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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-31459

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government which parts of the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 have been used to strengthen the Home Detention Curfew regime.

Regulations were laid in parliament which commenced a number of legislative provisions contained within the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 on 11 October 2019. Several of these provisions related to Home Detention Curfew (HDC).

Specifically, sections of the Act were commenced which introduced new powers of recall from HDC for the Scottish Prison Service. The Act introduced and commenced the offence of remaining unlawfully at large, as recommended by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS). We have also commenced additional powers for the Police to apprehend those who remain unlawfully at large. The Act also now provides for a common legislative basis for the sharing of information prior to HDC release (between SPS, Local Authorities, Police Scotland and the Scottish Courts & Tribunal Service).

Full details of the commencement order are available here:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2019/309/made

Question reference: S5W-31458

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on reviewing the process used to develop and publish the criminal justice bodies’ annual standards of service for victims and witnesses.

A formal process of engagement on the development of the criminal justice organisations’ annual standards of service for victims and witnesses has been agreed between the organisations and the Victims’ Organisations Collaboration Forum Scotland (VOCFS), which is chaired by Victim Support Scotland and includes Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid, amongst others. This work is overseen by the Victims Taskforce.

The criminal justice organisations are committed to engaging with VOCFS after the standards of service are published in the spring. This provides an opportunity to obtain feedback on both the standards of service and the annual report and discuss how best to highlight the standards to victims and witnesses and disseminate them amongst partner organisations.

The criminal justice organisations are also committed to developing a 6-month update on delivery of the standards of service in the autumn and engaging with VOCFS to discuss the update and seek views on key issues the standards should focus on in the following year.

In addition, a stakeholder workshop, to review the standards in more detail, was planned for spring 2020, however this was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We will work with partners to find a suitable date to reconvene this workshop ahead of the development of the standards of service for 2021-22.

Question reference: S5W-31460

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the use of the Digital Evidence Sharing Capability procurement process.

The DESC procurement process resumed in June after a pause at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic to allow criminal justice partners to respond to the emergency, and to prepare for the conduct of the procurement using electronic means where possible. The initial tender responses have now been reviewed by the evaluation panel and all tenderers were invited to demonstrate their technological solutions by video conference in late August. The Scottish Government and its partners will proceed with its negotiated process with a view to making a contract award, and beginning a phased programme of implementation, as soon as is practical.

Question reference: S5O-04597

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what financial assistance it has made available for cultural organisations in the north east since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Question reference: S5W-31428

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates the Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Centre will be (a) completed and (b) opened.

Question reference: S5W-31429

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what investigation it is undertaking into the reported (a) “inaccuracies” in the cost plan and (b) inadequate “co-ordination of the design development process” for the Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Centre.

In order to verify the reasons for the variance and to better understand the issues driving the increase in anticipated construction costs, NHS Grampian, with the full support of Scottish Government, jointly commissioned, with Health Facilities Scotland, an independent external review of project process and costs through the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The findings of the review were considered as part of the approval of the final business case.

Question reference: S5W-31427

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the reported £9 million spent on "advisers" for the Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Centre.

Since 2014-15, the total amount spent on the project team and professional advisers for the Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Centre is £6 million which is to be expected for a project of this size and complexity.

The following table presents the breakdown of the total spend:

Project team and advisors	Total
	£000's
Project Team - staff costs	3,512
Other Development costs	491
Advisors:
Technical Advisors	365
Legal Advisors	15
Financial Advisors	29
Health Care Planners	394
Cost Advisors	871
Project Manager	366
CDM Advisor	21
Total advisors	2,062

Total project team and advisors	6,065

Question reference: S5W-31430

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the reported £6 million costs associated with the project team for the Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Centre.

Question reference: S5O-04580

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Stonehaven train crash.

Question reference: S5W-31342

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the evidence given to the Justice Committee by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service on 18 August 2020 (Official Report, c.2) regarding the potential positive impact of jury centres in reducing the backlog of solemn cases, whether it will rule out introducing trial by judge only.