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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-11028

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether any Scottish Ministers or officials, having been made aware of the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019, contacted Police Scotland, and, if this is the case, whether it will provide details of any such contact.

Question reference: S6W-11026

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which Scottish Ministers, including the current and former Lord Advocates, have had sight of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019.

Question reference: S6W-11029

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any meetings, correspondence and other communications between Scottish Ministers, officials and any members of the judiciary, including the current Lord President, in respect of the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019.

Question reference: S6W-11027

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in response to the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019.

Question reference: S6W-10803

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 29 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to introduce commencement regulations for the fireworks licensing scheme, as set out in the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022.

The Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 was passed by the Scottish Parliament in June of this year and received Royal Assent on 10 August.

Firework licensing, Part 2 of the Act, will require further secondary legislation, as well as development of an appropriate licensing system, and therefore will not be in place until late 2023/early 2024 at the earliest. Commencement regulations will be introduced in advance of the system being operational.

Question reference: S6W-10204

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland's (HMICS) Assurance Review of Police Scotland Strategic Workforce Planning, including in particular the recommendation that "the Scottish Government, SPA and Police Scotland should collectively cease to use 17,234 officers as a target and focus instead on developing a workforce based on the skillset and mix required to meet the current and future challenges for policing in Scotland".

The Scottish Government welcomes the recommendations made in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland’s (HMICS) Assurance Review of Police Scotland Strategic Workforce Planning. I look forward to discussing the recommendations with both Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

The recruitment and deployment of police officers and staff in Scotland is a matter for the Chief Constable, who along with the Scottish Police Authority, will continue to ensure the capability and capacity of Police Scotland to improve and maintain the safety and wellbeing of people, places and communities in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-09854

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether all local authorities that currently have access to the Caledonian System will continue to do so throughout the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-09968

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to establish a judicial register of interests.

In ‘A Fairer, Greener Scotland: Programme for Government 2021-22’, the Scottish Government committed to begin work on establishing a register of interests for the judiciary to increase public confidence and improve transparency.

To date, preparatory work on developing proposals for a judicial register of interests has been undertaken and my officials are currently developing options and next steps with the intention of engaging with stakeholders towards the end of 2022.

Question reference: S6W-09853

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it still plans to extend the Caledonian System to all 32 local authorities.

The Programme for Government 2021-22 committed to expanding the availability of the Caledonian System, with the aim of making it available to all Scottish local authorities by the end of the parliamentary term.

Consideration must be given to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operation of the Caledonian System, our ability to assess and evaluate during this period, and what lessons might be learned to further enhance the programme.

Question reference: S6W-09693

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many victims of crime the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans has met since being appointed in May 2021.

Since May 2021 the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans has taken a number of meetings and attended events at which victims/survivors have been present. As people will not always disclose or wish to mention the nature of their experiences, or want these recorded, it is not possible to provide a definitive answer. However, at least 14 meetings and events over the period where victims/survivors have been present have been identified.