Parliamentary questions
Liam McArthur
3,644 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02280 by Michael Matheson on 7 September 2016, in light of the publication of the Audit Scotland report, i6: a review, when it will provide an update on the appointment of an independent review panel for the i6 programme.
Answer · Michael Matheson: As Audit Scotland has already provided a comprehensive report on this subject, the Scottish Government has no plans to commission a separate review.
14 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Audit Scotland report, i6: a review, whether Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority will pursue another contract for a single police IT system and, if so, when the call for procurement will be published, and whether this will be issued in th…
Answer · Michael Matheson: Police Scotland is now taking a more modular and incremental approach to ICT development to manage risk. The Policing 2026 strategy published for consultation by SPA and Police Scotland on 27 February sets out a future direction for various aspects of police …
14 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to use GPS technology for electronic monitoring.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is consulting on legislative proposals for Electronic Monitoring until 19 May 2017. This includes the proposal to introduce GPS technology for electronic monitoring. The consultation closes 19 May 2017 and a response will be published…
13 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average length of time that people have been subject to electronic monitoring has been in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The average length of time spent on Electronic Monitoring for Restriction of Liberty Orders and Home Detention Curfews are set out in the following table. 2014 2015 2016 Local Authority RLO (Months) HDC (Days) RLO (Months) HDC (Days) …
13 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have begun a sentence in each prison in each of the last five years, broken down by month, and (a) how many and (b) what percentage received a mental health assessment within 72 hours of entering.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: SPS’ Prisoner Records system (PR2) does not report data in a way which would answer the question. The amount of work involved, including bot…
13 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report from Plantlife, We need to talk about nitrogen, which suggests that, because of air pollution, one third of flowering plants is under threat, and whether it will introduce measures to help build the plants' resilience.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government notes the conclusions of the report and recognises the impact air pollution can have on the natural environment. The sensitivity of individual plant species to nitrogen pollution is variable and the critical loading is not known for al…
9 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5W-07139 by Michael Matheson on 8 March 2017, what the timeline is for (a) the process of identifying the sites, (b) community consultation and (c) providing an update on this matter.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The timeline will be dependent on the availability of suitable sites and planning permission being obtained. Community consultation will als…
9 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether, in light of the briefing paper, Why focus on reducing women's imprisonment in Scotland? by the Prison Reform Trust, which notes that (a) the number of women imprisoned increased by 46% in the 10 years since 2003–04, growing at a faster rate than men’s prison population, (b) this…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The number of women in custody in Scotland has gone down in recent years - the average daily female prison population has in fact fallen by over 6% since 2013-14 in line with similar reductions in the overall prison population - and we are working hard to con…
9 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether, following reported comments by Michael Matheson on October 2015, that "short sentences do nothing to stop reoffending in our communities and only result in offenders going in and out of prison time and time again and reoffending upon release", it will provide an update on the ac…
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07694 on 16 March 2017. 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…
9 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many convicted (a) women and (b) men were (i) drunk and (ii) under the influence of drugs at the time of their offence in each year since 2010.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.
9 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the briefing paper, Why focus on reducing women's imprisonment in Scotland?, by the Prison Reform Trust, which notes that, in 2014-15, 79% of prison sentences imposed on women were for low-level offences, what the rate (a) was in each year between 2010 and 2014 and (b) for m…
Answer · Michael Matheson: As published in the Scottish Government report "International Review of Custodial Models for Women" 79% of prison sentences imposed on women in 2013-14 were for low-level offences. This comprises crimes of dishonesty, common assault, breach of the peace and c…
9 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of (i) male and (ii) female prisoners who began serving a prison sentence of less than 12 months in each year since 2010 had dependant children.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The Scottish Prison Service does not currently hold this information.
8 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of unpaid fixed penalties have resulted in a court case, in each year since 2010.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The information required to answer this question is not held centrally.
8 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people (a) with and (b) without prior convictions in each year since 2010, have been given alternatives to prosecution, broken down by alternative.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The court proceedings dataset and the non-court proceedings dataset are not connected, and so we are not able to provide this type of analysis.
8 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many non-court issued fines have been issued in each year since 2010 by (a) Police Scotland and (b) local authorities, and how many of those have been paid.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Part A of this question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question insofar as it relates to Police Scotland issued penalties has been passed to the Chief Executiv…
8 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the rate of fixed-penalty payment has been in each year since 2010.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.
8 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many unpaid fixed-penalty fines the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has (a) recovered and (b) not recovered in each year since 2010.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.
8 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many modern apprentices have been hired by Scottish Prison Service each year, and what the annual cost has been.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS does not currently employ modern apprentices. This is because the Civil Service Recruitment Principles determine that appointments t…
8 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans the Scottish Prison Service has to change its modern apprenticeship programme.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07912 on 21 March 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the…
8 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the modern apprentices hired by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) each year completed their apprenticeship, and how many were subsequently hired by the SPS on a (a) part- and (b) full-time basis.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07912 on 21 March 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the…
7 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in developing its Circular Economy and Zero Waste Bill; what issues it has explored; what stakeholders have been engaged, and what the timeline is for its introduction.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: We will work closely with business, industry and other stakeholders to develop ideas and proposals for the Bill during the course of 2017. As set out in the Programme for Government 2016-7, we intend to introduce the Bill in the second half of the parliamenta…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cases it expects the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service will process through the digital case management process in (a) its first 12 months and (b) subsequent years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government welcomes the recent publication of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) report “Evidence and Procedure Review: A New Model for Summary Criminal Procedure”, which outlines a model underpinned by a digital case management pro…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in relation to how much money it expects to save through the implementation of the digital case management process, and when it expects this to be implemented.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07792 on 21 March 2017. 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/…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial support, (b) expert assistance and (c) guidance it will provide to assist the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service with its expanded use of technology in pre-trial procedures in summary criminal proceedings.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07792 on 21 March 2017. 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/…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the remit of the rural economy hub is, and what considerations it will give to island communities.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Rural Economy Hub is an internal Scottish Government mechanism that brings together all parts of Government working in areas that support Scotland's rural economy, and co-ordinates them into a single coherent framework that maximises the impact of policy …
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders have been notified about the creation of the rural economy hub, and how they will engage with the hub in future.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07778 on 15 March 2017. 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…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it will provide to the rural economy hub.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07778 on 15 March 2017. 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…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a list of the members of the rural economy hub and the minutes of any meetings.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07778 on 15 March 2017. 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…
3 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Mark McDonald on 2 March 2017 (Official Report, c.46) that it will develop a flagging system on the National Vulnerable Persons Database, before creating a National Child Protection Database, what access rights to information parents and guardians will have i…
Answer · Mark McDonald: As recommended by the Child Protection Systems Review, the Scottish Government has committed to working with Police Scotland to develop a flagging system on the national vulnerable persons database that will identify all children who are placed on local child…
3 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years on 2 March 2017 (Official Report, c. 46), for what reason the minister will chair the National Child Protection Leadership Group, in light of the recommendation by the Child Protection Systems Review that the group "…
Answer · Mark McDonald: The Scottish Government has accepted all the recommendations of the Child Protection Systems Review, including the recommendation to establish a National Child Protection Leadership Group. As I stated in my answer to the member in the chamber, given the expec…