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: S6O-03610

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the provision of emergency homeless accommodation in the West Scotland region.

Question reference: S6W-27740

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27228 by Angela Constance on 17 May 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding the details of any communications that it has had with the (a) Lord President of the Court of Session and (b) Judicial Office for Scotland regarding a public inquiry into criminal prosecutions relating to the takeover of Rangers FC, since the Scottish Government announced in February 2021 that it was committed to such an inquiry, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

Question reference: S6W-27397

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23002 by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023, in light of reports that the proceedings have concluded, whether it will now provide details of any payments it has made towards the legal costs of Sheriff Jack Brown in relation to his fitness for judicial office tribunal proceedings, and, if so, where these will be published.

The Scottish Government intends to publish costs of the tribunal, which will include payments it has made towards the legal costs of Sheriff Jack Brown in relation to his fitness for judicial office tribunal proceedings. Following a recent Freedom of Information request for this information, the Scottish Government will publish these details on its website, as soon as possible after the Freedom of Information response is issued.

Question reference: S6W-27658

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 31 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27231 by Angela Constance on 13 May 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether it has sought from (a) the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and (b) Police Scotland a full list of criminal offences that can be disposed of by way of a Recorded Police Warning, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 stipulates that the Chief Constable of Police Scotland is responsible for the policing of Scotland and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly.

Decisions about when to issue Recorded Police Warning’s (RPWs) are an independent operational matter for Police Scotland and the offence types covered by Recorded Police Warnings (RPWs) are a matter for the Lord Advocate as part of her independent role as head of Scotland’s system of prosecution. Police Scotland's Direct Measures Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) sets out a standard and instruction where an officer dealing with an incident may issue a RPW, where he or she has reason to believe that the person has committed one of the relevant offences and meets the necessary criteria.

As such, the Scottish Government has not sought a full list of criminal offences that can be disposed of by way of a RPW from (a) the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service or (b) Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03544

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to revise the terms of reference that it has set for the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.

Question reference: S6F-03185

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports of a National Crime Agency warning about synthetic opioids being linked to rising numbers of deaths.

Question reference: S6W-27399

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any drug-free wings within the Scottish Prison Service estate.

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

SPS takes a multidisciplinary approach to meet both the emotional and physical needs of those in our care, as well as taking steps to safeguard prisoners and staff from the harm of illicit substances. We work closely with NHS partners and others to meet individual needs, including those receiving treatment for substance use and those abstaining from substance use.

Within our estate the SPS recovery agenda is strong, and we work collaboratively with third sector partners, including the Recovery Consortium, to ensure we meet the needs of those on their recovery journey.

Question reference: S6W-27398

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of (a) the number of paediatric pathologists based in Scotland and (b) any paediatric pathology services that have been acquired from elsewhere in the UK, over the past 24 months.

a) The information requested on how many paediatric pathologists are based in Scotland is not centrally available. Information on paediatric pathologists, employed by NHS Scotland, can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence.

b) The information requested on any paediatric pathology services that have been acquired from elsewhere in the UK, over the past 24 months is not held centrally.

Question reference: S6W-27233

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any communications that it has had in the last 24 months with (a) the Scottish Football Association and (b) individual football clubs regarding the potential threat posed by organised crime groups.

Question reference: S6W-27227

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any communications that it has had in the last 24 months with the office of the Scottish Information Commissioner regarding the vulnerable persons database that is operated by Police Scotland.

The management of the interim Vulnerable Persons Database (iVPD) is a matter for Police Scotland. As with any other organisation, Police Scotland has a duty to gather and process personal data lawfully. The Scottish Government has had no communication with the office of the Scottish Information Commissioner regarding the iVPD during this period.

For further information on the iVPD please refer to answer S6W-27225 on 17 May 2024.

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 .