- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 21 December 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what checks it undertakes when reviewing settlement business cases for employees leaving NHS boards, and within what timescales.
Answer
Settlement agreements are reviewed in accordance with the requirements of the Scottish Public Finance Manual and associated guidance. Any decisions are based on issues of legal and regulatory compliance, propriety and value for money for public funds, alongside employee relations issues.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 December 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the evidence given by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on 5 December 2018 (Official Report, c. 29), whether it will confirm the date that the cabinet secretary was initially advised of (a) the ongoing and (b) further potential delays to the completion of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR); what these issues are, and what action he and his officials are taking to ameliorate them.
Answer
As I outlined in my statement to Parliament on 1 November, ARL first reported concreting issues at the River Don Crossing in May 2018. I was fully briefed on these issues when I assumed office in June 2018.
On 26 October 2018, Transport Scotland was informed that a greater scope of works would be necessary to repair the defects and ARL intimated that December was a more realistic date for opening this final section. As advised during my appearance at the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on 5 December 2018, it would be prudent to treat ARL’s timescale with caution.
My officials and I have been involved in a series of high-level meetings with ARL, designed to remove any obstacle to the road being opened while remedial works at the Don progress. I am pleased to confirm that the 31.5km section from Craibstone to Stonehaven and Charleston opened on the morning of 12 December, bringing immediate benefits to road users.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 9 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s forecast for economic growth in Scotland over the next four years compares with that for the UK as a whole.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 9 January 2019
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 December 2018
To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed a medium-term financial plan with NHS Tayside.
Answer
All NHS boards submit financial plans to the Scottish Government each year and report throughout the year on performance against plan. The latest position for each Board is available on the Scottish Government’s website at the following location: https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhsscotland-and-integration-authorities-consolidated-financial-reporting-2018-2019/
NHS Tayside expects to submit a draft three-year plan to be formally considered for approval by the Board in February 2019. The plan will be discussed with the Scottish Government ahead of this.
The Scottish Government continues to provide tailored support to NHS Tayside to help the Board work towards a balanced and sustainable financial position, whilst ensuring that there is no impact on patient care.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 December 2018
To ask the Scottish Government when the Assurance and Advisory Group’s report on NHS Tayside's progress on implementing the recommendations in its staging report will be published.
Answer
The NHS Tayside Assurance and Advisory Group’s Third Progress Report was published on the Scottish Government’s website on 13 December .
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 December 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the evidence given by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on 5 December 2018 (Official Report, c. 29), whether it will confirm the date that the cabinet secretary’s predecessor was initially advised of potential delays to the completion of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR); what these issues were; what action he and his officials took to ameliorate them, and what the outcome was.
Answer
My predecessor, Keith Brown MSP, the then Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, made an appearance at the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on 23 May 2018 to provide an update on the AWPR/B-T project.
Furthermore, Keith Brown also met with Bill Hocking, Chief Executive of Construction & Investments of Galliford Try, one of the construction partners of Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL) to discuss the progress of this project on 29 May 2018. This was the start of a series of meetings with ARL which continued when I assumed office in June 2018.
Officials worked closely with ARL to ensure everything that could reasonably be done was being done to ensure a timely opening.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 December 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments regarding technology by the (a) chief constable that "officers and staff deserve better and it is therefore critical that [we] give them the right equipment to do their jobs properly" and (b) vice-chair of the Scottish Police Federation that officers "are spending hours of time double and triple-keying information into crime systems when [they] should be investigating the crimes instead".
Answer
Scottish Government welcome the work underway to increase the operational capacity of Police Scotland, including through the introduction of more efficient ways of working and the recruitment of additional civilian experts to meet the changing demands faced by the service. It is for the Scottish Police Authority to prioritise its resources, in line with guidance contained within the Scottish Public Finance Manual, to ensure that police officers are provided with the appropriate equipment and tools to do their jobs efficiently and effectively.
Additional investment has been made available in the 2019-20 budget to fund further improvements to ICT infrastructure and to support Police Scotland’s efforts to introduce mobile working to police officers across the country – building on early progress to deliver the service’s Digital, Data and ICT Strategy.
This year almost £5m of the £31m reform budget is being invested in modernising the core systems used by frontline officers every day.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 December 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recently published figures, which record that, since 2015, six women have been killed by an abusive partner, ex-partner or stalker whom they had previously reported to Police Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government strongly condemns violence against women and girls, and is committed to preventing and eradicating it.
The Equally Safe Delivery Plan, published last year within the 16 days of activism, includes a commitment to develop multi-agency domestic homicide reviews with Police Scotland and partners including learning from practice from other jurisdictions. In addition, the delivery plan supports the recent roll out of the innovative Caledonian System domestic abuse programme to a further 6 local authorities so that more male perpetrators of domestic abuse can receive specific rehabilitation services, and further tragedies can be prevented.
The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act passed in February creates a specific offence of domestic abuse. The new offence which comes into force next year will cover not just physical abuse but also other forms of psychological abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour. A national campaign to raise awareness of the domestic abuse offence will follow with the unequivocal message that domestic abuse is completely unacceptable and that victims who come forward will be supported. Police Scotland are training over 14,000 officers in to support the implementation of the Act.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 December 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, what action it is taking to improve protection for women at risk of attack from an abusive partner, ex-partner or stalker whom they have reported to Police Scotland.
Answer
Police Scotland have established Multi-Agency Tasking and Coordination processes across Scotland to identify and focus on the perpetrators who pose the greatest risk of harm to victims. This works alongside Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences which seek to protect victims perceived to be at heightened risk of harm. On 30 November, the Scottish Government published a consultation on improving multi-agency risk assessment centres for victims of domestic abuse in Scotland. The consultation closes on 2 March 2019.
The Scottish Government will also consult shortly on further protections for those at risk of domestic abuse which would provide the police and courts with new powers to impose protective orders which would ban suspected perpetrators from returning to a home they share with the person at risk while steps are taken to secure their longer-term safety.
The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2019 will, when it comes into force next year, provide the police with greater powers to take action in domestic abuse cases involving psychological abuse which may be difficult to prosecute under the existing law. The Scottish Government has provided funding to Police Scotland to ensure that over 14,000 officers and staff receive face to face training on how the new legislation can support effective intervention in domestic abuse cases. In addition, the Equally Safe Delivery Plan includes an action to develop, with partners, multi-agency domestic homicide reviews.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 November 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 December 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment by an employment judge that Police Scotland is operating at "the minimum level of staffing for safety", as reported in The Herald on 20 November 2018.
Answer
The management of resources, including staffing levels, is a matter for the Chief Constable. The Scottish Government is supporting Police Scotland by protecting the police resource budget in real terms in every year of this Parliament – a boost of £100 million by 2021. We have also ensured that policing will fully benefit from being able to reclaim VAT of around £25 million a year, previously paid to the UK Government.
As of 30 September 2018 Police Scotland had 17,147 police officers, 913 more than the figure inherited in 2007 (+5.6 per cent). This contrasts with a decrease of 19,588 (-13.8 per cent) from March 2007 to March 2018 in England and Wales.
