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-28059

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05308 by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022, what (a) meetings and (b) correspondence it has had with (i) Tata Steel and (ii) Liberty Steel in the last two years regarding the sale of the Dalzell steelworks in 2016.

Question reference: S6W-28068

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05329 by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022, whether it can provide any further evidence to support the view expressed by the then Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise on 15 December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-28063

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any assessment of the potential impact on Dalzell steelworks in the event that Liberty Steel's productions in Europe remain idle.

Question reference: S6W-28070

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to fatal accident inquiries, how many people are currently employed in the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, and what the comparative figure was for the former unit for investigating deaths that the SFIU replaced.

The Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) is one of a number of specialist units within COPFS which investigates deaths and may conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries. Current staffing figures are shown in the following table:

	Legal & Case Preparer Staff	VIA (Victim Information & Advice) Staff	Administrative Staff	TOTAL
Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU)	42	5	31	78
Health & Safety Investigation Unit (HSIU)	25	4	5	34
Custody Deaths Unit (CDU)	8	0	0	8
COVID Deaths Investigation Team (CDIT)	50	20	17	87

Staffing levels in these units have increased in recent years to reflect the importance of this area of work.

Prior to the commencement of SFIU in April 2012, deaths were primarily reported to Procurators Fiscal who would carry out investigations alongside their other core function of the prosecution of crime. It is therefore not possible to provide comparative staffing figures.

Question reference: S6W-28072

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the supplementary to question S6F-03197 by Kate Forbes on 6 June 2024, in relation to the reported concerns expressed about delays in holding fatal accident inquiries, whether it will provide further details of the timing of any statement to the Parliament by the Law Officers.

Question reference: S6W-28084

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how the safety of (a) defendants, (b) witnesses, (c) staff and (d) the public is ensured while attending court.

Question reference: S6W-28085

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the pilot to reduce the number of police officers routinely on duty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Question reference: S6W-28087

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service regarding the safety of (a) staff, (b) members of the public and (c) other court users during the pilot to reduce the number of police officers routinely on duty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Question reference: S6W-27894

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding fatal accident inquiries, what the average length of time has been between the conclusion of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service investigation and the issuing of the determination by a sheriff, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-27857

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the affordability threshold for connections delivered through the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, which currently stands at £56 per month.