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-19844

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers had in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013 with European Commission representatives on the need to explore the potential for raising the six-year maximum contract length for Scottish ferry services; what outcomes were agreed, and what steps it will take in 2014.

Question reference: S4W-19852

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) foot and (b) freight passengers were carried on each (i) Clyde and Hebrides and (ii) Northern Isles ferry route in each year between 2009 and 2013.

The publication Scottish Transport Statistics provides a comprehensive summary of trends over the past 10 years and No. 32, 2013 Edition was published on Wednesday 26 February 2014. This covers the period 2002–2012. This edition was made publicly available via the Transport Scotland website.

In addition CalMac and Serco NorthLink Ferries Limited will shortly be publishing on their respective websites carrying information for 2013 in respect of passengers, cars, coaches and commercial vehicles and lane metres on the Clyde and Hebrides and Northern Isles ferry services.

Question reference: S4W-19849

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the scale of disruption to Scottish ferry services during winter 2013-14 that was due to adverse weather conditions.

Question reference: S4W-19848

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional sailings there have been on (a) Clyde and Hebrides and (b) Northern Isles ferry routes between 1 October 2013 and 16 February 2014.

Question reference: S4W-19952

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 3 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011.

Question reference: S4W-19743

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Lesley Thomson on 28 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were detained in respect of domestic violence incidents in each of the last three years and, of these, how many (a) were released without charge, (b) had their case marked as "no proceedings" by the procurator fiscal, (c) were acquitted after trial and (d) were convicted.

(a) Information on the number of people detained in respect of domestic violence incidents is not held by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

(b) (c) & (d) The available information is contained in the following table:

People reported to COPFS for a charge with a domestic abuse aggravation

	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13
No action	3601	4024	4022
Acquitted after trial	734	826	873
Convicted	8564	8872	9292

Notes:

1. The figures relate to people reported to COPFS for charges with an aggravation of domestic abuse

which includes both violent and not violent offences.

2. The no action figures relate to people reported to COPFS in the appropriate financial year for

charges that were initially marked no action.

3. In the majority of cases where no action was taken it was because there was insufficient admissible

evidence in law to raise criminal proceedings.

4. Figures for acquitted after trial and convictions come from the Scottish Government Criminal

Proceedings Database.

5. Acquitted after trial includes found not guilty and found not proven after trial.

6. The acquittal and conviction figures relate to the financial year in which the trial concluded.

Question reference: S4W-19740

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the purpose is of police written warnings.

Question reference: S4W-19742

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government who retains details of police written warnings that have been issued, for how long and for what purpose.

Details of Formal Adult Warnings (FAWs) are recorded in the Criminal History System (CHS) for two years and then removed. Only two FAWs are permitted on the CHS at any one time so this process enables police officers to check whether an offender has any FAWs already recorded. If there are two FAWs already on the CHS, a FAW cannot be issued for any subsequent offence and a Standard Police Report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Question reference: S4W-19741

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what redress is available to a person to challenge the legitimacy of a police written warning.

A formal adult warning (FAW) is sent to a person who has 28 days to decide whether to accept or refuse it. If accepted, the FAW is recorded in the Criminal History System for two years and then removed. It does not count as a conviction. If refused, it is a matter for Police Scotland to decide what further action to take, including referral to the Procurator Fiscal for a decision on the most appropriate disposal.

Question reference: S4O-02957

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that environmental legislation and guidelines do not have a disproportionately negative impact on the species, homo sapiens.