Graeme Pearson

14 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many next-of-kin or families have been contacted regarding (a) brain, (b) tissue and (c) other body parts that have been removed from people after death in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is unable to provide this information for the last ten years as it is not easily accessible (it would require 10 years worth of case papers relating to criminal and non criminal cases to be examined manua…

14 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which (a) Crown Office and (b) NHS department is responsible for ensuring that a deceased person's next-of-kin or family is given the opportunity to arrange for the disposal of (i) brain, (ii) tissue and (iii) other body parts that have been removed after death, and which person has over…

Answer · Frank Mulholland: Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) deals with the investigation of around 12,000 deaths every year and instructs post mortem examinations in respect of some cases. Since April 2012 in situations where the Procurator Fiscal has instructed a po…

14 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports of people having (a) brain, (b) tissue and (c) other body parts removed after death without the consent or knowledge of their next-of-kin or family; whether it considers this to be a failure in procedure and, if so, what (i) the reason was for this and (ii…

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) cannot comment in respect of post mortem examinations carried out at the instance of the NHS or other medical practitioners. COPFS deals with the investigation of around 12000 deaths every year and instr…

14 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps the Crown Office is taking to (a) identify and (b) contact the next-of-kin or families of deceased people who have not been given the opportunity to arrange for disposal of (i) brain, (ii) tissue and (iii) other body parts that were removed after the person's death.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) deals with the investigation of around 12000 deaths every year and instructs post mortem examinations in respect of some cases. Under section 38 of the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006, tissue samples ta…

14 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people had (a) brain, (b) tissue and (c) other body parts removed after death without the consent or knowledge of their next-of-kin or family in each year since 2007.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The COPFS deals with the investigation of around 12000 deaths every year and instructs post mortem examinations in respect of some cases. Since 2007, in six instances nearest relatives were not made aware that organs had been retained for further examination…

14 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) maximum time was between incident and trial, and how many specialist sheriffs were involved with cases, at the dedicated domestic violence court in (i) Glasgow and (ii) Edinburgh in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does not hold the information you request. You might wish to contact ASSIST (Advocacy, Support, Safety, Information Services Together) who in Glasgow, support victims from the point of contact. Notwithstanding the information sought is…

24 Jun 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to reduce the number of assaults against police officers.

17 Jun 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what impact the recent decision by three senior executives to leave the Scottish Police Authority will have on its IT strategy.

5 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02203 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2013, what the reasons are for the projected rise in prison population to an annual average of 8,300 in 2012-13.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The projections are based on past trends and do not explicitly model the potential impact of future changes in policy or practice on the prison population. While there was a small dip in the population between 2009-10 and 2010-11, the overall trend over the p…

5 Jun 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the individual patient treatment request system meets the needs of patients.

4 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many schools (a) are twinned and (b) have electronic links with schools in China and what encouragement it gives to schools wanting to develop such initiatives.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not collect data on the number of schools that are twinned with or have electronic links with schools in China. However, 12 of the 13 Confucius Classroom Hubs, covering 17 local authorities, are each twinned with schools in Tianji…

4 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers Chinese businesses that want to (a) set up in and (b) trade with Scotland.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: a) The Scottish Government through its international trade and investment arm, Scottish Development International (SDI), provides support to Chinese businesses that want to set up operations in Scotland and develop projects that will benefit the Scottish econ…

4 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to small and medium-sized enterprises that want to do business with China.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government through its international trade and investment arm, Scottish Development International (SDI), has in place services to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) wanting to do business in and with China. SDI provides assistance …

4 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to encourage people to learn (a) Mandarin and (b) Cantonese.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps over the past 4 years to encourage people to learn Mandarin and Cantonese as well as about Chinese culture and history. This includes the launch of 13 Confucius Classrooms serving 17 local authorities across…

4 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what visa requirements it expects would be in place for people from (a) China, (b) India and (c) the rest of the UK wanting to visit an independent Scotland.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Details of our proposals on independence will be in the white paper to be published later this year. However we have already stated that an independent Scotland would negotiate to remain within the common travel area, maintaining an open border between Scotla…

4 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage (a) trade, (b) educational and (c) other links with China; whether it is encouraging airlines to establish direct flights between Scotland and China to help improve these links; whether it considers that the visa arrangements for Chinese citizens ent…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is committed to developing a long-term relationship with China, based on shared values, partnership and trust. This is articulated in Working with China: A Five Year Strategy for Engagement between Scotland and the People’s Republic of…

28 May 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what preparations are being undertaken to deal with the forecast rise in the prison population to an annual daily average of 9,500 over the next eight years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has a programme of measures in place to reduce reoffending, including our recently announced £10 million scheme to provide more offenders leaving prison with a mentor to support their release and reintegration. I am confident that thes…

22 May 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice regarding the allocation of Barnett consequentials to Police Scotland.

9 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances parole board decisions can be challenged, and by whom.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: There is no statutory right to appeal a decision of the Parole Board. However, in common with other public bodies, the lawfulness of a Parole Board decision may be challenged by way of a judicial review by a party with sufficient title and interest to do so.

28 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people with sleep apnoea are diagnosed timeously. 

Answer · Michael Matheson: A key way of delivering safe, effective and person centred services is through the implementation of clinical standards. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 73 on the Management of Sleep Apnoea/Hypopnoea in Adults, provides clinic…

12 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many police support staff there were in (a) each police force, (b) the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and (c) the Scottish Police Services Authority on 31 December 2012.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Police staff play a critical role in the success of Scottish policing, and supporting the delivery of crucial frontline services, and will continue to do so in the future. The number of police support staff (full time equivalent) on 31 December 2012 is given …

5 Mar 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what strategic assessment it has carried out of the security needs of and threats faced by an independent Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The primary function of government is to ensure the security of its citizens and to protect them, their property and way of life against threats. An independent Scotland will have security arrangements that are proportionate, fit for purpose, and reflect a fu…

4 Mar 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will clarify the current relationship between the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.

27 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since June 2012 to (a) strengthen the licensing scheme for metal and (b) ban payment of cash in exchange for scrap metal, and what further action is planned.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has raised the level of turnover required for a meal dealer to be exempt from licensing from £100,000 to £1,000,000, there by drawing more dealers into the licensing scheme. The order making this change was laid before the Scottish Par…

25 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency who are on the Department of Work and Pensions' Work Programme have (a) applied for and (b) been granted funding from the local authority Skills Development and Employability Service.

Answer · John Swinney: East Ayrshire Council advises that only a small number less than five people have applied for access to provision available through the Skills Development and Employability Service. None have been granted funding. This is because the programme is part-fund…

25 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions took place regarding the Department of Work and Pensions' Work Programme at the Scottish Employability Forum on 31 January 2013.

Answer · John Swinney: The meeting of the Scottish Employability Forum (SEF) on 31 January 2013 was the first meeting of the group. The Work Programme providers for Scotland, Working Links and Ingeus, are now members of the SEF. Although there was no specific discussion of the Work…

25 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of the UK Government to discuss the Department of Work and Pensions' Work Programme.

Answer · John Swinney: I met Chris Grayling, the then UK Government Minister for Employment on 10 January 2012. A range of topics in relation to employment and skills were discussed, including the Work Programme. As part of a series of regular update meetings, Scottish Government …

21 Feb 2013 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what developments there have been since November 2012 regarding the external screening facility.

19 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that college regionalisation does not result in students being unable to attend courses close to home.

11 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints have been received from prisoners regarding their healthcare since November 2011, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Alex Neil: The latest annual national NHS complaints statistics (covering the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012) published by the Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland are available at: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Qual…