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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-21348

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the importance of the National Counter Terrorism Police Network to Scotland's counter terrorism capabilities.

Question reference: S5W-21269

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Police Scotland’s Staff Pay and Reward Modernisation Project, and how many staff have been (a) affected by the introduction of the new pay grading structure and (b) transferred to a lower pay grade since the new grading structure was introduced.

No new pay grading structure has been introduced. The pay and conditions of police staff are a matter for the Scottish Police Authority who, with Police Scotland, are taking forward the Staff Pay and Reward Modernisation Project working closely with trade unions. The SPRM project is addressing inequalities that arose from arrangements inherited from legacy forces. I understand that the proposed package would benefit the majority of police staff and that the pay and allowances of others would be protected for a two year period.

Question reference: S5W-21271

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost is of completing the new Edinburgh children’s hospital, broken down by building costs and other set-up costs, and how this compares to the costs that were originally announced.

The Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan, along with updates on major capital projects, is publically available on the Scottish Government’s website at the following location: https://www.gov.scot/policies/government-finance/infrastructure-investment/#plan.

The Plan and the latest capital projects progress update (September 2018) set out total capital investment in the Royal Hospital for Children in Edinburgh of £230 million, made up of £150 million Non-Profit Distributing (NPD) financing and £80 million capital investment from the Scottish Government; this remains consistent with the costs contained in the Full Business Case.

While additional costs are likely at this point, they have not been finalised. NHS Lothian is working closely with the Project Company to confirm a revised handover date for the hospital and discussion continues to agree what further works needs to be undertaken along with the level and apportioning of any additional costs.

There remains a clinical imperative to ensure that any issues are fully resolved before NHS Lothian take ownership of the new Hospital and, until that time, high quality clinical services continue to be delivered at the existing Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

Question reference: S5O-02846

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 31 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what contact it has had with the Home Office regarding the recently reported case of Mozaffar Saberi and Rezvan Habibimarand.

I have written to the UK Immigration Minister in support of Mr Saberi and Ms Habibimarand and asked her to urgently review the case and properly consider all factors that clearly indicate this couple should be allowed to stay.

My officials have also been engaging with the Home Office regarding this difficult situation which once again highlights the failure of the UK Government’s one-size-fits-all immigration policy.

We have consistently called for a more compassionate system that takes into account individual circumstances particularly around family migration. This is why we will shortly be setting out detailed proposals on family migration that will consider its complexity and seek to reintroduce more compassion into the system.

Question reference: S5W-20630

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20072 by Kate Forbes on 7 December 2018, whether it will confirm on what dates the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work has met the leader of the City of Edinburgh Council since January 2018, and on which occasions the funding of the local authority was discussed.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work did not meet the Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council in a Scottish Government official capacity last year. However negotiations on the annual local government finance settlement are conducted between the Scottish Government and COSLA, on behalf of all 32 local authorities.

The 2019-20 local government finance settlement which was announced on 12 December delivers a funding package of £11.1 billion for local authorities, a real terms increase of over £210 million for essential public services in Scotland. The City of Edinburgh Council will receive £839.6 million to fund local services in 2019-20. Using their council tax powers they could also generate an additional £8.5 million to support the delivery of local services, meaning an extra £37 million next year.

Question reference: S5W-20460

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 21 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to bring about improvement in the area of medical services for victims of sexual crime, and how much of the recently announced £8.5 million is new funding and in addition to the £2 million already committed over the next three years as set out in its Programme for Government.

The Chief Medical Officer for Scotland chairs a national Taskforce for the improvement of healthcare and forensic medical examination services for people who have experienced rape and sexual assault. The Taskforce are on track with their five year work plan to deliver person centred, trauma-informed care as close as possible to the point of need.

The Scottish Government has committed £2.5m in the current financial year to train and recruit more staff and to enhance or create facilities. An additional £6m investment over the next two financial years will support Health Boards to embed the published Healthcare Improvement Scotland standards.

This £8.5m of Taskforce funding is over and above the £2m set out in the 2018-19 Programme for Government to improve access to support for victims of domestic or sexual abuse. Of this, £1.5m will be given to Rape Crisis Centres over three years to help these services plan for the future and ensure more people can get the support they need. The remainder will be used for other initiatives focused on prevention and early intervention initiatives to help prevent gender based violence happening in the first place.

Question reference: S5O-02689

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many remand and how many sentenced prisoners have been sent to HMYOI Polmont since 2013 due to space being unavailable at secure care units.

Question reference: S5O-02621

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment it has undertaken regarding the potential economic cost to Scotland of additional customs arrangements and border regulations resulting from Brexit.

Question reference: S5O-02605

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body for what reason the Freedom of Information Disclosure Log has not been updated.

Question reference: S5W-19690

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many prison-court transfers there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) prison and (b) court.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

The volume of movements from prison to court are as follows:

Prison	2018 *	2017- 18	2016- 17	2015- 16	2014- 15 **	2013- 14 **
HMP Aberdeen						1348
HMP Addiewell	2653	4484	4520	5218	5086	4867
HMP Barlinnie	6069	8993	10154	10602	11543	12187
HMP Castle Huntly		3	10	17	31	18
HMP YOI Cornton Vale	360	702	1210	2347	2586	2762
HMP Dumfries	259	435	491	613	616	582
HMP Edinburgh	2943	5475	5974	6654	7364	7009
HMP Glenochil	428	595	563	730	617	757
HMP YOI Grampian	1605	2906	2788	3311	2818	80
HMP Greenock	749	1349	1028	829	1087	992
HMP Inverness	793	1292	1372	1312	1419	1579
HMP Kilmarnock	1453	2487	2813	2655	2577	2624
HMP Low Moss	2615	4123	4798	4848	4879	4709
HMP Perth	2596	4294	4800	4931	5448	4935
HMP Peterhead						191
HMP YOI Polmont	3049	5230	6042	6353	6088	6524
HMP Shotts	205	275	311	428	376	350
Total	25777	42643	46874	50848	52535	51514

* All figures are aligned with financial years; 2018 is up to and inclusive of October of this year.

** Methodology for counting means there is a slight difference from the aggregate figures reported in the SPS Annual Report.

Prison to Court movements by Prison:

Court	2018 *	2017- 18	2016- 17	2015- 16	2014- 15	2013- 14
Aberdeen HC	160	317	267	484	454	323
Aberdeen JP	19	115	72	137	86	115
Aberdeen SC	1194	2044	1828	2059	2045	1749
Airdrie JP					1
Airdrie SC	926	1058	1250	1339	1322	1297
Alloa JP	1		1	1	13	5
Alloa SC	190	340	364	552	574	571
Arbroath JP					2	6
Arbroath SC					88	344
Ayr JP	8	13	30	37	16	25
Ayr SC	757	1174	1282	1621	1528	1303
Banff JP	2	1	1
Banff SC	14	43	44	23	24	22
Campbeltown JP						1
Campbeltown SC	17	27	18	22	42	32
Coatbridge JP	55	62	48	76	92	86
Cumbernauld JP						25
Cupar JP					1	1
Cupar SC					43	189
Dingwall SC					74	103
Dornoch SC						8
Dumbarton HC		13	4	1	13	27
Dumbarton JP	19	34	61	49	32	61
Dumbarton SC	811	1241	1219	1233	1097	1177
Dumfries JP	2	1	9	4	8	5
Dumfries SC	238	416	402	601	474	483
Dundee HC					1	32
Dundee JP	76	80	73	34	39	44
Dundee SC	1214	2076	2150	2449	2517	2239
Dunfermline HC		19
Dunfermline JP	3	16	6	15	5	7
Dunfermline SC	460	647	682	693	808	734
Dunoon JP		1	1	3	2
Dunoon SC	42	117	129	95	146	153
Duns JP						1
Duns SC					15	20
Edinburgh HC	465	907	1004	838	1200	1597
Edinburgh JP	27	36	38	53	77	69
Edinburgh SC	2319	4402	5319	6298	6001	6110
Edinburgh Supreme	88	150	145	242	206
Elgin JP	3	12	7	8	4	5
Elgin SC	243	396	363	371	354	396
Falkirk JP	7	17	14	4	2	5
Falkirk SC	796	913	982	831	1150	1107
Forfar JP	4	2	5	7	13	1
Forfar SC	208	343	457	650	451	154
Fort William JP			1			1
Fort William SC	22	32	54	89	68	43
Glasgow HC	1306	1916	2216	1844	1653	1862
Glasgow JP	330	481	951	1344	1633	1858
Glasgow SC	4707	8152	8747	8692	9984	9565
Greenock HC					6
Greenock JP	21	24	41	36	56	29
Greenock SC	543	890	826	879	793	755
Haddington JP					1	1
Haddington SC					314	319
Hamilton JP	89	74	44	107	106	51
Hamilton SC	1778	2764	2949	3395	3645	3525
Inverness HC				1		7
Inverness JP	21	54	34	13	27	49
Inverness SC	601	982	986	1101	1106	1018
Irvine JP						2
Jedburgh JP			2		2	4
Jedburgh SC	65	163	89	124	100	134
Kilmarnock JP	26	132	151	113	112	108
Kilmarnock SC	1477	2486	2883	3144	2887	2826
Kirkcaldy JP	7	3	5	10	7	21
Kirkcaldy SC	884	1296	1644	1669	1903	1669
Kirkcudbright SC						5
Kirkwall SC	20	18	31	37	19	33
Lanark HC			4
Lanark JP		2	1	5	5	8
Lanark SC	236	391	417	420	357	337
Lerwick SC	11	26	47	78	53	30
Livingston HC	91	122	120	120	132	70
Livingston JP	16	40	22	33	34	39
Livingston SC	701	1320	1124	1166	1195	1121
Lochgilphead JP	1	1
Lochgilphead SC	1	5	5	5	7	1
Lochmaddy SC	3	4	11	2	2	4
Motherwell JP						60
Motherwell SC						1
Oban JP	1		1	1	2
Oban SC	34	67	65	52	66	98
Paisley HC			57	41	17	52
Paisley JP	20	61	49	75	68	30
Paisley SC	1019	1601	2032	2432	2290	2270
Peebles SC					3	10
Perth HC				2	28	37
Perth JP	3	12	9	16	20	21
Perth SC	424	752	877	890	999	1070
Peterhead JP	4	4	9		2	3
Peterhead SC	228	511	755	649	459	310
Portree SC	21	21	6	6	6	3
Rothesay SC						19
Selkirk JP			1	1	1	7
Selkirk SC	91	226	139	162	147	172
Stirling JP	4	13	9	12	11	4
Stirling SC	366	561	647	744	675	643
Stonehaven JP					1	3
Stonehaven SC					9	51
Stornoway SC	17	19	35	35	37	23
Stranraer JP			1
Stranraer SC	106	178	221	268	227	233
Tain JP	3	9	4	7	4	2
Tain SC	65	87	106	65	94	148
Wick JP		1
Wick SC	46	109	171	133	142	117
Total	25777	42643	46874	50848	52535	51514

* All figures are aligned with financial years; 2018 is up to and inclusive of October of this year.

** Methodology for counting means there is a very slight (<0.02%) difference from the aggregate figures reported in the SPS Annual Report.