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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: S6O-01748

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how its work on justice system reform will improve the situation for victims in criminal court cases who are simultaneously involved in civil proceedings, in particular in instances where victim support is required.

Question reference: S6W-13089

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its refresh of the Fair Work Action Plan and the new Anti-Racist Employment Strategy.

The Fair Work Action Plan : Becoming a Leading Fair Work Nation by 2025 and the new Anti-Racist Employment Strategy – A Fairer Scotland For All , will both be published today.

It is this government’s ambition for Scotland to be a place where every person has the same opportunities to enter, sustain and progress in a safe, diverse and inclusive labour market.

Fair Work is a model for innovation and success, with many employers in Scotland already implementing fair work practices, addressing labour market inequalities, providing safe and secure working environments, and promoting inclusive workplace cultures. Through these practices, employers reap the benefits of a fairly rewarded, respected, diverse and inclusive workforce, in their performance, innovation and productivity.

Our ongoing work to reduce the Gender Pay Gap and the Disability Employment Gap is now incorporated within the refreshed Fair Work Action Plan, ensuring we better align on common issues such as pay and workers’ rights, whilst also allowing for action to be taken on discrete issues for respective protected characteristics.

The Anti-Racist Employment Strategy seeks to respond to the scale and complexity of the challenge of institutional racism, and will put anti-racism at the heart of what we do. Commitment to diversity and inclusion will not only help us to build a well-being economy, but it will also help us towards becoming a Fair Work nation, benefiting employers, workers and wider society.

Links

The Fair Work Action Plan : Becoming a Leading Fair Work Nation by 2025 - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805252870

Anti-Racist Employment Strategy – A Fairer Scotland For All - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805252887

Question reference: S6W-12475

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether deliberate non-payment of child maintenance is being recognised within the justice system as financial abuse based on the definition of the statutory offence of domestic abuse set out in the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018; if so, to what extent this is being prosecuted, and, if not, what action it can take to ensure that it is recognised as abuse.

The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 provides for an offence of abuse of a partner or ex-partner which criminalises psychological, as well as physical, abuse. The definition of abuse includes a course of behaviour which is abusive and which has as its purpose, or which a reasonable person would think would be likely to have the effect of:

depriving the victim of, or restricting the victim's freedom of action; or
making the victim dependent on or subordinate to, the perpetrator

As such, depending on the facts and circumstances of the case, the offence can be used to prosecute financial abuse. This could include cases where, as part of a course of abusive behaviour, the perpetrator deliberately withholds child maintenance payments from their ex-partner.

Decisions about what conduct is charged as an offence of abuse of a partner or ex-partner are a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, taking account of all the facts and circumstances of the particular case. The Scottish Government does not hold information about the details of individual charges and as such, it is not possible to say whether and to what extent deliberate non-payment of child maintenance has formed part of a charge for this offence.

Question reference: S6W-11748

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 10 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to support women affected by the deliberate non-payment of child maintenance payments by non-resident parents, particularly in light of the rising cost of living.

The UK Government’s Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is reserved. Only the CMS has the power to take action to enforce payment of sums due under a maintenance assessment arranged through the CMS.

The Scottish Government recognises this is an exceptionally challenging and uncertain time for families and we are working across the public and third sector to ensure that support is there for anyone who needs it.

We are investing around £12.5 million this year to support the provision of free income maximisation, welfare and debt advice services.

We provide funding to One Parent Families Scotland, which operates an advice line and debt advice services for lone parent families.

Question reference: S6W-11841

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to ensure that families are always notified of details of trials in which they are personally affected, before any such details are made public.

The Family Liaison Charter for bereaved families sets out our commitments on access to information and liaison with the Procurator Fiscal and applies to any death reported to COPFS since 1 September 2016.

Bereaved families are provided with the assistance of a Victim Information and Advice (VIA) officer who will offer a personal meeting initially followed by contact every 6 weeks to update or will otherwise communicate according to the needs and wishes of the family. This continues for the duration of the investigation. If at any stage there is a significant development, contact will be made immediately with the family to advise them unless this would be likely to prejudice any potential prosecution.

Bereaved families are entitled to expect COPFS staff who are involved in the process of investigation, preparation and prosecution of criminal proceedings to respond appropriately to their needs, to answer questions which they may have and to keep them informed of progress. Throughout the court process COPFS staff will do their best to ensure family members understand what is happening in court and in every homicide case we aim to invite families to meet with the allocated Advocate Depute and VIA officer prior to the case calling in court for a Preliminary Hearing. At that meeting we strive to share as much information as possible with the families whilst preserving the sanctity of the prosecution especially where family members are or may be witnesses. Our staff at court do their utmost to ensure families are contacted immediately with updates of relevant information before this becomes publicly available in the media.

In December 2021 at the Criminal Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament I announced that COPFS would carry out a review of its VIA service to ensure COPFS can continue to deliver the high levels of support and advice to all victims and witnesses and their families and can advise that the VIA Modernisation programme which is led by a Deputy Crown Agent is ongoing and is seeking to identify and deliver improvements to our service.

Question reference: S6O-01508

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on Scotland’s agricultural sector of the UK Government's upcoming new regulations regarding meat exports.

Question reference: S6O-01496

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the outcomes of its attendance at the European Hydrogen Week in Brussels.

Question reference: S6O-01463

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will amend education support guidance to distinguish between voluntary home education as a matter of choice and involuntary home education as a matter of necessity.

Question reference: S6W-11096

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of free digital devices for school children in West Lothian.

£25m digital inclusion funding was made available by Scottish Government in 2020-21 for local authorities to use to support learners, in line with their own local needs. This funding supported the provision of 14,000 internet connections and 72,000 tablets or laptops for learners across all local authorities. This included 2,905 devices in West Lothian.

A number of local authorities have also invested their own funding in technology and have distributed connections and devices to learners in line with their own digital strategies.

This is a complex and ambitious commitment, and we are currently undertaking preparatory work, including looking in detail at the available infrastructure in schools. We continue to work with local authorities on plans to ensure every school-aged child has access to a device and connectivity by the end of this parliamentary term.

Question reference: S6W-11565

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 October 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi McAllan on 13 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its participation at New York Climate Week, including the Under2 Coalition General Assembly.

As co-chair of Under2 Coalition European region, I attended the Under2 General Assembly in New York where it was announced that Scotland will continue its role as co-chair for a second term.

The General Assembly took place alongside New York Climate Week, which offered an important opportunity to meet with many counterparts, including fellow Under2 members, UN representatives including Catherine McKenna, Chair, UN High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, and other climate leaders.

I also hosted an investment event promoting a number of Scottish green tech companies and met with Damilola Ogunbiyi – CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, confirming Scotland’s commitment to the 24/7 Carbon-free Energy Compact (CFE).

Renewable energy, Hydrogen development, Just Transition, Financing and Climate Justice were common themes in New York. I also took part in a Loss and Damage panel and used the opportunity to promote the conference Scotland is hosting on loss and damage next month (11-12 October).