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: S6W-42119

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding reports that Professor Alexis Jay's comments on grooming gang inquiries were misrepresented during a debate on the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill on 16 September 2025, on what date Ministers or officials first reviewed concerns raised about the accuracy of comments made about her views.

Question reference: S6O-05298

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many farmers in the North East Scotland region have applied for the Future Farming Investment Scheme this year, including how many of those were unsuccessful.

Question reference: S6W-42460

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, which Minister or directorate has responsibility for progressing the statutory review of qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS), and what oversight arrangements are in place to ensure that it is completed.

Question reference: S6W-42462

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, whether it has undertaken any consultation or engagement with the legal profession as part of the statutory review of qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS), and, if so, which organisations or stakeholders have been consulted.

Question reference: S6W-42461

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, what work has been undertaken to date in relation to the statutory review of qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS), including any (a) analysis, (b) internal correspondence and (c) scoping exercises since June 2023.

Question reference: S6W-42458

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, when it will publish the statutory review of qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS), which it is required to undertake “as soon as practicable after the end of the 5-year period", which was 5 June 2023.

Question reference: S6W-42459

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, for what reason the statutory review of the qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS), which the Scottish Government is required to complete “as soon as practicable” after 5 June 2023, has not yet been published.

Question reference: S6W-42122

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to strengthen the Scottish Prison Service's recruitment vetting procedures to prevent infiltration by organised crime groups.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS hold our serving staff and prospective staff to the highest of standards.

In accordance with relevant legislation, including UK GDPR and UK Employment Law, SPS already undertakes a broad range of suitability and vetting checks on those who apply to work for SPS. These include right to work in the UK, criminal conviction checks and a range of vetting procedures which are undertaken against SPS systems and information sources to assess suitability for employment.

SPS’s pre-employment checks exceed the minimum requirements under the UK Government Baseline Personnel Security Standards, which set the standards for employment within the UK Civil Service.

SPS continually assesses the suitability of its recruitment practices to identify and respond to emerging risks. Where necessary, steps are taken to mitigate these as part of our commitment to maintaining the safety and security of our prisons.

Question reference: S6W-42125

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what English language proficiency requirements are in place for operational staff at the Scottish Prison Service, and how these are assessed during the recruitment process.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Whilst SPS do not require prison officer applicants to complete a specific English language proficiency test as part of its recruitment process; verbal, written and comprehension skills are tested thoroughly throughout this operational recruitment process.

All applicants must successfully undergo and pass a comprehensive period of testing which includes a situational judgement test, cognitive ability test, a group and written exercise (for Residential Officer applicants only), and then finally a values-based job interview.

All offers of employment will however be subject to successful completion of all pre-employment checks, which include enhanced disclosure and right to work in the UK checks.

Question reference: S6W-42123

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many applicants to jobs at the Scottish Prison Service have failed pre-employment vetting checks, in each of the last five years.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS hold our serving staff and prospective staff to the highest of standards. While the vast majority of our staff adhere to the highest standards of conduct, SPS continue to be vigilant to any potential corruption concerns within our establishments. Maintaining the safety and security of Scotland’s prisons is and remains an absolute priority.

The below table sets out the number of prospective employees who have failed pre-employment checks in each of the last 5 full years across all SPS job roles.

Calendar Year	Number of candidates who have failed SPS pre-employment checks	Number of external job applications received
2020	47	8468
2021	49	7396
2022	43	6967
2023	74	9614
2024	124	12754