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: S4W-09962

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-09709 by Kenny MacAskill on 27 September 2012, what the cost to the Scottish Government has been of managing all registered sex offenders under multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in each year since 2007, also broken down by management level.

There is no centrally held information about the costs to the Scottish Government in managing sex offenders under MAPPA in each year since 2007. The provisions in the legislation require the responsible authorities to jointly establish arrangements for the assessment and management of risk posed by these offenders. As such the arrangements are funded from the existing budgets of the Community Justice Authorities (CJA) and the collective responsible authorities. However, in 2007 to facilitate the initial set-up of the arrangements in Scotland, financial support was provided by the Scottish Government to the CJAs of £835,000. This funded 11 MAPPA coordinators posts and an additional eight administration posts. The funding of these posts since 2008 has been met through local budgetary arrangements.

Question reference: S4W-09959

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-09712 by Kenny MacAskill on 27 September 2012, whether it can confirm that the number of registered sex offenders reported for a breach of notification under multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) rose from 178 in 2010 to 209 in 2012, representing a 17.4% increase.

Question reference: S4W-09961

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-09712 by Kenny MacAskill on 27 September 2012, whether it can confirm that the number of registered sex offenders managed at multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) level 3 fell from 43 in 2010 to 26 in 2012, representing a 39.5% decrease.

Question reference: S4W-09960

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-09712 by Kenny MacAskill on 27 September 2012, whether it can confirm that the number of registered sex offenders managed at multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) level 2 fell from 840 in 2010 to 466 in 2012, representing a 44.5% decrease.

Yes. The number of registered sex offenders managed at level 2 has also decreased in the last 12 months, from 735 in 2011 to 466 in 2012. One of the primary principles of MAPPA is that an offender should be managed at the lowest level commensurate with their risk and this decrease indicates that the agencies have developed a better understanding of the nature of risk and a more sophisticated approach to risk management.

Question reference: S4W-09991

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether ministers have met the chief executive or other senior representatives of the Health and Safety Executive since 2007 to discuss matters affecting criminal responsibility for corporate negligence in Scotland, when the last meeting took place; what issues were discussed, and whether ministers will hold regular such meetings.

Health and safety at work legislation is reserved, with legislation relating to the operation of the Health and Safety Executive being the responsibility of the UK Government.

We have not identified any record of Scottish ministers meeting with the Health and Safety Executive about this specific matter during 2007. From the period 2008 onwards, details of Scottish Government ministerial engagements can be found at the following web address:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/People/14944/Events-Engagements/MinisterialEngagements.

Ministers are always happy to meet with key stakeholders on matters of mutual interest, but there are no regular ministerial meetings planned with the Health and Safety Executive at this time.

Question reference: S4W-09990

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Lesley Thomson on 29 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether ministers have met the chief executive or other senior representatives of the Health and Safety Executive since 2007 to discuss matters relating to fatal accident inquiries for workplace fatalities in Scotland, when the last meeting took place; what issues were discussed, and whether ministers will hold regular such meetings.

Health and safety at work legislation is reserved with legislation relating to the operation of the Health and Safety Executive being the responsibility of the UK Government.

From the period 2008 onwards, details of Scottish Government ministerial engagements, including any meetings with the Health and Safety Executive, can be found at the following web address:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/People/14944/Events-Engagements/MinisterialEngagements.

Ministers are always happy to meet with key stakeholders on matters of mutual interest, but there are no regular ministerial meetings planned with the Health and Safety Executive at this time.

Question reference: S4O-01384

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 24 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to expand Gaelic-medium education in secondary schools in cities.

Question reference: S4W-09989

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether ministers have met the chief executive or other senior representatives of the Health and Safety Executive since 2007 to discuss matters affecting public health in Scotland, when the last meeting took place; what issues were discussed, and whether ministers will hold regular such meetings.

Since 2007, Scottish Ministers have met with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on a number of occasions to discuss public health matters.

As Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison met Danny Carrigan, Health and Safety Commissioner, on 12 December 2007. The discussion was around the liaison between reserved and devolved areas of competence relating to health and safety in the workplace.

In the same capacity, Shona Robison met Judith Hackett CBE, Chair of the Health and Safety Board, and Dr Paul Stollard, Director of the Health and Safety Executive in Scotland on 11 March 2009. The discussion was about how the HSE Strategy would be delivered in co-operation with other partners in the Scottish Health and Safety System, including the Scottish Government.

Shona Robison also met with Geoffrey Podger, Chief Executive of the HSE in September 2009 to discuss the UV tubing of sunbeds.

Additionally, Scottish Ministers have responded to a number of issues arising from the UK Government's review of health and safety.

There are no current plans for future meetings between Scottish Ministers and the Health and Safety Executive.

Question reference: S4W-10194

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 18 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) re-employed retired and (b) part-time sheriffs have been employed in each month since April 2007, broken down by sheriffdom.

Question reference: S4W-10192

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 18 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Court Service has ceased to work to targets for the time between commencement and conclusion of (a) summary and (b) solemn trials and, if so, (i) when these were discontinued and (ii) for what reason.