Parliamentary questions

Douglas Ross

343 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

27 Feb 2017 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the consultation document, Policing 2026: Our 10 year strategy for policing in Scotland.

22 Feb 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the Scottish Police Authority and what issues were discussed.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I met the Chair of the Scottish Police Authority on Wednesday 22 February 2017 when we discussed matters of SPA business.

15 Feb 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the board of NFU Scotland and what issues were discussed.

7 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports regarding Police Scotland’s Vulnerable Persons Database, whether it considers one in 14 people in Scotland to be vulnerable.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The criteria for recording individuals on the interim Vulnerable Persons Database is an operational matter for Police Scotland. I understand that individuals are only recorded on the database if they are considered to be subjects of concern at the point of co…

7 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which public bodies have access to the Police Scotland Vulnerable Persons Database.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This is an operational matter for Police Scotland as owner of the interim Vulnerable Persons Database.

7 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what oversight it has regarding the sharing of details on the Police Scotland Vulnerable Persons Database with other agencies.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The sharing of information contained within the interim Vulnerable Persons Database is an operational matter for Police Scotland. Police Scotland is required to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 and all other relevant legislation.

6 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it was alerted by the Lord Advocate prior to the 2017-18 Draft Budget that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service would need to lose around 200 posts from its current workforce to deliver the required real terms savings over the next five years.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: There is no plan to reduce the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s workforce by 200. The Workforce Planning Strategy, which is a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service rather than the Scottish Government, sets out, in line with the…

6 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service would be able to achieve the priorities identified in the 2017-18 Draft Budget with a reducing workforce.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: As the Lord Advocate confirmed in his evidence to the Justice Committee, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will, with its budget allocation for 2017-18, continue to prosecute crime rigorously, fairly and independently. The Service remains committ…

6 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it was made aware of the contents of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Workforce Planning Strategy, which was reportedly published on 30 January 2017.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: The Workforce Planning Strategy is a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, not the Scottish Government, and was made available to all parties for the first time when published on 30 January 2017.

1 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05946 by Michael Matheson on 1 February 2017, in light of the comment that it "allocates funding directly to NHS Boards as part of their overall funding allocations", whether the amount given to Police Scotland was reduced when this funding was allo…

Answer · Michael Matheson: From 1 April 2014, the budget for the provision of healthcare and forensic services for people in police care transferred from the Police Scotland budget within the Justice Directorate to the Health and Social Care Directorate budget and was subsequently allo…

30 Jan 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Auditor General’s comments regarding Police Scotland and that the “lack of progress that’s been made in demonstrating financial leadership is unacceptable for any public body.”

25 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has not placed the findings of its 2015 staff survey in the public domain, and what its position is on this decision.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) cultural audit of 2014 asked staff for their views in confidence. The Scottish Information Commissioner upheld the view of the SFRS that disclosure would compromise confidentiality. The Scottish Government res…

25 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what is position is on the findings of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s 2015 staff survey.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government is aware of the cultural audit (staff survey) carried out by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) in 2014. The audit is an important tool for SFRS to measure its progress in supporting and encouraging its workforce. Taking fo…

18 Jan 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment by the RCN in a report from November 2016 that “core areas of service - such as nurse-led primary care, long-term conditions management and care for older people in prison or those with learning disabilities - are falling short in many areas".

Answer · Maureen Watt: The National Nurse Advisor of the National Prisoner Healthcare Network is liaising with the Scottish Executive Nurse Directors (SEND) to respond to, and address, the matters raised in the Royal College of Nursing Scotland report. In addition, the National Pr…

11 Jan 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is content with the way that it records crime.

9 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which new psychoactive substances the Scottish Prison Service tests for when prisoners are subject to a drugs test.

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 (SPS) does not test for New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). There are significant challenges around the detection…

3 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many air (a) rifles and (b) weapons it estimates there are in Scotland and how many of these were licenced on 1 January 2017.

Answer · Michael Matheson: At the time of preparing Part 1 of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill, we estimated that there may be some 500,000 air weapons in circulation in Scotland. That figure was based on known sales and other factors over a long period and was agreed in d…

3 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which Police Scotland divisions pay the NHS to provide medical services in custody centres.

Answer · Michael Matheson: On 1 April 2014, the delivery of healthcare to people in police custody became the responsibility of NHS boards. Police Scotland does not pay the NHS to deliver healthcare services. Rather the Scottish Government allocates funding directly to NHS boards as pa…

3 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average time and (b) longest time has been to process an application for an air weapon certificate that was received by the 31 October 2016 deadline.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is not held centrally. Responsibility for processing and determining air weapon certificate applications lies with the Police Service of Scotland. Each application is dealt with on its own merits and the police do not track processin…

3 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what level of service police custody centres receive from the NHS, and whether the level is the same for all centres.

Answer · Michael Matheson: In order to support the delivery of healthcare and forensic medical services to people in police care there is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Police Scotland and NHS Boards. The MoU clearly sets out roles and responsibilities with regards to serv…

22 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases in each of the last five years, where the charge of assaulting an emergency worker under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005, have been dropped to pursue a charge relating to the same incident.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) Management Information Database records data on the basis of charges not “incidents”. One “incident” can involve multiple charges and multiple accused, sometimes reported and prosecuted under separate cases. …

22 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases there have been in each of the last five years, where the charge of assaulting an emergency worker under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 have been dropped by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: The following table relates to charges under sections 1(1) and 2(1) of the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005. There will frequently be more than one charge arising from a single incident and multiple charges under the same legislation may feature in a sin…

21 Dec 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the tourism sector in the Highlands and Islands.