- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it is considering to reduce teenage vaping, in light of the Health and Wellbeing Census Scotland 2021-22 finding that one in 10 school pupils in S4 regularly vape.
Answer
The results of the Health and Wellbeing Census Scotland 2021-22, and reports from schools and parents about young people vaping, are of great concern to the Scottish Government.
Vapes are an age restricted product and should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18. In October 2022 we wrote to all registered retailers of these products to remind them of their duty of sale and we regularly meet with Trading Standards on enforcement.
Our recent consultation proposed restrictions on vaping products and we are aiming to bring forward new regulations in 2023. Any action we seek to take will build on the regulations already in place to restrict the marketing, promotion and sale of vaping products to under 18s.
We will publish our refreshed Tobacco Action Plan this year, which will include actions to reduce vaping among young people.
We are reviewing vaping education for young people in schools and have also funded ASH Scotland to work with a range of youth organisations on the risks associated with vaping.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans (a) last visited a police station, and where that police station was, and (b) next plans to visit (i) a police station and (ii) Police Scotland's headquarters.
Answer
I’m very much looking forward to meeting with police officers and staff across Scotland as the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs.
My predecessor met with police officers at Wester Hailes Police Station on 14 December 2023 and was pleased to attend the Chief Constable’s Bravery and Excellence Awards at Tulliallan Police College on 10 February.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of cuckooing have been (a) reported to and (b) identified by Police Scotland in each year since 2017 and what steps it is taking to tackle this activity.
Answer
The Scottish Government is fully committed to tackling serious and organised crime and strongly condemns the illegal practice of ‘cuckooing’ and the subsequent misery it causes victims.
The Scottish Government does not hold information on the operational intelligence on incidents involving cuckooing. This information should be requested from Police Scotland directly.
The Scottish Government is working with partners on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce to disrupt cuckooing and County Lines networks.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that CalMac’s new Ar Turas ticketing system no longer offers the option of a season ticket for residents of the Isle of Cumbrae, what plans are in place to offer suitable and appropriate discounts in line with historic benefits.
Answer
CalMac are focussing their efforts on the Ar Turas Go-Live event. However, TS officials have had an initial meeting with CalMac to investigate potential options for eBooking of multi-journey tickets. This is at an early stage. It is important to note the wider benefits that the Ar Turas System will bring for both customers and staff.
Wider fares policy will be considered as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan and future fares options will be considered through that process.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15590 by Keith Brown on 14 March 2023, whether it will provide the data that it holds on forced marriage-related offences in Scotland in each year since 2016.
Answer
Please see the data requested on Police recorded forced marriage related offences in Scotland since 2016 in the following table.
| 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
Forced marriage under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Breaching a forced marriage protection order | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many trees, that have been planted by its agencies or through publicly-funded tree-planting initiatives, it estimates have died before reaching maturity, in each year for which data is available.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not produce estimates or collect data on the number of trees that have died and the age when this occurs.
All forests once established will experience some mortality and natural thinning through competition between individual trees. This will vary according to the planting density, management regimes, effects of pests and diseases, woodland type and location, and is an understood and accepted part of sustainable forest management.
However, any woodland creation that is publicly funded through the Forestry Grant Scheme is required to attain a specified stocking density when established, normally by year five, as set out in published guidance on the Rural Payments website at https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/forestry-grant-scheme/woodland-creation/
Forest Research publishes data on forest yields and management information on the patterns of tree growth that can be expected in forests of different tree species, with varying growth rates, and when managed in different ways. This can be found at https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications/forest-yield/ . These data, which factor in mortality rates, provide forecasts for the number of live tree over time and are used for example to estimate timber yields, forest biomass and carbon stocks, and the modelling of forest greenhouse gas balances.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on repairs and maintenance, as outlined in the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service 2022-23 maintenance project list, to (a) Greenock Sheriff Court, including (i) door soundproofing, (ii) court room redecoration and (iii) boiler replacement, (b) roof access and bird netting at Ayr Sheriff Court and (c) Paisley Sheriff Court, including (A) car park relining and (B) the court room fan.
Answer
This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many electric vehicles the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has access to, and how many electric vehicle chargers are available for use by SCTS staff on or within SCTS premises.
Answer
This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of fires attended to by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service that were caused by, or suspected to have been caused by, electric (a) scooters, (b) bikes and (c) cars, in each year since 2017.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) are working with key stakeholders and partners to understand the risks that lithium-ion batteries (LIB), contained within most electric vehicles, present to communities across Scotland. A bespoke working group is focused on these risks, and its findings will strengthen SFRS’s community safety work going forward. SFRS urges users of LIB technology to take the appropriate steps when disposing of spent battery units to ensure reduced risk of fire.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Public Health Scotland report, Gonorrhoea infection in Scotland: 2013-2022, which shows that the incidence of diagnosed gonorrhoea infection has increased since May 2021 from three positives per 100,000 people to 17.2 positives per 100,000 people in November 2022.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the continuing rise in gonorrhoea diagnoses, and we are grateful for the efforts of the dedicated clinicians who continue to work to find and treat affected individuals.
We acknowledge the impact that the pandemic has had on service capacity and levels of routine testing. That is why the upcoming Sexual Health and Blood Borne Strategy, which will be published this Spring, has a strong Covid recovery focus, and why we have invested over £500,000 into development of online STI testing. A pilot of this has begun in NHS Lothian, and we will continue to work with our NHS partners to understand how it may be further expanded.