Parliamentary questions

Jamie Greene

1,978 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

12 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how many individuals who died from liver disease in the past three years lived in (a) the 20% most deprived data zones in Scotland and (b) the 20% least deprived data zones in Scotland according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Answer · Maree Todd: Table 1 – deaths from liver disease (K70 – K77) by SIMD Quintile 2019-2021 2019 2020 2021 Scotland ASMR 18.4 20.7 21.8 ASMR lower CI 17.3 19.5 20.6 ASMR upper CI 19.6 21.9 23.0 Number of deaths 1013 1144 1203 Quintile 1 (most deprived) …

10 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the impact of (a) alcohol misuse and (b) obesity on liver disease mortality rates, in the West Scotland region.

Answer · Maree Todd: We know that alcohol misuse and obesity are the two main risk factors (together with blood borne viruses) that cause liver disease. Research by the British Liver Trust shows that alcohol-related liver disease accounts for 60% of all liver disease. The latest…

22 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any proposed benefits of introducing compulsory microchipping for cats.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment of any proposed benefits of introducing compulsory microchipping of cats. The Scottish Government is aware of the DEFRA consultation and report on the microchipping of cats which was published on 4 De…

21 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has consulted with legal professionals and victims’ organisations to review the Legal Aid system.

Answer · Ash Regan: The Scottish Government consulted on proposals for reform of Legal Aid in Scotland between 27 June and 19 September 2019. The consultation sought views on developing a user centred, flexible and valued public service. Responses were received from across the l…

19 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commissioned a review to address gender-based violence and sexual abuse in educational settings.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are committed to publishing a national framework for schools on addressing gender based violence. This work is being delivered by the Gender Based Violence in Schools Working Group who will also review existing resources and develop new resources where nee…

19 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has introduced a new health and wellbeing strategy for prisoners.

Answer · Keith Brown: Keith Brown: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: SPS is currently preparing a new Health & Wellbeing Strategy to address health inequality among prisoners. The St…

18 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent campaign by the Brain Tumour Charity, what the average waiting time is for a patient to receive treatment, after referral by a GP on the suspicion of a brain tumour, in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Patients referred by GPs or under investigation or diagnosed with brain cancer in NHS Ayrshire and Arran would be automatically referred to the specialist brain tumour service centre at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. …

11 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities have access to the Scottish dog control database that was established by the Scottish Dog Control Database Order 2021.

Answer · Ash Regan: All 32 local authorities have access to the Scottish dog control database. The national database brings together the records of all dog control notices served by local authorities into a centralised national database for the first time to aid enforcement effo…

7 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the redevelopment of HMP Cornton Vale and the two Community Custody Units in Glasgow and Dundee will open.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Bella Centre in Dundee opened on 1 August and the Lilias Centre in Glasgow is due to open in October 2022. HMP Stirling, Scotland’s new Women’s National Facility, is due to open by Summer 2023.

27 Jun 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to reduce breakdowns on ferry services to Scotland’s islands.

13 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted of the number of crimes that it estimates will be recorded in Scotland if the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill were to be enacted as currently drafted.

Answer · Keith Brown: There is considerable uncertainty in variables (e.g. crime levels, types of crime committed, previous histories of those accused of and sentenced for offences etc.) which impact on the decision-making within the criminal justice system in areas covered by the…

13 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted of how the proportion of people charged with a crime who are granted bail could change if the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill were to be enacted as currently drafted.

Answer · Keith Brown: Amongst other matters, the bail provisions in the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill provide for a new bail test to be used by the court when assessing whether to grant bail to an accused person or remand them in custody. As the decision in any giv…

1 Jun 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what efforts it is making to assist those who work in the nuclear energy sector to transition to suitable alternative employment.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The decommissioning of nuclear sites requires the retention of a highly skilled workforce over many years and their transferable skills could be utilised by the renewables sector as part of our transition to net zero. Our draft Energy Strategy and Just Trans…

16 May 2022 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the anticipated delivery date of the ferries under construction at Ferguson Marine, in light of recent reports that the number of faults in the two vessels has risen.

25 Apr 2022 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported planned boycott of solicitors taking on summary cases brought under section 1 of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, from 3 May 2022.

19 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities have developed their own multi-agency, collaborative missing persons strategy and protocols to respond to and track missing children.

Answer · Ash Regan: Through the National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland, which was launched in 2017, the Scottish Government has developed and strengthened local multi-agency partnerships. A survey in 2020 by the Working Group for Missing People in Scotland showed that t…

19 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authority social work departments have developed their own policy to manage risk and to respond to and track missing children, as stated at paragraph 621 of the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland (2014).

Answer · Clare Haughey: Local authorities are distinct corporate bodies whose powers and duties are set out in statute. The Scottish Government does not have a record of how many social work departments have their own policy in place for missing children. Multi-agency risk assessme…

28 Mar 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what immediate safeguarding measures will be in place to ensure that arrivals from Ukraine are protected from organised criminal activity, human trafficking and exploitation.

11 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to lay commencement regulations for the provisions of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2021 that are not yet in force.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021 makes provision in two areas relating to protection for people at risk of domestic abuse. Part 1 of the Act will provide additional protection for people who are at risk of domestic abuse by providing the p…

9 Mar 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether a mix of energy sources, including renewables, could facilitate a reduction in energy prices for consumers.

7 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its estimate is of the reduction in offenders going to jail as a result of its policy on the presumption against short-term sentences.

Answer · Keith Brown: The presumption against short sentences was extended from 3 months or less to 12 months or less in July 2019. While relevant sentencing data is being monitored, the impact of COVID-19 on court business means it is not possible to confidently identify and attr…

7 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent statistics from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service stating that the courts backlog at the end of January 2022 reached a reported record high of 43,606 trials.

Answer · Keith Brown: As I outlined in response to a recent portfolio question S6O-00869 on 16 March 2022, the statistics reaffirm that the pandemic has had a significant impact on our justice sector, just as it has on every other sector in Scotland. The Scottish Government contin…

2 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06718 by Keith Brown on 2 March 2022, whether it will provide the information requested regarding precisely how many hubs for regional restorative justice services it plans to establish by 2023, and for what reason it did not provide this informatio…

Answer · Keith Brown: A final decision on the number of hubs has not yet been taken. A paper to the Restorative Justice Stakeholder Group, published on the Scottish Government website in 2021, set out a proposal to develop up to 6 administrative restorative justice hubs based on s…

22 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what budget it has provided to the Violence Reduction Unit for each year since 2016-17, and how much will be provided for 2022-23.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has provided the Violence Reduction Unit with the following funding:YearViolence Reduction Unit FundingViolence Reduction Total Funding2016-2017 £853,616.00 £1,531,668.002017-2018£900,000.00 £1,613,000.002018-2019 £1,010,000.00 * £…

21 Feb 2022 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the most recent recorded crime statistics showing a rise in violent crime.