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: S5W-03799

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the waiting list time is for prisoners accessing purposeful activity, broken down by prison.

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

The SPS does not collect this information in the format requested.

Following the admissions process, everyone received into a Scottish prison following conviction is afforded the opportunity to participate in Purposeful Activity.

Some of the activities provided, such as education, do however require specific planning and coordination and this is planned by taking into account local circumstances and the particular needs of the individual.

Question reference: S5W-03947

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which police custody suites in Scotland do not meet Home Office standards and what action it is taking with each to ensure that they do.

Question reference: S5W-03943

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what shadowing activities Community Justice Scotland is conducting in 2016, as referred to in the Programme for Government.

Question reference: S5W-03950

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many custody and security officers Police Scotland has, and how this compares with each year since 2011.

Question reference: S5W-03949

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how Police Scotland determines the extent to which other officers backfill for custody service officers.

Question reference: S5W-03953

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alison Di Rollo on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are making toward the introduction of seven-day case marking.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) are committed to working with our Criminal Justice Partners to assess the viability of the introduction of seven day custody courts.

COPFS Officials along with Scottish Government, Police Scotland, and Scottish Courts & Tribunal Services are working together on the Seven Day Custody Working Group established under the auspices of the Justice Board to assess that viability. That assessment will include the impact on custody volumes of the new Police Investigative Liberation powers under the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016. The next meeting of the group is scheduled for 7 November 2016.

A National Initial Case Processing Weekend Working Pilot has been fully scoped in anticipation of possible seven day custody courts. The Pilot was scoped in consultation with Trade Unions and proposed voluntary staff participation. The Pilot has not as yet commenced.

Question reference: S5W-03958

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scotland-based British Transport Police officers there are, and how many will be employed by Police Scotland following the proposed transfer of responsibilities.

Question reference: S5W-03954

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which budget lines will be affected by the proposed transfer of responsibilities from the British Transport Police to Police Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-03956

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether officers will be trained to police railways following the proposed transfer of responsibilities from the British Transport Police to Police Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-03944

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many operationally deployable officers Police Scotland has, and how this compares with each year since 2011.