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 2061 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-42556

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce does not maintain a formal risk register, and whether it plans to introduce one.

Question reference: S6W-42559

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs personally approved the decision to clarify Professor Alexis Jay’s position solely within the minute of the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group meeting of 8 October 2025, and for what reason this clarification was not made to the Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-42557

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any civil servant or special adviser provided advice to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs recommending that she correct or clarify the parliamentary record following the letter sent to her by Professor Alexis Jay on 26 September 2025.

As already noted in my 11 December response to the member’s previous question (S6W-42117), following Professor Alexis Jay’s letter of 26 September, Scottish Government officials contacted Professor Alexis Jay about this matter. As Professor Jay’s request was for clarification of the quote by providing additional context, it was agreed that it would be minuted at the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group’s meeting on 8 October that the quote was correct, but was from January and not made specifically in relation to the amendment or the Victims Bill.

I considered these steps satisfactory when advised on 7 October by Scottish Government officials, noting that Professor Jay was content with this approach as it put her position on the public record via publication of the meeting minutes on the Scottish Government’s website.

I subsequently wrote to the editor of the Official Report on 17 December with a request to update the parliamentary record to clarify the context of Professor Jay’s quote. I was advised that the proposed change could not be made under the Official Report’s remit or the members’ correction procedure.

To ensure that the correction I sought was made widely known, I made two Points of Order, and wrote a letter to the Presiding Officer, which was copied to business managers and members who are not represented in the Parliamentary Bureau. I also placed a copy of this letter in SPICe.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-42121

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, when it first received correspondence from Professor Alexis Jay or her representatives relating to the accuracy of comments made about her views.

Question reference: S6W-42120

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, whether it will set out the timeline of actions taken after it became aware that comments made about her views were inaccurate.

Question reference: S6W-42118

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 it was first informed that comments made about her views were inaccurate.

Question reference: S6W-42117

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 it decided whether or not to correct the Official Report following notification that comments made about her views were inaccurate.

In Stage 3 of the Victims Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill in closing remarks to the member’s amendment that the post of Victims Commissioner, when it is established, should carry out research into child sexual abuse, I raised awareness of the work led by Professor Alexis Jay.

I noted that Professor Jay had been the chair of an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in England and Wales and had put on record to the media that she did not support further inquiries into child sexual abuse and exploitation and that “people should just get on with it”. I was quoting from remarks given by Prof Jay to BBC Radio on 7 January which were: "people should get on with" implementing her reforms and "We've had enough of inquiries, consultations and discussions - especially for the victims and survivors who've had the courage to come forward.”

Professor Alexis Jay wrote to me on 26 September 2025 regarding the debate wanting it clarified that her remarks were from January and not related to the specific amendment to the Bill. On 3 October 2025, Scottish Government officials contacted Professor Alexis Jay on this matter and it was agreed that it would be minuted at the Strategic Group’s meeting in October, that the quote was correct, and was from January and not made in relation to the amendment or the Victims Bill. That was then done.

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-42124

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 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.

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 following table sets out the number of prospective or serving employees who have been removed, dismissed or prevented from taking up post due to security concerns.

SPS is only in a position to provide full year data from 2022 due to changes in reporting and recording processes.

Calendar Year	Number of affected candidates/employees	Number of SPS Employees as of 31 March	Number of external job applications received
2022	8	4589	6967
2023	11	4562	9614
2024	10	4962	12754