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-10600

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many successful prosecutions for stalking and harassment offences there have been in (a) Scotland and (b) Aberdeen in each year from 2018-19 to 2022-23 to date.

The latest available information on the number of people convicted for ‘stalking offences’ is provided in the following table.

Number of people proceeded and convicted for stalking offences (where main crime) in Scottish courts, 2018-19 to 2020-21.

	Scotland		Aberdeen
	Total prosecuted	Total Convicted	Total prosecuted	Total Convicted
2018-19	620	531	57	44
2019-20	562	496	33	25
2020-21	249	219	11	9

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database

Please note: Information for 2021-22 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2021-22 Statistical Bulletin. This is due to be published in 2023.

We are unable to provide data on harassment. There is no specific crime of harassment and harassment can conform to a wide range of both criminal offences and civil matters. As such there are no meaningful data we can provide.

Question reference: S6W-10598

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis has been undertaken in the last five years of the effectiveness of its plans to tackle stalking and harassment.

A refresh of the Equally Safe Delivery Plan outlining the joint commitment of the Scottish Government and COSLA to preventing and eradicating all forms of violence against women and girls, which includes stalking and sexual harassment, and tackling underpinning attitudes that perpetuate it, was published in June 2022. The Scottish Government also regularly monitors the effectiveness of legislation and the funding it provides to relevant support services, such as Action Against Stalking and the Scottish Women's Rights Centre.

Question reference: S6W-10602

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10025 by Richard Lochhead on 22 August 2022, whether it anticipates the reported approximately 70,000 jobs currently sustained in the north east by oil and gas to remain in the north east by 2030, whether in oil and gas and/or renewables.

The Robert Gordon University report – Making the Switch, funded through the North-East Economic Recovery and Skills Fund (NEERSF), estimates between 70,000 and 80,000 people are directly and indirectly employed in the offshore energy sector in Scotland, with around 65% working or based in the North East.

This report highlights over 90% of the workforce has medium to high skills transferability between adjacent energy sectors, such as offshore wind, the use of hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. This indicates the North East is well placed to capitalise on the opportunities associated with the energy transition and could become either a UK or Global Energy Hub, with the expected result of the energy workforce remaining broadly stable or increasing by 2030.

The Scottish Government is supporting this transition from the oil and gas sector to renewables and low carbon through a number of programmes, including, but not limited to, the £75 million Energy Transition Fund and our £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray.

The Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan is key to ensuring everyone can benefit from the opportunities a Just Transition can create, whether the requirement is to improve on existing skills or retrain to a new or emerging green job.

Question reference: S6W-10604

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been received to the Just Transition Fund to date; whether it will provide the full list of locations for advertising the fund; when the application process for the first £20 million closes, and when the first £20 million will be awarded to successful applicants.

The application window for the first year of the Just Transition Fund closed on 15 July 2022, with a total of 102 proposals received.

The Fund was advertised through the Scottish Government’s website and social media platforms, as well as through local partners, including: Aberdeenshire Council, Moray Council; Aberdeen City Council; Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce; Moray Chamber of Commerce; and the Just Transition Partnership. The Fund was also advertised through the ‘Find Business Support’ portal.

Applicants were notified about the outcome of their proposals on 6 September 2022, but the full list of projects won’t be published until after the mourning period following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.

Question reference: S6W-10603

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10026 by Richard Lochhead on 22 August 2022, who or which body will judge whether a bidding organisation is “headquartered, or demonstrate[s] a strong connection to at least one of Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City or Moray"; what its written definition is of “a strong connection”; whether Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and/or Moray local authorities are able to bid into the fund, and, if so, whether they count as the partner that “must be based or have majority of operations in one of the regions”.

Scottish Government officials assess whether each bidding organisation to the Just Transition Fund is “headquartered, or demonstrate[s] a strong connection to at least one of Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City or Moray". Only proposals that meet this criteria are considered for funding.

Aberdeenshire Council, Moray Council and Aberdeen City Council were all able to bid into the fund. They can count as the partner that is based or has operations in the region, however that is not mandatory and any private organisation can be considered as the local partner organisation.

Question reference: S6W-10601

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether funding has continued for Action Against Stalking further to the initial investment of £55,000 in the 2019-20 victim/witness support budget.

We have continued to increase our funding to Action Against Stalking since 2019. In 2020-21 we provided almost £115,000 in funding and in 2021-22 we provided £100,000.

In March 2022 we announced funding of £495,000 over the period 2022-25 from the new Victim Centred Approach Fund to enable Action Against Stalking to deliver expert support to victims, and continue their work to improve the understanding of, and response to, stalking behaviours.

We are also providing up to £230,000 a year through the Scottish Legal Aid budget, and £384,000 in 2022-23 from the Justice portfolio, to the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre to offer free legal information and advice to women experiencing gender based violence, including stalking and harassment.

Question reference: S6W-10599

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what specific investment it has provided to Police Scotland in support of tackling stalking and harassment offences in (a) Scotland and (b) Aberdeen in each year from 2018-19 to 2022-23.

The Scottish Government provides grant in aid funding to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), as outlined in the Annual Budget Bills. In 2022-23 this funding totals over £1.3 billion. It is for the SPA and the Chief Constable to allocate this funding to policing priorities at a national and local level, and to also support the delivery of the Joint Strategy on Policing.

The Scottish Government has not provided any additional funding to Police Scotland specifically in support of stalking and harassment offences in the time period 2018-19 to 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-10553

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09822 by Jenny Gilruth on 5 August 2022, what the ScotRail budget has been in each year from 1 April 2016 to 1 April 2023, and, for each year, what proportion of the budget, expressed as a percentage, was allocated to (a) staff costs, (b) rolling stock improvements and changes, (c) station facilities, (d) rail replacement services, (e) maintenance, operations and upgrades and (f) any other headline category of spend used by ScotRail.

Question reference: S6W-10555

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the total final cost of ScotRail's nationalisation was, in relation to the transfer of operations of ScotRail from Abellio to the nationalised operator.

The decision to bring ScotRail under public control avoided the need to run an expensive and inappropriate rail franchising competition. Though widely acknowledged as a failed model, franchise competitions remain the preferred approach in current UK Legislation. Such exercises typically cost in excess of £10m for franchising authorities, as well as the similarly significant costs of each bidder.

As confirmed during my Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee appearance on 15 March 2022, prior to that date, since the decision to proceed with the “Operator of Last Resort” (OLR) option was taken in March 2021, £3.6 million had been spent on the OLR activity.

Final reconciliation figures confirm that £5.5 million has been spent in total on OLR activity, and ScotRail Trains Ltd. was mobilised successfully on 1 April. I am confident you will notice the saving this achieved when compared with a franchising competition.

Question reference: S6O-01375

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on transport infrastructure improvements in the north east.