Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-29384

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 28 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that refugees and migrants from all cultures and backgrounds have access to existing English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) support.

Scotland has the infrastructure necessary to support refugees and migrants from all cultures and backgrounds in their language acquisition. We also have a range of SQA assessments for ESOL learners and practitioners as well as an initial assessment pack to ensure standardisation of placements within ESOL classes. It is essential that this support is maintained in order to provide the services required to assist new migrants to fully contribute to Scotland economically and socially.

Question reference: S4W-29385

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 28 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Prime Minister’s announcement of an English language tuition fund will have on support for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision in Scotland.

We have been advised that the funding announced is for England only and will have no impact on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision in Scotland. The Scottish Government continues to support refugees and migrants through our New Scots 2014-2017 strategy and Scotland’s ESOL Strategy 2015-2020. The strategies will ensure that refugees and migrants are able to build a new life from the day they arrive in Scotland and to realise their full potential with the support of mainstream services and where they become active members of our communities with strong social relationships.

Question reference: S4W-29387

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 28 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether the UK Government’s announcement of an English language tuition fund will result in increased funding for English language support in Scotland and, if so, how it will use any additional funding.

We have been advised that the funding announced is for England only and will have no impact English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision in Scotland. The Scottish Government continues to support refugees and migrants through our New Scots 2014-2017 strategy and the ESOL Strategy 2015-2020. The strategies will ensure that refugees and migrants are able to build a new life from the day they arrive in Scotland and to realise their full potential with the support of mainstream services and where they become active members of our communities with strong social relationships.

Question reference: S4W-29327

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many unimplemented planning permissions there have been in each year since 2011.

Question reference: S4W-29263

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to eliminate unconscious bias and institutional racism in Police Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-29261

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland QC on 20 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what procedures are in place to assist victims of hate crimes in monitoring the progress of their case.

All victims have a right to request and be told about progress of a case following the coming into force of the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014. The recently published Victims’ Code for Scotland and Standards of Service for Victims and Witnesses, agreed and published by the agencies involved in the criminal justice system, set out what victims can expect and who to contact for further information about the case. Victims are entitled to information about their case from Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. Information can be requested throughout criminal investigation and proceedings.

In certain categories of cases the COPFS Victim and Information Advice (VIA) service will proactively keep victims advised without the victim having to request such information. One of these categories is all cases involving hate crime. In addition the COPFS VIA service can facilitate referral to other agencies for specialist support and counselling as required.

Question reference: S4W-29262

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to help improve the ethnic diversity of Police Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-28627

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what new security measures it is taking to protect places of religious worship, including mosques and Muslim community centres, following the Paris attacks.

As indicated in my answer to question S4W-28625 on 14 January 2016, we are determined that the terrorist threat will not undermine our commitment to a diverse and open society built on a liberal democracy and shared values and the most important challenge for us all is to work towards creating cohesive and resilient communities within which the terrorist messages will not resonate.

We are fully committed to working with Police Scotland and others to safeguard all communities and potentially vulnerable people and sites. There is absolutely no place for bigotry and prejudice in Scotland and this government is clear that any form of hate crime is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in 21st century Scotland.

The Scottish Government is in the process of establishing an independent advisory group, chaired by Dr Duncan Morrow, which will engage with communities on the issue of hate crime, prejudice and community cohesion, with a view to presenting initial findings to ministers in 2016.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-28625

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the safety of the Muslim community following the Paris attacks.

We are determined that the terrorist threat will not undermine our commitment to a diverse and open society built on a liberal democracy and shared values and the most important challenge for us all is to work towards creating cohesive and resilient communities within which the terrorist messages will not resonate.

We are fully committed to working with Police Scotland and others to safeguard all communities and potentially vulnerable people and sites. There is absolutely no place for bigotry and prejudice in Scotland and this government is clear that any form of hate crime is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in 21st century Scotland.

The Scottish Government is in the process of establishing an independent advisory group, chaired by Dr Duncan Morrow, which will engage with communities on the issue of hate crime, prejudice and community cohesion, with a view to presenting initial findings to ministers in 2016.

Question reference: S4O-05278

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to local museums and galleries following a reduction in the culture budget for 2016-17.

Chamber and committees