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-16748

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the police performance measurements were for (a) driving while on a mobile phone, (b) not wearing a seatbelt, (c) dangerous driving, (d) stop and search and (e) drink driving in each of the last five years, also broken down by region.

Question reference: S4W-16754

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget was for police forensic services in each of the last five years.

The budget from Scottish Government for police forensic services, up to and including 2012-13, was included within the overall allocation made to the Scottish Police Services Agency (SPSA). The annual expenditure by the SPSA on police forensics services for years 2008-09 to 2011-12 is included within each published annual report and accounts for the SPSA. The SPSA annual report and accounts for 2012-13 is due to be published in the Autumn of 2013.

Question reference: S4W-16747

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of the Scottish Police Authority Forensic Services and what information it has on Police Scotland's view on this matter.

Forensic services are a critical part of the fight against crime in Scotland. The Scottish Government values the hard work and dedication of the forensic service and welcomes the recent advances in technology and other innovations which enable the service to function with even greater efficiency. The state-of-the-art laboratory in Dundee is one of the best in the world and the forthcoming move to the Scottish Crime Campus at Gartcosh will enhance the service even further.

Police Scotland’s view is a matter for the Chief Constable.

Question reference: S4W-16997

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce price competitive tendering in the provision of legal aid.

Question reference: S4W-16727

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 11 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government which (a) Crown Office and (b) NHS department is responsible for ensuring that a deceased person's next-of-kin or family is given the opportunity to arrange for the disposal of (i) brain, (ii) tissue and (iii) other body parts that have been removed after death, and which person has overall responsibility.

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) deals with the investigation of around 12,000 deaths every year and instructs post mortem examinations in respect of some cases.

Since April 2012 in situations where the Procurator Fiscal has instructed a post mortem examination in the public interest and the pathologist has advised the Procurator Fiscal that it is necessary to retain the brain or another organ after the examination, the COPFS Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit now has responsibility for ensuring that the deceased person’s nearest relatives are made aware of the retention and consulted regarding their wishes in respect of any further steps once retention is no longer required. Prior to that, responsibility lay with Procurators Fiscal locally.

In the NHS, the arrangements for the disposal of an organ are the responsibility of the department carrying out the post-mortem examination, which may be the pathology department. The chief operating officer of the organisation undertaking the post-mortem examination would have overall responsibility for services delivered by his/her organisation.

Under section 38 of the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006, tissue samples taken during a post mortem examination become part of the medical records. As such, nearest relatives will not routinely be asked about their preferences for disposal of tissue.

Question reference: S4W-16752

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how often Police Scotland gathers key performance indicators (KPI) from each divisional command; what each KPI is, and how they are analysed.

Question reference: S4F-01493

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2013

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to reduce the number of assaults against police officers.

Question reference: S4W-15491

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to small and medium-sized enterprises that want to do business with China.

The Scottish Government through its international trade and investment arm, Scottish Development International (SDI), has in place services to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) wanting to do business in and with China. SDI provides assistance directly in China through its offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai and across Scotland via SDI trade advisers.

SDI utilises European funding to expand its reach to all entrepreneurs and companies in Scotland wishing to exploit opportunities in markets such as China. The support available is wide ranging and is aligned to customers’ needs. Assistance includes: market awareness events; export skills development; strategy development support; overseas market research and identification of business opportunities; exhibitions and missions; and partnering support and assistance to establish a presence in China. The Smart Exporter programme is one of the services which has been specifically designed to help develop the skills and capacity of SMEs aiming to trade internationally.

Additional assistance includes the SDI website which is designed to provide a one-stop shop for Scottish companies looking to export and grow their international business. International trade training modules are delivered online with the added benefit, particularly to SMEs, that they do not have to be away from their businesses to attend.

Plans are also in place to enhance this online resource as part of the Scottish Business Portal project. It is aimed at ensuring a clearer path for companies to navigate and access all relevant information and public sector support that is available to their businesses.

Question reference: S4W-15492

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers Chinese businesses that want to (a) set up in and (b) trade with Scotland.

a) The Scottish Government through its international trade and investment arm, Scottish Development International (SDI), provides support to Chinese businesses that want to set up operations in Scotland and develop projects that will benefit the Scottish economy. SDI provides assistance directly in China through its offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai and can also advise across Scotland via SDI trade advisers.

The type of support provided would be tailored to the Chinese company and as such could cover a number of areas of interest including: helping to identify and access new markets, investments, technologies and innovations; offering advice on the economy, locations, recruitment and sector specific information; helping secure access to training and financial support; introductions to potential Scottish companies to partner with; advice on industry networks and clusters; and information on relocating to Scotland e.g. education, housing and lifestyle considerations.

Financial support includes advice on available grants and incentives including: Research and Development Assistance; Regional Selective Awards; and tax incentives e.g. patent box.

b) SDI does not provide assistance to Chinese businesses wanting to trade with Scotland in the form of exports to Scotland. However, SDI can provide assistance with potential joint ventures and deals that will directly benefit Scotland’s economy. In those cases, SDI would cover areas of support already mentioned in part (a).

Question reference: S4F-01491

Asked by: Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2013

To ask the First Minister what impact the recent decision by three senior executives to leave the Scottish Police Authority will have on its IT strategy.