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 1153 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-15592

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to encouraging employers to provide facility time for trade union equality representatives as a means to tackling racism, discrimination and inequality in the workplace.

While Equality Reps are not statutory under UK Employment Law, it is a role which the Scottish Government fully supports. Although we have no power over employment law we would encourage employers to provide Equality Reps with time-off, training and facilities for Equality Rep duties.

The Scottish Government views trades unions as key social partners and believes that Facility Time adds value to organisations by providing a framework for constructive consultation and negotiation with employers, ensuring the effective voice of workers and improving workplace relations. However, the UK Government’s approach to trade unions, demonstrated through the Trade Union Act and Facility Time regulations, is to undermine our progressive approach to industrial relations.

The Scottish Government is working with the STUC to develop Facility Time Reporting guidance for Scottish public bodies to ensure that the value of Facility Time is recognised.

Question reference: S5O-01969

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-14544

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision not to revisit the rape case involving the footballers, David Goodwillie and David Robertson, who were convicted following a civil action, what plans it has to reassure the public of its commitment to tackle violence against women.

Prosecution decisions are a matter for the Lord Advocate and Scottish Ministers would not comment on nor intervene in these matters.

Rape is a very serious crime and should be prosecuted through the criminal courts where there is sufficient evidence in a case. The Scottish Government is committed to working with partners across the public and third sectors, to bring the perpetrators to justice and to ensure that victims receive the help and support that they need.

We are investing almost £30 million (2017-20) from the Equalities portfolio to support a range of projects and initiatives – including support for a range of front line specialist services working with victims of rape and sexual assault. Separately, we committed an additional dedicated £20 million over 2015-18 from Justice budgets to be invested in a range of measures to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls.

Underpinning this ambition is Equally Safe, the Scottish Government strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls - working with stakeholders to prevent violence, build the capability and capacity of mainstream and specialist services to support survivors and those at risk, and strengthen the Justice response to victims and perpetrators. The delivery plan for Equally Safe was published on 24 November 2017.

Question reference: S5W-14545

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to build confidence in the justice process for people who have experienced sexual assault or rape.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that victims who have experienced sexual assault or rape have confidence in a victim-centred justice system.

We recognise the key role which advocacy and support services have in helping victims to come forward and engage with the legal process. This is why action has been taken to strengthen advocacy and support available to victims of sexual crime. This included an additional £1.85 million (2015-18) to Rape Crisis Scotland, to support the National Advocacy Project which has enabled advocacy support workers to be allocated to every rape crisis centre in Scotland, and, establish new services in Orkney and Shetland.

Following an independent evaluation of the project, Scottish Government funding of £1.7 million over two years (2018-20) to Rape Crisis Scotland was announced on 1 March to allow a continuation of the service and the appointment of additional advocacy workers where they are needed most.

The Scottish Government is committed to action to improve the justice system response to violence against women and has significantly reformed the criminal law to modernise the law on rape and sexual assault including providing a wider definition of rape and a statutory definition of consent defined as “free agreement” through the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009.

Last year, the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 came into force which requires judges to give specific directions to juries in sexual offence cases concerning circumstances where there is a delay by the alleged victim in reporting the offence, and where the alleged victim does not physically resist their attacker or the alleged perpetrator does not use physical force to overcome their victim. The Act also created a specific offence of sharing private intimate images without consent.

The most recent Programme for Government document published in September last year, announced that a Pre-recorded Evidence of Child and other Vulnerable Witnesses Bill will be introduced. The Bill will focus on child witnesses but the intention is to also remove any current legislative barriers to the greater use of pre-recording which should also benefit adult vulnerable witnesses too.

However, we accept that more remains and needs to be done to achieve a justice system which is truly victim-centred. Justice Analytical Services recently called for proposals to help build the evidence base on people’s experiences of the justice system. These proposals are currently being assessed and the results of the assessment will be announced shortly.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with key justice agencies, including Crown Office, Police Scotland and the Scottish Courts, and with third sector organisations to ensure a victim-centred perspective in addressing sexual crime.

Question reference: S5W-14688

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent Citizens Advice Scotland publication, Disconnected: Understanding digital inclusion and improving access.

The Scottish Government welcomes the report and the ongoing commitment from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) to increasing digital participation. We recognise that we will only close the digital divide by working together across all sectors.

Home internet access has increased from 42% in 2003 to 82% in 2016. We have made substantial progress in closing the digital divide but are in no doubt that more still needs to be done. Officials met with CAS and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations on 20 February 2018 to discuss how we strengthen our partnership with them.

We recognise that those who are not able to go online, for whatever reason, still need access to public services, this is described as assisted digital. Service providers must make provision for this and ensure that citizens know there are alternatives to going on line.

Question reference: S5W-14887

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle reported negative attitudes towards breastfeeding in public.

The Scottish Government started a specific piece of work in June 2017 targeting public attitudes and challenging the population to “Change the Conversation” in support of breastfeeding as the normal way to feed a baby.

We will be working with a range of stakeholders and communities to further promote this work, and to achieve the aims of the Breastfeeding etc, (Scotland) Act 2005 to support women who choose to feed their babies in public.

Question reference: S5W-14896

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent Scottish Maternal and Infant Nutrition survey, which suggests that over a quarter of mothers have been made to feel uncomfortable when breastfeeding in public.

Question reference: S5W-14631

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government who the national lead clinician is for chronic pain; when the appointment was made, and how many hours-per-week the person is contracted for.

Question reference: S5W-14543

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by James Wolffe QC on 5 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out the reasons for the decision not to reconsider the rape case of the two footballers, David Goodwillie and David Robertson, in light of the successful civil action against them.

As a result of the decision in the civil case referred to, the Lord Advocate instructed that all of the available case materials and Lord Armstrong’s judgement be considered by a Senior Crown Counsel who had had no previous involvement in the case. Senior Crown Counsel reviewed the case and concluded that, looking at the evidence as a whole, the decision not to raise criminal proceedings was the correct one.

Question reference: S5W-14871

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which local authorities have applied to become rent pressure zones under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016, and which have been granted this status.