
Perth	647	631	103%
Polmont	346	758	46%
Shotts	544	538	101%

MAY 2021

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	689	702	98%
Barlinnie	1113	987	113%
Cornton Vale	56	109	51%
Dumfries	185	176	105%
Edinburgh	835	867	96%
Glenochil	694	668	104%
Grampian	439	552	80%
Greenock	194	218	89%
Inverness	105	93	113%
Kilmarnock	538	501	107%
Low Moss	828	784	106%
Open Estate	152	284	54%
Perth	633	631	100%
Polmont	338	758	45%
Shotts	542	538	101%

JUNE 2021

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	710	702	101%
Barlinnie	1155	987	117%
Cornton Vale	57	109	52%
Dumfries	185	176	105%
Edinburgh	859	867	99%
Glenochil	694	668	104%
Grampian	439	552	80%
Greenock	199	224	91%
Inverness	102	93	110%
Kilmarnock	526	501	105%
Low Moss	805	784	103%
Open Estate	156	284	55%
Perth	650	631	103%
Polmont	345	758	46%
Shotts	545	538	101%

JULY 2021

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	717	702	102%
Barlinnie	1246	987	126%
Cornton Vale	53	109	49%
Dumfries	187	176	106%
Edinburgh	876	867	101%
Glenochil	716	668	107%
Grampian	438	552	79%
Greenock	198	224	91%
Inverness	101	93	109%
Kilmarnock	539	501	108%
Low Moss	782	785	100%
Open Estate	150	284	53%
Perth	635	631	101%
Polmont	337	758	44%
Shotts	544	538	101%

AUGUST 2021

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	723	702	103%
Barlinnie	1216	987	123%
Cornton Vale	63	109	58%
Dumfries	187	176	106%
Edinburgh	881	867	102%
Glenochil	716	668	107%
Grampian	435	552	79%
Greenock	196	224	90%
Inverness	114	93	123%
Kilmarnock	538	501	107%
Low Moss	839	785	107%
Open Estate	148	284	52%
Perth	637	631	101%
Polmont	335	758	44%
Shotts	541	538	101%

SEPTEMBER 2021

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	723	702	103%
Barlinnie	1183	987	120%
Cornton Vale	58	109	53%
Dumfries	183	176	104%
Edinburgh	877	867	101%
Glenochil	728	668	109%
Grampian	430	552	78%
Greenock	190	219	87%
Inverness	115	93	124%
Kilmarnock	540	501	108%
Low Moss	857	785	109%
Open Estate	147	284	52%
Perth	650	631	103%
Polmont	334	758	44%
Shotts	540	538	100%