Parliamentary questions
Sharon Dowey
756 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is possible for a local authority to revoke a person's free bus travel card under the Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme if they are found to be using the bus network to commit criminal offences in multiple areas away from their home address.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The conditions of eligibility and access to free bus travel for people aged under 22 are set out in the National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Young Persons (Scotland) Order 2021. There are no powers to enable local authorities to revoke a person's free bu…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported warnings from several national supermarkets regarding an increase in shoplifting.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government recognises the disruption and harm to businesses from theft and antisocial behaviour, and Police Scotland and partners are taking action to tackle and reduce it. As the First Minister made clear in the chamber on 5 October 2023, while…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide additional resources to Police Scotland to ensure that shoplifting is investigated promptly and to avoid this type of offending being deprioritised.
Answer · Angela Constance: Policing is and will continue to be a priority for this Government. Police funding has increased year-on-year since 2016-17, with the Scottish Government investing more than £11.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013. The total budget for pol…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued to people by Police Scotland in relation to shoplifting in 2023 to date.
Answer · Angela Constance: Police Scotland do not have the legal powers to directly issue antisocial behaviour orders. Local authorities and registered social landlords, in consultation with the police, can apply to the sheriff court for an order where there is evidence that a person (…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been convicted of an offence under the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021 since it came into force.
Answer · Angela Constance: The numbers of accused prosecuted and convicted under the new Protection of Retail Workers (Scotland) Act, which came into force in August 2021, will be available when the Criminal Proceedings National Statistics is published on the 24 th of October 2023. The…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received an alternative to prosecution from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for committing an offence under the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021 since it came into force.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: Between 24 August 2021 (when the legislation came into force) and 31 August 2023, the total number of cases reported to COPFS under section 1 of the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-Restricted Good and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021 was 2503. Of these 25…
19 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to reduce waiting times for physiotherapy appointments in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Answer · Michael Matheson: We committed in our Integrated Health and Social Care Workforce Plan (December 2019) to create 225 more Advanced Musculo-Skeletal Practitioners in Primary Care. This is to support the embedding of multi-disciplinary teams in primary care settings and enable …
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people were employed on a secondment to the Scottish Government that was governed by a service level agreement in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.
Answer · Michael Matheson: In relation to both financial years, 2021-22 and 2022-23, the total number of individuals procured to provide specialist services under Service Level Agreements is set out in the following table: Financial Year Total SLAs 2021-22 138 2022-23 200
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been employed on a secondment to the Scottish Government that is governed by a service level agreement and subsequently returned to their substantive post in the last five years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government holds only relevant information on Service Level Agreements, such as the names of the relevant individuals and organisations to which they belong, providing start and end dates for each Agreement. Whilst we cannot provide a complete pi…
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people on a secondment to the Scottish Government that is governed by a service level agreement have had their secondment renewed on an annual or bi-annual basis in the last five years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: As at October 2023, our records show that across the whole of the Scottish Government there are currently 155 individuals procured to provide specialist services under a Service Level Agreement. The Agreements that are put in place stipulate the length of t…
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of its current total workforce is on a secondment to the Scottish Government that is governed by a service level agreement.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The percentage of individuals procured by the Scottish Government to provide specialist services under Service Level Agreements compared to the total headcount (as at 30 June 2023) is 1.44%.
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether service level agreements offer adequate employment protection for people on a secondment that is governed by one within the NHS and civil service.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Service Level Agreements (SLA) with other public bodies are a commonly used and effective way to procure specialist advisory services for a defined period. Underpinned in Scottish Procurement law by the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 Regulation …
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently on a secondment, to the Scottish Government from all NHS boards, that is governed by a service level agreement.
Answer · Michael Matheson: As at October 2023, the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Directorates (HSCD) have 145 specialist advisors from various NHS Scotland territorial and national boards, procured under a Service Level Agreement, working with Scottish Government officia…
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently on a secondment, to the Scottish Government from NHS Ayrshire and Arran, that is governed by a service level agreement.
Answer · Michael Matheson: As at October 2023, the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Directorates (HSCD) have 8 specialist advisors procured under a Service Level Agreement from NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to update its Partnership Information Network (PIN) policies in partnership with NHS Scotland employers.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The NHSScotland 'Once for Scotland' Workforce Policies Programme commenced work to review and transform existing workforce policies (PIN policies) on 1 March 2020. Work was paused during the pandemic and in response to service pressures before being restarted…
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what conditions must be met to qualify for an energy saving grant from Home Energy Scotland.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme was launched in December 2022 and offers homeowners in Scotland a grant, interest free loan or a combination of both to support the installation of zero direct emission heating systems and energy efficiency…
13 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to widen eligibility for people to receive a grant from Home Energy Scotland to enable more people to make energy saving improvements.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme was launched in December 2022 and offers homeowners in Scotland a grant, interest free loan or a combination of both to support the installation of zero direct emission heating systems and energy efficiency…
13 Sep 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that body-worn cameras will be delivered to over 14,000 police officers, in light of its 2023-24 Programme for Government commitment to support Police Scotland to achieve this.
11 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many accused have been offered alternatives to prosecution for assault in each of the last five years.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: The following table sets out the number of accused receiving a direct measure as a first substantive marking compared to the total number of accused receiving a first substantive marking (all types including: court, direct measure, no action, no decision) in …
11 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many fiscal fines have been issued to individuals who have committed an offence in Ayr in each of the last five years.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: The following table sets out the total number of accused reported to Ayr Procurator Fiscal Office receiving a first substantive marking of a fiscal fine in each of the last 5 years. Year 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Fiscal Fine 553 554 33…
11 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service chose to take no action in (a) Ayr and (b) Kilmarnock in each of the last five years.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: Prosecutors do not always choose to mark a case for no action, they may require to do so if there is not sufficient admissible evidence available in law to justify prosecutorial action or where the statutory time limits have been exceeded. The following tabl…
11 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to the introduction of restorative justice services, and, if so, when it plans to roll this out fully across the country.
Answer · Angela Constance: We remain committed to having restorative justice (RJ) services available across Scotland. We are clear that the needs and voices of persons harmed must to be central to RJ processes and that services must be safe, consistent, evidence-led, trauma informed an…
11 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisons are currently operating over their capacity, and to what extent that is the case.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government recognises that the imprisonment rate in Scotland is high and we are taking action to address that. I wrote to the Criminal Justice Committee on 13 September, to highlight the issue and outline the actions being taken to tackle the ris…
16 Aug 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a list of all verbal engagements and meetings that it has had with Circularity Scotland, in 2023 to date, including the (a) basic facts of and (b) names of those in attendance at any such meetings.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government had regular engagement with Circularity Scotland (CSL) as part of preparations for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Circularity Scotland Ltd went into administration in June 2023 following the UK Government’s decision not to gra…
11 Aug 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19825 by Natalie Don on 27 July 2023, when it anticipates it will be able to provide clarity regarding the sum outstanding on the anticipated £500 million in the fund, and how it anticipates the remaining allocation will be spent.
Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government remains resolute in its commitment to Keep the Promise and the implementation plan published last year sets out our actions and commitments to help care experienced children, young people and their families. The Whole Family Wellbeing …
9 Aug 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been provided to local authorities from the Ukraine Longer Term Resettlement Fund.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government publishes details of all awards made from the Fund to Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords at https://www.gov.scot/publications/ukraine-longer-term-resettlement-fund/pages/list-of-approved-projects/
8 Aug 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the policy grounds were for deciding that those over the age of 61 do not qualify for a student loan in Scotland.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The policy rationale relating to the current age cap for access to living cost loans is to ensure a 5 year gap between the age cap and the UK State Pension Age. This allows students sufficient time to complete their studies, enter repayment and pay back some/…
8 Aug 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to widen student loan eligibility for those over the age of 61.
Answer · Graeme Dey: A policy decision has been made to link the student loan age cap in Scotland to the UK state pension age, ensuring a 5 year gap between the two. This was implemented to allow students sufficient time to complete their studies, enter repayment and pay back som…
31 Jul 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is carrying out to protect private water supplies in rural Scotland from any damage caused by forest felling when developing new wind farms.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is currently reviewing existing private water supply legislation, which will align private water supply policy with the EU’s recast Drinking Water Directive and further measures required to adapt to climate change impacts. This include…
5 Jul 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will receive any Barnett consequential funding as a result of the UK Government's £5 million fund for Arts Council England's Supporting Grassroots Live Music Fund, and, if so, whether any such funding will be ring-fenced to support the Scottish grassroots music sector.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: HM Treasury advised that the Scottish Government will not receive any Barnett consequentials, in respect of the UK Government's announcement of £5 million for Arts Council England's Supporting Grassroots Live Music Fund.