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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-22929

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take in light of reports of suspected links between the state of Iran and the Al-Mahdi Islamic Centre of Glasgow, including in relation to the £200,000 funding reportedly granted to it by the Scottish Government.

The Al-Mahdi Foundation received £372k of Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) grant funding for 2 projects between 2014-2020 to support awareness raising of climate change issues amongst disadvantaged and ethnic minority communities and to make their community building more energy efficient.

The CCF was delivered by Keep Scotland Beautiful who were responsible for assessing all applications. Grant applications were subject to the relevant due diligence checks. Projects were monitored to ensure they delivered against their objectives and grants were paid out based on incurred expenditure.

National Security is a reserved matter. If there is any evidence of alleged criminality this should be reported to Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-23055

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Prison Service plans to publish its annual procurement report for 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-22927

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of Scottish Prison Service (a) dogs and (b) dog handlers that are trained to detect drugs and other contraband since this information was last provided to the Scottish Parliament's Health and Sport Committee on 10 January 2018.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

As of 24 November 2023, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has 15 trained dogs and 9 trained dog handlers.

All our dogs are trained to detect drugs, whilst some of our dogs are trained to detect arms and explosives and/or various prohibited items including mobile phones.

All our dog handlers form part of the National Tactical Search Unit and are highly trained in the searching of people, property, communal spaces and living areas i.e., cells.

Question reference: S6W-23054

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Prison Service plans to publish its annual report and accounts for 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-23056

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Parole Board for Scotland plans to publish its annual report for 2022-23.

Question reference: S6O-02847

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of increasing violence towards teachers and students in schools.

Question reference: S6W-22259

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 22 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service expects to develop a system of notifying all victims when it is decided not to prosecute a crime reported by them.

The Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) proactively notifies victims of decisions not to prosecute in all solemn cases and all summary cases within the specified case remit of the COPFS Victim Information and Advice (VIA) service, including Domestic Abuse and Hate Crime. COPFS proactively notifies victims of decisions to discontinue prosecutions in all categories of cases. COPFS advises all victims of all decisions not to prosecute on request.

COPFS is actively exploring possible approaches to extending the current notification scheme to all relevant summary cases.

Question reference: S6O-02768

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of the British Transport Police on Scotland’s railways.

Question reference: S6O-02715

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish Census 2022.

Question reference: S6W-22261

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jackson Carlaw MSP (on behalf of the SPCB) on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, in relation to the notice for a contractor to provide taxi services (Public Contracts Scotland reference FEB471362), how many of the two companies that submitted a quotation completed the required Declaration of Non-Involvement in Serious Organised Crime.

The SPCB’s answer to question S6W-16094 explained that, in line with established procurement practice, the SPCB does not publish specific tenderer information which it considers might prejudice fair competition, which could prejudice the commercial interest of any person or organisation or where it would otherwise be contrary to the public interest to do so. The SPCB does not consider it appropriate to publish the information requested.

The SPCB’s procurement function operates in accordance with its published Procurement Strategy and established industry practice including guidance published by the Scottish Government. There are robust processes in place to deliver sustainable contracts that provide best value for money and resilient supply chain governance.

The latest SPCB Procurement Report can be obtained at Annual Report.