Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-00011

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 27 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to introduce Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) on Northern Isles routes.

The Scottish Government remains committed to reducing fares on Northern Isles ferry routes.

Following engagement with European Commission officials in 2019, Transport Scotland officials were developing proposals to introduce RET. This work was rightly paused in early 2020, while resources were pivoted to deal with the Covid outbreak, however work has recently resumed.

Engagement between Transport Scotland officials and ferry operators has taken place and will continue as the work progresses. I will keep the member updated on progress.

As the member is aware, fare reductions for passengers, cars and cabins have been introduced on Aberdeen-Kirkwall-Lerwick routes, in addition to the existing 30% discount for islanders.

Question reference: S6W-00009

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 27 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to publish the Island Communities Impact Assessment for its new young person’s free bus travel scheme, and whether it will provide an update on its consideration of including ferry fares within this policy.

We are committed to carrying out an Islands Communities Impact Assessment for the new free bus travel scheme for young people prior to it coming into operation.

Following a consultation on free bus travel for young people late last year, officials are now consulting further with island communities. We expect to publish the Islands Communities Impact Assessment later this summer.

Ferry fares policy options are being considered through the ongoing review of concessionary travel arrangements across all modes for under 26 year olds and through the Islands Connectivity Plan.

Question reference: S6F-00031

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 May 2021

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to reform the roles of the Lord Advocate and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, in light of the resignations of the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General.

Question reference: S6W-00008

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) survey and remodelling work in the R100 North of Scotland lot area and (b) estimated timetable for the roll-out of superfast broadband in this area.

The Scottish Government provided Openreach with a finalised speed and coverage template (or SCT) for the R100 North lot contract at the end of March 2021 as outlined in response to S5W-36133 on 23 March 2021. The remodelling exercise to finalise their coverage footprint is ongoing and will be subject to rigorous review through Scottish Government governance and assurance structures, and those of Building Digital UK (BDUK). The full picture across the R100 North lot contract area is expected to be available by Summer 2021.

Survey vessels have begun detailed survey work in preparation for the deployment of 16 new subsea cables.

The roll-out of R100 build in the North lot – and the associated survey work – will be completed in phases, and build plans will be reflected in our online checker at scotlandsuperfast.com.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-00012

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consult with island communities ahead of the introduction of the proposed "Island Bond", and when it anticipates this will take place.

The Scottish Government has committed to developing a £5 million ‘Islands Bond’ offering 100 bonds of up to £50,000 to young people and families to stay in or to move to islands currently threatened by depopulation. In line with the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 and the introduction of Island Community Impact Assessments, we know the importance of consulting with Island Communities and speaking to the people who are likely to be affected by any new policy, strategy or service before they are implemented. The Islands Bond is still in development and at this stage we do not have exact dates for when the consultation around this will be carried out. However, an Islands Community Impact Assessment will be completed in respect of this new policy and as part of that process, consultation will be undertaken with island communities, local authorities and key stakeholders.

Question reference: S5W-35938

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 5 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when free lateral flow antigen test kits will be available to all businesses, including those with fewer than 50 employees.

Testing for people who do not have COVID-19 symptoms was made available to everyone in Scotland on 26 April. Everyone can now access free lateral flow devices (LFD), for testing at home twice a week.

To get a LFD test you can: order a test kit online at GOV.UK for home delivery collect a test kit from your nearest COVID-19 test site. The site finder shows where you can collect test kits from. You can find further information on how to order and take a LFD test on NHS inform. In addition to this, many groups already have access to routine asymptomatic testing through their education setting or workplace. The purpose of these established testing routes is to support clinical care, to protect the vulnerable, and to support the operation of essential services. Our most recent Testing Strategy sets out the groups we intend to test in this way. Those with COVID-19 symptoms should not use a lateral flow device (LFD) test, and instead must self-isolate immediately and book a PCR test through NHS inform.

Question reference: S5W-36040

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people convicted of possession, without intent to supply, of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis, (d) amphetamines, (e) ecstasy and (f) other drugs in each year since 2016-17 received (i) a custodial sentence, (ii) a community payback order, including a requirement to carry out a drug treatment programme, (iii) a drug treatment and testing order, (iv) a fine and (v) any other disposal.

The available information is provided in the following tables (one for each year), which has been produced from the Scottish Government’s criminal proceedings database .

Requirements for Community Payback Orders are not held in the criminal proceedings database. However, an earlier study that linked convictions data with criminal justice social work statistics indicated that, between 2013-14 and 2016-17, around 3% of community payback orders for those convicted of possession of drugs included a specific drug treatment requirement. The low use of the CPO drug treatment requirement does not mean that individuals with substance misuse problems are not having these needs addressed. Community Payback Order annual reports, provided by local authorities, highlight that issues such as alcohol, drugs and mental health are often addressed under the supervision requirement of a CPO. This was echoed by the evaluation of Community Payback Orders, carried out in 2015 (section 5.38). Both the evaluation and the annual reports noted that using the supervision requirement in this way is especially helpful for those individuals who need support but do not meet the specific criteria of the treatment requirements.

Number of people convicted for the possession of drugs¹, by the type of drug and main penalty, 2016-17.

	Custody	Community Payback Order	Drug Treatment and Testing Order	Financial	Other	All
Cocaine	27	95	3	640	121	886
Heroin	127	174	19	527	299	1,146
Ecstasy	2	12	-	126	39	179
Amphetamines	3	7	1	37	15	63
Cannabis²	37	148	2	840	453	1,480
Other	34	84	6	318	193	635
All	230	520	31	2,488	1,120	4,389

1 - where main crime

2 - includes: cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol, cannabinol derivatives

Number of people convicted for the possession of drugs¹, by the type of drug and main penalty, 2017-18.

	Custody	Community Payback Order	Drug Treatment and Testing Order	Financial	Other	All
Cocaine	20	86	4	602	145	857
Heroin	99	161	26	482	286	1,054
Ecstasy	-	10	-	88	29	127
Amphetamines	1	6	-	31	12	50
Cannabis²	31	116	3	598	353	1,101
Other	27	46	4	225	133	435
All	178	425	37	2,026	958	3,624

1 - where main crime

2 - includes: cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol, cannabinol derivatives

Number of people convicted for the possession of drugs¹, by the type of drug and main penalty, 2018-19.

	Custody	Community Payback Order	Drug Treatment and Testing Order	Financial	Other	All
Cocaine	29	92	8	565	151	845
Heroin	112	120	25	452	326	1,035
Ecstasy	3	7	-	58	20	88
Amphetamines	1	6	1	22	8	38
Cannabis²	33	89	2	503	324	951
Other	19	52	4	219	151	445
All	197	366	40	1,819	980	3,402

1 - where main crime

2 - includes: cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol, cannabinol derivatives

Please note: Information for 2019-20 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2019-20 Statistical Bulletin.

The dates of all Scottish Government Official and National Statistics publications are pre-announced, and the up to date list of future publications can be found at: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/ForthcomingPubs

Question reference: S5W-36076

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners are being held in (a) individual cells and (b) cells holding more than one person, and how many prisoners are sharing an individual cell intended for one person with someone else.

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

The following tables detail the (a) average occupancy (b) Design Capacity and (c) the occupancy rate of each prison over the preceding 12 months.

The occupancy rate and the Design Capacity rate are the average for each calendar month. The current single cell occupancy rate across the estate is 71%.

MARCH 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	783	702	111%
Barlinnie	1326	987	134%
Cornton Vale	87	109	80%
Dumfries	189	176	107%
Edinburgh	889	867	103%
Glenochil	724	668	108%
Grampian	450	552	82%
Greenock	203	231	88%
Inverness	110	93	118%
Kilmarnock	589	501	117%
Low Moss	837	784	107%
Open Estate	159	284	56%
Perth	684	631	108%
Polmont	440	758	58%
Shotts	544	538	101%

APRIL 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	720	702	102%
Barlinnie	1165	987	118%
Cornton Vale	70	109	65%
Dumfries	179	176	102%
Edinburgh	834	867	96%
Glenochil	687	668	103%
Grampian	415	552	75%
Greenock	188	231	82%
Inverness	87	93	94%
Kilmarnock	543	501	108%
Low Moss	755	784	96%
Open Estate	144	284	51%
Perth	614	631	97%
Polmont	393	758	52%
Shotts	544	538	101%

MAY 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	697	702	99%
Barlinnie	1081	987	109%
Cornton Vale	63	109	58%
Dumfries	178	176	101%
Edinburgh	818	867	94%
Glenochil	625	668	94%
Grampian	384	552	70%
Greenock	187	231	81%
Inverness	80	93	86%
Kilmarnock	525	501	105%
Low Moss	726	784	93%
Open Estate	137	284	48%
Perth	578	631	92%
Polmont	361	758	48%
Shotts	546	538	102%

JUNE 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	702	702	100%
Barlinnie	1064	987	108%
Cornton Vale	57	109	52%
Dumfries	176	176	100%
Edinburgh	831	867	96%
Glenochil	599	668	90%
Grampian	390	552	71%
Greenock	186	224	83%
Inverness	84	93	90%
Kilmarnock	523	501	104%
Low Moss	743	784	95%
Open Estate	131	284	46%
Perth	568	631	90%
Polmont	352	758	46%
Shotts	545	538	101%

JULY 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	714	702	102%
Barlinnie	1131	987	115%
Cornton Vale	62	109	57%
Dumfries	179	176	102%
Edinburgh	852	867	98%
Glenochil	574	668	86%
Grampian	398	552	72%
Greenock	189	224	84%
Inverness	98	93	105%
Kilmarnock	521	501	104%
Low Moss	777	785	99%
Open Estate	115	284	41%
Perth	613	631	97%
Polmont	360	758	47%
Shotts	545	538	101%

AUGUST 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	711	702	101%
Barlinnie	1201	987	122%
Cornton Vale	64	109	59%
Dumfries	179	176	102%
Edinburgh	874	867	101%
Glenochil	604	668	90%
Grampian	418	552	76%
Greenock	190	224	84%
Inverness	110	93	118%
Kilmarnock	538	501	107%
Low Moss	813	785	104%
Open Estate	108	284	38%
Perth	644	631	102%
Polmont	372	758	49%
Shotts	544	538	101%

SEPTEMBER 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	708	702	101%
Barlinnie	1252	987	127%
Cornton Vale	64	109	59%
Dumfries	178	176	101%
Edinburgh	869	867	100%
Glenochil	659	668	99%
Grampian	441	552	80%
Greenock	186	219	85%
Inverness	112	93	121%
Kilmarnock	534	501	107%
Low Moss	799	785	102%
Open Estate	125	284	44%
Perth	650	631	103%
Polmont	366	758	48%
Shotts	544	538	101%

OCTOBER 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	708	702	101%
Barlinnie	1248	987	126%
Cornton Vale	65	109	60%
Dumfries	179	176	101%
Edinburgh	871	867	100%
Glenochil	676	668	101%
Grampian	433	552	78%
Greenock	183	219	83%
Inverness	107	93	115%
Kilmarnock	539	501	108%
Low Moss	787	785	100%
Open Estate	136	284	48%
Perth	643	631	102%
Polmont	363	758	48%
Shotts	544	538	101%

NOVEMBER 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	713	702	102%
Barlinnie	1217	987	123%
Cornton Vale	66	109	61%
Dumfries	179	176	102%
Edinburgh	884	867	102%
Glenochil	668	668	100%
Grampian	443	552	80%
Greenock	185	219	85%
Inverness	108	93	116%
Kilmarnock	532	501	106%
Low Moss	806	785	103%
Open Estate	146	284	51%
Perth	658	631	104%
Polmont	367	758	48%
Shotts	543	538	101%

DECEMBER 2020

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	712	702	101%
Barlinnie	1218	987	123%
Cornton Vale	65	109	59%
Dumfries	178	176	101%
Edinburgh	868	867	100%
Glenochil	668	668	100%
Grampian	448	552	81%
Greenock	194	218	89%
Inverness	104	93	112%
Kilmarnock	535	501	107%
Low Moss	808	785	103%
Open Estate	144	284	51%
Perth	663	631	105%
Polmont	371	758	49%
Shotts	546	538	101%

JANUARY 2021

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	713	702	102%
Barlinnie	1214	987	123%
Cornton Vale	64	109	59%
Dumfries	182	176	104%
Edinburgh	859	867	99%
Glenochil	668	668	100%
Grampian	437	552	79%
Greenock	191	218	88%
Inverness	101	93	109%
Kilmarnock	524	501	105%
Low Moss	805	785	103%
Open Estate	147	284	52%
Perth	669	631	106%
Polmont	362	758	48%
Shotts	544	538	101%

FEBRUARY 2021

Name	Average Occupancy	Average Design Capacity	Average Occupancy Rate
Addiewell	704	702	100%
Barlinnie	1196	987	121%
Cornton Vale	57	109	52%
Dumfries	174	176	99%
Edinburgh	856	867	99%
Glenochil	674	668	101%
Grampian	430	552	78%
Greenock	192	218	88%
Inverness	101	93	109%
Kilmarnock	528	501	105%
Low Moss	803	785	102%
Open Estate	148	284	52%
Perth	643	631	102%
Polmont	355	758	47%
Shotts	544	538	101%

Question reference: S5W-36075

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the average number of hours per week that prisoners were engaged in purposeful activity has been in each of the last 12 months, broken down by institution.

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

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, SPS introduced a number of significant restrictions on prison regimes to protect the health and well-being of all those who live and work in our prisons. These restrictions have impacted on the number of Purposeful Activity (PA) hours that each establishment has been able to deliver.

The table below details the average number of PA hours that individuals in custody engaged in each public sector establishment, between March 2020 and January 2021. Data for February 2021 has not yet been verified.

Establishment	Mar 20	Apr 20	May 20	Jun 20	Jul 20	Aug 20	Sep 20	Oct 20	Nov 20	Dec 20	Jan 21
Barlinnie	10	8	9	10	10	11	10	10	9	10	10
Castle Huntly	17	16	15	17	16	16	24	27	23	21	19
Cornton Vale	17	11	11	12	13	14	26	26	25	24	22
Dumfries	12	7	7	9	10	10	11	11	8	9	6
Edinburgh	10	6	5	6	7	5	11	10	11	11	10
Glenochil	13	8	9	10	11	12	13	12	12	12	9
Grampian	20	18	18	18	18	16	21	23	24	22	19
Greenock	20	15	15	18	17	18	21	21	21	21	17
Inverness	17	17	24	29	28	27	26	29	27	25	22
Low Moss	19	14	14	16	16	16	17	17	17	16	15
Perth	11	7	8	6	5	4	7	9	12	12	14
Polmont	14	3	5	15	18	20	21	16	17	16	13
Shotts	18	9	5	10	6	6	7	9	12	15	10

HMP Addiewell and Kilmarnock are privately operated prisons and are not required to provide PA hours on a monthly basis. The delivery of PA hours within these 2 establishments is monitored through contractual arrangements with SPS Controllers and Contract Managers to ensure compliance.

Question reference: S5W-36134

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 24 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5W-34670 by Paul Wheelhouse on 10 February 2021, whether it will provide an update on (a) discussions held to identify premises that can be progressed early in the build programme for the North Lot area and (b) plans to deploy 16 subsea cables to islands, as a result of the contract award.

As part of our regular dialogue with BT, we explore opportunities to accelerate work, wherever and whenever possible. However, delivery ahead of contractual milestones is ultimately a matter for BT to determine.

16 new subsea cables will connect to 15 Scottish islands including Colonsay, Iona and Lismore in Argyll and Bute, Eigg in the Highlands, Eday, Flotta, Hoy, Rousay, Sanday, Shapinsay and Stronsay in Orkney, and Fair Isle, Unst, Whalsey and Yell in Shetland. There will also be a cable laid between Sanday and Fair Isle. A news release on the deployment of these cables can be found on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/news/superfast-broadband-subsea-work-to-start .

Seòmar agus comataidhean