- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2018
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the integration of British Transport Police and Police Scotland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2018
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 30 August 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to spending the Barnett consequential of £11.6 million that arose from the UK Government’s announcement of £100 million to support computer science education development, which is assigned to Industry Strategy Skills in the Autumn Budget, specifically on computer science education.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18228 on 30 August 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 30 August 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how it will spend the Barnett consequential of £11.6 million that arose from the UK Government’s announcement of £100 million to support computer science education development, which is assigned to Industry Strategy Skills in the Autumn Budget.
Answer
The UK Government Block Grant Transparency Document confirms that the Scottish Government received Barnett consequentials of £4.3 million this financial year and £7.3 million in 2019-20 as a result of Autumn Budget announcements made by the UK Government for expenditure on a ‘National Retraining Scheme initial investment and investment in computing science teachers and maths’. The relevant HM Treasury documents may be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/block-grant-transparency-december-2017-publication .
Given the broad nature of this funding allocation, it is not possible to relate these allocated Barnett consequentials specifically to computing science teachers. Such consequentials are not automatically received by the corresponding Scottish Government portfolio but form part of the wider Scottish Government budget for the financial year concerned.
As part of the Government’s STEM Education and Training Strategy, we are continuing to develop and invest in teacher professional development in computing science, for both the primary and secondary sectors. This includes the Barefoot Computing programme which provides teaching resources for the primary sector, an online learning course to develop teachers’ knowledge and skills for delivery of National 5 Computing Science, and the Digital Schools Award for Scotland which helps schools embed digital technology within their learning and teaching.
Education Scotland is also establishing a Computing Science Lead Teacher network that will offer national level training that can be cascaded to local practitioners. This network builds on the support arrangements provided by Computing at School Scotland (CASS) and the ‘PLAN C’ project, and will link to the STEM Hub network being developed through the college network as part of our STEM Strategy.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 August 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-17535 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 July 2018, when it will complete its consideration of the recent UK Supreme Court judgement.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects to announce next steps in this area in the autumn of 2018.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 23 August 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how many emergency calls were made and responded to by the Scottish Ambulance Service within (a) 10 mins, (b) 30 mins, (c) 1 hour and (d) 2 hours, in each of the last five years.
Answer
Please find the requested information set out in the following table:
Minutes | 2013 - 2014 | 2014 - 2015 | 2015 - 2016 | 2016 - 2017 | 2017 - 2018 |
Under 10 | 326865 | 311421 | 281426 | 257652 | 206745 |
10-30 | 141875 | 167555 | 185601 | 202110 | 229813 |
30-60 | 8998 | 13615 | 20440 | 30485 | 53187 |
60-120 | 2361 | 3267 | 4603 | 6639 | 17263 |
120 plus | 644 | 845 | 1239 | 1560 | 4798 |
The new clinical response model, being trialled by the Ambulance Service since November 2016, maintains the focus on responding to the most serious, life threatening calls as quickly as possible. Ambulance call handlers are, when appropriate, spending more time on less urgent calls to better understand the patients’ needs and ensure that the correct, and not the nearest, resource is sent first time, improving patient outcomes. This is the main reason behind the reduction in calls responded to in under 10 minutes, outlined in the table.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 July 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how much it anticipates it will pay Ernst & Young in total for its work on the proposed merger of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland.
Answer
It is not currently anticipated that the Scottish Government will make any payment to Ernst & Young for the BTP Integration programme. Police Scotland hold the contract with Ernst & Young on this matter.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by James Wolffe QC on 30 July 2018
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there are long delays in conducting fatal accident inquires following a death in custody.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-17612 on 30 July 2018. The progress of a death investigation depends on a variety of factors. While most death investigations conclude once a cause of death is known, other cases require further investigation, which may include complex technical and medical issues requiring the instruction of experts. Equally, where a FAI is to be held, the speed with which it proceeds to the conclusion of evidence, and, thereafter, to issue of the sheriff’s determination depends on a variety of factors, including the scale and complexity of the inquiry and the other demands on court and judicial time.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by James Wolffe QC on 30 July 2018
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason fatal accident inquires are yet to be held for people who died in custody four years ago.
Answer
There are three deaths of individuals who died in prison custody during the financial year 2014-15 (1 April to 31 March), where fatal accident inquiries have yet to be held. Dates have been scheduled for two of these to take place in August and November 2018 respectively.
The progress of a death investigation depends on a variety of factors. While most death investigations conclude once a cause of death is known, other cases require further investigation, which may include complex technical and medical issues requiring the instruction of experts. Equally, where a FAI is to be held, the speed with which it proceeds to the conclusion of evidence, and, thereafter, to issue of the sheriff’s determination depends on a variety of factors, including the scale and complexity of the inquiry and the other demands on court and judicial time.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by James Wolffe QC on 30 July 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) mean and (b) median number of months it takes for a fatal accident inquiry report to be published following a death in custody.
Answer
As soon as possible after conclusion of the evidence and submissions in a fatal accident inquiry the sheriff must make a determination in terms of Section 26 of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016 (the 2016 Act). The time taken to issue a determination is a matter for the presiding sheriff and is outwith the control of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).
In terms of Section 27 of the 2016 Act the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) must publish the determination in such manner as SCTS considers appropriate. COPFS do not record information about the date upon which SCTS publish determinations.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by James Wolffe QC on 30 July 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of some families reportedly waiting over four years for official confirmation of the cause of the death, what assistance it is giving to family members affected by failures to complete fatal accident inquires for inmates dying in prison.
Answer
In respect of every individual whose death is reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, following a death in prison custody, a medical certificate of cause of death is issued by a medical professional, normally by a pathologist, following a post mortem examination instructed by the Procurator Fiscal. This information is communicated to the nearest relatives in accordance with the Family Liaison Charter which I laid before the Scottish Parliament in September 2016. In addition, in relation to all FAIs nearest relatives are kept advised of significant developments as the investigation proceeds towards an FAI.
