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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-17563

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total budget is for railway enhancements for Control Period 7 (CP7).

Question reference: S6W-17346

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what budget savings the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has budgeted to make in each year since its formation, and whether these have been achieved.

The resource budget for SFRS is set each year in the Budget Act and the SFRS Board has responsibility for taking decisions on how that budget should be spent. There are no savings targets set out in the annual budget process and the SFRS Accountable Officer is responsible for ensuring that SFRS delivers a balanced budget and does not overspend. SFRS has achieved that each year since it was established in 2013.

Question reference: S6W-16573

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the drugs that are currently being prescribed in prisons in order to support prisoners to desist from the use of illegal drugs, including a breakdown of which illegal drug each of the prescribed drugs are intended to stop the use of.

Medicines used in prisons related to drug misuse and dependence will be made available in line with the UK-wide Guidelines on Clinical Management and should be approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium. Records of medicines used in prisons are maintained by NHS National Services Scotland. From its records the list of medicines can be found below:

Methadone - Methadone is prescribed to prevent the illicit use of opiate and opioid drugs.

Buprenorphine –Buprenorphine is also prescribed to prevent the use of illicit opiate and opioid drugs.

Naltrexone –Naltrexone would be prescribed to prevent relapse use of opiate and opioids (not widely prescribed treatment).

Dihydrocodeine (DHC) – DHC is used as part of the safe management of withdrawal protocols. The objective of the DHC safe withdrawal symptom is to manage withdrawal symptoms and prevent patients from seeking opiates or opioids.

Diazepam – Diazepam is used as part of a safe management of withdrawal protocol for those who come into custody and have a positive urine test for a benzodiazepine. Diazepam is prescribed in a reducing dose protocol to safely manage withdrawals.

Acamprosate – is used to maintain abstinence in alcohol use in those who were previously heavy drinkers.

Disufiram – is an alcohol deterrent drug . Both acamprosate and disulfiram must be accompanied by appropriate supportive treatment.

Question reference: S6W-16570

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 27 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will give consideration to the creation of drug recovery wings in prisons.

The Drug Deaths Taskforce concluded that, due to the prevalence of drug use in prisons and the principle of keeping people closer to their families for support, a specific recovery prison would not be adequate for the whole prison population. Issues were also raised around the punitive approach that may be taken for those who relapse in a recovery wing. It therefore recommended a more nuanced approach, expanding recovery cafes and hubs across the prison estate, and supporting these to develop into recovery communities. As these communities grow, there may be a case for providing dedicated wings, however any provision would be an operational decision for the Scottish Prison Service.

The Scottish Prison Service are already working in partnership with local third sector and national organisations to enhance and develop approaches to deliver consistent recovery pathways to support integration back into our communities. The Scottish Prison Service will also publish its new Drug and Alcohol Strategy this year that will include a focus on developing recovery communities across the prison estate.

As part of our National Mission, the Scottish Government is now providing a record level of funding to the community and grass roots groups which set up and run recovery communities, hubs and cafes in prisons.

Question reference: S6O-02176

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support responsible and ethical tax collection practices.

Question reference: S6W-16571

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently in prison beyond their original sentence, and whether it will provide a breakdown of the reasons in each case.

A prisoner serving a determinate sentence cannot be held beyond the end of that sentence.

If a person is given an indeterminate sentence the judge must, by law, set a punishment part of the sentence. This is the minimum time the person must spend in prison before they can be considered for release into the community by the relevant Parole Board.

As of the morning of the 3rd of April 2023:

233 (31%) of the 756 serving a life sentence, and
168 (75%) of the 224 serving other indeterminate sentences (i.e. Order of Lifelong Restriction or Imprisonment for Public Protection)

remained in custody beyond the period of the punishment part of their sentence.

SPS do not hold information centrally on the reasons why Parole Boards have not recommended release for these individuals.

Due to the small number of prisoners serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP), these have been combined with Orders of Lifelong Restriction (OLR) to prevent the identification of individuals.

Question reference: S6O-02157

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what additional fiscal measures it will put in place to reduce inequality in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-16574

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the range of drugs available for prescribing to prisoners is consistent across all prison estates; whether it will outline any variations and what the reasons are for these, and what body is responsible for deciding what drugs are available for prescribing in each prison estate.

The range of drugs that exist for clinicians to prescribe to people in prison across all prison estates is the same as those available to NHS patients across the same geographical areas (Health Boards).

There may be some difference in what the first line and second line formulary recommendations are in each of the Boards, with these differences being attributable to local variation in assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is responsible for approving all medicines for use in the NHS in Scotland. Once a medicine has been approved by the SMC it is then considered for addition to the local formulary by the Boards Area Drugs and Therapeutic Committee (ADTCC). The ADTCC is a statutory committee of the Board with responsibility for the safe and effective use of medicines in that Board.

All medicines approved for use in the NHS in Scotland are available to all people in prison regardless of location, through the same processes that are available to the non-custodial population.

Question reference: S6W-16572

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether all drugs that are approved for prescribing on the NHS are available to be prescribed to people in prison.

Question reference: S6W-15993

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether all elements of the Caledonian Sleeper operations will be brought in-house when it is taken back into public ownership in June 2023, or whether some will be contracted out.

From 25 June 2023, all elements of the Caledonian Sleeper operations undertaken by Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd will be delivered by Caledonian Sleeper Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd . Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd is a company wholly owned by the Scottish Government

It will be a matter for Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd and Caledonian Sleeper Ltd to determine the optimum arrangements post mobilisation of the Operator of Last Resort (OLR) arrangements.