Parliamentary questions
Pam Gosal
490 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27376 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when it anticipates that it will complete its work on ensuring that prosecutors have sufficiently detailed information on the risk to victims that can be passed on to the court when required.
Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27445 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when it anticipates that it will complete its work on ensuring that (a) new information is brought to the attention of deputes and acted on promptly, (b) deputes are available to deal with urgent and unexpected …
Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27378 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when it anticipates that it will complete its work on ensuring that the approach to counter allegations set out in the joint protocol on challenging domestic abuse is followed in practice by both reporting offic…
Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27449 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when it anticipates that it will complete its work with justice partners, particularly the police and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, to ensure that victims are informed of the outcome of the accused'…
Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27444 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when it anticipates that it will complete the work to ensure that statutory aggravations are applied where appropriate.
Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27450 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when it anticipates that it will complete the work on recommendation 12 in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland's (HMIPS) inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases, in ord…
Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27345 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service expects to complete its work to (a) review the take-up of mandatory and other training, and identify and address the reasons for low take-up, (b) ensure that a…
Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27344 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service expects to complete its work to review and streamline the content of its domestic abuse training taking into account the target audience.
Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27346 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will complete its work to provide clear guidance to staff on when a domestic abuse victim should be informed of a decision to discontinue a case and of their r…
Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…
17 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many overdoses from painkillers in those under the age of 18 were recorded in the financial year 2023-24, and, of these, how many instances resulted in death.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: Drug-related hospital stats are published by Public Health Scotland and can be found at. Drug-related hospital statistics - Scotland 2022 to 2023 - Drug-related hospital statistics - Publications - Public Health Scotland Breakdowns are available by ‘drug ty…
17 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent painkiller overdoses in young people.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), in combination with retailers, already limit the sale of paracetamol to a maximum of two packs (containing up to 16 solid dose tablets or capsules) in a retail environment. The aim of these volun…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to increase the maximum amount that a victim of domestic abuse can receive through the Fund to Leave scheme.
Answer · Angela Constance: As outlined in my response to S6W-27647 on 31 May 2024, and in my recent letter to Ms Gosal, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss further alongside your policy paper which outlines this particular ask. All answers to written Parliamenta…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to expand the Fund to Leave scheme across Scotland.
Answer · Angela Constance: As outlined in my response to S6W-27647 on 31 May 2024, and in my recent letter to Ms Gosal, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss further alongside your policy paper which outlines this particular ask. All answers to written Parliament…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to introduce guidance to encourage (a) local authorities and (b) social housing providers to ensure that domestic abuse victims are prioritised for social housing.
Answer · Angela Constance: As outlined in my response to S6W-27647 on 31 May 2024, and in my recent letter to Ms Gosal, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss further alongside your policy paper which outlines this particular ask. All answers to written Parliamenta…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to roll out the ASSIST system across Scotland.
Answer · Angela Constance: As outlined in my response to S6W-27647 on 31 May 2024, and in my recent letter to Ms Gosal, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss further alongside your policy paper which outlines this particular ask. All answers to written Parliamenta…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to deliver a dedicated women’s officer for every local authority.
Answer · Angela Constance: As outlined in my response to S6W-27647 on 31 May 2024, and in my recent letter to Ms Gosal, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss further alongside your policy paper which outlines this particular ask. All answers to written Parliamenta…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access to domestic abuse services for underrepresented groups.
Answer · Angela Constance: As outlined in my response to S6W-27647 on 31 May 2024, and in my recent letter to Ms Gosal, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss further alongside your policy paper which outlines this particular ask. All answers to written Parliamenta…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to expand the Ask for ANI scheme.
Answer · Angela Constance: As outlined in my response to S6W-27647 on 31 May 2024, and in my recent letter to Ms Gosal, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss further alongside your policy paper which outlines this particular ask. All answers to written Parliamenta…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to classify violence against women as a "national threat".
Answer · Angela Constance: As outlined in my response to S6W-27647 on 31 May 2024, and in my recent letter to Ms Gosal, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss further alongside your policy paper which outlines this particular ask. All answers to written Parliamenta…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to create a violence against women unit.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government absolutely recognises the serious damage which violence against woman and girls causes to individuals and society, as evidenced through the aims of our Equally Safe Strategy and its delivery mechanisms. As I have outlined in my recent…
15 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how many people participating in the Caledonian System have reoffended in each financial year since it was launched.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government assess the effectiveness of the Caledonian System through accreditation and evaluation. The Caledonian System is delivered to accredited standards and accreditation gives confidence that a programme is designed based on the best avail…
15 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to local authorities to administer the Caledonian System in each financial year since it was launched.
Answer · Angela Constance: Caledonian Service funding to local authorities is paid through the Section 27 funding for Justice Services (the Men’s Programme) with additional monies for the Women and Children’s Service paid out under separate funding powers. The following table shows Se…
15 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of the Caledonian System to all local authority areas.
Answer · Angela Constance: There are 20 local authority areas that currently deliver the Caledonian System, with the most recent area, West Dunbartonshire, starting delivery in 2023-24. The Scottish Government announced additional investment of £11.4 million for justice social work se…
14 May 2024 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is regarding Scotland's budgetary forecast to reports that the UK economy officially exited a recession and outperformed the first quarter of 2024 forecast of the Bank of England.
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) will ensure that domestic abuse victims (a) are informed of bail review applications, (b) have their views sought and put before the court and (c) are informed of the outcome timeously.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to a recommendation in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The re…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) will (a) ensure that victims of domestic abuse are informed of the outcome of the accused’s first appearance on the same day and (b) update all guidance and protocols accordingly.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to a recommendation in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The re…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that domestic abuse cases are progressed efficiently through the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).
Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to recommendations in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The rel…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is ensuring that statutory aggravations in relation to domestic abuses cases are applied where appropriate.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to a recommendation in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The re…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the Rural Housing Fund in each year since its introduction.
Answer · Paul McLennan: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27394 on 28 May 2024. 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/…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many homes have been built through the Rural Housing Fund in each year since 2016-17.
Answer · Paul McLennan: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27393 on 28 May 2024. 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/…