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-22030

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by James Wolffe QC on 18 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government in what percentage of cases did the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (a) reach and (b) act on a decision within 28 days of receiving a prosecution report in each year since 2007-08.

COPFS has a published national target to take a decision on the appropriate course of action and implement that decision in at least 75% of cases within 4 weeks of the date on which the report is received from the reporting agency. This target applies to all cases except cases which are likely to be dealt with under solemn procedure i.e. the more serious cases where the case is likely to be dealt with in the High Court or in the Sheriff Court before a Jury. COPFS performance against this target is detailed on the following table:

2007-08 78%
2008-09 82%
2009-10 85%
2010-11 86%
2011-12 83%
2012-13 82%
2013-14 84%
2014-15 81%
2015-16 77%
2016-17 76%
2017-18 77%
2018-Jan 79%

Question reference: S5W-21695

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many Police Scotland staff will have a reduction in their salary from April 2019 as a consequence of the current pay offer.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Police Scotland and the SPA confirm that the pay and reward modernisation package recently agreed with trade unions will directly benefit the majority of police staff. More than 70% of police staff will benefit, a number of staff will face no change and a minority may experience a detrimental effect. However for those facing a reduction, SPRM provides pay protection for two years in the form of a lump sum or monthly payments. The exact figures will be determined by changes to posts and shift patterns in the lead up to implementation.

Question reference: S5W-21694

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Police Scotland staff pay negotiations, and whether it expects a deal to be agreed prior to the beginning of the financial year.

Trade Union members have recently voted in favour of a pay and reward harmonisation package for police staff, which will be implemented from 1 April. This will benefit more than 70% of police staff.

We expect unions will now work towards making a pay claim for the coming year, with negotiations with the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland likely to take place beyond the start of the new financial year.

Question reference: S5O-02999

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authority providers in the north east provide 1,140 hours of funded childcare.

Question reference: S5W-21696

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many police officers are working in administrative roles, and whether it will provide an update on Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland's (HMICS) independent oversight of the removal of officers from corporate support functions.

The requested data on police officers working in administrative roles is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. HMICS continues to work with the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland to provide independent assurance on the measurement and delivery of increased operational policing capacity.

It is a matter for the Chief Constable, with oversight from the Scottish Police Authority, to consider the size and shape of the policing workforce, taking into account the needs of our communities and in light of changing demands.

Question reference: S5W-21587

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve community payback order completion rates.

Local authorities are responsible for delivering community sentences and national completion rates for Community Payback Orders (CPOs) are 70%, as reported in the Criminal Justice Social Work statistics for 2017-18.

The Scottish Government is working with national and local partners including Community Justice Scotland, Social Work Scotland, the Care Inspectorate, local authorities and third sector partners to help ensure orders are implemented as effectively as possible and improve completion rates where possible.

Updated CPO Practice guidance was published on 25 January 2019 which supports effective practice, and included a focus on breach and compliance, and reiterates the importance of successful completion.

Community Justice Scotland will lay two reports in Parliament in March based on local authority CPO annual returns, and the Care Inspectorate is leading on scrutiny and assurance activity of community justice and criminal justice social work in Scotland, with an emphasis on CPOs. This was specifically requested by the Scottish Government and was informed by analysis of last year’s Criminal Justice Social Work statistics. The latest statistics will inform further engagement with local authorities as we work to ensure community sentences are as effective as possible.

Effective use of CPOs has contributed to a 19 year low in reconviction rates and additional funding has been provided for community sentences since 2016-17. This additional funding increased to £5.5 million in 2018-19, and has been protected in the draft budget for 2019-20.

Question reference: S5W-21585

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when Police Scotland will publish its research into the amount of time that police officers spend at A&E departments.

Question reference: S5W-21734

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many former police stations and premises Police Scotland has (a) put up for sale and (b) sold, and whether it will provide a list of these.

Question reference: S5W-21586

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will bring forward measures to improve the input that victims and their families have into the temporary release process.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the information and support available to victims and families when prisoners are released. We recognise that the release process can be unfamiliar and distressing for family members.

That is why we have established a Victims Taskforce to identify ways to improve support, advice and information available for victims of crime and their families as they interact with the Scottish criminal justice system. This programme of work will be informed directly by victims themselves. The Taskforce will have an oversight role to the suite of Programme for Government commitments related to victims, which includes ensuring that victims and their families have better information and greater support ahead of prison release arrangements.

Question reference: S5W-21679

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12110 by Michael Matheson on 3 November 2017, whether it will provide an update on the (a) status of the consultation and (b) the work that it has carried out with the justice and third sector partners.

As set out in Programme for Government we want to have restorative justice services widely available across Scotland by 2023 and will publish a Restorative Justice Action Plan by Spring 2019 that will set out how we will deliver this aim.

We are working in collaboration with a range of partners to develop the Action Plan. This has included issuing a questionnaire to Local Authorities, the report from which was published in June 2018

(https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/factsheet/2018/06/
restorative-justice-survey-response-analysis/documents/0619124e-706e-4abb-81a4-070e1
de8bd55/0619124e-706e-4abb-81a4-070e1de8bd55/govscot:document ), and holding two stakeholder workshops in November 2018. We are also engaging with members of the Restorative Justice Forum.

Further consultation activity will be undertaken prior to finalising the Action Plan. This will include consulting on an order under section 5(2) of the Victims and Witnesses Act 2014, to prescribe who must have regard to the 'Guidance for the Delivery of Restorative Justice in Scotland'.