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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-30611

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Orkney Ferries Task Force, including a list of all of the occasions when the Task Force has met in 2024.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the Orkney Ferry Replacement Task Force, which is supporting the Council address its fleet replacement challenges.

The Task Force has met twice in 2024, on Thursday 18 April and on Wednesday 2 October and meeting minutes will be published on the Transport Scotland website in due course.

Through the work of the Task Force we have confirmed that £3 million additional funding will be allocated to the Council. This funding will support the Council's electric ferry trial, design work for a North Isles ferry and desk top based work on the proposed port upgrades. These are all important steps in the development of a robust business case.

Question reference: S6W-30343

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported proposals from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, what its response is to reports that the use of live facial recognition by South Wales Police has produced 2,833 false alerts, compared with only 72 resultant arrests.

Question reference: S6W-30345

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported proposals from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to deploy live facial recognition systems in Scotland, what its response is to the European Parliament's reported decision to classify the use of real-time biometrics in public spaces as posing an unacceptable risk.

Question reference: S6W-30365

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the report that it commissioned on the constitutional role(s) of the Law Officers for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-30335

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Professor Angela Daly's reported comments that live facial recognition technology is "not fit for purpose" and is "generally unethical", in light of the reported proposals by the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to deploy the technology in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-30346

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland has corresponded with the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner about the reported proposals to deploy live facial recognition technology in Scotland, and, if so, whether this correspondence was undertaken before the Chief Constable outlined the proposals to the media.

Question reference: S6W-30347

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner regarding the reported proposals from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to deploy live facial recognition technology for law enforcement purposes.

Question reference: S6W-30324

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Police Scotland can sufficiently monitor the workings of live facial recognition systems, as proposed by the Chief Constable, in relation to any equalities impacts, in light of the so-called black box problem affecting some AI systems.

Question reference: S6W-30309

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the reported proposals from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to deploy live facial recognition technology for law enforcement purposes.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the legal, ethical and proportionate use of new technologies in policing, which takes account of ethical and human rights obligations, to ensure that the adoption of any new technology for policing purposes is done in a way that secures public confidence.

That is why we commissioned a report into emerging technologies in policing from an independent advisory group, which was published in February 2023 (Independent advisory group on new and emerging technologies in policing: final report ). The report confirmed that Scotland is in a strong position to become world-leading in adopting a rights-based, ethical approach to the adoption of emerging technologies in policing.

Any decision to deploy Live Facial Recognition technology is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority. The Chief Constable is responsible for operational policing and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this - not to Scottish Ministers. These arrangements are in law and in place to ensure public confidence that the police act independently, free from Ministerial interference.

I have written to the Scottish Police Authority to seek assurances that a transparent and robust process will be adopted in considering and scrutinising any plans for the future deployment of Live Facial Recognition technology.

Question reference: S6W-30339

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported low incidence of violent and criminal behaviour among the public at large, what its understanding is regarding how the risk of base rate neglect will be factored into the operational use of live facial recognition technology, under the reported proposals by Police Scotland's Chief Constable.