Alison McInnes

3 Nov 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

27 Oct 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

20 Oct 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reported 11% fall in employment of people of working age in Dundee between 2011-12 and 2013-14 has had on women and young people.

29 Sep 2014 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Police Scotland’s decision not to make details of the cost of policing the Commonwealth Games public.

4 Aug 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its position on the set-up costs for an independent Scotland.

11 Jul 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions police officers used incapacitant spray in each year between 2006-07 and 2012-13, broken down by legacy force, and in 2013-14, broken down by division.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. Since 1 April 2013 the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner has required all police bodies operating in Scotland to notify it of any instances of incapacitant sprays being discharged.

11 Jul 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) prisoners and (b) prison staff or police officers have been (i) incapacitated and (ii) hospitalised due to the use of incapacitant spray in each prison and young offenders institution in each year since 2006-07.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: ‘‘Pelargonic acid vanillyamide (PAVA) incapacitant spray was deployed for the first time by the Scottish Prison Service as part of the incid…

11 Jul 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions incapacitant spray has been used in each prison and young offenders institution in each year since 2006-07 and who authorised its use.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: ‘‘Deployment of pelargonic acid vanillyamide (PAVA) incapacitant spray was authorised in line with SPS incident command procedures for…

11 Jul 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what records are kept regarding the use of incapacitant spray in prisons and young offenders institutions.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: ‘‘Pelargonic acid vanillyamide (PAVA) spray is deployed in line with SPS incident management procedures which prompt the creation of r…

11 Jul 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what limits there are to the Chief Constable’s power to issue a Standing Authority for the issue and carriage of firearms, and whether the Chief Constable could command that every police officer should be armed while undertaking routine duties.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: As I made clear during my statement to Parliament on 5 August 2014, it is not the Scottish Government’s policy to have a fully armed police force but we accept the need for a small number of specialist trained officers to support day to day police operations …

11 Jul 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the Standing Firearms Authority.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the Chief Constable and other senior officers from Police Scotland on a wide range of policing issues. I last met with the Chief Constable on 22 July 2014 and most recently met with Deputy Chief Constable Liv…

11 Jul 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers the use of non-statutory stop and search to be compatible with Articles (a) 5, (b) 8 and (c) 14 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Human Rights Act 1998 and the Scotland Act 1998 incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into Scots law. Police officers must comply with Articles 5, 8 and - if applicable - 14 when carrying out their duties. In addition, police officers are r…

11 Jul 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers the non-statutory stop and search of people under the age of 18 to be consistent with its obligations under Articles 3 and 16 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Human Rights Act 1998 and the Scotland Act 1998 require police officers to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) when carrying out their duties. The ECHR contains similar provisions to those found in the United Nations Convention on t…

11 Jul 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has (a) had any discussions with Police Scotland and (b) issued Police Scotland with any instruction or guidance regarding the appropriateness of searching children.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is in regular contact with Police Scotland on a wide range of policing issues, including stop and search. The most recent meeting was held on 22 July 2014. The use of stop and search is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. T…

17 Jun 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which prisons’ mental health teams provide access to (a) nurses trained in cognitive behaviour therapy and (b) clinical psychology.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21797 on 25 June 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…

17 Jun 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how long prisoners wait on average to access (a) mental health treatment and (b) specialist psychological therapies, broken down by prison.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21797 on 25 June 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…

17 Jun 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been diagnosed as requiring (a) mental healthcare provision and (b) specialist psychological therapy in each of the last three years, broken down by prison.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21797 on 25 June 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…

17 Jun 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which prisons provide psychological therapies as part of mental healthcare provision.

Answer · Michael Matheson: On 1 November 2011 responsibility and accountability for the provision of health care services transferred from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to the NHS and these services are now provided by the respective local health boards. As part of this transition,…

2 Jun 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what recent discussions the Scottish Government has had with Police Scotland regarding the use of stop and search.

22 May 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on the rural economy and environmental research of the loss of 70 jobs at the James Hutton Institute.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The institute's review of its science portfolio is aimed at identifying areas of scientific strength to build on for the future. The institute will take account of our needs identified in the Rural Affairs and Environment research strategy for 2016-2021. An …

19 May 2014 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of Police Scotland officers routinely carrying out duties while carrying firearms.

15 May 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times ministers have received (a) notification, (b) details and (c) copies of representations made by a prisoner to assist with the consideration of whether to grant or extend an order to remove that prisoner from association with other inmates in accordance with section 95 of t…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: “Ministers are not provided with notification, details or copies of representations made by a prisoner in consideration as whether to grant …

15 May 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times a prisoner has made representations to a governor prior to being served with an order for removal from association with other inmates in accordance with section 95 of the Prison and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2011 in each of the last three years, broken …

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: 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 record this information in the manner requested. When a prisoner makes representation this is recorded…

15 May 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times an order to remove a prisoner from association with other inmates in accordance with section 95 of the Prison and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2011 has been revoked by a governor on the advice of a registered medical practitioner in each of the last three …

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: 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 S4W-21187 on 29 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the …

15 May 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times a request has been made by each prison in the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) estate seeking (a) authorisation and (b) an extension for an order to remove a prisoner from association with other inmates in accordance with section 95 of the Prison and Young Offenders Instituti…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: “Rule 95(1) is applied locally by Governors and it permits a prisoner to be removed from association for a period of up to 72 hours. Extensi…

1 May 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02758 by Alasdair Allan on 8 January 2014 (Official Report, c. 26226), on what dates the stakeholder group reviewing Guidance on Education of Children Absent from School through Ill-health has met; when it will next meet, and when the review will be…

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The stakeholder group involved in the review of the Guidance on Education of Children Absent from School through Ill-health has met on seven occasions in total, on 28 March 2012, 1 February 2013, 11 April 2013, 13 June 2013, 21 August 2013, 24 October 2013 an…

1 May 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02758 by Alasdair Allan on 8 January 2014 (Official Report, c. 26226) on what date the update to Guidance on Education of Children Absent from School through Ill-health will be published, and whether it will consult on the revised document.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The intention is to publish the revised Guidance on Education of Children Absent from School through Ill-health shortly. The revision has been developed in partnership with a stakeholder group which includes representatives from ADES, COSLA, NHS Scotland, Sc…

29 Apr 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) males and (b) females have been detained in hospital under the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 or Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 by means of (i) an assessment order, (ii) a compulsion order, (iii) a compulsory treatment order, (iv) an emergency…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Mental Welfare Commission publish statistics of number of civil and forensic mental health orders in their annual monitoring reports. The reports are available online at: http://www.mwcscot.org.uk/publications/statistical-monitoring-reports/ This informa…

3 Apr 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what provision HMP Inverclyde will make for prisoners to receive private family visits from (a) children and (b) young relatives.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: “As you will be aware, HMP and YOI Inverclyde is currently in design phase. The design team’s brief is to focus on activities and play facil…

25 Mar 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on accommodating (a) men and (b) young offenders at HMP Inverclyde if there is a reduction in the number of female prisoners.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: “HMP and YOI Inverclyde is being purpose designed as Scotland’s national facility for women offenders. It will provide gender specific accom…