Parliamentary questions
Mercedes Villalba
523 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
31 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the work of Police Scotland’s International Development and Innovation Unit is (a) compliant with UK Government Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Guidance and (b) consistent with its commitment to promote human rights internationally.
Answer · Keith Brown: The work of Police Scotland’s International Development and Innovation Unit is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland. The Scottish Police Authority has responsibility for oversight of Police Scotland and to scrutinise the decisions of the Chief …
31 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to support the activities of Police Scotland’s International Development and Innovation Unit.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has provided funding for International Development work by Police Scotland in Malawi and Zambia since 2016. The funding provided in 2019-20 was £449,831 and the funding for 2020/21 was £162,000. The current funding supports Police Scot…
31 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the revenue levels generated by Police Scotland through the activities of its International Development and Innovation Unit.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of the revenue levels generated by Police Scotland, through the activities of its International Development and Innovation Unit, as the management of all financial matters in relation to Police Scotland, is t…
31 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any representations it has made to Police Scotland in relation to any work by the International Development and Innovation Unit in providing training to police forces from countries with a record of alleged human rights abuses.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has not made representations to Police Scotland, in relation to the work by the International Development and Innovation Unit, in providing training to police forces from other countries, as the Scottish Police Authority has responsibi…
26 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the current situation in Afghanistan, what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding (a) reviewing family reunion rules and (b) indefinitely suspending attempts to return people currently resident in Scotland, who were refused asylum in the UK, back to Afghanis…
Answer · Angus Robertson: Following the commitment made by the Prime Minister on 18 August that the UK will not return Afghan nationals who have sought asylum in the UK, the First Minister wrote to the Prime Minister on 24 August to urge the Home Office to urgently review any cases wh…
26 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding increasing the scope of the proposed resettlement scheme for refugees from Afghanistan who may be resettled in Scotland.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Afghan families are already being welcomed into Scottish communities under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for Locally Employed Staff. In her letter to the Prime Minister of 24 August, the First Minister called for a commitment to a subst…
26 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to provide support to people from Afghanistan already resident in Scotland, who wish to support family members still in Afghanistan to seek asylum in the UK.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Asylum and immigration are matters reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes the design and operation of the UK asylum system and decisions relating to asylum applications. The Scottish Government is not involved in these pro…
17 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish a statement detailing how it plans to use the powers in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 to keep pace with EU legislation.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Ministers will set out a statement of policy on the factors to be taken into account when considering whether to use the discretionary power within the UK Withdrawal from the EU (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 in the coming months .
17 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment by the previous SNP administration to maintain environmental standards in line with those in the EU, whether it is still committed to this.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government remains committed to maintain or exceed the environmental standards in place upon EU exit. Provisions in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 give a discretionary power to align devolved law with E…
17 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to use the powers in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 to stay aligned with any nature restoration legislation passed by the EU.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government is clear that we wish to maintain and advance the high standards Scotland has enjoyed as part of the EU. Ministers have no current plans to use the discretionary powers to align with the European Union legislation provided through the …
17 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what EU legislation has been passed since the UK's exit from the EU that it plans to keep pace with using the powers in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Ministers have no current plans to use the discretionary power to align with European Union legislation provided through the UK Withdrawal from the EU (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021, but will do so where appropriate to maintain and advance the high standard…
16 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding its training of Sri Lankan police, and whether ministers have discussed any human rights concerns related to Sri Lankan police.
Answer · Keith Brown: Scottish Ministers have not discussed the training delivered by Police Scotland in Sri Lanka. Scottish Government officials regularly discuss overseas deployments with Police Scotland’s International Development and Innovation Unit, who have confirmed that tr…
16 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Sri Lanka is on Police Scotland’s International Development and Innovation Unit’s list of countries for which ministerial approval is required for training to take place there, and, if not, whether, for any other reason, ministerial approval is required for Police Scotland to pro…
Answer · Keith Brown: There is no list of countries for which ministerial approval is required for the delivery of training overseas, by Police Scotland. The delivery of training overseas by Police Scotland is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, but Scottish Minis…
16 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent media reports, whether it can confirm that Police Scotland has halted all training of Sri Lankan police, and under what circumstances such training would resume, and whether it will commit to publishing in full the outcome of the current review of Police Scotland’s tr…
Answer · Keith Brown: The delivery of training by Police Scotland, in Sri Lanka, is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland. We understand that Police Scotland suspended the current training programme due to the coronavirus pandemic and that they will re-evaluate deliv…
16 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to recent reported comments by a Sri Lankan police spokesman that Sri Lankan police would not take cases of intimate partner violence to court nor separate husband and wife in cases that he described as “simple intimidation” and “slight assault”, and what …
Answer · Keith Brown: The delivery of training by Police Scotland, in Sri Lanka, is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland. The current training programme, provided by Police Scotland in Sri Lanka, is aimed at improving community policing and gender equality, with all…
16 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Sri Lankan police’s human rights record, and what assessment it has made of any risk to Scotland’s international reputation from Police Scotland continuing to train with Sri Lankan police.
Answer · Keith Brown: The delivery of training by Police Scotland, in Sri Lanka, is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland. The current training programme, provided by Police Scotland in Sri Lanka, is aimed at improving community policing and gender equality, with all…
16 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether community policing training delivered by Police Scotland in Sri Lanka includes training on intelligence gathering or operating intelligence databases on communities; whether any technology or software relating to community policing has been transferred to Sri Lanka, and what func…
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government do not hold the information requested. The delivery of training by Police Scotland, in Sri Lanka, is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.
16 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Police Scotland being funded by the UK Government to train Sri Lankan police has compromised Scottish Government commitments on human rights.
Answer · Keith Brown: Scotland has a strong and enduring commitment to securing democracy, the rule of law and human rights across the world. We expect all states to recognise fundamental human rights, comply with human rights legislation and condemn human rights abuses wherever t…
26 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) considerations it made and (b) measures it took to act in accordance with the National Marine Plan when deciding the fishing vessel licence variations announced on 23 July 2021.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: On 23 July 2021, the Scottish Government set out the catch limits that would apply in the various management areas for the North Sea handline mackerel fishery. The notifications took effect on 0001 hours on 25 July 2021. This change was a routine adjustment …
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many windfarms are (a) publicly and (b) privately owned; whether it will list the names of the owners of each wind farm, and what financial support it has provided in each of the last 14 years for the (i) private sector, (ii) public sector and (iii) community development of windfarms.
Answer · Kate Forbes: On parts (a) and (b) of the question - this information is not held by the Scottish Government. On parts (i), (ii) and (iii) of the question - we do not give specific financial support to windfarms, but have supported offshore wind innovation via grant fundi…
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of appointments to public boards by (a) gender, (b) age, (c) socio-economic status, (d) disability status and (e) ethnicity; what its response is to reports that women appointed to public boards are paid less than their male counterparts, and what step…
Answer · Kate Forbes: Statistics providing a breakdown of those appointed to regulated public body Boards as requested can be found within the Ethical Standards Commissioner Report on Public Appointments 2019 – 20. [ ESC Annual Report on Public Appointments 2019-20.pdf] Current…
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, what its response is to reports that hundreds of meetings between lobbyists and ministers were not captured by the lobbying register; for what reason any such meetings were not captured by the register, and what its position is on whether changes to the register are required.
Answer · George Adam: The recording of information on the lobbying register is a matter for regulated lobbyists in line with the requirements of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. All Ministerial engagements are proactively published by the Scottish Government and are available at…
12 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00041 by Mairi Gougeon on 24 May 2021, what progress has been made on bringing an end to caged-animal farming, following reports that the EU is working on legislation to phase out the practice by 2027.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government takes the welfare of all animals very seriously; and provision is made for the keepers of all animals to provide for their welfare under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. The Scottish Government will monitor the progr…
9 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-36073 by Mairi Gougeon on 24 March 2021, what plans it has to ensure that it is a statutory requirement that alcohol labels include (a) the Chief Medical Officer's 14 units weekly low-risk drinking guidelines, (b) health warnings and (c) ingredients…
Answer · Maree Todd: We remain committed to improving health messaging on alcohol products in Scotland. Our Alcohol Framework is clear that we expect producers to include the UK Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk weekly guidelines of 14 units on product labels as well as nutritio…
9 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on adopting a so-called surrender provision for liquor licences, similar to that in Northern Ireland, to require a public-house or off-sales licence to be surrendered to the court before a licence for a new business can be granted, and what other ways of limiting alc…
Answer · Ash Denham: Independent Licensing Boards are responsible for the day to day administration of the alcohol licensing regime within the legislative framework set out in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”). The 2005 Act includes 5 high level licensing objecti…
9 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on extending the use of recorded warnings from the possession of small amounts of cannabis to the possession of small amounts of all drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Answer · Angela Constance: Recorded Police Warnings are an alternative disposal option that are available to police officers that allow them to deal more quickly and efficiently with a range of offences which already commonly result in non-court disposals, including for small quantitie…
9 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-34320 by Angela Constance on 20 January 2021, and in light of the work of the overdose prevention service in Glasgow, which did not attract prosecution by the Lord Advocate, and did not require UK Government support or new devolved powers to impleme…
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government supports piloting supervised safe consumption facilities in Scotland given the evidence from other countries over the past 30 years. The Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) is reserved to the UK Government, but we will continue to seek constru…
8 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on (a) extending the concessionary travel scheme to people engaging in one or more substance misuse services, which submit data to the national Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy), on terms no less favourable than those available to people with mental health …
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the barriers that prevent people from accessing treatment and services, including travelling to those services. We will consider all options in how we can best support people to access the treatment and support…
8 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gave, as part of its national strategy to tackle social isolation and loneliness, to the hazard to addiction recovery of loneliness and social isolation.
Answer · Angela Constance: Social isolation and loneliness can affect all ages, stages and groups in our society and we know significant events such as addiction can lead to a situation where isolation compounds the challenges of recovery. That is why the Scottish Government carried ou…
8 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gave, as part of its revised alcohol and drug treatment policy, to the importance of services assessing the needs of clients for concessionary travel support and proactively signing off NCT002 forms as an integral component of a recovery-oriented system of care.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the barriers that prevent people from accessing treatment and services and ensuring that people are able to access the treatment and support they need, when they need it. We know that for many people, problema…