Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-22518

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been arrested in relation to violence at railway stations in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S6W-22526

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been admitted to A&E in relation to violence on trains in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S6W-22525

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been convicted of an offence in relation to violence on trains in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S6W-22510

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been charged with selling cannabis in each year since 2016.

A total of 13,697 accused were reported to COPFS for the period 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2023 with charge(s) which fall within the Scottish Government Classification of "Drugs – Supply, and where it can be identified that cannabis was the relevant controlled drug.

This can be broken down as follows:

		Financial Year Reported
2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
2,096	2,143	2,011	1,915	2,085	1,767	1,680

The information is provided under the caveat that: COPFS uses a live, operational database to manage the processing of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies throughout Scotland. It is designed to meet business needs in the processing of criminal cases, rather than for statistical analysis, and the information within it is structured accordingly.

The numbers were arrived at following an interrogation of relevant charges however a manual review was not conducted to confirm accuracy.

Question reference: S6W-22400

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for the funding it provided to the Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum in 2022.

STAF received £184,200 (2021-22) and £193,200 (2022-23) in core funding via the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention & Adult Learning & Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC) third sector fund. For both these financial years, the agreed outcomes from this funding were:

That the wellbeing and success of young people leaving care across Scotland is indistinguishable from that of their peers in the general population.
That there is a significant and measurable shift in culture and improved understanding by all corporate parents working with young people from a care experienced background leading to improved outcomes

That young people from a care experienced background are informed and empowered to stay in care longer if that is what they wish in placements that meet their needs.
That STAF increases its influence on behalf of young people and our stakeholders.

In addition a grant of £27,200 was paid to staff for the financial year 2021-22 through the Children and Young People Summer Programme, the objectives of the grant were:

Provide targeted opportunities for care leavers and those who support them to reconnect with each other and to explore local outdoor wild spaces;
Design activities with young people with lived experience to ensure that the programme is relevant to their needs; and
Provide opportunities that promote and support improving physical and mental health in woodlands and forests with young people participating in activities relevant to the wild spaces they are in.

Question reference: S6W-22522

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of violence on trains have been reported in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S6W-22517

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of violence at railway stations have been reported in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S6W-22509

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide the outcomes of any reviews that it has conducted regarding the effects of second-hand cannabis smoke.

Question reference: S6W-22148

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether historic peak times will in future determine when discounts are available on ScotRail trains with a 16-25 railcard.

The terms and conditions of GB Railcards are set out by National Rail (part of the Rail Delivery Group). Neither Transport Scotland nor ScotRail regulate the rules for the use of national railcards.

As such, future decisions on when discounts would be available using the 16-25 national railcard are not controlled by the Scottish Government.

Where a National Railcard dictates a minimum fare for travel during peak times - such as the 16-25, 26-30, and Veterans Railcard and the minimum fare will still apply.

I would encourage the member to contact Jacqueline Starr CEO, Rail Delivery Group to raise this matter at jacqueline.starr@raildeliverygroup.com

Question reference: S6W-22519

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been convicted of an offence in relation to violence at railway stations in each year since 2016.

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