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-16574

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the range of drugs available for prescribing to prisoners is consistent across all prison estates; whether it will outline any variations and what the reasons are for these, and what body is responsible for deciding what drugs are available for prescribing in each prison estate.

The range of drugs that exist for clinicians to prescribe to people in prison across all prison estates is the same as those available to NHS patients across the same geographical areas (Health Boards).

There may be some difference in what the first line and second line formulary recommendations are in each of the Boards, with these differences being attributable to local variation in assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is responsible for approving all medicines for use in the NHS in Scotland. Once a medicine has been approved by the SMC it is then considered for addition to the local formulary by the Boards Area Drugs and Therapeutic Committee (ADTCC). The ADTCC is a statutory committee of the Board with responsibility for the safe and effective use of medicines in that Board.

All medicines approved for use in the NHS in Scotland are available to all people in prison regardless of location, through the same processes that are available to the non-custodial population.

Question reference: S6W-16572

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether all drugs that are approved for prescribing on the NHS are available to be prescribed to people in prison.

Question reference: S6W-15993

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether all elements of the Caledonian Sleeper operations will be brought in-house when it is taken back into public ownership in June 2023, or whether some will be contracted out.

From 25 June 2023, all elements of the Caledonian Sleeper operations undertaken by Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd will be delivered by Caledonian Sleeper Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd . Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd is a company wholly owned by the Scottish Government

It will be a matter for Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd and Caledonian Sleeper Ltd to determine the optimum arrangements post mobilisation of the Operator of Last Resort (OLR) arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-15992

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in the event that operations are to be contracted out on the Caledonian Sleeper when it is brought back into public ownership, what parts of the service or operations will be contracted out; which companies will be contracted for which part of the service or operations; for how long each contractor will be contracted for, and how much each contractor will be paid for the services that they provide over the course of their contract.

Question reference: S6W-15801

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its current position is on HGV speed limits.

In Scotland the speed limit for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) in built up areas is 30 mph. On single carriageway it is 40 mph, dual carriageways is 50 mph and on motorways 60 mph.

In addition, the HGV speed limit on single carriageway sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness was raised to 50 mph on 28 October 2014.

HGV speed limit policy is being considered as part of the National Speed Management Review, later this year we will consult with stakeholders and the public to gather and consider their views on future changes to speed limit policies and speed management measures.

Question reference: S6W-15896

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce its decision on the Outline Business Case for the Monklands Replacement Project, which was submitted to its Capital Investment Group in December 2022.

Question reference: S6W-15800

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the (a) conclusions and (b) findings from all stages of the National Speed Management Review.

Question reference: S6W-15895

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the dates of any meetings it has had with members of its Capital Investment Group at which the Monklands Replacement Project was discussed, and whether it will outline the content of those discussions.

Question reference: S6O-02083

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to support island communities in advance of Hulls 801 and 802, and other ferries, coming into service.

Question reference: S6W-15771

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any (a) ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers were consulted before the offer of immunity from prosecution was made to prison officers charged with the care of Allan Marshall.

The Crown does not grant immunity from prosecution but makes prosecutorial decisions based on criteria set out in the Scottish Prosecution Code. Decisions on prosecution are taken independently and are matters for professional prosecutors within the system for which the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General are responsible. It is therefore not appropriate for any other minister, or for Scottish Government officials or special advisers to be consulted in relation to any prosecutorial decisions.

I have confirmed to Mr Marshall’s family that some aspects of the investigation fell short of what they were entitled to expect. The previous decision not to prosecute individual prison officers cannot be reversed. I have instructed Police Scotland to investigate possible corporate responsibility by the Scottish Prison Service.

The way in which custody death cases are handled by COPFS has been reviewed and transformed. I am confident that new structures and processes in place will ensure such cases are undertaken rigorously, respectfully and compassionately.