Parliamentary questions
Jamie Greene
1,978 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
24 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the (a) availability and (b) reliability of broadband in rural communities.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme delivered over 951,500 fibre connections across Scotland with over 841,600 of those capable of delivering superfast speeds of 30 Megabits per second (Mbps), the vast majority of which were…
22 Sep 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has with local government regarding additional support that it can provide in order to maintain local authority services in areas that are required to host or are affected by planned major events.
20 Sep 2021 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that incidents of spitting on police officers increased by 15% in 2020-21, compared with the previous year.
15 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the two groups of children referred to in its paper Bairns' Hoose - Scottish Barnahaus: Vision, Values and Approach, who are eligible for the Bairns’ Hoose, namely those “who have been victims or witnesses to abuse or violence, which has caused or likely to cause significant harm…
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government recognises that children whose behaviour has caused harm will also often be the victims of abuse or neglect. The Bairns’ Hoose will be an environment in which this context can be understood and positive interventions can be made to pre…
14 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what sort of behaviour from a child under the age of criminal responsibility would constitute the "significant harm or abuse" necessary for the child to qualify for the Bairns' Hoose criteria, as referred to in its paper Bairns' Hoose - Scottish Barnahaus: Vision, Values and Approach.
Answer · Keith Brown: It will be a matter for professional judgement for practitioners as to whether the behaviour carried out by the child has caused or is likely to cause “significant harm or abuse” requiring the intervention of a Bairns’ Hoose. It is recognised that children ex…
14 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what age group applies to the category "children under the age of criminal responsibility whose behaviour has caused significant harm or abuse" who are one of the eligible groups for the Bairns' Hoose, as stated in the Scottish Government’s paper Bairns' Hoose - Scottish Barnahaus: Visio…
Answer · Keith Brown: Section 41 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 sets out the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland. After section 1 of the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act 2019 has been commenced, children under 12 whose behaviour has caused signif…
14 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Victims Taskforce will next meet.
Answer · Keith Brown: We remain committed to delivering the work of the Victims Taskforce, which is anticipated to reconvene before the end of 2021.
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact on police (a) time and (b) resources would be of making it an offence to carry pyrotechnics in a public place and granting officers the power to stop and search people suspected of carrying such items.
Answer · Ash Denham: As set out in the Draft Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, which was published on 20 June in conjunction with the consultation paper on the introduction of new legislation on the sale and use of fireworks in Scotland, and tackling the misuse of pyrote…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the illegal trade in puppies.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were approved by the Scottish Parliament on 10 February 2021 and will come into force on 1 September 2021. These regulations are concerned with modernising the licensin…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether knitting is an appropriate activity as part of offenders’ unpaid work requirements for a criminal conviction.
Answer · Keith Brown: When an unpaid work or other activity requirement is imposed by the court as part of a Community Payback Order, the management and delivery of that requirement – including determining what work is to be carried out - is the responsibility of the relevant loca…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the job retention rate in the legal aid sector, and what plans it has to encourage more young people to consider a career in this sector.
Answer · Ash Denham: The Scottish Government is working constructively and collaboratively with the Law Society of Scotland, the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association and representatives of several bar associations to co-design and deliver a wide range of measures in recognition of…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out regarding whether the size of fixed penalty notice fines are a sufficient deterrent for antisocial behaviour.
Answer · Ash Denham: We are always ready and willing to listen to those tackling antisocial behaviour directly in our communities – they have the knowledge and expertise and we value their views. In our regular discussions with Police Scotland and local authorities on these issue…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the increase in levels of antisocial behaviour that was recorded in Police Scotland management information statistics for 2020-21.
Answer · Ash Denham: Police management information, while a useful tool, should be used with caution. These are not official statistics and should not be taken as indicative of longer term trends. Due to the exceptional circumstances of the last year, caution is even more necessa…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent Audit Scotland report on sustainable alternatives to custody.
Answer · Keith Brown: We welcome the publication of Audit Scotland’s report on community justice, and its intention to carry out further work in this vital area in 2022. While sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for the independent courts, we are committed to en…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the reported decline in the percentage of unpaid work requirements issued as part of Community Payback Orders in 2019-20.
Answer · Keith Brown: Criminal justice social work statistics show that there were 16,700 CPOs imposed in 2019-20 and of these, 70% had an unpaid work or other activity requirement. While unpaid work or other activity is the most common requirement imposed by the courts, there are…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the completion rate of Community Payback Orders, in light of figures suggesting that this stood at 69% in 2019-20.
Answer · Keith Brown: The completion rate for Community Payback Orders (CPOs) has generally been around 70% over the last seven years. This is consistently higher than for the orders they replaced. There are a range of factors which can influence the likelihood that an order will…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) scope and (b) timeline will be for its proposed review of the prosecution system.
Answer · Keith Brown: This Government's recent manifesto stated that this review will consider reform of corroboration, and the three verdict system, including - in recognition of the strong case that can be made for abolition - a consultation on the removal of the not-proven verd…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timeline will be for its proposed consultation on the "not proven" verdict, and how quickly it will implement the recommendations made.
Answer · Keith Brown: As set out in the response to PQ S6W-01778 on 5 August 2021, the consultation on not proven will be taken forward early in the upcoming parliamentary term. At the jury research engagement events held mainly last year, with a substantial number of legal profe…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many so-called Bairns’ Hooses will be set up to enable children access to all necessary justice services under one roof, and where they will be located.
Answer · Keith Brown: The ‘Bairns’ Hoose’ refers to the Scottish Government’s application of the international concept of Barnahus to the Scottish context. The Scottish Government has an unashamedly bold aspiration to create our own Bairns’ Hooses in Scotland. We believe that eve…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the planned suspension of most criminal trials for the duration of COP26, how it will help the judiciary catch up with the backlog, and what consideration it has given to expanding the number of High Court trial rooms to 25, which Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service modell…
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have already publicly outlined how they will look to manage the impact of COP26 on our Courts. While trials are suspended in the sheriff courts during COP26, the High Court trials will continue as programmed. However,…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £9 million COVID-19 resilience fund for the legal profession has been allocated, and how many applications to the fund have (a) been approved, (b) yet to be processed and (c) have been rejected, broken down by reasons for rejection.
Answer · Ash Denham: The Scottish Government has awarded grants totalling £2,235,789 from the Coronavirus Resilience and Recovery Fund for Legal Aid (CRRF). Applications from 84 firms and law centres have been approved and 1 grant is pending subject to a recalculation of award, w…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide statistics on the usage of exclusion zones by the Parole Board for Scotland, or for when a prisoner is temporarily released from prison, for each of the last three financial years.
Answer · Keith Brown: The information requested is not held centrally and is a matter for the Parole Board for Scotland.
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the take-up rate has been for the Victim Notification Scheme, as a percentage of all eligible victims, in each of the last three financial years.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold the data requested. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is responsible for issuing Victim Notification Scheme packs. They have advised that the number of packs issued over the last 3 years is: 2018-19 1,880 …
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all victims of crime are notified of a decision not to prosecute their case or to discontinue prosecution.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: The Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) proactively notifies victims of decisions not to prosecute in all solemn cases and all summary cases within the specified case remit of the COPFS Victim Information and Advice (VIA) service, including Domes…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what changes it has made to temporary release rules from prisons since 5 December 2019, following the consultation with victims of crime.
Answer · Keith Brown: As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, temporary restrictions have been introduced within the Scottish Prison Service, where necessary, in line with Scottish Government guidelines and public health advice. This included the temporary suspension of Home Leave…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of the Victims Taskforce group meeting on 10 March 2021 regarding the potential launch of a Victim Notification Scheme review.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has committed to a review of the Victim Notification Scheme and work in relation to this is being taken forward. The minutes from the meeting of the Victims Taskforce on 10 March 2021 where this matter was discussed can be accessed he…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what legislative changes have been made as a result of the Victims Taskforce.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Victims Taskforce was established in December 2018 to co-ordinate and drive action to improve the experience of victims and witnesses in the criminal justice system - it is not in the Taskforce’s remit to recommend legislative change. A number of legisla…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many victims of crime have been able to make in-person representations to parole board members in each of the last three financial years.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this data. However, information is published annually in the Standards of Service for Victims and Witnesses Annual Report. For the past three years where information is available the number of in-person representations th…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to support the families of people who are held on remand for an extended period and are then not convicted at trial.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government recognises the impact that periods of imprisonment, including time on remand, can have on families. That is why we are committed to reducing the use of short-term imprisonment, including remand and increasing the use of community-based…
21 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to support people who are held on remand for an extended period and are then not convicted at trial.
Answer · Keith Brown: We recognise the importance of ensuring that support is available to people leaving custody, including those who have served a period on remand, to enable their reintegration. We know that short periods of imprisonment are not effective and don't address the …