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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-08697

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 7 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to reduce the demand from sex buyers, which is reportedly putting Ukrainian women who are fleeing war at risk of commercial sexual exploitation.

Programme for Government includes a commitment to develop a model for Scotland which effectively tackles and challenges men’s demand for prostitution.

The Scottish Government funds a range of services aimed to address commercial sexual exploitation and to support those who may be exploited through it. This includes over £400,000 through the Delivering Equally Safe Fund to projects tackling commercial sexual exploitation. Sacro’s Another Way works to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of women affected by commercial sexual exploitation. The Women’s Support Project supports the Scottish Government and Equally Safe partners to tackle commercial sexual exploitation.

In addition, through our Victim Centred Approach Fund, we are providing the Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance with £622,000 this year to support women trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.

The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 gives police and prosecutors greater powers to detect and bring to justice those responsible for trafficking as well as strengthening protections for survivors.

Police Scotland actively investigate any reports concerning human trafficking and exploitation, and continue to work closely with partners across the UK and beyond to share intelligence and coordinate work to tackle human trafficking.

Under our super sponsor scheme, displaced people from Ukraine are accommodated safely in temporary accommodation until disclosure and property checks have been completed.

The safeguarding checks which are carried out interrogate both national and local systems, and have been designed to maximise opportunities to identify and remove host applicants who may be considered to have ulterior motives.

The Scottish Government has also published Public Protection guidance to support all operational partners involved in safeguarding, this will help identify and respond to risk and need for all people fleeing Ukraine arriving in Scotland.

The guidance was developed with stakeholders and takes into account the needs of women and girls.

Question reference: S6W-08691

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 7 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the short life working group, which it has tasked with helping to design the fundamental principles of a new model to challenge men’s demand for prostitution.

The final formal meeting of the short life working group was held on 19 April 2022. The insights from the group and it’s reference group are being taken into account in the drafting of the fundamental principles, with further targeted stakeholder engagement planned prior to their finalisation, including further discussion with the short life working group planned for later this month. The principles will be published later this year.

Question reference: S6W-08695

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 7 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to prevent so-called pimping websites, which profit from advertising individuals for prostitution, from operating in Scotland.

There are a range of factors which must be considered as part of our developing model for Scotland to effectively tackle and challenge men’s demand for prostitution, including online aspects, such as “online pimping”.

The regulation of internet and online service providers is a reserved matter and we are continuing to liaise closely with the UK Government and Ofcom on the UK Online Safety Bill.

Procuring for the purposes of prostitution is still an offence if committed online and Police Scotland will actively investigate all reports of sexual exploitation, including online sexual exploitation.

Question reference: S6W-08694

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 7 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in fulfilling the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to consider how aspects of international approaches, which seek to challenge men’s demand for prostitution, would be best applied in Scotland.

An evidence review on international approaches to challenging demand is being carried out by Scottish Government’s Justice Analytical Services, and will be published later this year as an official social research report.

This analysis will support the development of a model for Scotland which effectively tackles and challenges men’s demand for prostitution, whilst taking into account Scotland’s unique legal and societal landscape.

Question reference: S6W-08692

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 7 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the fundamental principles of a new model to challenge men’s demand for prostitution.

Question reference: S6O-01193

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the marine environment is protected.

Question reference: S6T-00750

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect communities from off-market land sales by so-called green lairds.

Question reference: S6W-08468

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that (a) the required specialist and condition-specific support is delivered and (b) clinical standards are met for MS patients throughout the Western Isles, and whether it will outline its plans to support healthcare workers to cope with their caseload of MS patients in the Western Isles.

Whilst Scottish Ministers set the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards. Scottish Ministers expect satisfactory specialist and condition-specific support and care to be delivered for the benefit of all patients.

The requisite education and training to support people with neurological conditions, including MS, is provided to NHS Western Isles specialist nursing staff, in collaboration with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Neurology Service.

The Board's Lead Nurse for Specialist Nursing provides leadership and management to its neurology service, to ensure that clinical standards are met and the caseload is effectively managed.

To support the delivery of the Neurological Framework, the Scottish Government has commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) to support quality assurance of the implementation of the HIS General Standards for neurological care. Condition-specific third sector organisations will be an integral part of this evaluation and will help us understand how these standards are being implemented for people across Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01156

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to end sexual exploitation in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-08453

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07780 by Kate Forbes on 4 May 2022, whether it (a) believes, (b) knows or (c) suspects that a cabinet secretary, minister or civil servant destroyed the relevant documentation.