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-16905

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the number of suicides on Scotland’s rail network.

Further to answers provided in S5W-16903 and S5W-16904 on 12 June 2018. ScotRail operate conversation cafés on trains approximately 4 times per year in partnership with the Railway Mission Chaplains where small groups of people travel on trains outside peak travel times covering routes which have had incidences of suicide in the past year and attempt to engage passengers in conversation about mental health issues. In April 2018 the Minister for Mental Health took part in a Railway “Conversation Café” on the Edinburgh to North Berwick return service . ScotRail also hold suicide awareness events at major stations to raise awareness and engage people in conversation about mental health awareness.

This initiative sits alongside the newly launched Small Talk Saves Lives campaign, which is a joint initiative of Network Rail, Samaritans and BTP, asking the public to trust their instincts and look out for fellow passengers who might need help and talk to them if they notice someone who may be at risk of suicide on or around the rail network. The campaign aims to give commuters the confidence to trust their own instincts and intervene if they see someone vulnerable who may be at risk of suicide on or around the rail network, and to talk to them to interrupt their suicidal thoughts.

Network Rail have also installed infrastructure, such as platform end barriers and CCTV aimed at deterring potential suicides in stations and installed signs with contact details for the Samaritans.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-16903

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides for measures to support rail staff with mental health and suicide prevention training, and what discussions it has had with rail companies to discuss what further support it might offer.

Network Rail, the train operating companies (including ScotRail), trades unions, British Transport Police (BTP), the Railway Mission and RSSB have been proactively working with The Samaritans since 2010 to reduce suicides on the railway and to support anyone involved in the aftermath of a railway suicide. By the end of 2016-17, over 14,500 frontline railway personnel had been trained on how to intervene to prevent suicide attempts and around 1,575 personnel have been trained in Trauma Support. A total of 1 in 6 staff are now suicide prevention aware and through the training have been given the confidence and skills to identify, approach and support someone in need.

Question reference: S5W-16904

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government on how many times has British Transport Police prevented a suicide in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Further to the answer to S5W-16903 on 12 June 2018. Railway Safety Policy has not been devolved to Scottish Ministers and remains a matter that has been reserved to the UK Government. The same high standards of safety performance, including suicide prevention, is measured and reported at a GB level by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) in their Annual Safety Performance Report. The number of suicides on the GB rail network have fallen during 2015-16 and 2016-17, however it is too early to determine whether this decrease is statistically significant or whether it will be sustained.

During 2016-17, BTP recorded a total of 1,593 interventions in suicide attempts on the GB mainline rail network. This compares to 1,137 made in 2015-16, a 40% increase; which is due in part to the diligence and efforts of rail industry staff who have been trained on how to intervene to prevent suicide attempts.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-16842

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 5 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of whether additional (a) resourcing and (b) staffing is required to support the Inspector of (i) Crematoria, (ii) Funeral Directors and (iii) Burial Grounds in carrying out its (A) current and (B) future role.

The Inspector of Crematoria and the Inspector of Funeral Directors are currently supported by the Scottish Government Burial and Cremation Legislation Team. An Inspector of Burial has not yet been appointed and, therefore, no support has been allocated.

As set out in the financial memorandum to the Burial and Cremation Bill, it is not anticipated that additional resource or staffing will be required in the future to support the work of the Inspector of Cremation or the Inspector of Burial.

It is anticipated that additional support will be required in the future to support the Inspector of Funeral Directors. It is also anticipated that more than one Inspector of Funeral Directors will be appointed.

The level of resource and staff required to support Inspectors of Funeral Directors in the future will be dependent on the type of regulation introduced. The Inspector of Funeral Directors is currently undertaking a critical assessment of the profession and will make recommendations to Ministers by the end of 2018 on how the profession should be regulated. Once the Inspector has made her recommendations further analysis of resource and support requirements will be carried out.

Question reference: S5W-16843

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 5 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing criteria to determine who is a fit and proper person to (a) own and (b) be employed by a (i) crematorium or (ii) funeral director business.

The Scottish Government is currently working with stakeholders and partners to explore the appropriateness of introducing fit and proper person tests for those working in the funeral industry. If, as a result of this work, it is deemed that fit and proper person tests should be introduced, further engagement will take place to determine who would be subject to such tests, which criteria would be used and how this would be implemented.

Question reference: S5W-16795

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 4 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted of the potential economic impact of altering the limit to rises in any form of local taxation.

We offer the most competitive business rates package in the UK, including several Scotland only measures such as the Growth Accelerator, Small Business Bonus Scheme, renewable and nursery reliefs. Our recent Budget set out how reforms to business rates will ensure Scotland provides the best possible environment for businesses including a reliefs package worth a record £720 million, up from £660 million in 2017-18.

The position in relation to Council Tax is set out in my answer to S5W-15829 of 18 April 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-16794

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 4 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether anyone will experience rises of more than 3% in local taxation in each of the next three years.

Question reference: S5O-02155

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what provision there will be for charging electric vehicles in rural communities in Angus by 2022.

Question reference: S5O-02201

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to reduce the number of people who have never been in employment.

Question reference: S5W-16844

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 29 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to keep the non-domestic rates income account in balance when making decisions regarding the (a) distributional and (b) perceived collectable amount from 2019.

The Scottish Government's plans to manage the operation of the non-domestic rating account were set out in Table 10.17 of the Scottish Budget: Draft Budget 2018-19 document. These plans show that the account is forecast to return to balance from the start of 2019-20 and will be updated as more up-to-date information becomes available. While the intention is to keep the account in balance this will be dependent on the accuracy of the Scottish Fiscal Commission's income estimates which by the nature of them being a forecast mean that there will always be a balance on the account, surplus or deficit.