Parliamentary questions
Liam Kerr
2,176 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which body will bear liability for any shortfall in new pension schemes for British Transport Police in Scotland officers and staff.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The British Transport Police pension schemes are shared cost schemes where members pay 40% of the required contributions and employers pay 60%. The Scottish Police Authority as the sponsoring employer will therefore be legally responsible for any employer lia…
23 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide its revised estimated cost of future employer pension contributions for British Transport Police D Division officers and staff.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The rate of employer contributions payable by the Scottish Police Authority for the transferred officers and staff at the point of transfer has still to be agreed. The employer contribution rate payable by the Scottish Police Authority will be determined foll…
23 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to (a) allow parliamentary scrutiny of its new financial estimates in relation to the merger between British Transport Police and Police Scotland and (b) review the costs that it provided in the Financial Memorandum that accompanied the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to providing regular reports to Parliament on the status of the programme. The approach to scrutiny of those reports is a matter for the Parliament.
23 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of consultants involved in the British Transport Police merger with Police Scotland and what (a) their remit is and (b) fees they are being paid, and from which budget those fees will be drawn.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Further to the meeting of the Joint Programme Board on 20 February a detailed re-planning exercise is now underway to ensure robust delivery plans are in place for all of the key elements of the programme and to establish a new delivery date. Resourcing will …
23 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the IT that will be used by the British Transport Police (BTP) D Division following the merger between BTP and Police Scotland; when this will be integrated fully with Police Scotland IT systems, and what the costs are of engaging consultants/project ma…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Under the auspices of the Joint Programme Board (JPB), Police Scotland and BTPA have established a joint project to deliver the operational aspects of the programme. On 20 February, the JPB was advised that further time is needed to deliver integration most e…
22 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of body-worn video cameras for prison staff, in light of the plans to introduce this at HMP Addiewell.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: SPS do not believe that there is a case to introduce the use of body worn video cameras during routine operational duties in Scottish …
21 Feb 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to recruit additional staff into early learning and childcare.
19 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress with each stage of the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), including dates for completion.
Answer · Keith Brown: The first section of the project, at Aberdeen International Airport (between Craibstone and Dyce) opened to traffic on 29 August 2016, with many new junctions and side roads opened throughout 2017. This brought immediate benefits to those travelling to and …
19 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it considers is the most appropriate prison accommodation for sex offenders, and (a) how many and (b) what proportion of prisoners who are sex offenders (i) are and (ii) are not accommodated in this manner.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: SPS allocation criteria determines that those in our care should be designated to the establishment which provides the most appropriate regi…
19 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) officers and (b) other staff have been absent due to sickness in each of the last three years, 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 following table shows the total number of (a) officers and (b) other staff who have incurred one or more periods of sickness absence dur…
19 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support and resources are being given to prisons to accommodate and care for older prisoners, including those requiring (a) personal and (b) palliative care.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) recognise that meeting the needs of the ageing prison population is an emerging and pressing issue which requires specific consideration. That is why the provision of personal and social care with…
19 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people over 60 have been sent to prison in each of the last three years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The following table shows all of the admissions for those aged over 60 since ? 1 January 2015. Over 60 2015 220 2016 242 2017 246…
19 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners in each of the last three years have been aged over 60.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: On 21 February 2018, there were 286 individuals in SPS care who were aged over 60. SPS does not aggregate or retain historical data b…
19 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what preparations the Scottish Prison Service is taking to implement the no smoking policy across the prison estate, which is due to be introduced in November 2018, and whether electronic cigarettes will be permitted.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: SPS has made changes to the Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2011 and single use, first generation e-cigarett…
19 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to advise and support prisons to ensure that they provide appropriate medical treatment when dealing with the use of psychoactive substances, and that prison staff are adequately protected.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: SPS has issued operational advice to all staff in order to support them to conduct their duties safely when working in any area where …
19 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what level of private sector involvement there is in Scottish Police Authority forensic services, and what the reasons are for this.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held centrally and is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority Forensic Services.
18 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13691 by Annabelle Ewing on 24 January 2018, what progress has been made with the establishment of the joint working group; what the key milestones are in this process; what the reason has been for the reported delay with it being set up, and wh…
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: An initial working group meeting is due to take place later this week, hosted by Police Scotland. The group is expected to comprise COSLA, Police Scotland the Scottish Government/Transport Scotland. The key milestones going forward will be discussed at this m…
18 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the letter from the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, which called on ministers to take action to reform the personal injury discount rate.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government responded to the letter from the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, which called on ministers to take action to reform the personal injury discount rate, stating that it is refining its policy in light of the responses to th…
18 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in bringing forward a Damages Bill, which it referred to in its Programme for Government, and whether it remains its position that it plans to amend the law on the personal injury discount rate applying in personal injury litigation.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: Annabelle Ewing : The Scottish Government is committed to bringing forward a Damages Bill to amend the law on the Personal Injury Discount Rate before the end of June 2018. The Bill will also enable courts to impose periodical payment orders when making an aw…
9 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement that a new pension fund for retired British Transport Police (BTP) officers will be established around the time of merger with Police Scotland, how much the so-called triple-lock guarantee will cost in the (a) short, (b) medium and (c) long term; from which …
Answer · Michael Matheson: There has been no announcement by the Scottish Government or the Joint Programme Board that a new pension fund for retired BTP officers will be established on the integration of the BTP in Scotland into Police Scotland. The Joint Programme Board has agreed t…
8 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many crimes have been committed since the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 came into force, in which it has been suspected that the perpetrator used an illegally-held air weapon.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. Official Statistics on recorded crimes and offences involving firearms are produced by the Scottish Government, including statistics on incidents that allegedly included an air weapon. However this info…
8 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many licence applications under the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 have been (a) awarded, also broken down by how many were subsequently revoked, and (b) refused.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Police Scotland have confirmed that. From the 31 December 2016 until 22 February 2018:the number of air weapon owners that have been granted a certificate is 20409the number of air weapon owners that have had their certificate revoked is 42the number of air …
8 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many air weapons were presumed to be in circulation when the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 came into force, and how many have been subsequently (a) legalised through the granting of a licence and (b) handed in to Police Scotland.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held by the Scottish Government.
8 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many weapons have been seized in the course of criminal investigations under the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held by the Scottish Government.
8 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is committed to providing an extra £1,068,000 to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner’s budget.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I made a commitment during a debate in Parliament on 30 January 2018 to increase the PIRC’s budget. The approved allocation in the 2018-19 budget is £1,068,000.
30 Jan 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much financial assistance has been given to businesses through the Scottish Growth Scheme, and whether this was in the form of loans, guarantees, equity or another form of assistance.
24 Jan 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will engage with local services to implement its social isolation and loneliness strategy.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: As I said when I published our draft social isolation strategy A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections on 16 January we are actively organising a number of events – including in the member’s area…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13333 by Annabelle Ewing on 10 January 2018, whether ministers have received a copy of the Review of Procurement of Structural Fire Kit and PPE report, which was referred to in the minutes of the 5 October 2017 meeting of the SFRS Audit and Risk Ass…
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: Procurement of Structural Fire Kit and PPE is an operational matter for SFRS. Ministers do not routinely see copies of Internal Audit reports as this is a matter for the SFRS management and Board. The Internal Audit review of Procurement of Structural Fire …
12 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason no minute was taken of the meeting of 9 November 2017 between the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and the chair of the Scottish Policy Authority.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish Ministers are routinely involved in a range of stakeholder meetings as part of normal Government business. Decisions about whether a record of a meeting is required are a matter of official judgement. On this occasion senior officials were clear that…
8 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans are in place should the merger of British Transport Police into Police Scotland not be completed by April 2019.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the Member to answer to question S5W-13700 on 23 January 2018. 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/288…