Rhoda Grant

24 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-02638 by Kate Forbes on 2 February 2021 (Official Report, c.7) and the statement by the Lord Advocate on 9 February 2021 (Official Report, c.30), what authorisation it provided regarding the sums paid out in (a) compensation payments and (b) legal e…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: In relation to sums paid out by Police Scotland in relation to (a) compensation payments and (b) legal expenses, no authorisation was sought from the Scottish Government. As the Chief Constable reported during an evidence session at the Public Audit and Post-…

24 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-02638 by Kate Forbes on 2 February 2021 (Official Report, c.7) and the statement by the Lord Advocate on 9 February 2021 (Official Report, c.30), whether any (a) compensation payments and (b) legal expenses that the chief constable has authorised to…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35537 on 12 March 2021 All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/2…

24 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-02638 by Kate Forbes on 2 February 2021 (Official Report, c.7) and the statement by the Lord Advocate on 9 February 2021 (Official Report, c.30), what additional funding has been set aside for the (a) compensation payments and (b) legal expenses inc…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35537 on 12 March 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…

23 Feb 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding changing the ringfence criteria concerning the sectoral funds distributed by local authorities.

22 Feb 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how the risk of COVID-19 transmission within Scottish courts is being mitigated, in light of the increase in prisoners testing positive within the prison estate.

22 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of what impact essential tremor has on the (a) mental health, (b) quality of life and (c) employment opportunities of people living with the condition.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has not carried out a condition-specific assessment on the impact of essential tremor. However, the Scottish Government recognises the importance of understanding and improving the lives of people with neurological conditions such as e…

22 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all people with the condition, medication refractory essential tremor, can access transcranial magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound at the earliest opportunity; what recent (a) representations and (b) discussions it has had with (i) the NHS…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is aware of some early work by the University of Dundee and Ninewells Hospital to treat a very small number of essential tremor patients through the use of a Transcranial Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasound scanner (MRgFUS) on…

17 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has provided in relation to public sector investment net present value calculations, to account for carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from investment.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has not provided specific guidance on producing public sector investment net present value calculations. The Scottish Government does produce a carbon assessment of its capital spend in the Scottish budget which shows that for Budget 2…

16 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to build and protect community resilience and wealth from corporate purchases of land in the Highlands and Islands for the purpose of carbon-offsetting.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has an unwavering commitment to land reform and supporting community ownership and engagement on land and land use decision-making across Scotland. Our land reform legislation provides communities across Scotland with various rights to…

16 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that communities in the Highlands and Islands will be guaranteed a stake in owning and managing land for the purpose of rewilding and carbon-offsetting.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has and continues to strongly support community land ownership across Scotland. Since its establishment in 2012, the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) has provided over £39 million of support to more than 240 community groups enabling them to a…

16 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that ensuring that communities benefit from public expenditure on land management practises and land uses that (a) contributes to climate heating mitigation and adaptation and (b) secures the local retention of income, is a core part of ensuring a just transition to …

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Local communities have a vital role in the management of Scotland’s land and natural capital, both in our response to the climate crisis, and in supporting a green recovery from COVID-19. Land use change at the required scale will provide green economic and e…

29 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which prisons have access to lateral flow testing technology, and what plans it has to use this to allow in-person visiting to resume.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: The responsibility for prisoner healthcare, including COVID testing, lies with individual health boards and since May 2020, al…

29 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners there are in each COVID-19 vaccination priority group, also broken down by what proportion has received a first dose.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Vaccination of prison staff and prisoners will be consistent with the wider community and in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation clinical guidance, which advises that an age-based approach continues to be the best way to protect thos…

26 Jan 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met The Highland Council and what was discussed.

22 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether people over 70 should be called for jury duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: It is recognised that it may be particularly difficult for some to carry out their civic duty on a jury during the Covid-19 pandemic. That is why the Scottish Government fully supports the approach adopted by The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service whereby …

20 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32106 by Fergus Ewing on 26 October 2020, whether the public agencies group reported back in November 2020 and, if so, what actions are being taken by the cabinet secretary regarding (a) camping, (b) pressure on rural communities and (c) the environ…

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The group has made positive progress. A Visitor Management Strategy for the 2021 season has been agreed and focuses on 3 areas: Education and Marketing, Investment and Infrastructure, and Prevention, Regulation & Reassurance. An announcement will be made ahe…

18 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 15 January 2021 from the Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice regarding the response to COVID-19 in prisons, how it is addressing the issues raised, and what (a) advice it has considered regarding and (b) plans it ha…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We take seriously the concerns raised by The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the treatment, safety and human rights of those who live and work in our prisons in response to COVID-19 remains a priority. The Scottish Government has regular engagemen…

18 Jan 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that there is adequate protection for victims of domestic abuse.

11 Jan 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what analysis the Scottish Government has undertaken regarding whether the level of police enforcement of emergency COVID-19 regulations is appropriate and the impact this is having on compliance with the restrictions.

6 Jan 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will allocate to support businesses experiencing difficulties due to COVID-19 that do not qualify for current schemes, or for which the assistance is inadequate to meet their needs.

22 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what instructions it has given to hospitals in the Highlands and Islands with regard to undertaking (a) routine and (b) priority operations.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: In view of the emergence of the new and more virulent variant of the virus and increasing pressures on NHS services as we move through the busy winter period, we have advised Health Boards that they can pause, where necessary, non-urgent elective and routine …

16 Dec 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to the calls for young people living on Scotland's islands to be given first refusal for available housing in order to tackle depopulation.

9 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has been a delay with the statutory consultation on the merger of Shetland College with Train Shetland and the North Atlantic Fisheries College Marine Centre; by what date the consultation will begin, and how long it will last.

Answer · John Swinney: There are no statutory consultation requirements on the Scottish Ministers at this stage in the process. The consultation duties on Scottish Ministers under the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 only apply to incorporated colleges. Shetland Col…

8 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the number of mobile telephone calls that have been made by prisoners to (a) Samaritans, (b) Breathing Space and (c) other mental health helplines in each month since April 2020, broken down by prison.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. The following table provides information on the number of calls made to the Samaritans by establishment, from the date on which the mobile phones were introduced…

8 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many virtual prison visits there have been each month since January 2020, broken down by prison.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. The following table provides information on the number of virtual visits that have taken place in each establishment since implementation. The legislation to all…

2 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners were moved to the Open Prison system from elsewhere in the prison system (a) during 2020 to date and (b) from 23 March 2020 to date.

Answer · Humza Yousaf : I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: 1. 147; and 2. 133

2 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been released (a) during 2020 to date and (b) from 23 March 2020 to date.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: The total number of liberations from SPS custody in 2020 are as follows: 1. 8,187; and 2. 6,179

2 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many electronic tagging orders have been issued (a) during 2020 to date and (b) from 23 March 2020 to date.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Electronic monitoring provides an important function in monitoring those at various points in the justice system, including for those on release from prison (for HDC or as part of a parole licence), or those on a community order (e.g. Restriction of Liberty O…

2 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many community disposal orders have been issued (a) during 2020 to date and (b) from 23 March 2020 to date.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The available information is provided by calendar month and shows that the number of community orders (CPOs and DTTOs) issued during 2020 was (a) 7,635 to the end of October and (b) 3,674 from April to the end of October. Data source: Scottish Courts & Tribu…

26 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is consulting stakeholders and politicians regarding the COVID-19 Strategic Framework. 

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Scotland’s Strategic Framework sets out an approach to applying restrictions only where necessary, and removing them as soon as they have achieved their effect. Ministers have set out the framework with an open mind, and committed to engaging with Parliament,…