- Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to comments made by the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service that prisoners may need to be released early due to overcrowding.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2024
- Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on what progress the Scottish Government has made towards implementing the recommendations of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee’s report, Long COVID.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the Who Cares? Scotland research report, Is Scotland Keeping the Promise?, which reportedly indicates that, on the fourth anniversary of the publication of The Promise, key pledges made to care experienced people are not being fulfilled.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the Scottish Information Commissioner’s intervention into its use and retention of informal communications, in light of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to strengthen enforcement powers in relation to long-term empty homes.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
- Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
Question to be taken in Chamber.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
- Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
Question to be taken in Chamber.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 5 February 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, for what reason it decided to include provisions that reportedly allow for murder to be prosecuted in the proposed specialist Sexual Offences Court if the crime had a sexual element involved.
Answer
The Sexual Offences Court will be of equivalent status to the High Court when sitting as a court of first instance. Its processes and procedures will be the same as the High Court unless specifically provided for otherwise by the Bill, or subsequent secondary legislation or court rules. Importantly, judges sitting in the Court will have the same sentencing powers.
The proposed jurisdiction of the Sexual Offences Court includes murder only where it is libeled alongside a sexual offence listed in Schedule 3 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill . The Crown may prosecute cases involving serious sexual offending where the accused is alleged to have killed one of their victims. Given the experiences of the surviving complainers, the nature of their evidence, and the benefits the Sexual Offences Court will bring, the objective is to ensure there is the opportunity for those cases to be heard in the Sexual Offences Court.
It should also be noted, these cases can still be prosecuted in the High Court, the Bill gives prosecutors this additional option to indict these cases to the Sexual Offences Court should they consider it appropriate to do so.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 February 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it has provided to the Friends of the Edington Hospital, North Berwick, since 2019.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not provided funding for the Friends of the Edington Hospital.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 5 February 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it has provided to Alcohol & Drugs Action since 2019.
Answer
Alcohol & Drugs Action received funding from the Scottish Government’s National Development Project Fund (NDPF) from 2019 to 2021. High-level NDPF objectives are set out in Grant Offer Letters, and are as follows:
- Recruiting staff to mentoring and supervision roles
- Staff Mentoring roles / training and Recovery Group Peer-led Activity (range, location)
- Advocacy role (training)
- Develop further Peer Volunteer roles (Hospital, Housing, Justice settings)
- Deliver activities in identified key settings
- Evaluate effectiveness of mentor / supervisory aspects
- Evaluate effectiveness of at-risk engagement with services/support
- Adjust and further develop activities as required
Whilst Scottish Government did not directly set the objectives, the Corra Foundation administer funds on our behalf. The Challenge Fund, in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and the National Drugs Mission Funds, from 2021-22, to third sector and grassroots organisations. Alcohol & Drugs Action is a recipient of these funds and details of the projects are available at: Grant holder data - Corra Foundation