Parliamentary questions
Richard Leonard
963 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses have been referred to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service each year under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 for making underpayments to migrant workers, also broken down by how many were subsequently (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: No businesses have been reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015.
12 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for each period since April 2022 how many ScotRail train services were (a) planned, (b) operated with at least one non-functioning toilet, (c) operated with no functioning toilet and (d) operated with no functioning accessible toilet.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This is an operational matter for ScotRail. The Member may wish to contact ScotRail directly.
12 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is regarding ScotRail trains entering service without a functioning accessible toilet.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-35768 on 1 April 2025. 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-c…
12 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is regarding ScotRail trains entering service without a functioning toilet onboard.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Whilst this is an operational matter for ScotRail, under the SQUIRe inspection regime, the Scottish Government expects that all toilets on board ScotRail trains are fully functioning.
12 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances a ScotRail train could enter service without a functioning accessible toilet.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-35767 on 1 April 2025. 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-c…
4 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what proportion of an agricultural officer’s time is dedicated to (a) agricultural wages inspection and (b) rural payments.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: Agricultural Officers do not all carry out the same duties and the type of work is not evenly distributed across Scotland. This means a single reply applicable to every Agricultural Officer is not possible.Resource planning information shows that agricultural…
4 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what training is provided to agricultural officers regarding their inspection duties, and whether this includes modules on (a) trauma-informed interviews and (b) working with interpreters.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: Scottish Government provide a wide range of training to Agricultural Officers to ensure officers have the suitable skills and knowledge to deliver their inspection duties. This training includes structured learning, job shadowing and the provision of detailed…
24 Feb 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to reduce car use by 20% by 2030.
20 Feb 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the main recorded reasons for staff leaving the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have been in each of the last five years.
Answer · Angela Constance: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.
20 Feb 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much resource budget funding has been provided to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last five financial years.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Budget Documents detailing the Spring Budget Revision to the Budget (Scotland) Act are laid before the Scottish Parliament in February each year.As set out in these documents, the operating budget provided to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Ser…
20 Feb 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed in the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last five years.
Answer · Angela Constance: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.
20 Feb 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the attrition rate of staff employed by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has been in each of the last five years.
Answer · Angela Constance: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.
20 Feb 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much capital budget funding has been provided to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last five financial years.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Budget Documents detailing the Spring Budget Revision to the Budget (Scotland) Act are laid before the Scottish Parliament in February each year.As set out in these documents, the capital budget provided to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Servi…
10 Feb 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will work with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Edinburgh Trams Ltd to extend the discount available to those aged under 22 from Glasgow and Edinburgh to other young people in Scotland who hold a Scottish National Entitlement Card or Young Scot National Entitlem…
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government provides funding for the National Concessionary Bus Travel Schemes for Older and Disabled People and for Young People which provide free bus travel throughout Scotland for eligible National Entitlement Card holders.We have no plans to …
29 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, what its response is to the UKGovernment-commissioned review of the quality protocol report, Tyre-derived rubber materials. End of waste criteria for the production and use oftyre-derived rubber materials, which was developed by the Environment Agency and Waste and Resources Action Prog…
Answer · Gillian Martin: A decision has been made by the Environment Agency to replace some of the Quality Protocols (QP) which only apply in England and Wales, including the QP for Tyre Derived Rubber Materials, with a ‘Resource Framework’. The outcomes of the review of …
28 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many reports in each of the five calendar years prior to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 coming into force were made to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) under the (a) Explosives Act 1875, (b) Environmental Protection Act 1990, (c)…
Answer · Dorothy Bain: The following tables have been produced in answer to the question above. It should be noted that cases which are reported in any given year may not result in prosecutions or convictions until subsequent years.Explosives Act 1985YearCharges reportedCharges pro…
28 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many reports have been made (a) each calendar year and (b) since 1 January 2025 to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, and how many subsequent (i) prosecutions and (ii) convictions there have been.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: The following tables have been produced in answer to the question above. Table 1 shows figures for charges reported under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, Table 2 shows figures for charges reported with aggravations under the Firewo…
21 Jan 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to prevent death by suicide in prison.
7 Jan 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the potential impact on the Scottish economy of the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery.
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposals to reduce ScotRail ticket office opening hours at a number of stations, whether it will list the full range of fares, products and services that will no longer be available at these stations during the times that the ticket offices are proposed to be closed.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This is an operational matter for ScotRail. The Member may wish to contact ScotRail directly.
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the proposals to reduce ScotRail ticket office opening hours at a number of stations, what its position is on how these proposals represent an improvement for passengers, compared with current arrangements, in relation to (a) access to rail fares and products, (b) passenger as…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Proposed adjustments will enable a redeployment of some ScotRail staff to provide more and better assistance for passengers. Passenger assistance services will remain available across ScotRail as they are now and all ScotRail services are specified to convey …
18 Dec 2024 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the reoffending rate.
9 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-02170 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 November 2024, in relation to the proposed reduction in ticket office opening hours on the ScotRail network, what further details it can provide in response to the reported concerns of passengers and st…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-32071 on 9 January 2025. 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…
9 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-02170 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 November 2024, in relation to the proposed reduction in ticket office opening hours in the evenings on the ScotRail network, what further details it can provide in response to the reported concerns of p…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The passenger safety, especially women and girls’, is one of the Scottish Government’s priorities. The Scottish Government expects that, once ScotRail’s plans have been implemented, the improved staff visibility and ScotRail having ability t…
9 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-02170 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 November 2024, in relation to the estimate that ScotRail’s proposed changes in staff deployment will deliver an additional 11.5 million opportunities per year for interactions with passengers, how this figure ha…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32072 on 7 January 2025.The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.It is incumbent on ScotRail and Scottish Rail Holdings to demonstrate that aims set out it their proposals to adjust the o…
9 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent consideration has been given to increasing the number of staff based across ScotRail's station network.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Staff deployment is an operational matter for ScotRail, as the employer and train operating company. The Member may wish to contact ScotRail directly.
9 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has decided not to consult with the public on the recent proposed changes to ticket office opening hours on the ScotRail network.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The ScotRail proposals to adjust opening hours of some of its ticket offices reflect and have been amended to take account of responses to the previous appropriate consultation.
9 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-02170 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 November 2024, in relation to ScotRail’s proposed changes in staff deployment that will make "60 staff actively more available" to support passengers in tackling concerns around antisocial behaviour, a…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Staff deployment is an operational matter for ScotRail as the employer.It is incumbent on ScotRail and Scottish Rail Holdings to demonstrate that aims set out it their proposals to adjust the opening hours of some of ScotRail ticket offices can be achieved. T…
9 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-02170 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 November 2024, in relation to ScotRail’s experience of targeting antisocial behaviour through proactively planning a more visible staff presence at the right locations, what definition of the "right locatio…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32072 on 7 January 2025. 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-com…
4 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of children’s hearings have been conducted (a) in person, (b) virtually and (c) in hybrid format in each of the last three calendar years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member should contact the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration for this information.