Mary Fee

14 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the waiting list time is for prisoners accessing purposeful activity, broken down by prison.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS does not collect this information in the format requested. Following the admissions process, everyone received into a Scottish pris…

14 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners take part in purposeful activity each year, broken down by prison.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS does not collect this information in the format requested. All prisoners are both required to and take part in Purposeful Activity…

14 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many activities and services are classed as purposeful activity in prisons.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: Within the SPS there are in excess of 500 activities and services delivered in establishments which are considered to be Purposeful. The def…

14 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many third sector organisations are involved in purposeful activity in prisons.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS engages with a wide range of third sector organisations in the delivery of Purposeful Activity. SPS believe that the third sector ha…

14 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which department and minister have overall responsibility for children and families affected by the imprisonment of a parent or other family member.

Answer · Mark McDonald: The Directorate for Children and Families lead on policy for children and families affected by the imprisonment of parent or other family member. However given the cross-cutting nature of this policy, they work very closely in collaboration with Directorates…

14 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) spends on carrying out purposeful activity in prisons, given in (a) cash terms and (b) as a percentage of the SPS budget, also broken down by prison.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS does not collect financial information in the format requested. Financial information related to Purposeful Activity is available wi…

14 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the review, Delivering a Strategy for Purposeful Activity in the Scottish Prison Service, in 2014, whether it will provide an update on the progress of carrying out purposeful activity in prisons.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS provided an update on our progress in respect to Purposeful Activity in our recently published SPS Annual Report and Accounts 2015-2…

29 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people begin a prison sentence with a tenancy and how many are supported to keep their tenancy for when they leave prison.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: Information on how many people begin a prison sentence with a tenancy and how many are supported to keep their tenancy for when they leave p…

29 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many former prisoners who are homeless on release go on to reoffend, broken down by (a) prison, (b) region and (c) local authority.

Answer · Michael Matheson: While Scottish Government collect data on those who have applied as homeless after release from prison, these are not held in a way which allows routine linkage with the reconvictions data held by Scottish Government.

29 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are classed as homeless on (a) entering and (b) leaving prison.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: (a) In 2015-16 prison was the accommodation occupied following final discharge of duty or closure of the homelessness case for 529 applicants. (b) In 2015-16 1,955 people submitted a homelessness application where they became homeless/ threatened with homele…

29 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what housing support and advice services are available for prisoners in each prison to ensure that they have suitable accommodation on their release.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: We have captured the housing support and advice arrangements in each establishment through a current position audit and these are described …

29 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take (a) prior to the implementation of and (b) as part of the new community justice system to provide prisoners and former prisoners with housing support and advice to sustain or find a tenancy when they leave prison.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government recognises the challenges that prisoners and their families may face, and the support that may be required, to sustain tenancies. Housing was a key focus of the Ministerial Group for Offender Reintegration. The Group commissioned resea…

12 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what NHS services are available to support women who have undergone female genital mutilation.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The aim was to have a consistent approach to the delivery of multiagency services that was required locally according to assessed need. This is expected to be delivered jointly with other public sector and third sector agencies. As part of the work of the Mul…

12 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is available to NHS staff for treating women who have undergone female genital mutilation.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer Letters in 2014, 2015 and 2016 have provided guidance to NHS staff and other professionals delivering sensitive and responsive services. These letters also direct the professionals to the available training, som…

1 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the occupational gender divide in the labour market.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We recognise that occupational segregation reinforces gender stereotypes, helps drive the gender pay gap and holds back women’s opportunity to thrive economically. It is also holding back our economy. But good progress is being made. The numbers of passes by…

1 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to widen access to sport for young LGBTI people.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer for question S5W-02286 on 22 September. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness…

1 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of females working full-time in the labour market.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: For many women, part-time work can offer the flexibility they desire. However, we know there are fewer women in full-time medium-high and high-skilled jobs compared to men and that women are more likely to work part-time and in lower paid occupations. We ther…

1 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle (a) homophobia, (b) biphobia and (c) transphobia in sport.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Active Scotland Outcomes Framework sets out our ambitions for a more active Scotland, and is underpinned by a commitment to equality. Realising our vision of a more active Scotland means that everyone should have access to opportunities to be active, rega…

1 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its strategy is to reduce the drop-off rate in teenage sports participation by LGBTI people.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer for question S5W-02286 on 22 September. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/2…

18 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been made to the Scottish Legal Aid Board in each year since 2011; how many were rejected, and what the reasons were for rejection.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The number of applications made to the Scottish Legal Aid board (SLAB) each year since 2011 are in the following table. The data includes the numbers of applications which were not completed. These were applications which were abandoned by the applicant or wh…

18 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action is taken when a potential client of the Scottish Legal Aid Board is unable to find a suitable solicitor or advocate.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: If an individual is unable to find a suitable solicitor to represent them, the Law Society of Scotland provides a solicitor locator on their website at: http://www.lawscot.org.uk/find-a-solicitor/. This provides the option to search for a solicitor registered…

4 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific actions it will take to tackle nuisance calls following its nuisance calls summit on 29 June 2016.

Answer · Keith Brown: To continue the momentum gained by the summit, the Scottish Government will convene a short life Nuisance Calls Commission which aims to find practical solutions to the problem of unwanted calls which make long term differences and reduce their impact on peop…

8 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what contribution it made to the most recent UK state party report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination regarding the representation of black and minority ethnic communities in (a) the police service, (b) employment, (c) health and (d) mental health.

Answer · Angela Constance: The UK Government is responsible for providing the State Party report to the UN CERD. The Scottish Government provided an update to the UK Government in relation to the race equality work being carried out. This input was informed by its on-going work around …

8 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of the Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime, Prejudice and Community Cohesion.

Answer · Angela Constance: We received the findings of the Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime, Prejudice and Community Cohesion at the end of July. We expect the findings will be published in the autumn, once Parliament has returned from recess.

8 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will meet its legal duty to involve equality groups in setting its equality outcomes for 2017-21.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government works with a number of organisations which provide a coordinating or intermediary role across the different equality communities. They play an important role in informing the policy making process, in supporting and engaging communitie…

16 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much will be allocated to Renfrewshire Council through the second tranche of the Attainment Scotland Fund.

Answer · John Swinney: Renfrewshire Council have been invited to set out their proposals for funding from the Attainment Scotland Fund. These proposals will be reviewed by Scottish Government, Education Scotland and an academic advisor with the level of funding allocated based on t…

6 Jun 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what targets it has set to measure the impact of the Scottish Attainment Fund in West Scotland.

23 May 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 600 new early learning and childcare centres that it has committed to open will be in the west of Scotland.

Answer · Mark McDonald: We will ensure that provision is developed in partnership with each local authority to meet the needs of parents and children. We are currently working with the Scottish Futures Trust to determine the additional infrastructure requirements of each local autho…

23 May 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that funding for Scottish Women’s Aid refuge centres is protected from the impact of changes to local housing allowance rates.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is deeply concerned about the UK Government’s proposals, which will impact on some of the most vulnerable people in our society who may rely on refuge and other forms of supported accommodation for survival. We wrote to the Department …

23 May 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to (a) reopen any former railway stations and (b) improve the provision of rail services across the west of Scotland.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to improving rail services and connectivity within the west of Scotland. We have, through the ScotRail franchise, delivered enhanced services on the Kilmarnock, Ayr and Stranraer route in December 2015 and will introduce n…