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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 2206 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-17475

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposed merger of British Transport Police (BTP) in Scotland with Police Scotland, in light of the Scottish Police Federation only being regulated to represent officer holders, and BTP officers having dual status, which staff organisation will represent transferring BTP officers.

I wrote on 15 November 2017 to the Convenor of the Justice Committee clarifying how employment representation will be provided for BTP officers when they transfer into Police Scotland.

The letter advised that for BTP officers in Scotland, their status as constables means that those currently represented by the BTP Federation (BTPF) will become members of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) under Regulation 4 of the Police Federation (Scotland) regulations 2013. We are engaging with the SPF to discuss what the implications may be of them representing officers with different employment and pensions arrangements and further discussions will be held with the SPF and the BTPF.

Question reference: S5W-17468

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposed merger of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland, which external consultants have been engaged by (a) it and (b) Police Scotland since January 2016 to advise or work on integration, broken down by the (i) average daily and (ii) minimum and maximum daily rate that each was paid.

Question reference: S5W-17467

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposed merger of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland, whether it will provide details of any costs that are yet to be established, such as (a) information and communications technology and (b) signage.

Question reference: S5W-17473

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposed merger of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland, whether it will commit to meeting the long-term liabilities of a segregated pension scheme.

Question reference: S5W-17472

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to evidence given by Police Scotland at the meeting of the Justice Committee on 1 May 2018 (Official Report, c. 20), whether it will publish the Government Actuary’s Department's advice that was referred to.

In response to a Freedom of Information request the Scottish Government published on 26 March 2018 an extract from a note from the Government Actuary's Department on the British Transport Police Integration Programme staff and officers pensions,

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-00612/

Following initial engagement with the pension Trustee, proposals to allow officers and staff to remain in their existing arrangements are ongoing, and this includes consideration of Scottish Government backing for the new sections.

Question reference: S5W-17474

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposed merger of British Transport Police (BTP) in Scotland with Police Scotland, whether it will confirm that, following the merger, (a) any redundancy liability for former BTP officers will be covered as set out in their BTP contracts, and (b) who will meet this liability.

Question reference: S5W-17471

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken of whether the integration of British Transport Police in Scotland and Police Scotland will achieve its stated aims to deliver greater accountability, access to specialism and seamless command and control.

Question reference: S5W-17543

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the updated rules for Scottish Police Authority board meetings and the extension of circumstances in which meetings may be held in private.

This is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority. However, the Scottish Government welcomes any improvements aimed at strengthening the Scottish Police Authority's corporate governance procedures and revisions to its Standing Orders are part of that. The Standing Orders, approved by the Authority’s Board on 28 June 2018, provide greater transparency as to why an agenda item may be taken as an item of private business.

Question reference: S5W-17465

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16958 by Humza Yousaf on 13 June 2018, what its position is on the robustness of the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill Financial Memorandum, which states that the transitional costs would be "minor" and were "expected to be small".

Question reference: S5W-15139

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether any form of settlement agreement, confidentiality agreement or similar post-employment contract has been put in place for the outgoing finance director of NHS Tayside.