Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Scottish breast screening programme data 2022-23, for what reason the uptake for routine first invitations has been declining, and what steps are being taken to address this.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Breast Screening Programme Statistics 2022-23 show that more women than ever are attending breast screening appointments, and that uptake is increasing for most groups. It is important to note that uptake for women receiving their first breast sc…
22 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many women have been invited for their breast screening appointment outwith the 36-month round length standard, in each year since 2019.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Breast Screening Programme Statistics 2022-23 published by PHS confirm that uptake of breast screening is at its highest level. This means that more women with breast cancer are diagnosed at an early stage when it is more easily treatable and sur…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of hate crime charges or hate crime aggravations have been recorded in Lothian region, to date, under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.
Answer · Ruth Charteris: Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) uses a live, operational database to manage the processing of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies throughout Scotland. It is designed to meet business needs in t…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what temporary facilities are available for critical policing facilities in the event that Police Scotland's Edinburgh Division Fettes headquarters are closed, and what assurances it can provide that any such facilities do not contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), unsafe…
Answer · Angela Constance: The location of critical policing facilities is an operational decision for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland is currently in discussions with a number of partners around possible locations in Edinburgh, to ensure it can continue to provide a policing ser…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has ever corresponded with the Divisional Commander of Police Scotland's Edinburgh Division regarding the operational distribution of officers.
Answer · Angela Constance: Scottish Government ministers and officials liaise with Police Scotland officers of various ranks on a regular basis. I and accompanying officials met the then Divisional Commander for Edinburgh in August 2023 as part of a short visit to the joint Police Scot…
21 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which police stations in the (a) Lothian region and (b) Edinburgh Division area have been identified as containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Answer · Angela Constance: Within the Police Scotland estate in the Edinburgh and Lothians area, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) has been identified as being present in Fettes, and in an outbuilding at Haddington Police Station. Police Scotland have ensured that there is…
20 May 2024 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported figures showing that average rents increased at a higher rate in Scotland than any other region or nation in the UK between September 2022 and March 2024.
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been the subject of any civil action in Scottish courts by a person in relation to them having a non-crime hate incident recorded against them; if so, how many such cases are currently in process, and how many cases that have concluded resulted in a ruling in favour of the…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government has not been the subject of any civil action in Scottish courts by a person in relation to them having a non-crime hate incident recorded against them.
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, following the closure of Torness nuclear power station, which is currently projected to be in 2028, what proportion of the energy that households in the Lothian region will draw from the grid it estimates will be generated by nuclear power stations in the rest of the UK.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The proportion of electricity consumed by households that will be generated by nuclear power stations in the rest of the UK is not possible to predict with any level of certainty in 2028. It will depend on a range of market factors.
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) requires and (b) conducts formal security clearances for anyone designated as a (i) "hate crime advisor" and (ii) "hate crime champion", as set out in the document, Interim Guidance - Responding to Hate.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: I refer the member to the answer to S6W-27665, 4 June 2024, the designation of Hate Crime Advisors and Hate Crime Champions is an operational matter for Police Scotland. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website,…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it differentiates between a "hate crime advisor" and a "hate crime champion", and whether people who are designated as such (a) are all sworn constables and (b) have formal legal training.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The designation of a Hate Crime Advisor and Hate Crime Champion is an operational decision for Police Scotland, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information. You may wish to contact Police Scotland directly regarding any questions you have in r…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what reporting requirements Police Scotland has to the Scottish Government or other publicly funded bodies regarding the rate and nature of non-crime hate incidents.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: There are no reporting requirements on the rate and nature of non-crime hate incidents from Police Scotland to the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government is not aware of reporting requirements to any other public body.
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in what system Police Scotland is currently mandated to record non-crime hate incidents; whether this is a distinctly different system to the system for recording arrest records or formal charges, and, if this is not the case, whether there are strict Chinese wall protocols in place to m…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27432 on 4 June 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…
16 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently published Police Scotland interim guidance on the recording of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), which states that a report would happen in "exceptional circumstances", what are defined as "exceptional circumstances" in which a party allegedly at fault in a repo…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27431 on 4 June 2024 All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/w…
10 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is any regulatory requirement that means that public sector bodies should not use recycled aggregates in construction projects, and what plans it has to encourage the use of recycled aggregates through its procurement programme.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government are not aware of any regulations which prevent public sector bodies from using recycled aggregates in construction projects. SEPA encourages the use of recycled aggregates and has issued guidance on their manufacture from inert waste…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish any legal advice that it has received regarding the potential for any action in the Scottish courts against (a) it and (b) Police Scotland resulting from any disclosure of a non-crime hate incident.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The recording of non-crime hate incidents is an operational matter for Police Scotland. Under legal professional privilege the Scottish Government does not disclose the content or source of any legal advice it has received on any topic or whether it has rece…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost to Police Scotland of any data breaches was in the financial year to 5 April 2024, including (a) legal cost incursions, (b) the employment of additional staff, (c) the payment of contracts with third party companies and individuals, (d) the repair of existing or e…
Answer · Angela Constance: Costs associated with Police Scotland’s data management are a matter for the Chief Constable.
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many data breaches that contained private orpersonal information of UK citizens have occurred within Police Scotland sincefigures were last disclosed through a Freedom of Information request in 2023,and whether any such information was related to alleged or convicted crimes.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. It is for the Chief Constable to determine Police Scotland’s approach to data management and to ensure there are policies and controls in place to ensure the organisation complies with the…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it and Police Scotland have been required, mandated or legally compelled to put in place to prevent the informal disclosure of privileged information by serving officers or civilian employees with access to police databases on personal or private devices.
Answer · Angela Constance: While it is the responsibility of Police Scotland to meet its obligations for data has a wide range of obligations to meet in discharging its statutory and regulatory responsibilities regarding the processing of data. These obligations include Data Protecti…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether (a) it and (b) Police Scotland could be liable for any material effect to a Scottish resident's circumstances if it was found that any negligence or malice on the part of a public servant had led to public knowledge of a recorded non-crime hate incident.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Any investigation into whether there has been any material effect to a Scottish resident’s circumstances due to alleged negligence or malice on the part of a public servant leading to public knowledge of a recorded non-crime hate incident, and related issues …
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data destruction methods and processes Police Scotland would employ to delete any recorded non-crime hate incident where it had been found not to have met the threshold for being so recorded.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Methods and processes with respect to handling of data on non-crime hate incidents recorded by Police Scotland, is an operational matter for Police Scotland. You may wish to contact Police Scotland directly regarding any questions you have in relation to the…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently published Police Scotland interim guidance on the recording of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), whether any process, such as arbitration, exists that would allow a person to appeal a decision that an incident has met the threshold for being recorded as a NCHI, …
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The recording of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) is an operational matter for Police Scotland. This preserves the operational independence of Scotland’s criminal justice system and keeps it free from political interference. You may wish to contact Police Sc…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the recording of non-crime hate incidents under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 could have a material effect on an individual's employment or otherwise personal circumstances.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27429 on 4 June 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the third supplementary to question S6O-03335 by Angela Constance on 24 April 2024, whether it can confirm if any non-crime hate incidents recorded by Police Scotland under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 will appear in any (a) disclosure and…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: In the Interim guidance published for officers on the recording of Non-Crime Hate Incidents - Police Scotland published by Police Scotland on 9 May 2024, it explains that the alleged perpetrator would usually be recorded as the ‘other party’ (unless in exce…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to any reports that it has received regarding the implementation of the new repairing standards on fire and electrical safety, whether it has been made aware of any adverse personal and/or professional circumstances that have resulted from the new standards.
Answer · Paul McLennan: In the course of correspondence that the Scottish Government receives from the public and professional bodies on a range of matters, a few of those correspondence has highlighted the challenges of meeting some of the obligations that have come into effect fro…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to monitor the implementation of the new repairing standards in relation to fire and electrical safety, and, if it is the case that this is the responsibility of local authorities, what requirements exist for local authorities to report their findings to…
Answer · Paul McLennan: Private residential landlords in Scotland are required to register with their local authority under Part 8 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland Act) 2004 and pass the fit and proper person test. One of the considerations in the fit and proper person tes…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether failure to comply with the new repairing standards for fire safety and electrical redundancies, including a failure to install a Residual Current Device (RCD), which came into force in March 2024, could result in criminal prosecution.
Answer · Paul McLennan: Enforcement arrangements for all elements of the Repairing Standard are set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006. It is the responsibility of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) to decide whether the landlord has complied wi…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any knowledge or information regarding the level of compliance with the new repairing standards for fire safety and electrical fittings in Scottish households, which came into force in March 2024.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government does not currently collect any information about compliance with the new repairing standard requirements on electrical fittings. Where a tenant believes the Repairing Standard is not being met in the house they rent from a private land…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to mark Coeliac Awareness Month in May 2024, and what strategies it has in place to raise awareness of the condition.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government welcomes the work of organisations like Coeliac UK who are already undertaking communications work to increase awareness and knowledge of coeliac disease and highlight the importance of knowing the symptoms and risk factors. We support…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards the adoption of a single clinical pathway for coeliac disease.
Answer · Neil Gray: Following the launch of a new national evidence-based pathway for coeliac disease in 2018, we expect all Health Boards to fully implement the Coeliac Disease Pathway in Scotland to improve under diagnosis, time to diagnosis and to ensure dietetic person-centr…