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: S5W-14298

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) cost and (b) scheduled complication date is of the electrification of the Shotts rail line, and what impact the liquidation of Carillion will have on this.

Question reference: S5W-14296

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the Azuma trains will start operating on the East Coast Main Line.

Question reference: S5W-14297

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the liquidation of Carillion, what plans it has to retender the contract for the electrification of the Shotts rail line.

Question reference: S5W-14122

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 7 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13815 by Maureen Watt on 24 January 2018, whether it will provide details of the groups, the funding they have received and where they are located, and whether it has any concerns regarding gaps in the provision.

Question reference: S5W-14033

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 6 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many crimes involving the abuse of power of attorney functions have been recorded in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally. The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 does not require such records to be kept. The 2000 Act confers a duty on the Public Guardian to investigate concerns which are raised with her office regarding actions of continuing (financial) attorneys. The 2000 Act also requires local authorities to investigate concerns around the actions of welfare attorneys. Depending on the individual circumstances of the incident, crimes involving the abuse of financial power of attorney functions would be recorded under a broad category as either theft or fraud. Offences by attorneys are not distinguishable within the broad category.

Question reference: S5W-13781

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that children from households with an income that is 60%, or less, of the median Scottish household income are encouraged and supported to participate in (a) national and (b) local orchestras.

The Youth Music Initiative offers a year of free music tuition to every school pupil in Scotland by the time they leave primary school. Individual Local Authorities design a programme of music activities to engage young people in their communities – for some authorities this includes orchestras. Creative Scotland also work with a range of partners to ensure young people have the opportunity to participate in orchestras by supporting national and regional orchestras such as the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland and Tinderbox Orchestra.

The Scottish Government also support Sistema Scotland which has Big Noise Centres in Raploch, Govanhill, Torry and Douglas. Our £2.5m four-year funding package is enabling the youth orchestra programme to sustain and build on its work to enhance the health, wellbeing and prospects of young people in the communities of Stirling, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra also both deliver progressive participatory music making opportunities across Scotland, working with all ages and abilities, no matter their circumstances.

Question reference: S5W-14031

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 1 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the law regarding the use and function of power of attorney.

Question reference: S5W-14032

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 1 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many power of attorneys have been appointed in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S5O-01779

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister's meeting with the family of Shaun Woodburn, who was killed on New Year's Day 2017, what plans it has to enhance the rights of victims during court procedures.

Question reference: S5W-14044

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to review the law regarding post-mortems, including the right for both the defence and the prosecution to request their own for the purposes of criminal procedure.

In suspicious deaths a post mortem examination is a necessary part of the Crown investigation. In law, the defence have a right to instruct a post mortem examination on behalf on an accused person. "Equality of arms" is a key component of the principle of the right to a fair trial, enshrined in Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

It is, however, possible that improvements can be made on current practice. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service have advised that they are currently working with Forensic Pathologists on a revised Post Mortem Examination Protocol that may help reduce the number of further post mortem examinations instructed by the defence.