- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-05138 by Shona Robison on 31 January 2012, what its position is on the finding of the Inquiry into Human Trafficking in Scotland that Scotland's police service has a "significant intelligence gap on human trafficking" and how it will address this issue.
Answer
Intelligence assessments are operational matters for police forces.
The Scottish Government provided additional funding of £4 million over a two year period from 2009 to 2011 to the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency to boost capacity to tackle organised crime, and within that provide a dedicated expert resource to build the intelligence necessary to support and improve human trafficking investigation. That resource is now in place. Trafficking strategic and tactical groups have been set up by the Agency and this is one of the issues that these groups will seek to address.
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to improve the level of trust and cooperation between law enforcement and support services for victims of human trafficking
Answer
These issues are principally operational matters for the organisations involved.
However, the Scottish Government will host a summit in the coming months to bring together the various agencies involved in combating trafficking in human beings to refresh the strategic direction for policy and delivery in this area. Improved co-operation between all organisations will be one of the objectives of the summit.
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will hold a campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no current plans but will consider with stakeholders what further specific human trafficking awareness-raising activities would be of benefit within the public and private sectors.
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set up a multi-agency organisation to tackle human trafficking.
Answer
The Scottish Government currently has no plans to set up such an organisation.
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a bill to tackle human trafficking.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not yet decided its legislative programme for future years.
Any proposal to introduce a specific bill on trafficking in human beings would have to be considered alongside a wide range of other potential priorities for legislation.
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will launch a review of the legislation in relation to human trafficking.
Answer
The Scottish Government keeps human trafficking legislation under regular review and responds as appropriate to any developments in line with our commitment to tackle this form of serious organised crime.
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 29 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will hold a referendum on the future of the monarch as head of state in a Scotland separated from the rest of the United Kingdom.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s consultation document Your Scotland, Your Referendum published on 25 January 2012 confirmed that in an independent Scotland Her Majesty the Queen would remain as Head of State.
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive how many lawyers and solicitors are members of black and ethnic minorities.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. Membership of the legal profession in Scotland is a matter for the relevant professional bodies (namely the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates).
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 27 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide funding for a Scottish Olympic team in a Scotland separated from the rest of the United Kingdom and, if so, how much funding will be provided in relation to the 2016 Olympics.
Answer
The Scottish Government's proposal for Scotland is not "separation", but independence, with a new relationship of equality between Scotland and the other nations of these islands. Under the Olympic Charter, any independent states recognised by the international community can participate in the Olympic Games. Scotland already funds its teams to compete in Commonwealth Games and would do so for an Olympic team in the future.
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2012
-
Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 10 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that an independent Scotland should have a written constitution.
Answer
As laid out in Choosing Scotland's Future (paragraphs 3.9 - 3.11) and Your Scotland Your Voice (paragraphs 9.17 - 9.19), the current constitutional arrangements would provide a robust initial framework for an independent Scotland. A white paper drawing together the Scottish Government’s proposals for independence will be published in November 2013.