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-18467

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any health and housing multi-agency meetings to manage support for trafficking survivors under sections 9 and 10 of the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015, what assessment template or guidance document is used in such meetings; which organisations are members of the group holding these meetings, and, for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, how many (a) cases were assessed, (b) cases involved the transfer of accommodation support from Scottish Government-funded trafficking accommodation to Home Office asylum accommodation and (c) such transfers were to asylum accommodation in Scotland.

Since 1 April 2018, support for victims of offences under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 has been placed on a statutory footing.

Statutory support is delivered through grant awards from the Victim Centred Approach Fund to the Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA) and Migrant Help. Support may be provided for up to 90 days, or longer in some circumstances, and can include accommodation, assistance with day to day living, medical advice and treatment including psychological help, language translation and interpretation, counselling, legal advice, help accessing other services and, if the victim wishes, repatriation.

Case assessment is part of the ongoing support function carried out by TARA and Migrant Help and as such the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

In the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, 221 individuals moved from Scottish Government-funded accommodation to Home Office asylum accommodation.

The Scottish Government does not hold sufficient data to provide the remaining information requested. This information may be held by operational partners.

Question reference: S6W-18468

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance or advice it has issued to Scottish public authorities and charities that it funds, that have contact with asylum seekers or presumed human trafficking survivors, regarding the UK Government’s Illegal Migration Bill and, in particular, any retrospective effect since its introduction into the UK Parliament on 7 March 2023.

The UK Government’s Illegal Migration Bill does not currently have legal effect. The Scottish Government has made clear our position that this cruel and inhumane Illegal Migration Bill should be scrapped immediately and will cause significant harm to victims of human trafficking. It will facilitate even greater control by perpetrators as a consequence of its provisions which restrict access to vital support and assistance and will likely deter victims from reporting their situation for fear of removal.

The Scottish Parliament rejected the UK Bill during a debate on 25 April. We set out our intent to lodge a legislative consent memorandum on two clauses within the Bill which alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers. We will recommend that Parliament withhold legislative consent to these provisions. We continue to monitor the Bill closely as it is considered by the House of Lords.

Question reference: S6W-18434

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Scottish Police Federation’s reported request for future pay for police to be linked to an average pay index, as opposed to annual negotiations, as police officers do not have the right to strike.

The Police Negotiating Board (PNB) ‘Staff Side' have submitted a pay claim for 2023/24 which contains a request for future pay to be linked to an average pay index. As the PNB process is currently ongoing in relation to the police officer pay claim and in line with PNB protocols, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this time.

The Scottish Government are part of the PNB ‘Official Side’ alongside the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18055

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any of its partner agencies use handcuffs when transporting children between care placements or other settings.

Duties relating to secure transport lie principally with the local authority responsible for the child’s placement. Information is not held centrally on these arrangements or the use of handcuffs.

A sub-group of the National Secure Care Group is developing a service specification that can be used consistently by local authorities and sets out the principles and standards wherever secure transport requires to be commissioned. It covers areas such as data gathering and staff training and prohibits the use of mechanical restraints or handcuffs.

The Scottish Government has a contract with GEOAmey to provide secure transport for children convicted on indictment and given a custodial sentence. GEOAmey must ensure that the child being transported, staff and the general public are protected by robust arrangements throughout each journey, including the prevention of escape. Multi-purpose vehicles are used to escort children, rather than the prison vans used to transport adult prisoners. Because of this, handcuffs are used for each journey.

Question reference: S6W-18328

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any plans to (a) implement the scheme for funding for alternative dispute resolution and (b) establish a pilot of mandatory meetings on alternatives to court under the Children (Scotland) Act 2020.

Sections 23(7) and 24(4) of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 place a duty on the Scottish Ministers to lay six-monthly reports before Parliament setting out why the duties to (a) implement the scheme for funding for alternative dispute resolution and (b) establish a pilot of mandatory meetings on alternatives to court are not yet fulfilled, and stating when implementation is expected.

To date the Scottish Ministers have laid four such reports before Parliament and these have been published on the Scottish Government website. The latest report is available here:

Children (Scotland) Act 2020 - section 23(1) and section 24(1): fourth report on the Scottish Ministers' duties - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6O-02338

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there are any gaps in Scots law in relation to tackling image-based sexual abuse.

Question reference: S6F-02201

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

To ask the First Minister whether any objections or concerns were raised by the Scottish Ministers during the deliberations about the guidelines for sentencing under-25s, which came into effect in January 2022.

Question reference: S6W-18052

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools are (a) eligible and (b) registered for the Equally Safe at School programme, as of May 2023.

Our Equally Safe strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls (VAWG) emphasises the importance of challenging the underpinning attitudes which enable such violence to take place.

The Equally Safe at School (ESAS) project, developed by Rape Crisis Scotland and Zero Tolerance, applies a whole school approach to inequality and gender-based violence in schools. Every secondary school in Scotland is eligible for ESAS. Rape Crisis Scotland have reported that currently 77 schools are registered with an ESAS account. Rape Crisis Scotland is continuing to work with local authority education leads, VAWG partnerships and other third sector partners across Scotland to encourage and support schools to engage with ESAS.

We also fund and support other education-based programmes and initiatives aimed at tackling violence against women and girls and the attitudes which perpetuate it such as; the Mentors in Violence peer education programme, the Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning, the Gender-Based Violence in Schools Working Group and Rape Crisis Scotland’s national sexual violence programme for secondary schools.

Question reference: S6W-17720

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with (a) the leader and (b) councillors of Glasgow City Council to discuss reported concerns raised by business leaders regarding the Low Emission Zone, which is soon to be introduced in the city.

Transport Scotland officials have not met the leader of Glasgow City Council regarding the Low Emission Zone (LEZ), however officials continue to meet with councillors and officials on a regular basis. As part of the LEZ governance structure, Transport Scotland convenes several LEZ working groups, including the LEZ Leadership Group.

The LEZ Leadership Group is chaired by Scottish Ministers and held every six months. The group is made up of convenors/councillors and senior officials from the four local authorities implementing LEZs. Topics raised at the Leadership Group include (but are not limited to), LEZ support funding, city specific topics, operational matters and risk.

Throughout the LEZ consultation process both Transport Scotland and the four local authorities have listened to the views of businesses. The minimum and maximum grace periods reflect feedback from stakeholders, including the Federation for Small Businesses.

Whilst the Scottish Government has set the national framework for LEZs, it is for local authorities to design their LEZs as they see fit, which includes choosing an enforcement timeline (and associated grace period) which best fits their city.

Question reference: S6O-02245

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to help educate children and young people about any dangers of online pornography.