Parliamentary questions

Stephen Kerr

2,595 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council regarding their preparedness for the implementation of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is a reserved piece of legislation that is the responsibility of UK Government to implement. Scottish Government has been supporting the implementation of this legislation in Scotland through holding meetings an…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has provided any funding to local authorities to support them to prepare for the implementation of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, and, if so, how much has been provided in each financial year to date.

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many multi-agency counter-terrorism preparedness exercises have taken place in Scotland in each of the last five financial years.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: Multi-agency exercising in Scotland is not co-ordinated by the Scottish Government and is the responsibility of the services themselves to ensure that lessons are identified and learned.However, Scottish Government has recently been working with partner agenc…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the availability of armed policing resources in Greater Glasgow.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01030 on 6 July 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/w…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the readiness of local authorities to prepare for the implementation of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025.

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland and local authorities regarding hostile vehicle mitigation at major public events.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The provision of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation is the responsibility of Local Authorities and event providers in order to secure the safety of public spaces.The Scottish Government has engaged with Local Authorities regarding their responsibility in their areas,…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of armed policing capacity in Greater Glasgow.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The capacity of armed policing and the availability of resources in Greater Glasgow is entirely an operational matter for the Chief Constable.

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding security planning for major public events in the city.

Answer · Stephen Flynn: For any major public events in the city, Glasgow City Council will chair a Safety Advisory Group (SAG). This is a non-statutory body, comprising of council departments and safety and security multi-agency partners, that advises the Council on public safety an…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00117 by Kirsten Oswald on 29 May 2026 and in light of reported comments by the First Minister regarding the Northern Ireland Troubles and Sinn Féin, whether any ministers have met with veterans groups on the matter.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is deeply grateful to all those who have previously, and continue, to serve in the armed forces. No requests from veterans groups for any meeting with Ministers on the matter have been received.

9 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided each month (a) directly and (b) through Transport Scotland to Walking Scotland in each of the last five financial years, and since April 2026.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not hold funding information for Walking Scotland (formerly Paths for All) on a monthly basis, as funding is awarded and managed on an annual programme basis. The following table sets out the Transport Scotland programmes and annu…

9 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many knives have been seized by Police Scotland over the last five years.

Answer · Neil Gray: Data provided by Police Scotland shows the number of stop and searches where an item categorised as ‘bladed instrument’ was found. However, more than one type of item can be recovered in a stop and search. These figures do not reflect the quantiti…

9 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the risks to public safety of the current household knife disposal policy, which allows for knives to be disposed of in accessible wheelie bins.

Answer · Neil Gray: There are specific guidelines in place in every local authority area in Scotland for the disposal of sharp household items, including knives, to ensure safety. Neither local authorities nor Police Scotland have raised concerns about the current policy and app…

9 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-44296 by Jenny Gilruth on 25 March 2026, whether it will provide an update on the work carried out as part of the public inquiry into the response to group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation, and by what date does it anticipate the inqui…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Work is continuing at pace to establish the inquiry. Detailed Terms of Reference are currently being developed, informed by ongoing discussions with Professor Jay, and these will be published in due course.I would also reiterate that it is not appropriate for…

9 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the procurement of AI in stroke diagnosis will be finalised, and what the timetable is for delivery.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00151 on 1 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found athttps://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/wr…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Audit Scotland report, Criminal Courts Backlog Follow-Up, and given its acknowledgement that previous engagement with the third sector was too late to be effective, what action it is taking to ensure that third sector partners are formally involved from t…

Answer · Neil Gray: We acknowledge Audit Scotland’s findings that engagement with the third sector on the Delivery Plan happened late in the process. However, engagement with stakeholders is a key part of the policy process ensuring our key stakeholders were involved in th…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of the Audit Scotland report, Criminal Courts Backlog Follow-Up, and given that the previous three-year delivery plan was published over a year late, what action it is taking to ensure the refreshed Vision for Justice, due at the end of 2026, is delive…

Answer · Neil Gray: We recognise the findings of the Audit Scotland report and are taking the recommendations into account as we work with partners to develop the next delivery plan.This will provide a single, cross-portfolio plan setting out shared priorities, milestones and me…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Audit Scotland report, Criminal Courts Backlog Follow-Up, what action it is taking to bring Scotland's criminal justice digital capability in line with the rest of the United Kingdom, including what the roadmap and budget are to achieve the "whole-system approa…

Answer · Neil Gray: We recognise the findings of the Audit Scotland report and the importance of continuing to strengthen digital capability across the criminal justice system, including progress towards a more cohesive, whole-system approach to data.There continues to be a focu…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Audit Scotland report, Criminal Courts Backlog Follow-Up, for what reason did the judicially-led Summary Case Management project evaluations not include (a) the views of victims or witnesses and (b) any financial analysis to assess value for money.

Answer · Neil Gray: The courts and judiciary are independent of Government. The project evaluation for a judicially-led project such as Summary Case Management Government are a matter for the judiciary and the government has no role in the development of guidance issued by Sheri…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Audit Scotland report, Criminal Courts Backlog Follow-Up, for what reason was the body worn video pilot rolled out without any formal evaluation of its impact.

Answer · Neil Gray: Audit Scotland’s follow-up report recognises significant progress in reducing the court backlog since its peak in 2022. This reflects targeted investment from the Scottish Government and positive collaboration across justice partners.On body worn video,…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Audit Scotland report, Criminal Courts Backlog Follow-Up, what action it will take to address challenges within the transformational change programme, including (a) insufficient staff, (b) a lack of coordination and oversight of projects led by various justice partners, …

Answer · Neil Gray: The Audit Scotland report identifies a number of challenges in progressing our reform activity. We accept Audit Scotland’s findings and we are working to develop and agree actions with our justice partners to respond to the recommendations.

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Audit Scotland report, Criminal Courts Backlog Follow-Up, how it plans to address the persistent vacancies in the criminal justice system.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government recognises the workforce pressures across the criminal justice system identified by Audit Scotland, including the impact that the increasing volume of serious and complex cases is having on the system.Recruitment and retention are oper…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent Audit Scotland report, Criminal Courts Backlog Follow-Up, for what reason has there been "no reporting" at the Justice Board level on progress towards the aim of renewing and transforming the justice system, and how can progress be assured in the absence of such r…

Answer · Neil Gray: Reporting of progress to the Justice Board was based on one Vision for Justice aim per quarter, commencing around a year after publication of the delivery plan. The need to discuss higher priorities resulted in reporting being delayed.Aim five, which includes…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on proposals for the Justice Efficiencies and Effectiveness Collaboration to replace the Criminal Justice Programme Board.

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00845 on 16 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Justice Efficiencies and Effectiveness Collaboration (JEEC), which first met in August 2025, has not met again since that date or been formally established.

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Criminal Justice Programme Board has not met since summer 2024.

Answer · Neil Gray: We recognise the findings of the Audit Scotland report and the importance of continuing to strengthen governance arrangements. The Scottish Government continues to work with justice partners to improve coordination, oversight and delivery across criminal just…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent report by Audit Scotland, Criminal courts backlog follow-up, whether it plans to fund an increase in the capacity in the High Court.

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00843 on 16 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…

5 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the number of outstanding High Court trials reached 1,002 at the end of 2025-26, what measures are being taken to increase capacity within the courts system.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) is an independent body with its own board led by the Lord President. The efficient disposal of business with the courts system is a matter for the Lord President.For 2026-27, £153.5m of resource funding h…

4 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a policy in place to ensure that every public building has an accessible defibrillator for use in an emergency.

Answer · Maree Todd: There is no policy requiring the placement of an accessible defibrillator on every public building, as there is limited evidence that legislation mandating devices in certain locations would improve cardiac arrest outcomes.Instead, the Scottish Government and…

4 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a national defibrillator strategy to ensure that every community has easy access to these in an emergency.

Answer · Maree Todd: Scotland’s Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021-2026 sets out a national approach to improving survival from cardiac arrest, including work to improve access to defibrillators. We are working with our Save a Life for Scotland partners to improve…

4 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether police vehicles have a defibrillator as standard practice.

Answer · Maree Todd: Decisions on equipment within the Police Scotland fleet, including defibrillators, are an operational matter for the Chief Constable.The Chief Constable is responsible for the policing of Scotland and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority, rather th…