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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-21679

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12110 by Michael Matheson on 3 November 2017, whether it will provide an update on the (a) status of the consultation and (b) the work that it has carried out with the justice and third sector partners.

As set out in Programme for Government we want to have restorative justice services widely available across Scotland by 2023 and will publish a Restorative Justice Action Plan by Spring 2019 that will set out how we will deliver this aim.

We are working in collaboration with a range of partners to develop the Action Plan. This has included issuing a questionnaire to Local Authorities, the report from which was published in June 2018

(https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/factsheet/2018/06/
restorative-justice-survey-response-analysis/documents/0619124e-706e-4abb-81a4-070e1
de8bd55/0619124e-706e-4abb-81a4-070e1de8bd55/govscot:document ), and holding two stakeholder workshops in November 2018. We are also engaging with members of the Restorative Justice Forum.

Further consultation activity will be undertaken prior to finalising the Action Plan. This will include consulting on an order under section 5(2) of the Victims and Witnesses Act 2014, to prescribe who must have regard to the 'Guidance for the Delivery of Restorative Justice in Scotland'.

Question reference: S5W-21681

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12111 by Michael Matheson on 3 November 2017, whether it now holds this data and, if (a) so, whether it will publish the information that was requested, and (b) not, whether it will confirm which agency collates this.

Question reference: S5W-21585

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when Police Scotland will publish its research into the amount of time that police officers spend at A&E departments.

Question reference: S5W-21586

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will bring forward measures to improve the input that victims and their families have into the temporary release process.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the information and support available to victims and families when prisoners are released. We recognise that the release process can be unfamiliar and distressing for family members.

That is why we have established a Victims Taskforce to identify ways to improve support, advice and information available for victims of crime and their families as they interact with the Scottish criminal justice system. This programme of work will be informed directly by victims themselves. The Taskforce will have an oversight role to the suite of Programme for Government commitments related to victims, which includes ensuring that victims and their families have better information and greater support ahead of prison release arrangements.

Question reference: S5W-21587

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve community payback order completion rates.

Local authorities are responsible for delivering community sentences and national completion rates for Community Payback Orders (CPOs) are 70%, as reported in the Criminal Justice Social Work statistics for 2017-18.

The Scottish Government is working with national and local partners including Community Justice Scotland, Social Work Scotland, the Care Inspectorate, local authorities and third sector partners to help ensure orders are implemented as effectively as possible and improve completion rates where possible.

Updated CPO Practice guidance was published on 25 January 2019 which supports effective practice, and included a focus on breach and compliance, and reiterates the importance of successful completion.

Community Justice Scotland will lay two reports in Parliament in March based on local authority CPO annual returns, and the Care Inspectorate is leading on scrutiny and assurance activity of community justice and criminal justice social work in Scotland, with an emphasis on CPOs. This was specifically requested by the Scottish Government and was informed by analysis of last year’s Criminal Justice Social Work statistics. The latest statistics will inform further engagement with local authorities as we work to ensure community sentences are as effective as possible.

Effective use of CPOs has contributed to a 19 year low in reconviction rates and additional funding has been provided for community sentences since 2016-17. This additional funding increased to £5.5 million in 2018-19, and has been protected in the draft budget for 2019-20.

Question reference: S5W-21734

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many former police stations and premises Police Scotland has (a) put up for sale and (b) sold, and whether it will provide a list of these.

Question reference: S5W-21584

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 28 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the change to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's funding was in real terms between 2018-19 to 2019-20.

In 2018-19 the Scottish Government provided the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) with a total fiscal budget i.e. resource and capital of £296.9 million which included additional spending capacity of £15.5 million. This comprised of £5.5 million extra direct funding and ensuring SFRS was able to benefit in full from being able to recover £10 million in VAT from March 2018.

In 2019-20 SFRS has been allocated a fiscal budget of £302.4 million which includes an additional £5.5 million in support of its transformation programme.

Question reference: S5W-21624

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the criteria are for the Scottish Ministers to release a prisoner on compassionate grounds.

Question reference: S5O-02883

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the NRAC funding formula for NHS boards.

Question reference: S5O-02807

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 23 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a higher level of fixed penalty notices for more serious antisocial behaviour.

All the evidence on antisocial behaviour points towards a long-term, sustained reduction in Scotland. For example the nationally representative Scottish Crime and Justice Survey shows that the percentage of adults who think people behave in an antisocial manner in their local area has fallen from 46% in 2008/9 to 29% in 2016/17.

We remain committed to ensuring police and local authorities have the powers and resources to further reduce antisocial behaviour, including investing in prevention and early intervention. Fixed penalty notices are an important tool, forming part of a wide range of powers which enable the police and local authorities to exercise judgement when tackling antisocial behaviour. In our on-going discussions with Police Scotland and local authorities we will explore the benefits of amending fixed penalty notices.