Pam Gosal

24 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to mandate that data on sex be collected by default in all research and data collection that it or its non-departmental public bodies commission.

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Office of the Chief Statistician published guidance for public bodies in Scotland on the collection of data on sex and gender in 2021. This guidance recommends that statistics producers should collect data (for operational, statistical and research purpos…

24 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update (a) its language generally and (b) any of its guidance to use the word "sex" instead of "gender".

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Equality Law relating to equal opportunities is generally reserved under the Scotland Act 1999. It is for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) - as the regulator of the Equality Act 2010 - to produce, review and update any technical guidance in rel…

24 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether future legislation that it introduces will use the word "sex" instead of "gender".

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Our future decisions around the terminology to be adopted in proposed Scottish Government legislation will be made in the light of all relevant matters. This will include matters such as the proposed legislation’s operation in conjunction with existing …

24 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review its guidance for public bodies on the collection and publication of data regarding sex, gender identity and trans status to take into account the recommendations of the UK Government review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender (the Sullivan Review…

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Office of the Chief Statistician published guidance for public bodies in Scotland on the collection of data on sex and gender in 2021. This guidance recommends that statistics producers should collect data that best serves the needs of users in their spec…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to (a) create simpler reporting systems for retail staff and (b) improve coordination with police, for the reporting of retail crime.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Our Budget will make an additional £3 million available in 2025-26 to tackle retail crime.This funding will support the formation of a Retail Crime Taskforce which will provide a visible and measurable impact on retail crime and will deliver on the foll…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the health and safety of retail employees who may be subject to retail crime.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Those working in our retail sector should be lauded for the important work they are continuing to do during such challenging economic circumstances. They, like anybody, should be able to work without fear of abuse.Retail workers (as well as all other workers)…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to issue guidance regarding any increasing need for intelligent policing.

Answer · Angela Constance: As set out in the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, the Chief Constable of Police Scotland is responsible for the policing of Scotland, and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly.It is th…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of increases in council tax and water and sewerage bills on household disposable incomes and consumer spending.

Answer · Shona Robison: Throughout our engagement with COSLA, Councils, and opposition parties ahead of the 2025-26 Scottish Budget, there was a clear consensus that Councils should have full flexibility for decisions on Council Tax rates. The Scottish Budget delivered that ask in f…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools were covered by the Equally Safe at School programme in 2022-23.

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Our Equally Safe at School (ESAS) project, developed by Rape Crisis Scotland and Zero Tolerance, applies a whole school approach to inequality and gender-based violence in schools. As of August 2023, there were 79 schools registered with an ESAS account.

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding was provided in 2022-23 to deliver work in schools as part of the Equally Safe at School programme, and to which organisations any such funding was allocated.

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Between 2022-23 Rape Crisis Scotland were funded £408,675 through the Delivering Equally Safe fund. This funding supports the implementation of the Equally Safe at School whole school approach to preventing GBV and the continued delivery of the national…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many offenders participated in the Caledonian System rehabilitation programme in 2022-23, and how many local authorities currently deliver the Caledonian System.

Answer · Angela Constance: On 1 April 2022 there were 134 men actively participating in the Caledonian System, and between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023 a further 482 were given a Caledonian requirement. Currently 20 Local Authorities deliver the Caledonian System within Scotland, wit…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average cost per offender was of (a) in-prison rehabilitation programmes and (b) the Caledonian System programme, in 2022-23.

Answer · Angela Constance: There are many factors that influence the average cost per offender for in-prison rehabilitation programmes, meaning that it is not possible to provide an average cost. These factors may include but are not limited to: the duration of the Offending Behaviour …

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average cost per member of staff was in 2022-23 to manage registered sex offenders in each relevant public body, including Police Scotland and local authorities.

Answer · Angela Constance: This information is not centrally held. The staffing levels involved for supporting the management of registered sex offenders are a matter for each of the Responsible Authorities.

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average cost per member of staff was in 2022-23 to support multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in each relevant public body, including Police Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service, NHS boards and local authorities.

Answer · Angela Constance: This information is not centrally held. The staffing levels involved for supporting work on MAPPA are a matter for each of the Responsible Authorities.

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost was in 2022-23, per offender, of multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA).

Answer · Angela Constance: This information is not centrally held.The Scottish Government funds a number of organisations including Police Scotland, local authorities, NHS Boards and the Scottish Prison Service. The published Scottish Budget for 2022-23 sets out the funding levels of t…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were convicted of aggravated offences under section 1(1)(a) of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 in 2022-23; of those convicted, how many (a) were given (i) prison sentences of 12 months or longer and (ii) community payback orders and (b) are subje…

Answer · Angela Constance: Data sourced from the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2022-2023 data set shows that 7807 people were convicted of aggravated offences under section 1(1)(a) of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 in 2022-2023. Of those convicted, 251 we…

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to research effective safeguarding and risk management procedures in relation to sexual assault in psychiatric hospitals.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Health Boards are responsible for effective safeguarding and risk management procedures, assessing patient safety and staff risks within their facilities, and for taking appropriate local action.We expect that local governance arrangements should include clea…

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide guidance to NHS boards regarding accurate data collection for any reports of sexual assault within their board, including in relation to the age and biological sex of any victims and alleged perpetrators. 

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards to record and report incidents through their local reporting systems and investigate as required including escalation to Police Scotland, if necessary.Healthcare Improvement Scotland are working with all NHS boar…

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update any policies that it has on the procedures for NHS patients and staff to follow when (a) reporting and (b) raising concerns regarding sexual assault.

Answer · Jenni Minto: We strongly encourage staff to report all instances of violent and aggressive behaviour, including sexual violence, through their local reporting systems. We expect Health Boards to record and report all instances of violent behaviour, including sexual assaul…

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to assist NHS boards with the implementation of systems and record-keeping procedures to ensure patient safety in hospitals.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards to record and report incidents through their existing adverse events reporting systems and investigate as required including escalation to Police Scotland, if necessary.Healthcare Improvement Scotland are working…

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to issue guidance to the management of NHS boards regarding improving safety in hospitals and minimising any risk of sexual assault, and if this is the case, whether such guidance will address (a) preventative practices and (b) how to improve management policies and staf…

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards to record and report incidents through their existing adverse events reporting systems and investigate as required including escalation to Police Scotland, if necessary.Healthcare Improvement Scotland are working…

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that all temporary accommodation, including any supplied by private sector leasing schemes, is maintained to the same standard as permanent social housing stock.

Answer · Paul McLennan: Local authorities need to ensure that all temporary accommodation is of a high quality and meets the needs of the people that are living there. The Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework was published in 2023 and all local authorities are expected to wor…

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to increase the availability of good quality temporary accommodation for households with children.

Answer · Paul McLennan: We have taken action to increase supply of social homes, with a focus on larger family homes, through increasing funding to local authorities for voids and acquisitions as set out in the answer to S6W-35453 on 19 March 2025.We continue to support local author…

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to increase the supply of permanent family-sized social homes, and how this will (a) help households with children to move out of the homelessness system and (b) improve the quality of temporary accommodation.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government has increased the Affordable Housing Supply Budget by £211.8 million for 2025-26 when compared to 2024-25. This will bring the investment in housing in 2025-26 to £768 million, which will enable delivery of more than 8,000 …

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to incorporate the role of GPs and other primary healthcare providers who have contact with children into new approaches to homelessness prevention, and what strategies are being developed to ensure their involvement.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government recognises the important role health services can play in helping to prevent homelessness, including for households with children. We will introduce new ask and act duties on named relevant bodies so that a wider range of services do m…

5 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to support at-risk families through trained support workers, and how it will ensure that such families are directed to relevant and effective services to resolve crises that may lead to homelessness.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government’s new homelessness prevention measures will mean families at risk of homelessness get help earlier, and other relevant bodies do more to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.The Scottish Government provided fund…

4 Mar 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what assessment it has made of the potential impact on agriculture in Scotland, including in the West Scotland region, of the UK Government decision to change the inheritance tax system for family farms.  

26 Feb 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported view of the Scottish Retail Consortium that up to 13,000 part-time retail jobs in Scotland could be lost over the next three years due to changes to employment policy, including the increase in employer national insurance contributions.

Answer · Tom Arthur: We recognise the very challenging conditions for Scottish retail businesses. NIC decisions are reserved to the UK Government and it is regrettable that the Chancellor’s changes places additional pressures on Scottish retailers. We have called on the UK …

21 Feb 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to mandating that prisoners released early be placed onto community service for the remainder of their jail sentence.

Answer · Angela Constance: Emergency early release regulations have been utilised twice within the last five years (May 2020 & June/July 2024). On both occasions, the conditions of release were as they would have been at the individuals original scheduled liberation date, with no a…

19 Feb 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in developing standardised sexual assault and misogynistic abuse reporting guidelines across all educational environments, and how these guidelines will be communicated and implemented to ensure the safety of staff and students.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to ending violence against women and girls. As part of this commitment, in March 2024, the Scottish Government published a new framework on preventing and responding to gender-based violence.The framework sets o…