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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 1003 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-15828

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 27 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were prosecuted for offences under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 in 2012-13.

Information for 2012-13 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2012-13 Statistical Bulletin. This is due to be published in November 2013.

The dates of all Scottish Government Official and National Statistics publications are pre-announced, and the up to date list of future publications can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Search/Forthcoming.

For available information on offences under this act, I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-11677 on 10 January 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-15539

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S4O-02201 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2013, how his statement that "the police are there to serve and not to operate as a business" reflects the charging for policing of music festivals and other events.

Question reference: S4W-15538

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S4O-02201 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2013, what its policy is on charging event organisers for policing under a single police force.

Chapter 13 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 sets out the arrangements allowing for the provision of, and charging for, certain services provided by the Police Service or the Scottish Police Authority. Section 86(9) of the Act makes clear that charges can only be made for police services “in connection with the maintenance of order, or the protection of persons or property from harm which are provided on, or in relation to land owned or occupied by the person who requests those services”. It is for the SPA to determine circumstances in which charges can be made and the scale of charges.

Question reference: S4W-15540

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S4O-02201 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2013, how the charging of event organisers for policing inside and in the direct vicinity of events such as football matches and music festivals reflects the cabinet secretary's statement that "the police are there to serve and not to operate as a business".

Question reference: S4W-14530

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Court Service on the establishment of purpose-built justice centres as recommended in the report, Shaping Scotland’s Court Services; what the timescale is for their establishment, and when it will be able to provide more details on their facilities and functions.

The SCS published, Shaping Scotland’s Court Services: The Scottish Court Service response to the consultation and recommendations for a future court structure in Scotland on 9 April 2013. Its proposals are designed to deliver a more sustainable courts estate with a smaller group of buildings with improved services, facilities and technologies for court users in the short to medium term. Its longer term vision for the courts service in Scotland includes Justice Centres which it envisages will provide the full range of specialist support services, complementing the existing high quality courts in many of Scotland’s cities. The report identifies the Borders, Fife, Lanarkshire and Highland as areas where they could be located.

Further details about justice centres are a matter for the SCS. The SCS has had an initial discussion with Scottish Borders Council who are supportive of finding a long term solution that meets the needs of the Scottish Borders and they intend to commence the initial feasibility work in the Borders and other areas during the course of this year.

Question reference: S4W-14381

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 22 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) stage 3 report on the Aberdeen to Inverness rail improvement project.

Following the publication of Network Rail’s Strategic Business Plan for the 2014 – 2019 rail investment priorities at the beginning of the year, it is continuing to undertake detailed development work on the Aberdeen to Inverness Rail Improvements Project to determine the track and signalling required to deliver enhanced commuter services and new stations as specified in the Scottish Ministers High Level Output Specification.

As a result of the detailed work required, Network Rail’s GRIP 3 (Options Selection) Report is now scheduled to be published this summer.

Question reference: S4O-02047

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing regarding establishing melanoma screening programmes for people working in agriculture.

Question reference: S4W-13743

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 16 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many civilian staff are employed by each police force, broken down by department.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13622 on 22 March 2013 for the latest figures of civilian staff employed by each police force in Scotland as at 31 December 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested on the breakdown of civilian staff by department for each force.

Question reference: S4O-01967

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage more women to enter the computer games industry.

Question reference: S4W-13472

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many strip searches have taken place at (a) young offenders institutions and (b) secure units in each of the last five years, broken down by age of offender.

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

SPS do not collect this information. Searches are carried out to prevent prisoners, visitors or staff bringing into the prison, or on to SPS premises, items that are unauthorised, prohibited or considered a threat to security or to good order and discipline.

Searches are undertaken in compliance with SPS Searching Procedures and are designed to ensure they are carried out with proper regard for the individual's privacy and dignity. Any person subject to searching is provided with an explanation of the procedure prior to the search commencing and given the opportunity to raise any concerns. Non-invasive body searches of prisoners are carried out and supervised by staff of the same gender.

In regards to (b) The Scottish Government does not collect information on strip searches in secure units.