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-19847

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many winter sailings on (a) Clyde and Hebrides and (b) Northern Isles ferry routes were cancelled between 1 October 2013 and 16 February 2014.

Performance information in respect of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service is available on the CalMac website by following the link:

http://www.calmac.co.uk/corporate-calmac/Route-Performance-Figures/

The information details on a route by route basis the number of scheduled sailings, the number of cancelled sailings as well as any additional sailings operated by CalMac. Information for January 20414 and February 2014 is not yet available, but will be published by CalMac shortly.

During the period 1 October 2013 to 16 February 2014 the total number of scheduled sailings on the Northern Isles Ferry Service was 1012, with 70 cancellations and no additional sailings.

Question reference: S4W-19846

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what developments in European Union public procurement policy in 2013 will influence its policies on the design of tendering documents for public contracts for passenger (a) ferry and (b) rail services, and whether it will set out changes to the design of tender documents for these services that have been made since December 2012.

Question reference: S4W-19851

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how regularly vessels operating on the (a) Northern Isles and (b) Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes undergo a full engine overhaul when dry docked, and when each vessel currently licensed to work on these routes last underwent such an overhaul.

Under the requirements for surveys by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Classification Society (Lloyds Register) each ship must be surveyed every year for renewal of their Passenger Ship Safety Certificate.

The three vessels operating on the Northern Isles ferry service undergo dry docking every second year with in water surveys being carried out every alternate year. These vessels were, or are planned to be, in dry dock between January 2014 and March 2014.

All the vessels operating on the Clyde and Hebrides network have been, or will be, dry docked during winter 2013-2014. The vessels which operate on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service network are dry docked every year

All machinery on the vessels, including the engines, is maintained to the manufacturer’s instructions and satisfaction of the MCA and Lloyds Register.

Question reference: S4W-19850

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will issue the draft invitation to tender document for the 2018-24 Northern Isles ferry services contract.

Question reference: S4W-19844

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers had in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013 with European Commission representatives on the need to explore the potential for raising the six-year maximum contract length for Scottish ferry services; what outcomes were agreed, and what steps it will take in 2014.

Question reference: S4W-19740

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the purpose is of police written warnings.

Question reference: S4W-19743

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Lesley Thomson on 28 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were detained in respect of domestic violence incidents in each of the last three years and, of these, how many (a) were released without charge, (b) had their case marked as "no proceedings" by the procurator fiscal, (c) were acquitted after trial and (d) were convicted.

(a) Information on the number of people detained in respect of domestic violence incidents is not held by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

(b) (c) & (d) The available information is contained in the following table:

People reported to COPFS for a charge with a domestic abuse aggravation

	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13
No action	3601	4024	4022
Acquitted after trial	734	826	873
Convicted	8564	8872	9292

Notes:

1. The figures relate to people reported to COPFS for charges with an aggravation of domestic abuse

which includes both violent and not violent offences.

2. The no action figures relate to people reported to COPFS in the appropriate financial year for

charges that were initially marked no action.

3. In the majority of cases where no action was taken it was because there was insufficient admissible

evidence in law to raise criminal proceedings.

4. Figures for acquitted after trial and convictions come from the Scottish Government Criminal

Proceedings Database.

5. Acquitted after trial includes found not guilty and found not proven after trial.

6. The acquittal and conviction figures relate to the financial year in which the trial concluded.

Question reference: S4W-19741

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what redress is available to a person to challenge the legitimacy of a police written warning.

A formal adult warning (FAW) is sent to a person who has 28 days to decide whether to accept or refuse it. If accepted, the FAW is recorded in the Criminal History System for two years and then removed. It does not count as a conviction. If refused, it is a matter for Police Scotland to decide what further action to take, including referral to the Procurator Fiscal for a decision on the most appropriate disposal.

Question reference: S4W-19742

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government who retains details of police written warnings that have been issued, for how long and for what purpose.

Details of Formal Adult Warnings (FAWs) are recorded in the Criminal History System (CHS) for two years and then removed. Only two FAWs are permitted on the CHS at any one time so this process enables police officers to check whether an offender has any FAWs already recorded. If there are two FAWs already on the CHS, a FAW cannot be issued for any subsequent offence and a Standard Police Report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Question reference: S4O-02957

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that environmental legislation and guidelines do not have a disproportionately negative impact on the species, homo sapiens.