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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: S5W-14863

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which body will bear liability for any shortfall in new pension schemes for British Transport Police in Scotland officers and staff.

The British Transport Police pension schemes are shared cost schemes where members pay 40% of the required contributions and employers pay 60%. The Scottish Police Authority as the sponsoring employer will therefore be legally responsible for any employer liability under these arrangements. Work is ongoing to develop the preferred option for transferring BTP staff and officers in line with Scottish Ministers’ aim of no detriment to their pension provisions with funding of the scheme being considered as part of this position.

Question reference: S5W-14862

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide its revised estimated cost of future employer pension contributions for British Transport Police D Division officers and staff.

Question reference: S5W-14550

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is committed to providing an extra £1,068,000 to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner’s budget.

Question reference: S5W-14556

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many air weapons were presumed to be in circulation when the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 came into force, and how many have been subsequently (a) legalised through the granting of a licence and (b) handed in to Police Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-14557

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many licence applications under the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 have been (a) awarded, also broken down by how many were subsequently revoked, and (b) refused.

Question reference: S5W-14563

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement that a new pension fund for retired British Transport Police (BTP) officers will be established around the time of merger with Police Scotland, how much the so-called triple-lock guarantee will cost in the (a) short, (b) medium and (c) long term; from which budget line this will be drawn, and whether allocating this money to cover the pension fund will lead to a reduction in other services and, if so, which.

There has been no announcement by the Scottish Government or the Joint Programme Board that a new pension fund for retired BTP officers will be established on the integration of the BTP in Scotland into Police Scotland.

The Joint Programme Board has agreed that, subject to the approval of the British Transport Police Force Superannuation Fund (BTPFSF) Trustee, that existing officers and staff should continue to have access to their current pension scheme on transfer. The Scottish Government have sent a pension proposal to the Trustee and we expect to publish that letter soon. Retired officers will continue to have access to their existing benefits from the same pension scheme. The Scottish Government will refer to pension and actuarial experts to ensure the arrangements are fair for officers, staff and the Scottish taxpayer.

BTP officers and staff who are serving, deferred and retired BTPFSF scheme members will be in the same scheme, with the same pension benefits, with the same Trustee continuing to deliver effective management of the funds.

The cost of railway policing pensions is a key consideration for the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government aims to ensure that public sector pensions are affordable, sustainable and fair. Doing so will ensure that railway policing officers and staff in Scotland remain well-skilled and well-motivated as they deliver an essential service across Scotland.

Pension costs already form part of the costs allocated to the railway industry under the BTP Authority Police Service Agreement model and will continue to do so in Scotland under Railway Policing Agreements by the Scottish Police Authority.

Question reference: S5W-14864

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the recommendation by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland, published in August 2017, to carry out a detailed analysis of the benefits, disbenefits and risks of the transfer of railway policing has been discharged.

Question reference: S5W-14558

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many crimes have been committed since the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 came into force, in which it has been suspected that the perpetrator used an illegally-held air weapon.

Question reference: S5W-14555

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many weapons have been seized in the course of criminal investigations under the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015.

Question reference: S5W-14713

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13691 by Annabelle Ewing on 24 January 2018, what progress has been made with the establishment of the joint working group; what the key milestones are in this process; what the reason has been for the reported delay with it being set up, and whether the Orange Order will be invited to join and/or participate in it.

An initial working group meeting is due to take place later this week, hosted by Police Scotland. The group is expected to comprise COSLA, Police Scotland the Scottish Government/Transport Scotland. The key milestones going forward will be discussed at this meeting.

When the group meets it will also be able to consider how to appropriately capture and consider the views of other stakeholders, such as the Orange Order.