Parliamentary questions
Liam Kerr
2,165 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
3 Feb 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish an updated memorandum of understanding between the Parole Board for Scotland and the Scottish Ministers, in light of reports that its publication is five years late and it previously stating that it would be published by the end of 2024.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Memorandum of Understanding is a jointly drafted and agreed document between the Parole Board for Scotland (PBS) and Scottish Ministers. The MOU defines the relationship and interaction between Parole Board for Scotland and the Scottish Government.The MOU…
30 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which bodies incur the cost of discounts, exemptions and qualified reductions to household water charges.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Discounts, exemptions and reductions for household water and sewerage charges are funded by the wider household customer base.Roughly 50% of households receive a discount on the published rates. These include status discounts which apply to Council Tax (e.g. …
30 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much Scottish Water has paid in debt interest in each of the last five years.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Water publishes details of interest paid in its annual report and accounts, routinely laid in Parliament, and available online at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Annual-Reports.
30 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the size is of Scottish Water’s financial reserve.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Cash balances are published in Scottish Water’s annual and interim accounts which are laid before Parliament. The latest figure is available in Scottish Water’s interim report and accounts for 2024-25, published on 18 December 2024 and available a…
30 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason water charges are being increased by a reported 9.9%, in light of them increasing by 8.8% in 2024, which was above the inflation rate.
Answer · Gillian Martin: As published in the Water Industry Commission for Scotland’s (WICS) Final Determination of charges for 2021-27, the maximum amount of charges that Scottish Water can levy on its customers is CPI+2% on average for each year of the regulatory period (equi…
30 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33262 byGillian Martin on 24 January 2025, whether it will provide the information thatwas requested and confirm what information it holds on how many jobs inScotland’s oil and gas sector, and its supply chain, have been lost since 1January 20…
Answer · Gillian Martin: There is no obligation on private companies to inform the Scottish Government of redundancy figures, therefore this information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government will continue to engage regularly with both the oil and gas industry and the relevan…
22 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting the progress of the European Charter of Local Self-Government (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting Mark Ruskell MSP to progress his Member’s Bill to reconsideration as soon as practical. Given our experience of the reconsideration process with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the C…
14 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) discussions and (b) meetings it has held with (i) expert organisations and (ii) the UK Government regarding the potential consequences for the UK’s future gas supply if the Jackdaw gas field were not to be developed for any reason, and whether it will publish the minutes o…
Answer · Gillian Martin: Decisions on licensing and consenting for offshore oil and gas, as well as the associated fiscal regime and security of supply are matters reserved to the UK Government.Ministers and officials engage with a wide range of stakeholders in the course of their du…
14 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of investment and activity levels in the North Sea resulting from a “presumption against new exploration for oil and gas" as set out in its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, and whether it plans to remove language around a &l…
Answer · Gillian Martin: We support a just transition for Scotland’s valued oil and gas sector. The judgements and issues our view on future licencing of oil and gas are informed and influenced by recent developments in the UK Government’s energy policy and court decision…
14 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs in Scotland’s offshore wind sector, and its supply chain, have been created since 1 January 2023.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Precise job numbers for Scotland’s offshore wind sector and its supply chain are challenging to pinpoint due to the evolving nature of the industry and transferability of skills across the wider en…
14 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that there is sufficient gas storage capacity for Scotland, and, if not, what it is doing to address this.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Security of supply for gas and electricity is reserved to the UK government and delivered by the National Electricity System Operator (NESO) across the whole of GB, under regulation from Ofgem.The UK has a reliable gas system that can meet demand and is well-…
14 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan in light of recent reports that UK natural gas reserves are, as stated by Centrica, “concerningly low”.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Security of supply for gas and electricity is a reserved matter and is delivered by the National Electricity System Operator (NESO) across the whole of Great Britain, under regulation from Ofgem. The National Grid has also confirmed that Great Britain’s…
14 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when its ministers last officially raised concerns regarding gas storage capacity for Scotland, and whether it will provide the minutes of any such meeting.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Security of supply for gas and electricity is a matter reserved to the UK Government and is delivered by the National Electricity System Operator (NESO) across the whole of GB, under regulation from Ofgem. The National Grid has also confirmed that Great Brita…
14 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many jobs in Scotland’s oil and gas sector, and its supply chain, have been lost since 1 January 2023.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government regularly engages with the offshore oil and gas industry on a range of topics, including workforce planning. For example, the First Minister last met with Offshore Energies UK along with myself in September 2024 and this included discu…
14 Jan 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete being found in current and formerly council-owned residential properties in Dundee.
13 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-12917 and S6W-12918 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 December 2022, what progress it is making with delivering each of the "Transport Scotland Required Outputs" listed on page 11 of the Scotland's Railway July 2022 publication, Enhancements Delivery Pl…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-32369 on 8 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…
8 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Lord Advocate on 22 September 2021 regarding diversion from prosecution, how many recorded police warnings were issued for possession of drugs for the three years (a) before and (b) after the statement, broken down by (i) type and (ii) class of drug invol…
Answer · Angela Constance: A table containing the number of recorded police warnings for drugs possession by month, year and drug type has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 65596)
8 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce levels of serious violent crime, in light of the Police Scotland quarterly data recording that, in the last decade, incidents have nearly doubled to over 1,000 per month, and what data it has collected as to the reasons for the increase, including data …
Answer · Angela Constance: The accredited official statistics on recorded crime categorically do not show a doubling in serious violent crime over the past decade. Police recorded non-sexual crimes of violence increased by 9% between 2014-15 and 2023-24, with most of that rise due to t…
8 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the justice system will remain accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstances, in light of the reported reduction in the number of criminal legal aid solicitors since 2007 from 1,459 to 966 and the Law Society of Scotland's proj…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government remains committed to providing legal aid for a wide scope of actions. The draft Scottish Budget includes a proposed further investment of £14.2 million for the Legal Fund in 2025-26 which is an increase of 10% on this year’…
8 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Legal Aid Board reporting that there has been a 24% reduction in the number of solicitors registered for children’s legal aid since 2020, and what action it is taking to (a) research and address the causes of this decline and (b) increase the nu…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32820 on 15 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-committe…
4 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 44 action points set out in the July 2020 publication, National Action Plan to Prevent and Tackle Child Sexual Exploitation 2016-2020, have been (a) delivered and (b) fulfilled.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The National Child Sexual Exploitation Working Group published its final report on delivery of actions contained in the National Action Plan to Tackle Child Sexual Exploitation in July 2020. This sets out the range of achievements and activity to prevent and …
4 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific action it has taken to implement recommendation (a) 2, (b) 3 and (c) 4 of the Policy Report: Sexual exploitation of children involved in the Children’s Hearings System by Barnardo's and the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA), and what result…
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32827 on 16 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-committe…
4 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the National Child Sexual Exploitation Group became inactive; on what date it became inactive, who or which agency decided that it should become inactive, and which of its aims were achieved prior to making it inactive.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32831 on 16 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-committ…
4 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the recommendations set out in the Policy Report: Sexual exploitation of children involved in the Children's Hearings System by Barnardo's Scotland and the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) in 2020 have been acted upon, and if they have been action…
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government and national and local partners have acted on all recommendations of the Policy Report: Sexual exploitation of children involved in the Children's Hearings System.In relation to recommendations on public-facing awareness activity, the …
4 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commenced and/or commissioned a full multi-agency prevalence study as set out in recommendation 2 in the Policy Report: Sexual exploitation of children involved in the Children's Hearings System by Barnardo's Scotland and the Scottish Children’s Reporter Adminis…
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32827 on 16 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-committe…
30 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has reportedly been a 24% decrease in solicitors registered for children's legal aid since 2020, what analysis it is undertaking to understand any issues caused by this, and what action it will take to address those issues, including reversing the reported decrease …
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010 gave the Scottish Legal Aid Board the function of monitoring the availability and accessibility of legal services in Scotland, and it has arrangements in place to monitor legal services. However, any assessment of regist…
21 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Travel Demand Management Options Study, prepared for Transport Scotland, was not published before 11 December 2024, in light of being dated and copyrighted March 2023.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Our draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car use, co-developed with COSLA, published in January 2022, committed to exploring equitable options for demand management to discourage car use. A period of engagement and consultation followed publication…
21 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the provision for rail services in its draft Budget 2025-26 contains anything for new stations at Cove and Newtonhill, in light of the reportedly large number of positive respondents to a local petition on this matter.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: There is currently no provision in the draft Budget 2025-26 for new stations at Cove and Newtonhill, as we are awaiting the formal investment case being conducted by Nestrans to conclude.Rail proposals are considered by Transport Scotland subject to a robust …
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the campaign for parole reform being pursued by two survivors, and The Courier’s Voice for Victims campaign, particularly in relation to the current (a) necessity for a confidentiality agreement prior to participation and (b) non-requirement for an admission…
Answer · Angela Constance: We are committed to listening to the victims’, and their families, views on how the parole system can be improved.This why the First Minister, Minister for Victims, and I, are committed to meeting victims and hear how we can better support them through …
18 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether its five-year review of the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018 will include an assessment of qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS), in light of those rules coming into effect in June 2021.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government is considering the scope of the review in light of the delayed implementation of some aspects of the Act.