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: S6O-00279

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the anticipated final cost and delivery date of vessels 801 and 802 for the CalMac fleet.

Question reference: S6W-03553

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 19 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions its ministers have had with the nightclub sector in (a) North Ayrshire and (b) Inverclyde regarding the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine certification scheme.

Question reference: S6W-03354

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 18 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported statistics from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service stating that domestic abuse charges are at their highest level since 2015-16.

The Scottish Government advises anyone who has experienced domestic abuse to report crimes committed against them. Domestic abuse is a heinous crime and we remain absolutely committed to working with justice partners to ensure that they have the most effective tools at their disposal to ensure that perpetrators receive a robust response and are held to account for their actions.

The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 (the ‘Act’) came into effect in April 2019 and provides the police with additional powers to take action against those who abuse their partner or ex-partner. As highlighted in the publication, in 2020-21, 1,581 charges were reported under the Act, with 95 percent resulting in court proceedings being raised.

Lastly, as part of the Programme for Government, we will invest £100 million over the next three years to support frontline services so that women and children can safely access the support they need and to focus on prevention of violence against women and girls from school onwards.

Question reference: S6W-03351

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported data from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service stating that the average time taken to complete a fatal accident inquiry increased by eight months to 939 days in 2020-21.

Between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021, COPFS concluded 59 FAIs, an increase from 57 the previous year. This increase took place notwithstanding an increase of more than 40% deaths reported to COPFS compared to previous years as well as the restrictions on court business for much of that period due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In relation to those 59 FAIs, 43 related to deaths which had occurred between 2018 and 2020.

In recognition of the fact that some death investigations have taken too long, COPFS has made significant changes to its practices and additional resources have been applied to this important area of work. There has been a particular focus on clearing a backlog of cases and consequently some older FAIs concluded during this period which will have affected the figures quoted.

There are legitimate and unavoidable reasons for prolonged periods of investigation: the overriding necessity of conducting death investigations thoroughly; the need to wait for the outcome of other related investigations; the need to obtain expert advice; and the need to consider and, in some cases, conclude criminal proceedings before holding an FAI.

Question reference: S6W-03541

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government on what exact date the Victims Taskforce will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-03342

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported figures stating that Police Scotland lost 6,487 days of work in 2020-21 due to officers being assaulted.

Question reference: S6W-03355

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that suspects are using fake COVID-19 alerts to avoid attending court in person, and whether it can confirm whether this is happening.

The Scottish Government take seriously any suggestion that efforts are being made to disrupt court business and to avoid attendance. It is clearly even more alarming if this can be tracked back to initiatives put in place in response to the pandemic. We have discussed the specific concerns raised at the Criminal Justice Committee with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, and can advise the following. SCTS is not aware of any specific instances of fake COVID alerts being used to avoid a court appearance. It is a matter for the presiding judicial office holder in each case to decide what proof is required to satisfy the court on the reason for non-attendance of an accused. This can include the court requiring evidence of a positive COVID test, or notification to self-isolate, before making any decision to adjourn or desert a case. If the evidence provided is not accepted by the court, it is a matter for the presiding judicial office holder to consider whether a warrant to apprehend must be issued for the arrest of the accused in respect of their failure to appear, or whether another course of action should be taken.

Question reference: S6W-03343

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 11 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the (a) availability and (b) reliability of broadband in the west of Scotland.

The £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme delivered over 101,300 fibre connections in the West Scotland region with over 96,600 of those capable of delivering speeds of 24 Megabits per second (Mbps) and above. The Reaching 100% (R100) programme will build upon this work by ensuring all homes and businesses can access superfast broadband – including those in the constituencies of Clydebank and Milngavie, Cunninghame North, Cunninghame South, Dumbarton, Eastwood, Greenock and Inverclyde, Paisley, Renfrewshire North and West, Renfrewshire South, and Strathkelvin and Bearsden. The £600 million R100 contracts will deliver a substantial number of fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections, and the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) will also ensure that anyone who wants a superfast connection of 30Mbps and above by the end of 2021 can have one.

Question reference: S6W-03344

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 11 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the (a) availability and (b) reliability of broadband in rural communities.

The £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme delivered over 951,500 fibre connections across Scotland with over 841,600 of those capable of delivering superfast speeds of 30 Megabits per second (Mbps), the vast majority of which were in rural areas. The Reaching 100% (R100) programme will build upon this by delivering universal access to superfast broadband, regardless of remoteness or rurality. However, the contracts we have signed with BT for all three lots (North, Central and South) – alongside greater than anticipated commercial build – will also go significantly beyond our superfast commitment by delivering a substantial amount of full-fibre connections, meaning many premises will be capable of accessing download speeds of up to 1 Gigabit (1,000 Megabits) per second.

Question reference: S6W-03356

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 8 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement in its Programme for Government, whether it will provide further details of its planned legislation to "change the way imprisonment is used".

As noted in the Programme for Government, we intend to consult shortly on proposed reforms to the law relating to bail and release from custody. Public protection and victims’ safety are at the heart of our proposals for reform, which focus on reduce reoffending and associated victimisation.

In relation to bail, we will be consulting on proposals to refocus how remand is used, especially for those who pose little or no risk to public safety. With regards to release from custody, we intend to consult on reforms to support release arrangements, with a focus on enabling reintegration into the community.

The responses to this consultation will inform a year 1 bill.