Parliamentary questions
Liam Kerr
2,165 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to referrals to Prevent in Scotland increasing by 42% in the last year.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41745 on 18 November 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…
6 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of a 42% increase in referrals to Prevent in Scotland in the last year, what it is doing to tackle each of the recorded types of concern.
Answer · Angela Constance: National security and counter-terrorism, including Prevent, is reserved to the UK Government but is delivered in Scotland by devolved partners such as Education, Police, Local Authorities, Prisons and Health. The Scottish Government works closely with the Hom…
4 Nov 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been distributed by Creative Scotland in the previous 12 months.
30 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Plans to update the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 will be informed by the responses to our planned Family Law consultation. The draft consultation is currently being finalised and we expect to be in a position to launch the consultation by the end of this year.
30 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement is has had with the National Records of Scotland regarding the operation of the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 and whether it needs to be updated.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The main focus of the Scottish Government's recent engagement with the National Records of Scotland regarding the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 has been in relation to our planned Family Law consultation, this includes (i) whether we should legislate to raise …
28 Oct 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to provide financial scrutiny over NHS Grampian.
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40884 by Angela Constance on 17 October 2025, how many restorative justice test cases have been funded in the last 18 months, and what the outcomes were of these cases.
Answer · Angela Constance: We have funded 27 restorative justice test cases. Information on individual outcomes cannot be shared due to the personal and confidential nature of the process. A report summarising general learning and outcomes from the test case project will be published s…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40884 by Angela Constance on 17 October 2025, how much funding in total has been provided to any restorative justice test cases that have been conducted in the last 18 months.
Answer · Angela Constance: A total of £80,147 has been provided to fund the test cases.
27 Oct 2025 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the prison population reaching a record high of 8,430 prisoners.
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Scottish Retail Consortium’s reported view that the term “shoplifting” underplays the seriousness of the crime and the cumulative impact it is having on the retail industry, and the recommendation that the term “shop theft” be use…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: In Scotland, theft is defined as the taking or appropriating property from another person without their consent and with the intent to deprive them of it. This definition encompasses various forms of theft, including shoplifting, housebreaking and malicious m…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40336 by Angela Constance on 16 September 2025, how many Drug Treatment and Testing Orders were (a) imposed by Edinburgh Sheriff Court and (b) successfully completed in (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24, also broken down by calendar month.
Answer · Angela Constance: The information is provided in the following tables:Drug Treatment and Testing Orders imposed by Edinburgh Sheriff Court in 2022-23 and 2023-24, broken down by calendar month [Note 1][Note 2]Month2022-232023-24April56May78June1612July60AugustccSeptemberccOcto…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many sheriff courts are currently experiencing staffing issues that prevent the implementation of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders.
Answer · Angela Constance: The resourcing and supervision of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders is a matter for individual local authorities which are best placed to ensure provision meets the needs of their local area.While DTTOs are not currently available in all areas of Scotland, si…
8 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total value is of illicit cigarettes that havebeen seized by Trading Standards Scotland since 2021.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Trading Standards Scotland is a team operated by COSLA and has no role in the disruption of the illegal tobacco supply. The Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme (ETSEP) is delivered by local authorities coordinated by Society of Chief Officers of Trad…
8 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to repond to the illicit cigarette trade.
Answer · Jenni Minto: We work closely with the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) to support enforcement of existing legislation, including on illicit tobacco. SCOTSS manages the Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme (ETSEP) in Scotland, whi…
8 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many illicit cigarettes have been seized by TradingStandards Scotland since 2021.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Trading Standards Scotland is a team operated by COSLA and has no role in the disruption of the illegal tobacco supply. The Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme (ETSEP) is delivered by local authorities coordinated by Society of Chief Officers of Trad…
8 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to prevent the sale of illicit cigarettesthrough street traders.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Register is a Scotland specific register that is governed by legislation. Scottish Ministers have a commitment to keep and maintain a register of all sellers of tobacco and vapes. The register has been an asset to enfor…
8 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any potential revenue that was lost due to the illicit cigarette trade in Scotland, over the last 12 months.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Scottish Government officials meet regularly with HMRC, who work with Border Force to take action to tackle the import of illicit tobacco and vaping products at the border, alongside the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS). The…
8 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prosecutions for illicit cigarette selling there have been since 2021.
Answer · Jenni Minto: There is a range of legislation which may be relevant when referring to prosecutions for “illicit cigarette selling”. The following information relates to charges reported to The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) under:The Tobacco…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on the number ofkeyless car thefts committed and the location where they were reported, broken downby year since 2021-22.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41059 on 4 November 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…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address keyless car thefts.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41059 on 4 November 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…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with Police Scotland to address high-valuecar thefts committed by organised gangs.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41059 on 4 November 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…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on the number ofhigh-value car thefts committed and the location where they were reported, brokendown by year since 2021-22.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41059 on 4 November 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…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address high-value car thefts.
Answer · Angela Constance: The investigation and prevention of high-value or keyless car theft is a matter for Police Scotland. To support policing capacity and capability, the Scottish Government has provided £1.64 billion in funding for the year 2025-26. This represents an incr…
30 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what outcomes and actions from its 2019 Restorative Justice Action Plan have been achieved, and on what dates.
Answer · Angela Constance: Information about activity undertaken to support and develop restorative justice (RJ) services can be found in quarterly and annual reports published by Community Justice Scotland.Examples of the outcomes and actions achieved to date include:Outcome 1 - Resto…
30 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with relevant stakeholders to promote restorative justice.
Answer · Angela Constance: Information about Scottish Government engagement with relevant stakeholders on activity undertaken to support and develop restorative justice services - can be found in quarterly and annual reports published by Community Justice Scotland.I would also refer th…
30 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent action it has carried out to promote restorative justice.
Answer · Angela Constance: We continue to fund and work in partnership with teams in Community Justice Scotland and the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice to develop and promote restorative justice (RJ) services across Scotland.We also seek input on a regular basis fr…
30 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the implementationof its 2019 Restorative Justice Action Plan.
Answer · Angela Constance: The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on achieving the actions and outcomes set out in the 2019 Restorative Justice Action Plan. Many of the people involved – including stakeholders, support organisations (e.g. Victim Support Scotland, Scottish Women&rsqu…
30 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to promote restorative justice (a) in each financial year since 2019-20 and (b) since April 2025.
Answer · Angela Constance: Restorative Justice Expenditure 2019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-25Total130,38859,456124,235459,240492,039493,458The amount allocated to support development of restorative justice services in 2025-26 is £447,276.
30 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with its national restorative justice communications strategy.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the information about Outcome 3 of the Action plan provided in the answer to S6W-40887 on 17 October 2025 which sets out the progress.All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search fa…
30 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to the principles of its 2019 Restorative Justice Action Plan, and whether it will update the plan.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government remains committed to the vision of having restorative justice (RJ) available across Scotland to all those who wish to access it, and at a time that is appropriate to the people and case involved.Test cases have been funded over the las…