- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answer expected on 24 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the suggestion by the Scottish Retail Consortium that the £3 million fund to deal with retail crime, which was announced in its 2025-26 Budget, should be made permanent.
Answer
Answer expected on 24 April 2025
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answer expected on 24 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-02023 by Jenny Gilruth on 16 March 2023, in light of the minister’s comments that, although dualling of the A90 between Ellon and Peterhead was not recommended, “measures were considered for improving road safety and reliability and adapting the trunk road network to deal with the challenge of climate change”, whether it will confirm what action has subsequently been taken to improve the safety of the road at the Toll of Birness, also broken down by what date this (a) was or (b) will be completed, and what further action it plans, and by what date this will (i) commence and (ii) be completed.
Answer
Answer expected on 24 April 2025
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answer expected on 24 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether prioritising action on retail crime, including shoplifting, should form part of (a) its strategic police priorities and (b) the priorities of the Scottish Police Authority.
Answer
Answer expected on 24 April 2025
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 26 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will legislate to prevent registered sex offenders from changing their name.
Answer
The Scottish Government takes the safety of the public very seriously. Sex offender notification requirements apply to an individual, irrespective of what name they use. Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements record any aliases in their documentation. The current position in legislation is that sex offenders must inform the police of a name change within three days and failure to notify such a change can result in a prison sentence.
We are aware that the Crime and Policing Bill, recently introduced to the UK Parliament, contains legislative change in this area. We are exploring the possibility of extending the provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill to Scotland. Any such amendment would be the subject of the legislative consent process.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 24 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs has had with the (a) Law Society of Scotland, (b) chief constable of Police Scotland and (c) Scottish Retail Consortium since 29 March 2023, and what subjects were discussed.
Answer
Meetings with the Law Society of Scotland
1. I have had the following meetings with the Law Society of Scotland since 29 March 2023:
Date | Meeting | Subjects Discussed |
1 June 2023 | Victims Taskforce (Law Society of Scotland attended) | Criminal Justice - Victims |
26 July 2023 | Law Society of Scotland | Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill |
25 September 2023 | JUSTICE Scotland Roundtable (Head of Research at Law Society of Scotland attended) | Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill |
30 November 2023 | Victims Taskforce (Law Society of Scotland attended) | Criminal Justice - Victims |
20 June 2024 | Victims Taskforce (Law Society of Scotland attended) | Criminal Justice - Victims |
21 November 2024 | Victims Taskforce (Law Society of Scotland attended) | Criminal Justice - Victims |
Meetings with the Chief Constable
2. I have had the following meetings with the Chief constable since 29 March 2023 as part of their regular series of meetings:
Date | Meeting | Subjects discussed |
27 April 2023 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Chief Constable’s reflections Call handling Police Estate – Fettes Next meeting |
18 May 2023 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Pay and industrial relations Progress on Recommendations of the Independent Review of Police complaints handling, investigations and misconduct issues Officers on Restricted Duties HMICS/HIS Custody Inspection in Lanarkshire Handover to new Chief Constable Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Use of tasers |
14 June 2023 | Trilateral with the Chief Constable and SPA Chair | Chief Constable Statement on Institutional Racism Pay Succession planning Local Policing Improvement Plan |
14 June 2023 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | PVG Certificate – Morgan Prior Chief Constable reflection |
14 September 2023 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Police staff pay Officer numbers Resource prioritisation North East pilot Recorded Police Warnings (RPWs) |
05 October 2023 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Budget HMICS reviews Forward look |
09 November 2023 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Operation Moonbeam Armistice Day Early observations from the new Chief Constable Criminal justice system Financial planning for a sustainable police model |
18 December 2023 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Budget and workforce numbers Consultation on Police Scotland estate HMICS Thematic Inspection of Organisational Culture in Police Scotland and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Criminal Justice System efficiencies |
9 January 2024 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Budget and workforce numbers New operating model Criminal Justice Committee 20 December 2023 Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act |
9 January 2024 | Quarterly trilateral with the Chief Constable and SPA Chair | Budget and new operating model Mental health |
8 February 2024 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Budget, workforce and Police Scotland operating model Estates review Proportionate response to crime Safeguards on XL bully dogs Dashcam |
1 March 2024 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Emma Caldwell case and call for a Public Inquiry Brian Low Case |
30 April 2024 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Hate crime Criminal justice system Police officer and staff pay Revised model of policing |
4 June 2024 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Scottish resilience Partnership Emma Caldwell Investigation – NPCC Request Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill Revised model of policing Criminal justice system |
26 June 2024 | Quarterly trilateral with the Chief Constable and SPA Chair (meeting combined with the scheduled June Chief Constable meeting) | Body worn video (BWV) Proportionate response to crime (PRTC) Criminal justice system improvements Revised model of policing Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) Mental health and policing Hate crime Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) (PECSS) Bill Police officer numbers |
20 August 2024 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Update on far-right violence and disorder Police officer numbers Police pay negotiations Mental health and policing Criminal justice system reform Body worn video Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) (PECSS) Bill Emma Caldwell public inquiry |
19 September 2024 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Commonwealth Games 2026 Police officer numbers Police pay negotiations Police Scotland three-year business plan Estates Masterplan Emma Caldwell public inquiry Sheku Bayoh public inquiry Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) (PECSS) Bill |
29 October 2024 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Policing budget Estates Masterplan 2025/26 budget proposal Police officer numbers Police officer pay Emma Caldwell public inquiry Police Scotland three-year business plan Commonwealth Games 2026 |
31 October 2024 | Quarterly trilateral with the Chief Constable and SPA Chair | Police Scotland three-year business plan Estates management Police officer and staff pay Recording of sec and gender |
19 December 2024 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Policing budget Officer and staff pay Estates Masterplan Body worn video Police Scotland three-year business plan Sustainable roads policing Workforce planning Mental health and policing demand Football disorder in Glasgow |
16 January 2025 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) (PECSS) Bill Officer and staff pay Emma Caldwell investigation Sheku Bayoh public inquiry Football disorder Mental health and policing demand Estate Masterplan Police Scotland three-year business plan |
27 February 2025 | Regular meeting with the Chief Constable | Sheku Bayoh public inquiry Sentencing review Secure accommodation Police complaints Police dogs insurance Policing budget 2025-26 3 year business plan Police officer pay UEFA Championship (Scotland) Bill Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games |
3. The purpose of these meetings is to focus on matters of strategic importance and understand the challenges, risks and issues facing Police Scotland, and plans to mitigate these, as well as implications for policing.
4. I have met the Chief Constable outside these regular meetings. The most recent meetings are in the table below:
Date | Meeting |
31 March 2023 | Introductory meeting with the Chief Constable, Iain Livingstone |
1 August 2023 | Cabinet Secretary visit to Police Scotland, Tulliallan Castle |
10 October 2023 | Introductory meeting with the new Chief Constable, Jo Farrell |
2 August 2024 | Meeting with the Chief Constable to discuss officer numbers |
5 August 2024 | First Minister and CSJHA meeting with the Police Scotland following far-right violence and disorder across the UK |
4 September 2024 | Scottish Police Memorial Service |
5. From January 2024, all notes of my regular meetings with the Chief Constable (and with the SPA Chair) are published on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/collections/police-minutes-of-regular-meetings. Notes of other meetings involving Police Scotland and the Scottish Government, including those outside regular meetings detailed in the table above, are not routinely published.
6. The note of the meeting between myself and the Chief Constable on 27 February will be published on the Scottish Government website once this has been reviewed by the Chief Constable and myself.
Meetings with the Scottish Retail Consortium
7. I have not met with the Scottish Retail Consortium since 29 March 2023.
8. It may be helpful to note that Siobhian Brown MSP, the Minister for Victims and Community Safety has met with the Scottish Retail Consortium since 29 March 2023 which is listed in the following table:
Date | Meeting | Subjects discussed |
19 March 2024 | Scottish Retail Consortium | Retail crime |
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answer expected on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34510 by Angela Constance on 3 March 2025, in light of its previous commitment to publish an updated memorandum of understanding between the Parole Board for Scotland and the Scottish Ministers by the end of 2024, what the reasons are for (a) the five-year delay and (b) missing the "end of 2024" commitment, and by what date, or nearest quarter, it anticipates that the new document will be agreed by both the Parole Board for Scotland and the Scottish Government.
Answer
Answer expected on 4 April 2025
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answer expected on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35073 by Fiona Hyslop on 4 March 2025, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what increase in freight capacity will be delivered through the Aberdeen–Central Belt Service Improvement Project, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer, which instead referred to a "freight path".
Answer
Answer expected on 4 April 2025
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answer expected on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when the Aberdeen–Central Belt 2026 Enhancement Project was renamed the Aberdeen–Central Belt Service Improvement Project; for what reason the name was changed; at the time that the name was changed, whether anything else was changed, such as the scope, outcomes or delivery dates, and which stakeholders were consulted prior to the name change.
Answer
Answer expected on 4 April 2025
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will legislate to split the dual role of the Lord Advocate before the end of the current parliamentary session.
Answer
The Law Officers’ role is secured by the Scotland Act 1998 and any changes to that role would require legislation in the UK or Scottish Parliaments depending on any changes proposed. As we have said, the Scottish Government will engage further with the UK Government on any changes that might be considered.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to equip all police cars with telematics
technology and, if so, by what date this will be achieved.
Answer
The use of telematics technology on police vehicles is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority.
