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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-05556

Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-05438

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when the appointment of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland will be announced.

Question reference: S5O-00440

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that benefit claimants in Scotland with mental health issues will be fully supported.

The Scottish Government will introduce a Scottish social security system that respects the dignity of the individual and their fundamental human right to be treated fairly. This means ensuring that the system is genuinely accessible to people with mental health issues by providing them with the information they need and developing processes to ensure that they are based on evidence and best practice. In addition we are committed to ensuring we will have a transparent and accessible appeals process and that information is in an accessible format for those who have special needs.

To support us in these aims, we will set up an independent Disability and Carers’ Benefits Expert Advisory Group, that we plan to establish in the New Year to provide recommendations and guidance on how often assessments should be, what conditions should be given an automatic or lifetime awards, and on eligibility criteria.

Question reference: S5O-00406

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 30 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the roll-out of automated external defibrillators.

Our Out-of-Hospital Cardiac (OHCA) Arrest Strategy, launched in March 2015 recognises the importance of increasing the accessibility of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) or public access defibrillators (PADs) to reduce the number of OHCA deaths in Scotland. Our OHCA Strategy Review 2015 - 2016 report, published on 23 November; http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/11/7733 provides information on work our key partners are engaged in to get a defibrillator as rapidly as possible to a person experiencing an OHCA.

Question reference: S5O-00347

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of women being given custodial sentences and how it supports those who have been involved in offending.

Question reference: S5O-00299

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place for families of missing persons.

The Scottish Government is currently working with partners and stakeholders to develop a National Missing Persons framework to prevent and reduce the harm related to people going missing. Partnership working, improving current systems and information sharing will all be central elements of the framework. We work closely with Police Scotland who ensure they have a single point of contact for families of missing persons, they also consider whether a Family Liaison Officer would be appropriate to support and work with a family during a missing incident investigation.

Question reference: S5W-04105

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 October 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 28 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme, which has been in operation for five years.

As Ministers at the time promised Parliament, during the debates on the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill, a review of the operation and delivery of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme during the last five years will now be undertaken. We are engaging those who have used the Scheme and who have an ongoing interest in its future operation to determine the scope and terms of the review. That engagement will include a conference in Glasgow on 21 November this year, where we will formally launch the review.

Question reference: S5F-00396

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2016

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will seek to improve systems supporting children in care.

Question reference: S5W-02762

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Maureen Watt on 15 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on the development of the next mental health strategy.

On 29 July 2016, the Scottish Government published an engagement paper, ‘Mental Health in Scotland – a 10 year vision’. The paper provides an overview of the priorities that we think will deliver significant improvements to the mental health of the population of Scotland. Our proposed priorities are structured around the life stages of ‘start well’, ‘live well’ and ‘age well’.

We are currently seeking views on our priorities for transforming mental health in Scotland, the early actions we propose to take to deliver this transformation, and how we should measure success over the ten year period which the new strategy will cover. The deadline for written responses is 16 September 2016, and we are holding a series of public events across Scotland to help us gather views.

We want the next mental health strategy to focus on the things that will make a real difference to mental health and wellbeing in Scotland. The progress made over summer recess will help ensure that we have a clear understanding of people’s views on how we can best do that.

Following our careful consideration of the views we have received, the new Mental Health Strategy will be published in late 2016.

Question reference: S5W-02252

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 1 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how the priorities and objectives for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) will be set over the next few years.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Framework) Order 2016 will be laid in Parliament on 5 September 2016. This Order will bring the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2016, which was published on the Scottish Government’s website today, into effect from 4 October 2016.

The Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2016 sets out the priorities and objectives for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) going forward. The Framework is structured around protecting communities in terms of risk, prevention and response; the evolving role of the SFRS; and the governance, accountability and performance arrangements for the Service.

It is now for the SFRS to set out in its second Strategic Plan how it will deliver the priorities identified in the Framework.