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-03980

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

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03318 by Kevin Stewart on 17 October 2016, whether it will provide a breakdown of the offences committed by those people who were identified as homeless when entering prison in 2015-16.

Question reference: S5W-03952

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 so-called abstractions in Police Scotland there have been in each year since 2013.

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.

Question reference: S5W-03955

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 it will retain a rail policing specialism following the proposed transfer of responsibilities from the British Transport Police to Police Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-03957

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 what service improvements it expects following the proposed transfer of responsibilities from the British Transport Police to Police Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-03951

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what was the average age of the Police Scotland vehicle fleet in each year since the creation of the single police force.

Question reference: S5O-00291

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it tackles discrimination against Gypsy/Travellers.

Question reference: S5W-03319

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take (a) prior to the implementation of and (b) as part of the new community justice system to provide prisoners and former prisoners with housing support and advice to sustain or find a tenancy when they leave prison.

The Scottish Government recognises the challenges that prisoners and their families may face, and the support that may be required, to sustain tenancies. Housing was a key focus of the Ministerial Group for Offender Reintegration. The Group commissioned research published in January 2016, in order to gain a fuller picture of the scope and provision of housing advice and support services available for those leaving custody. This can be found at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/01/6920

Local authorities have developed a range of links to prisons and practice across Scotland to help prevent homelessness, and assist access to appropriate housing on liberation. Discussion of an individual’s housing needs and circumstances is incorporated into the Scottish Prison Service's induction and pre-release planning work, and those requiring housing support are referred to housing support services.

Under the new model for community justice, which will come into effect on 1 April next year, Community Justice Partners in each local authority will have a responsibility to consult, plan and deliver services that meet the needs of their local communities. This will be supported by a new National Strategy for Community Justice and an Outcomes and Performance Indicators Framework which will be published shortly. Building on the work of the Ministerial Group for Offender Integration, these documents will highlight the importance of housing amongst a range of factors for Partners to address to prevent and reduce reoffending. A new national body, Community Justice Scotland, will also be established to provide leadership across the country. It will work will Community Justice Partners, and provide advice to Scottish Ministers, on any areas it identifies for improvement.

Question reference: S5W-03323

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many people begin a prison sentence with a tenancy and how many are supported to keep their tenancy for when they leave prison.

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

Information on how many people begin a prison sentence with a tenancy and how many are supported to keep their tenancy for when they leave prison, is not centrally held by the Scottish Prison Service.

However, SPS ensure that through initial screening at both the induction and pre-release stage those requiring housing support are referred to housing support services.

Question reference: S5W-03322

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what housing support and advice services are available for prisoners in each prison to ensure that they have suitable accommodation on their release.

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

We have captured the housing support and advice arrangements in each establishment through a current position audit and these are described in the following table;

Prison	Housing Support Service
HMP Addiewell	West Lothian Council
HMP Barlinnie	Homeless casework team (Glasgow) & ASPIRE(Ayrshire)
HMP Castle Huntley	SPAN (Shelter )
HMP YOI Cornton Vale	Glasgow City Council, Sacro, Falkirk housing
HMP Dumfries	Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
HMP Edinburgh	EHAP (Edinburgh Housing Advice Service) to all prisoners who have an Edinburgh postcode only.
HMP Glenochil	Local authority Housing officers from the following areas Stirling, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Fife attend on a demand basis.
HMP Grampian	Aberdeen City Council Housing department attend four days a week. Aberdeenshire Council Housing department attend if requested
HMP Greenock	Inverclyde Homeless, ASPIRE (Ayrshire).
HMP Inverness	CAB
HMP Kilmarnock	ASPIRE(Ayrshire)
HMP Low Moss	Homeless casework team (Glasgow), Renfrewshire Homeless & West Dunbartonshire, Falkirk (FK post codes only)
HMP Perth	Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross Councils deal with all issues for prisoners within their areas. Dundee North Law centre provide independent advice and assistance for local prisoners and for those from other local authorities.
HM YOI Polmont	Shelter Scotland