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-29929

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 25 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what changes are planned to the current regime at HMP Polmont to deliver appropriate services for the prisoners coming from HMP Cornton Vale.

Question reference: S4W-29932

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 25 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many young women offenders are being moved from HMP Cornton Vale to HMP Polmont.

Question reference: S4W-29930

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 25 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are being made to ensure the continuity of programmes and educational study for HMP Cornton Vale prisoners moving to HMP Polmont.

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

“I refer to the response to parliamentary question S4W-29929 on 24 February 2016. Services women would be expected to receive at HMP Cornton Vale will be replicated at HM YOI Polmont.

Where this is not possible in every case, consideration will be given to placing an individual according to where the service is available.

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-29927

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 25 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether HMP Polmont or HMP Cornton Vale will hold the mother and baby unit after prisoners are moved from HMP Cornton Vale.

Question reference: S4W-29862

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to support service providers affected by (a) access issues in relation to mental health services, (b) offender use of new psychoactive substances, (b) access to stable housing for offenders and (c) a lack of information from other agencies, as identified in the report, Community Payback Order: Scottish Government Summary of Local Authority Annual Reports 2014-15.

It is clear from the Community Payback Order (CPO) annual reports received from local authorities that they are putting considerable effort into delivering robust, effective CPOs which enable payback to communities and help to address the underlying causes of offending behaviour.

These underlying causes can be multiple and complex and we note the points highlighted by some criminal justice social work departments in relation to challenges they have experienced in supporting individuals on CPOs – including access to wider services.

The new model for community justice, which will be introduced by the Community Justice (Scotland) Bill, will support a more holistic and collaborative approach to community justice by placing a duty on statutory community justice partners to co-operate in carrying out planning activities and to deliver and report on outcomes for community justice in their local area.

Question reference: S4W-29861

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that community payback orders should be more widely used as an alternative to imprisonment based on the feedback from communities and offenders in the report, Community Payback Order: Scottish Government Summary of Local Authority Annual Reports 2014-15.

The Scottish Government is committed to reducing the rate of imprisonment in Scotland – particularly the use of short-term imprisonment. Shifting the emphasis towards greater use of robust community sentences, in particular Community Payback Orders (CPOs), will be critical if we are to achieve that aim.

We are clear that CPOs are a robust and credible community sentence. They deliver tangible benefits to communities by making individuals payback for the damage caused by their crimes by undertaking unpaid work. They also offer real opportunities for rehabilitation by requiring individuals to tackle the underlying causes of their offending behaviour by undertaking offence-focussed work.

The feedback received from both beneficiaries of unpaid work projects and the individuals on CPOs makes clear that these orders are delivering positive outcomes and are helping people to move away from offending behaviour. The evidence supports this, individuals released from a custodial sentence of six months or less are reconvicted more than twice as often as those given a CPO.

That is why this government will continue to promote the use of CPOs and other community sentences. In support of this commitment, we are investing an additional £4 million in community justice in 2016-17.

Question reference: S4W-29856

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the suggestion in relation to community payback orders that when a mental health treatment requirement was imposed "the effect was that services were more joined up and communicated more effectively which resulted in a better outcome for the individual involved" and whether it considers that this requirement should be used more widely.

The Scottish Government recognises that the imposition of a mental health treatment requirement under a Community Payback Order (CPO) can assist in supporting multi-agency working.

We also recognise that the mental health treatment requirement is used less often than the other CPO requirements. This does not mean, however, that individuals with mental health problems are not having these needs addressed. For example, local authorities report that mental health support needs are also often addressed under other requirements – supervision, ‘other activity’ and ‘programme’ requirements in particular. This is especially helpful for those individuals who need support but do not meet the specific criteria of the mental health treatment requirement.

Previous reports have also highlighted the innovative practice underway in local authorities to support joint working between mental health and criminal justice social work services. For example, a number of areas have appointed dedicated mental health officers within criminal justice teams and have highlighted the improvements this has made to streamlining access to specialist support and services.

Question reference: S4O-05602

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recent child and adolescent mental health waiting time statistics showing that around half of patients in NHS Grampian waited over 18 weeks before being seen.

Question reference: S4W-30070

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland’s report on Cornton Vale.

The Scottish Government acknowledges this report and is working with the Scottish Prison Service to build on the positive work at HMP & YOI Cornton Vale in order to take forward an action plan to implement the improvements suggested by the Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland.

On 11 February 2016, I announced plans to relocate more than half of the women from HMP & YOI Cornton Vale to suitable accommodation within HMYOI Polmont over the summer. This temporary measure will allow us to start preparations to deliver a new smaller (80 place) national prison on the site of the current Cornton Vale, due to be operational by 2020. Once the move to HMPYOI Polmont is complete, all women remaining at HMP & YOI Cornton Vale will have access to appropriate night sanitation arrangements.

Although the inspection report highlights positive and professional relationships between prison staff and women, it also notes that some women did not have confidence in the complaints system. In order to address this, the Scottish Prison Service has commenced the rolling out of a staff training package at HMP & YOI Cornton Vale on the management of handling complaints.

Question reference: S4W-29575

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 24 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the average monthly cost is of a prison sentence.