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: S4W-29911

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28458 by John Swinney on 2 December 2015, with which public sector bodies it has held discussions since the consultation on proposed amendments to the National Health Service Central Register (Scotland) Regulations 2006 closed.

Question reference: S4W-29910

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many times each day it expects that the NHS central register will be shared with other organisations if access is extended under its proposed amendments to the National Health Service Central Register (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Question reference: S4W-29909

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that information on the NHS central register has been shared 20 million times in the last 10 years and whether it will provide a breakdown of the (a) public bodies that have accessed this information, (b) number of times each body accessed it and (c) reason for access.

Question reference: S4W-29692

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 4 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which Scottish Fire and Rescue Service divisions are experiencing frontline staff shortages; how long these have lasted; what impact they have had on the availability of fire appliances at any one time, and when they will be resolved.

This information is not held by Scottish Government. The allocation of resources, both people and equipment, is a matter for the board of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). The SFRS does undertake regular recruitment for both operational and support staff, as dictated by the need of the organisation.

The SFRS has recently recruited two new cohorts of whole-time firefighters. Following their initial training they will be deployed across Scotland as operational demand dictates. In its last recruitment campaign for 12 whole time fire fighters to be located in the North Service Delivery Area, the SFRS closed its application process after a couple of days when it had received its target of 300 applications.

Alongside this, a national recruitment campaign for retained duty system (RDS) firefighters took place in February 2016. Further RDS campaigns will be held in May and August 2016.

Question reference: S4W-29693

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 4 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many job vacancies there are in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS); how many of these have been open for (a) less than a month, (b) one-two months, (c) three-four months and (d) over four months, broken down by (i) frontline staff and (ii) support staff and (iii) SFRS division.

This information is not held by Scottish Government. The allocation of resources, both people and equipment, is a matter for the board of the SFRS. The SFRS does undertake regular recruitment for both operational and support staff, as dictated by the need of the organisation.

Since becoming a national service the SFRS has the ability to constantly review requirements across Scotland and deploy resource to where the need is greatest. It also presents greater opportunity for personnel to develop their careers in roles throughout Scotland.

The SFRS has recently recruited two new cohorts of whole-time firefighters. Following their initial training they will be deployed across Scotland as operational demand dictates. Alongside this, a national recruitment campaign for retained duty system (RDS) firefighters took place in February 2016. Further RDS campaigns will be held in May and August 2016.

Question reference: S4O-05639

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make infrastructure improvements north of Aberdeen.

Question reference: S4W-29928

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are being put in place to accommodate the prisoners currently held at HMP Cornton Vale in preparation for its closure and whether any prisoners will continue to be housed on the site once the building works for the new prison have started.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

‘As was previously confirmed by the Cabinet Secretary in his announcement of 11 February 2016, a large number of the women in HMP Cornton Vale will be moving to more modern accommodation at HM YOI Polmont over the summer.

It is anticipated that a number of women will remain at HMP Cornton Vale during the building works.’

Question reference: S4W-29931

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what improvements to (a) food service, (b) access to shower facilities, (c) the provision of purposeful activities and (d) confidentiality at the medical facilities have been made at HMP Polmont since its follow-up inspection in 2014.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

(a) What improvements have been made to food service?

Results from the 2015 Prisoner (Young People) Survey show an improving position across all indicators relating to food.

In 2016 the catering department won the Falkirk Council ‘Eat Safe’ award for excellence in food hygiene standards.

(b) What improvements have been made in respect of access to shower facilities?

The decrease in population of young people to around 500 has had a significant positive impact on access to showers in Iona and Monro halls.

Improvements have been made to recording systems in the halls to ensure all young people are offered the opportunity of a shower every day and at key times for court attendance.

Extensive progress has been made in respect of this objective in partnership with Education Scotland against the senior phase of Curriculum for Excellence.

Maintaining levels of access to activity, particularly for those young men who are most disengaged remains and continuing focus and a key priority for the 2016 establishment business plan.

(d) What improvements have been made in respect of confidentiality at medical facilities?

All Polmont NHS Forth Valley health care staff have completed information governance training and fully understand the boundaries in respect of confidentiality.

90% of Polmont staff have completed core training in respect of information security.

Question reference: S4W-29908

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions it has taken more than a year to publish its response following the closure of a public consultation and what proportion of total consultations this represents.

Question reference: S4W-29595

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice’s recent report recommending that children should no longer be prosecuted in adult courts.

Preventing Offending: Getting it right for children and young people is our national youth justice strategy, published in June 2015. Among that strategy’s priorities is supporting timely and effective interventions to minimise the number of children in the criminal justice system and formal processes. There has been a 74% reduction in children appearing in court since 2007, and a 79% increase in diversion from prosecution involving under 18s since 2011. The strategy will build on this progress.

There are no plans for a formal response to the paper itself, but it will be useful in stimulating discussion among national youth justice partners.

A ‘Youth Justice Improvement Board’ has been established which includes senior representation from key partners, including the Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice. That board will drive the implementation of the national strategy and promote a culture of improvement. Their work will include activity to help reduce the number of children prosecuted in adult courts, and the paper’s recommendations will be considered as part of that effort.

There are no plans to legislate to remove the possibility that under 18s can ever be prosecuted in court.