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-21220

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 26 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reopen the Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas for new applications, and, if so, when.

The Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas , launched in February 2022, was the second of two funds designed to support the independent exhibition sector during and in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It followed the Independent Cinema Recovery and Resilience Fund, which was launched in September 2020 and provided funding until March 2021.

Both these funds were part of exceptional measures instigated by Scottish Government and administered by Screen Scotland in response to the immediate challenges posed by Covid-19. There are no plans to re-open either fund or for the creation of a new Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas.

Question reference: S6W-21281

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 21 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether families should wait more than four months after a post-mortem is carried out on a loved one to receive the post-mortem report.

Bereaved families should not have to wait this time to receive final confirmation of the cause of death of a loved one, and this is not a situation which COPFS endorses. It is imperative that this information is provided as soon as possible, as these delays simply compound distress and anxiety.

The current delays relate to the time taken to receive toxicology analysis to assist pathologists in the preparation of the final post mortem report.

Given previous concerns about toxicology analysis times, the service covering most of Scotland transferred to the Scottish Police Authority on 1 December 2022 following substantial investment by the Scottish Government. Although the initial timescale for a new laboratory being fully operational was the first quarter of 2023, this was impacted by a combination of factors including a water contamination problem that shut the laboratory down for two weeks, as well as the time required for the new equipment in the lab to be calibrated, and testing methods verified. These are matters outwith COPFS control.

There has therefore been a disappointing but unavoidable knock-on effect on the completion of toxicology analysis, and thereafter submission to COPFS of final post mortem reports from pathologists. Additionally, a significant increase in deaths being reported to COPFS compared to pre-pandemic levels has resulted in a corresponding increase in instructed post mortem examinations. This has also impacted on how quickly post mortem reports can be completed.

Every effort is being made by COPFS, the Scottish Police Authority and pathologists working together across Scotland to reduce the time taken to provide final reports to families. I have been assured that the laboratory has been fully operational since the end of May 2023. The analysis backlogs which built up over the course of this year are being addressed as a priority by the toxicologists, who advise that by November 2023 the average time for analysis to be completed and submitted to the pathologist for a non-suspicious death will be 5 weeks.

COPFS has also allocated additional resource internally to process this year's backlog of final post mortem reports as they are received from pathologists, to seek to reduce the lengthy delays being experienced.

Question reference: S6W-20758

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the impact on poverty is of parental smoking, and how many children it estimates are currently affected by this.

Our vision is to have a Tobacco-Free Scotland by lowering smoking rates in our communities to 5% or less by 2034. Our aim is to create a generation of young people who do not want to smoke, with all the health and economic benefits that follow.

The Scottish Health Survey gathers data on children living in accommodation where someone regularly smokes and the number of children exposed to second hand smoke:

In 2021, the proportion of children living in accommodation in which someone regularly smoked indoors was significantly lower than in previous years, from 19% in 2012 to 4% in 2021(Scottish Health Survey - 2021).
In 2021, the proportion of children exposed to second-hand smoke in their own home was also significantly lower than in previous years, from 12% in 2012 to 2% in 2021 (Scottish Health Survey - 2021)

We do not hold specific data on the impact on poverty of parental smoking. However, in 2022 ASH Scotland estimated that on average, a smoker in Scotland uses 12 cigarettes a day. This costs around £2500 annually for people smoking pre-rolled cigarette and £1150 for those who roll tobacco. For further information see https://www.ashscotland.org.uk/ .

Question reference: S6W-20755

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the UK Vaping Industry Association’s reported proposal for fines of up to £10,000 to be levied on retailers who sell to under-18s.

The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010 set outs the fines that can be levied and these are detailed below:

offence of selling an NCP to a person under 18 - level 4 on the standard scale (£2,500)
Offence of purchasing one on behalf of a person under 18 - level 5 on the standard scale (£5,000)
Offence of purchasing an NCP by a person under 18 - level 1 on the standard scale (£200).

We do not currently have plans, at this time, to revise these fines and any revision would require consultation.

Question reference: S6W-20756

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates smoking cost the Scottish economy in the last year for which figures are available.

The Scottish Government is deeply concerned about the health and economic impacts of smoking, that’s why we want to create a tobacco free Scotland by 2034 and will be publishing our refreshed tobacco action plan in autumn this year which will provide a roadmap as to our we will achieve that goal.

Information on the economic impact of smoking is available on the ASH Scotland website https://www.ashscotland.org.uk/ and on ASH website https://ash.org.uk/ .

Question reference: S6W-20757

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the cost to NHS Scotland of treating diseases caused by smoking was in the last year for which figures are available.

Question reference: S6W-20759

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much NHS Scotland and other agencies spent on all forms of smoking cessation in the last year for which figures are available.

The Scottish Government provides funding annually to Health Boards for smoking cessation and prevention services. The funding is provided as part of a wider Outcomes Framework allocation, whereby budget is provided to Health Boards to cover a range of outcomes. It is up to Health Boards to decide how much of this funding to allocate to each outcome. The published Scottish Budget for 2023-2024 includes £74.1 million for the Outcomes Framework.

Question reference: S6O-02491

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-20174

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when Police Scotland will have access to Scottish laboratory facilities that can test if someone has ingested rohypnol or sodium nitrite.

Question reference: S6W-20112

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of police resource is currently allocated to tackling cybercrime.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of police resources that are dedicated to tackling cybercrime.

The police budget has increased by £80 million in 2023-24 bringing the overall budget to over £1.45 billion. The allocation of this budget is a decision for the Chief Constable and Scottish Police Authority, including the allocation of resources to tackle cybercrime.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority work together to ensure the necessary resources and expertise are in place to tackle emerging areas of threat, such as cyber-crime and fraud.

The Scottish Government works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Police Scotland to ensure Scotland is well prepared for cyber threats and would urge all organisations to follow the NCSC’s advice and guidance.