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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: S5W-30938

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the clinical lead for each early pregnancy unit in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-29236

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the terms of reference will be finalised for the public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh.

Following my update to Parliament on 23 January 2020 to confirm that I had appointed The Right Hon Lord Bracadale to chair the Sheku Bayoh Public Inquiry, I met with the family of Mr Bayoh and a range of key parties to discuss the Terms of Reference of the Inquiry and how we can build diversity into its structures.

In these discussions I outlined my intention to keep the Terms of Reference focused on the specific incident of Mr Bayoh’s death but sufficiently broad to allow Lord Bracadale to look at wider issues he considers to be pertinent to the Inquiry. This approach was broadly supported.

I can confirm that I will not be appointing any additional members to the Inquiry Panel although work is underway to identify potential Assessors who will bring diversity of perspectives and experience in supporting the Chair.

The Terms of Reference agreed with Lord Bracadale are as follows:

Public Inquiry into the Death of Sheku Bayoh – Terms of Reference

The aim of this Inquiry is twofold: firstly, the Inquiry will establish the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh in police custody on 3 May 2015 and make recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances, as would have been required under the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016. Secondly, the Inquiry will assess and establish aspects of the case that could not be captured, or fully captured through the FAI process, namely (a) the post incident management process and subsequent investigation and make any recommendations for the future in relation to these; and (b) the extent (if any) to which the events leading up to and following Mr Bayoh’s death, in particular the actions of the officers involved, were affected by his actual or perceived race and to make recommendations to address any findings in that regard. The remit of the Inquiry is accordingly:

to establish the circumstances of the death of Sheku Bayoh, including the cause or causes of the death, any precautions which could reasonably have been taken and, had they been taken might realistically have resulted in the death being avoided, any defects in any operating models, procedures and training or other system of working which contributed to the death and any other factors which are relevant to the circumstances of the death;
to make recommendations, if any, covering the taking of reasonable precautions, improvements to or introduction of any operating models, procedures and training, or other system of working, and the taking of any other steps which might realistically prevent other deaths in similar circumstances;
to examine the post-incident management process and the investigation up to, but not including, the making by the Lord Advocate of the prosecutorial decision communicated to the family of Sheku Bayoh on 3 October 2018 (and the Victims’ Right to Review process that was undertaken by the Crown Counsel in 2019), including: (i) the effectiveness of procedures for gathering and analysing information, (ii) the securing and preserving of evidence, (iii) the roles and responsibilities of those involved, (iv) liaison with the family of the deceased and (v) compliance with any relevant Convention rights; and make recommendations, if any, for the future in respect of these matters;
to establish the extent (if any) to which the events leading up to and following Mr Bayoh’s death, in particular the actions of the officers involved, were affected by his actual or perceived race and to make recommendations to address any findings in that regard; and
to report to the Scottish Ministers on the above matters and to make recommendations, as soon as reasonably practicable.

Question reference: S5O-04181

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the announcement that Police Scotland is developing proposals to trial the use of a lifesaving nasal spray that allows officers to treat victims of a drugs overdose.

Question reference: S5O-04134

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how increased investment, outlined in its draft budget, will help support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Question reference: S5W-27214

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2020
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Clare Haughey on 31 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that improvements are made to NHS Tayside’s mental health services, in light of the final report of the independent inquiry into these that is being led by David Strang and is due to be published on 5 February 2020.

The Scottish Government is clear that the people of Tayside must have access to high quality, safe and effective services and have trust and confidence in the services provided. From our ongoing engagement with key stakeholders in Tayside – such as the staff representatives the Cabinet Secretary for Health and I met earlier this week – it is clear that significant concerns remain. These must be addressed and Ministers have made their expectations clear.

NHS Tayside commissioned the Independent Inquiry and they, and Tayside Health & Social Care Partnerships, have confirmed that they will respond to the findings of the Inquiry when the final report becomes available. NHS Tayside and their local delivery partners have already agreed a number of measures to ensure rapid progress in taking forward the Inquiry’s forthcoming recommendations. These include the development of a detailed action plan, new arrangements to ensure effective delivery and strong leadership commitment across all agencies.

The Scottish Government will monitor NHS Tayside’s progress through the continuation of the NHS Tayside Oversight group and will continue to seek assurance that the required improvements are being implemented, working alongside COSLA to ensure NHS Boards, Councils and Integration Joint Boards are supported to work together across Scotland to build on the Inquiry's recommendations.

Scottish Government has already provided a package of support to NHS Tayside by facilitating connections with other NHS Boards and the Royal College of Psychiatrists to share learning and professional practice.

In the coming weeks, this support will be intensified to address service provision, clinical practice, organisational development and community led services. In particular, we will work with NHS Tayside to secure:

Multi-disciplinary clinical and practice support, bringing specialists from across a range of mental health specialities and backgrounds to provide support and challenge;
Communications and Engagement expertise ;
Organisational development expertise to support culture change;
Agreement with the Royal College of Psychiatry’s UK College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI) to assess the quality of clinical services and areas for improvement;
Engagement with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to provide senior support and guidance and;
Programme management support to enable delivery of Tayside’s improvement plans.

In addition, Healthcare Improvement Scotland will offer specific support in addressing the quality of adult community health services.

This range of actions will ensure that the right advice, support and challenge is in place and will also provide insight on implementation of improvements, strategy development and potential service change.

All this activity will be focused on ensuring significant improvement in Mental Health services across Tayside. To provide further assurance that the necessary progress has been made, the Chair of the Independent Inquiry, David Strang, has agreed to undertake a progress update in February 2021 to monitor whether the required improvements have been made.

Finally, I am determined to secure assurance of the quality of mental health services across the country. I therefore look forward to chairing the first meeting of the new Quality & Safety Board on 19 February 2020.

Question reference: S5O-04081

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse, Clare’s Law, to ensure that people deemed at risk are protected.

Question reference: S5O-03903

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with European partners regarding Scotland’s future relationship with the EU.

Question reference: S5O-03871

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to improve cycle provision in Dundee.

Question reference: S5O-03817

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to further empower communities.

Question reference: S5O-03704

Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress on the future of the Michelin site in Dundee, in light of the first anniversary of the announcement to close it in 2020.