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-41848

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent cases collapsing as a result of witness disengagement caused by repeated adjournments.

The progress of criminal cases through the courts is an independent matter for those involved in the cases directly including those who administer the running of the courts; namely Crown Office and Prosecutor Fiscal Service, the judiciary and Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).

Within this context, the criminal court backlogs generated by the pandemic in Scotland has largely been addressed and the position is that the number of scheduled trials across all criminal business types is below 20,000. Specifically, the total number of scheduled trials outstanding peaked at 43,606 in January 2022 and had reduced to 16,196 at the end of September 2025 (this represents more than 60% reduction). This significantly reduces the waiting time in which victims, witnesses and the accused await their trial.

While this demonstrates the success of the criminal court recovery programme, court modelling undertaken by SCTS shows that the level of business entering Scotland’s criminal courts has changed since before the pandemic. In particular there has been a sustained increase in solemn business levels (High Court and Sheriff and Jury cases) which now sit at twice their 2019-20 level. Work across all relevant interests continues to focus on reducing times for more serious cases of which, by their very nature, are more complex and tend to carry a more time-consuming process to conclude.

We have awarded £48 million to victims’ organisations, which includes £18 million for Victim Support Scotland for the period 2022-2025 under our Victim Centred Approach Fund as part of a commitment to putting victims and witnesses at the heart of the justice system. This fund will continue through 2025-27 where we will be providing £32 million to 23 organisations, including £12 million for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence.

Question reference: S6W-41849

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a multi-year funding model for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS), in light of SCTS stating in its 2025-26 business plan that its current budget is insufficient to increase court capacity to meet demand.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of sustainable funding for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) and is committed to supporting its work. While budgets are currently set annually through the Scottish Budget process, Scottish Ministers are committed to engaging with Parliament and stakeholders to shape our multi-year spending plans. In line with the approach taken last year, we aim to build broad support across Parliament for the 2026-27 Scottish Budget and will listen to stakeholders to ensure their views inform future spending plans.

We remain committed to improving the sustainability of the Scottish public finances, and our Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan published in June sets out how we plan to close the fiscal gap by the end of the forecast period in 2029-30.

We will provide further detail on this when we publish our multi-year Spending Review in January alongside the 2026-27 Budget. Our Public Service Reform Strategy published earlier this year sets out our commitment to public services over the longer term, ensuring people experience high-quality services while also ensuring they remain fiscally sustainable.

Question reference: S6W-41851

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on the number of court cases that fail or are discontinued because witnesses do not appear for rescheduled hearings due to delays.

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: Answer expected 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.

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: Answer expected 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.

Question reference: S6W-42124

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

To ask the Scottish Government how many people recruited or staff at the Scottish Prison Service have been removed, dismissed or prevented from taking up post due to security concerns, including links to organised crime, in each of the last five years.

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: Answer expected 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.

Question reference: S6W-42109

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times each prison has had a restricted regime status implemented because of (a) safety matters, (b) security issues, (c) staff shortages and (d) other incidents, broken down by type of incident, and for how many days each had this status, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-42114

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of prisons with restricted regime status on prisoners’ access to (a) education, (b) work opportunities and (c) family contact.

Question reference: S6W-42115

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been held under restricted regime status for more than 22 hours per day in each of the last five years.