Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-32085

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has conducted with the Scottish Information Commissioner and the Parole Board for Scotland regarding the publication of reasons for Board decisions to the victims of the offender whose case is being decided, as stated in Transforming Parole in Scotland: consultation report.

Question reference: S5W-32129

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what resources it is providing to Police Scotland to address any anticipated rise in police activity resulting from increased government measures to tackle COVID-19, and whether it will report on what impact it considers such increased measures might have on Police Scotland's ability to tackle other types of crime.

Police Scotland has been at the front and centre of the response to COVID-19 in Scotland, and continues to work closely with partners including local authorities and the NHS to support the response. We continue to be grateful to both police officers and staff who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public.

This year the Scottish Government has increased funding for policing by £60 million to more than £1.2 billion. This 5.1% rise, compared to 2019-20, is ensuring that Police Scotland can maintain officer numbers, enhance its community policing capability and maintain and modernise its estate.

At 30 June 2020, there were 17,273 officers, which issignificantly above the level inherited in 2007, with a higher number of officers than at any time during the previous administration.

The demands on policing have been unprecedented over the last few months, and while Police Scotland has a key role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, it continues to respond to a wide range of crimes. This was highlighted in the Police Scotland submission to the Justice Sub-Committee on Policing in June 2002, which stated:

“ Despite organisational change caused by the pandemic there has not been, nor will there be, any change in Police Scotland’s key priority to protect vulnerable individuals and reduce harm ”

The Chief Constable’s most recent report to the SPA Board highlighted a range of areas, apart from policing the COVID-19 pandemic, in which Police Scotland continues to work successfully, including: serious violence including homicide, serious organised crime, drug supply and harm, road safety and road crime and international human trafficking. It was further reported to the same meeting that domestic crime and the potential for supressed vulnerability remain a significant concern and priority. Police Scotland has taken steps to identify those at risk and give support to those who need their help.

The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland to monitor and manage the financial impacts of COVID-19 on the policing budget. Where relevant, this includes the latest information on the impact of the pandemic on levels of recorded crime in Scotland (taken from an associated release of monthly Official Statistics).

Question reference: S5O-04701

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect teachers in the north east from COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-32093

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister's statement and Scottish Government press release on 22 September 2020, which section of which coronavirus regulations excepts "non-cohabiting couples" from the new restriction on gatherings in private dwellings.

The current coronavirus regulations define extended household as follows –

“extended household” means two households—

(a) which have chosen to be treated as a single household for the purpose of—

(i) these Regulations, or

(ii) the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, and

(b) have not already chosen to be treated as a single household with any other household

The Scottish Government “Staying Safe and Protecting Others” guidance on extended households sets out the circumstances in which we advise extended households could be formed. There is a section in this guidance entitled “Couples who do not live together”, where more information on forming an extended household in these circumstances can be found.

Question reference: S5W-32018

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on 23 September 2020 (Official Report, c.20), whether it will provide a full list of the stakeholders that the cabinet secretary said he had spoken to “to seek their views on the areas of the [Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill]" that he was "committed to considering”; what date each discussion took place, and whether it will publish the minutes of each discussion.

I met with the following stakeholders to seek their views on the areas of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill that I was considering amending:

Faculty of Advocates (04 September 2020)
Law Society of Scotland (14 September 2020)
Humanist Society Scotland (14 September 2020)
Catholic Church (14 September 2020)
Tackling Prejudice and Building Connected Communities Action Group [1] (22 September 2020)
Scottish PEN (22 September 2020)
Federation of Scottish Theatre (22 September 2020)
National Union of Journalists (22 September 2020)
Scottish Society of Playwrights (22 September 2020)
Writers’ Guild (22 September 2020)
Scottish Police Federation (22 September 2020)

These engagements informed the development of the policy change to the Bill that I outlined to Parliament on 23 September 2020. Discussion also covered a range of other matters connected with the Bill as well as wider hate crime policy.

Short notes of the meetings will be published here by the end of the month and once permission has been received from the organisations in attendance.

[1] https://www.gov.scot/groups/tackling-prejudice-and-building-connected-communities-action-group/ .

Question reference: S5F-04468

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2020

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to statistics stating that attacks on emergency workers have risen approximately 6% on the previous year and occur at a rate of more than 20 a day.

Question reference: S5W-31917

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 5 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports (a) that there has been a reduction in the number of young lawyers wishing to do criminal defence work and (b) highlighting figures that show a decline in the number of registered criminal law firms and criminal lawyers of approximately a quarter in the last 10 years.

Anecdotally, it is reported that the number of legal trainees in criminal practice has decreased, however this appears to reflect the fall in reported crime over several years, the subsequent fall in cases proceeding to court, and the business models of many criminal law practitioners. While Scottish Government can provide support to improve the diversity of the legal profession, it has little in the way of legislative powers to direct activity. Any support needs to be carefully managed to ensure that there is no perception of compromising the independence of the legal profession in Scotland. The Scottish Government has encouraged the Law Society to promote greater diversity, for example through more “family friendly” policies and more open recruitment and promotion in firms.

In addition, we are already working jointly with the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Legal Aid Board to identify appropriate ways to support solicitors in responding to changes to their business as a result of the pandemic, and will be working with these stakeholders as part of the reform of legal aid programme.

Question reference: S5O-04658

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for major projects in the north east to drive the area's tourism sector.

Question reference: S5T-02423

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the backlog of court cases could take up to a decade to clear.

Question reference: S5W-31833

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of a convicted sex offender using a dating app to organise a date in which he subsequently sexually assaulted someone, what its position is on whether dating websites should be informed about persons on the sex offenders register, and what action it can take to facilitate this.

I cannot comment on the specifics of any individual case, however this Government is committed to doing all that it can to minimise the risks posed by those convicted of sexual offences. Scotland’s Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) manage the risks posed by such individuals. MAPPA “Responsible Authorities” can, and do, disclose information for the purpose of victim safety-planning and public protection.

In Scotland, disclosure of specific information about a registered sex offender can already take place legally in three ways:

the individual can self-disclose;
a public interest disclosure can be made by police;
and a disclosure can be made by social workers in relation to protection of children and vulnerable adults.

The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland gives men and women the right to ask Police Scotland about the background of a current or new partner if they are concerned about abusive behaviour.

There are no current plans to routinely make disclosure information available to online dating websites. That does not of course preclude those companies from taking any steps they feel are appropriate to protect users of their services, such as advising them of reasonable precautions they can take to keep themselves safe.

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