Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-34867

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many police stations are currently the subject of review for potential closure in Police Scotland’s Estate Strategy, and whether it will specify each potential location.

Question reference: S6W-34862

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many Police Scotland officers or staff were unavailable for deployment in each month of (a) 2023 and (b) 2024 due to sickness or other physical or mental ill health.

Question reference: S6W-34865

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the operational base level is for each division of Police Scotland, and how often Police Scotland has been unable to meet that level in each division in the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-33259

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of investment and activity levels in the North Sea resulting from a “presumption against new exploration for oil and gas" as set out in its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, and whether it plans to remove language around a “presumption against” to encourage investment in the North Sea.

We support a just transition for Scotland’s valued oil and gas sector. The judgements and issues our view on future licencing of oil and gas are informed and influenced by recent developments in the UK Government’s energy policy and court decisions. This is a rapidly changing landscape, and we are taking time to reflect on those developments before drawing any conclusions and publishing a final strategy.

We continue to call on UK Government to also listen carefully to the concerns being expressed by businesses around risks to jobs and investment in the transition. We also continue to monitor evidence and information on the energy transition and fuel security from a range of sources.

Question reference: S6W-33261

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) discussions and (b) meetings it has held with (i) expert organisations and (ii) the UK Government regarding the potential consequences for the UK’s future gas supply if the Jackdaw gas field were not to be developed for any reason, and whether it will publish the minutes of any such meetings.

Question reference: S6W-32709

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the campaign for parole reform being pursued by two survivors, and The Courier’s Voice for Victims campaign, particularly in relation to the current (a) necessity for a confidentiality agreement prior to participation and (b) non-requirement for an admission of guilt before consideration of parole.

We are committed to listening to the victims’, and their families, views on how the parole system can be improved.

This why the First Minister, Minister for Victims, and I, are committed to meeting victims and hear how we can better support them through the parole process.

Continuous improvement is essential to ensuring the parole system remains effective and fit for purpose.

However, any proposals to amend parole rules need to be carefully considered, and fully assessed, to understand their impact.

Question reference: S6W-33246

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-12917 and S6W-12918 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 December 2022, what progress it is making with delivering each of the "Transport Scotland Required Outputs" listed on page 11 of the Scotland's Railway July 2022 publication, Enhancements Delivery Plan.

Question reference: S6W-33993

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting the progress of the European Charter of Local Self-Government (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6W-33262

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many jobs in Scotland’s oil and gas sector, and its supply chain, have been lost since 1 January 2023.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with the offshore oil and gas industry on a range of topics, including workforce planning. For example, the First Minister last met with Offshore Energies UK along with myself in September 2024 and this included discussion of jobs in the context of the energy transition.

In the unfortunate event of any employees facing redundancy, the Scottish Government will always offer and provide support through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment, PACE. Through providing skills development and employability support, PACE aims to minimise the time individuals affected by redundancy are out of work.

Question reference: S6W-33119

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the justice system will remain accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstances, in light of the reported reduction in the number of criminal legal aid solicitors since 2007 from 1,459 to 966 and the Law Society of Scotland's projection that nearly one-third of legal aid practitioners are set to retire within the next decade, and what plans it has to increase the number of criminal legal aid solicitors and legal aid practitioners.

The Scottish Government remains committed to providing legal aid for a wide scope of actions. The draft Scottish Budget includes a proposed further investment of £14.2 million for the Legal Fund in 2025-26 which is an increase of 10% on this year’s budget (to £155.5 million).

Despite financial constraints, the Scottish Government continues to focus on building a more inclusive Scotland for all, investing in services and support that will help our communities during these difficult times.

Our budget, if passed by Parliament, will ensure that this government can continue to prioritise action to eradicate child poverty, protect our public services including improving access to legal aid and grow Scotland’s economy, while addressing the inequalities that many in our communities still face.

I recognise that change is needed to ensure we have a legal aid system that meets the needs of people. We are publishing our legal aid action plan for reform shortly, and I intend to take forward work in this area in the coming months and I will meet with the legal profession and stakeholders to hear views from across the justice system on areas for reform.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31040 on 13 November 2024 in respect of solicitor numbers. 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-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

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