Liam Kerr

30 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the scientific advice that has informed its COVID-19 route map planning regarding gyms and indoor sports.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Decisions on what sectors and activities to re-open on our route out of lockdown are guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making. Proposals are technically assessed using the best available evidence and analysis of their potential be…

29 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it plans to publish the final report of the Independent Review of Complaints Handling, Investigations and Misconduct Issues in Relation to Policing by Dame Angiolini, in light of her preliminary report stating on page 15 that publication of the final report would take place …

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Dame Elish is aiming to have the final report published by the end of September.

21 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, further to the answer to question S5W-30843 by Humza Yousaf on 21 July 2020, it will publish the (a) review of health measures that has been carried out and (b) evidence that changed to enable Spain to be put onto the exemption list.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We continue to review the International Border Health regulations on a three weekly basis. We have now concluded our latest review and Ministers have assessed that there remains a requirement for these regulations to remain in place. This decision was relayed…

20 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering establishing "Nightingale Courts" to help clear the current backlog of court cases, as is being done in England and Wales

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The 10 “Nightingale” courts in England and Wales are being set up for civil and non-custody cases. Running full trials in external venues was one of a range of options to restart jury trials put forward by the Scottish Government but, following our discussion…

14 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29208 by Humza Yousaf on 4 June 2020, whether it will provide an update on this matter and the commencement of the "necessary discussions" referred to in its answer.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The position remains as per my answer of 4 June 2020. The impact of Covid-19 has meant development of new services in this area is not likely to be possible while the current focus is on maintaining and recovering justice services. My intention is though that…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service regarding complex virtual trials that require reviewing CCTV footage or the presence of translators, as the pilot in Aberdeen and Inverness reportedly required neither.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Arrangements for the efficient disposal of business in the courts is the responsibility of the senior judiciary. As set out in Sheriff Principal Pyle’s report, the pilot of virtual summary trials in Aberdeen and Inverness involved cases deliberately chosen by…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to tackle fraud arising from COVID-19, in light of Audit Scotland stating that the risk of fraud has increased during the pandemic.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is working with partners on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce to reduce opportunities for criminals to exploit individuals’ concerns generated by the COVID-19 crisis and have been raising awareness of the potential risks. The effo…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent figures showing that 89 COVID-related assaults against police officers took place during lockdown, whether it plans to review its decision not to release people from custody before trial for coughing or spitting on an officer.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: As I outlined in my written response of 15 June 2020 to question S5W-29808, the law on arrest and police custody was substantially reformed by the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 to provide a modern framework, consistent with the requirements of Article …

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendations in the report, Summary Criminal Virtual Trial Pilot: The Way Ahead, to the Lord Justice General.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government welcomes the report by Sheriff Principal Pyle and also recognises the importance of stakeholder engagement in the development of virtual summary trials, in particular the engagement of defence agents, the Crown and third sector organis…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly not provided additional financial support to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: 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 will reply in writing within 20 days.

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of additional prosecutions it expects to take place as a consequence of the introduction of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The published Financial Memorandum which accompanies the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill details the Scottish Government’s estimates regarding the number of additional prosecutions that may take place should the Hate Crime and Public Order (Sc…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish its modelling of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on court closures, as referred to in a letter from the Lord Advocate to the convener of the Justice Committee on 8 July 2020.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: As I advised the Justice Committee in my letter of 24 June, officials in the Scottish Government’s Justice Analytical Services and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have been working on modelling that sets out an analysis of the potential court backlo…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve crime reporting rates, given that, according to the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2018/19, only 36% of crimes committed were reported in 2018-19.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Whilst the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey shows that volume of crime has fallen significantly since 2008-09 (down 45%), we know crime reporting rates have remained stable throughout that period, and are similar to the rates in England and Wales. Adults in …

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many firefighters have been tested for COVID-19, and how many have tested (a) positive, (b) negative and (c) inconclusive.

Answer · Ash Denham: The information is not centrally held. Testing for COVID-19 is available for all symptomatic key workers. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested/pages/who-can-be-tested/  

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service is planning to recoup the £6.2 million in unpaid criminal fines, as set out in the Scottish Tribunal Service Quarterly Fines Report 44 – Quarter 3 2019/20.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: 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 will reply in writing within 20 days”

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to improve confidence in policing, which, according to the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2018/19, has fallen since Police Scotland formed, from 61% in 2012-13 to 56% in 2018-19.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: While it is the responsibility of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) to hold the Chief Constable to account I would like to draw your attention to the fact that 87.6% of people in Scotland have experienced no crime in 2018-19 and that 78% of adults felt very…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to continue with virtual trials and courts as lockdown eases.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: 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 will reply in writing within 20 days.

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will continue to publish monthly crime statistics as lockdown eases.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Decisions on the frequency of Scotland’s Official Statistics on police recorded crime are a matter for independent Scottish Government statisticians and the Scottish Crime Recording Board (SCRB), rather than Ministers. A monthly publication of crime statistic…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey: methodological papers on response rate and survey bias, what consideration it has given to virtual face-to-face surveys, and the extent to which these may help to increase the response rate.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) methodological paper on response rates found that a small reduction in the proportion of those taking part has not had a meaningful impact on data quality, although it cannot be assumed that any additional fall wou…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle the consumption of unauthorised substances in prisons, which reportedly tripled between 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: The SPS deploys a variety of strategic, tactical and technological responses to reduce drug use in Scotland’s prisons and has …

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that drug-related deaths have increased during the COVID-19 lockdown, and whether Police Scotland will publish this data.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government is concerned by any reports regarding an increase in drug related deaths. We are fully committed to doing everything within our powers to tackle this issue, including supporting the ongoing work of the Drug Death Taskforce. We work cl…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of statistics that show 1,757 incidents of assault were recorded in prisons in 2018-19, an increase of 45% compared with 2017-18, how it plans to tackle this growing problem of prisoner violence.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: The SPS has a zero tolerance approach towards violence. SPS staff are trained to recognise and respond to the precursors of vi…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports Police Scotland’s calls to urge local authorities to reduce the number of public protests due to the current pandemic.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The First Minister and I have been absolutely clear in urging those who wish to demonstrate to find alternative ways to express their feelings, such as making good use of social media. At this difficult time no large gatherings of any sort should be taking pl…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the data it is using to commence quarantine checks for international arrivals in Scotland was not considered to be of sufficient quality on 22 June 2020.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Access issues resulted in delays to Public Health Scotland (PHS) colleagues being able to access data held by the Home Office. This was resolved by passenger arrival information being provided to PHS by the Home Office. PHS then take a sample of those passeng…

13 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prison officers have been tested for COVID-19, and how many tested (a) positive, (b) negative and (c) inconclusive.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: Testing of Scottish Prison Service (SPS) staff with Covid-19 symptoms commenced on 5 April 2020. Accurate as of 3 August 2020…

29 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it making an interest free loan available to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, whether it will make similar loans available to all theatre groups in (a) the north east and (b) Scotland, and, if so, what the eligibility criteria are.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I announced on 3 July that the Scottish Government is establishing the Performing Arts Venues Relief fund – a £10 million fund to support Scotland’s performing arts venues to be administered by Creative Scotland so that organisations across Scotland are able …

25 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29138 by Humza Yousaf on 4 June 2020, whether it will provide a list of the organisations that responded to the consultation, also broken down by those that agreed with Lord Bracadale's recommendation.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The responses to the, ‘ One Scotland: Hate Has No Home Here ’, consultation and public awareness events yielded valuable information both from individual and organisational perspectives. Subsequently the Scottish Government contracted independent external …

23 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Transport Scotland Reference Group regarding the £200 million of funding for north east rail improvements between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and whether it will provide an update on (a) any works identified by the group and (b) the status of track dualli…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Aberdeen to Central Belt Reference Group met six times between May 2017 and September 2019, with representatives from Transport Scotland, Network Rail, ScotRail, Nestrans, Aberdeen City Region Deal and Tactran. A Key Stakeholder Group, involving these org…

23 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timetable for work on Laurencekirk South junction, in light of reports by Transport Scotland that it has been further delayed.

Answer · Michael Matheson: A major milestone in delivering the Laurencekirk Junction Improvement was reached on 19 December 2019 when draft Orders for the scheme were published. In response to the publication of draft Orders Transport Scotland received four statutory objections to the …

18 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice will meet the family of the late Michelle Stewart to discuss progress towards strengthening victims’ rights and support, including increasing transparency and extending the opportunity for people affected by crime to have their voices heard.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We continue to take forward a range of initiatives to strengthen victims’ rights and ensure support and information is available to them. The Victims Taskforce is leading the development of a victim-centred approach to put victim’s needs at the heart of the j…