Parliamentary questions
John Finnie
1,255 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides funding to (a) local authorities and (b) third sector organisations in relation to the work of Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams that operate in Scotland.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not provide specific funding to local authorities or third sector organisations in relation to the work of Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams.
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams that operate in Scotland can access the (a) staffing and (b) other resources of Police Scotland.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: There is joint working between Home Office immigration enforcement and the Border Policing Command within Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division, the focus of which has been to protect vulnerable people and identify those foreign national offenders who a…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Lord Advocate has authority to instruct Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams that operate in Scotland.
Answer · Lesley Thomson: The Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams deal with civil matters of immigration law. The Lord Advocate is the head of the system of prosecution and investigation of sudden, suspicious, unexpected and unexplained deaths in Scotland. The Lor…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what liaison there is between the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams that operate in Scotland.
Answer · Lesley Thomson: The branch of Home Office immigration that deals with criminal matters is the Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigation team, which has responsibility for disrupting and dismantling organised criminal networks involved in organised immigration crime. C…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides facilities to Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams that operate in Scotland and, if so, where these are located.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not provide facilities to Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams. Home Office immigration enforcement can request from Police Scotland, with 72 hours’ notice, use of custody facilities where these may be required…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many accusations about the use of excessive force by Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams that operate in Scotland have been received by (a) Police Scotland and (b) the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and is a matter for Police Scotland and the Crown Office respectively.
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential impact on communities in Scotland, what discussions it has had with the UK Government about Home Office immigration compliance and enforcement teams that operate in Scotland.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has not had specific discussions with the Home Office about the immigration and compliance teams that operate in Scotland. However, Scottish Ministers and Scottish Government officials regularly communicate with the Home Office, and ra…
19 Mar 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it does to promote the use of technology to assist teaching in schools.
18 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish the final cost to (a) the public sector and (b) Serco NorthLink of the breakdown of the MV Hamnavoe in April 2013.
Answer · Keith Brown: The report into the breakdown of the MV Hamnavoe was published by Transport Scotland on 7 March 2014 and includes details of costs incurred. Serco NorthLink Ferries Ltd are in discussion with their insurers and updated information will be made available after…
18 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19852 by Keith Brown on 3 March 2014, on what date the 2013 information will be published on the websites.
Answer · Keith Brown: The information in respect of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service is available on the CalMac website by following the following link: http://www.calmac.co.uk/corporate-calmac The information in respect of Serco NorthLink Ferries Ltd is available on the Ser…
18 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the contract for the police vehicle recovery service will be renewed; when the renewal process will be advertised, and whether this might be subject to delay.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The police in Scotland operate independently of ministers and any decisions on the contract for the police vehicle recovery service are matters for the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.
18 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action is taken to ensure that evidence that is not stored by either the police or the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is properly safeguarded.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The storage and handling of evidence with reference to alleged criminal offences are operational matters for Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scottish Court Service or for other relevant specialist reporting agencies, such as l…
4 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance sportcotland provides to help ensure that there is an adequate provision of full-size shinty pitches.
Answer · Shona Robison: sportscotland, the national agency for sport, has over the past five years invested £272,410 on the development of shinty pitches in the Highlands and Argyll and Bute areas and discussions are on-going with a number of clubs with regard to further shinty pitc…
26 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations are subject to continuous review through on-going engagement with stakeholders. The regulations were last reviewed and updated through the Water Environment (Control Activities) (Scotland) …
25 Feb 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that environmental legislation and guidelines do not have a disproportionately negative impact on the species, homo sapiens.
21 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) stage 3 report on the Aberdeen to Inverness rail improvement project will be published on Transport Scotland's website.
Answer · Keith Brown: Transport Scotland is currently reviewing the findings of the revised GRIP 3 (Options Selection) Report, which it received at the end of 2013. It is Transport Scotland’s intention to publish a summary of the report’s findings on its website in spring 2014.
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will next review the impact of the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) formula for setting passenger fares for ferry services; when it last reviewed the impact of RETs on passenger fares, and what the main outcomes were.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government commissioned Halcrow Group Limited to assess the impact of the RET pilot on routes to the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree. A report was published in July 2011 and can be found on the Transport Scotland website: http://www.transportscot…
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) foot and (b) freight passengers were carried on each (i) Clyde and Hebrides and (ii) Northern Isles ferry route in each year between 2009 and 2013.
Answer · Keith Brown: The publication Scottish Transport Statistics provides a comprehensive summary of trends over the past 10 years and No. 32, 2013 Edition was published on Wednesday 26 February 2014. This covers the period 2002–2012. This edition was made publicly available vi…
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how regularly vessels operating on the (a) Northern Isles and (b) Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes undergo a full engine overhaul when dry docked, and when each vessel currently licensed to work on these routes last underwent such an overhaul.
Answer · Keith Brown: Under the requirements for surveys by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Classification Society (Lloyds Register) each ship must be surveyed every year for renewal of their Passenger Ship Safety Certificate. The three vessels operating on the N…
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will issue the draft invitation to tender document for the 2018-24 Northern Isles ferry services contract.
Answer · Keith Brown: The current contract with Serco NorthLink Ferries runs until April 2018. The procurement of the subsequent contract, including the issuing of the invitation to tender, will commence sufficiently in advance of that to ensure a smooth transition from the curren…
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the scale of disruption to Scottish ferry services during winter 2013-14 that was due to adverse weather conditions.
Answer · Keith Brown: As a matter of course both CalMac and Serco NorthLink Ferries will be reviewing their operations over the winter period. Working with Transport Scotland, both CalMac and Serco NorthLink Ferries regularly review performance with a view to implementing any less…
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional sailings there have been on (a) Clyde and Hebrides and (b) Northern Isles ferry routes between 1 October 2013 and 16 February 2014.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question SW4-19847 on 3 March 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/parliamentaryb…
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many winter sailings on (a) Clyde and Hebrides and (b) Northern Isles ferry routes were cancelled between 1 October 2013 and 16 February 2014.
Answer · Keith Brown: Performance information in respect of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service is available on the CalMac website by following the link: http://www.calmac.co.uk/corporate-calmac/Route-Performance-Figures/ The information details on a route by route basis the n…
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what developments in European Union public procurement policy in 2013 will influence its policies on the design of tendering documents for public contracts for passenger (a) ferry and (b) rail services, and whether it will set out changes to the design of tender documents for these servi…
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-19845 on 3 March 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/parliamentaryb…
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what developments in European Union public procurement policy in 2013 will influence its policies on tendering public contracts for passenger (a) ferry and (b) rail services, and whether it will set out changes to its public procurement policies in these sectors.
Answer · Keith Brown: A new Procurement Directive was formally adopted by the European Parliament on 15 January 2014 and the European Council on 11 February 2014. The Scottish Government will have 24 months from the date the Directives come into force to transpose it into national…
19 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers had in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013 with European Commission representatives on the need to explore the potential for raising the six-year maximum contract length for Scottish ferry services; what outcomes were agreed, and what steps it will take in 2014.
Answer · Keith Brown: Scottish Government Ministers and officials have made a series of representations to the European Commission in favour of amending the maximum permissible contract length for public service contracts for ferry services. The commission is expected to issue re…
14 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people were detained in respect of domestic violence incidents in each of the last three years and, of these, how many (a) were released without charge, (b) had their case marked as "no proceedings" by the procurator fiscal, (c) were acquitted after trial and (d) were convicted.…
Answer · Lesley Thomson: (a) Information on the number of people detained in respect of domestic violence incidents is not held by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). (b) (c) & (d) The available information is contained in the following table: People reported to…
14 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government who retains details of police written warnings that have been issued, for how long and for what purpose.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Details of Formal Adult Warnings (FAWs) are recorded in the Criminal History System (CHS) for two years and then removed. Only two FAWs are permitted on the CHS at any one time so this process enables police officers to check whether an offender has any FAWs …
14 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what redress is available to a person to challenge the legitimacy of a police written warning.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: A formal adult warning (FAW) is sent to a person who has 28 days to decide whether to accept or refuse it. If accepted, the FAW is recorded in the Criminal History System for two years and then removed. It does not count as a conviction. If refused, it is a m…
14 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the purpose is of police written warnings.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Police Scotland have discretion to issue formal adult warnings for offences which they consider to be minor in nature, as an alternative to referral to the Procurator Fiscal Service. The most common offences include street drinking, drunk and incapable, urina…