Parliamentary questions

Margaret Curran

254 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a target to reduce the prison population.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: There is no targetbut I have already made clear that I agree with the previous Minister for Justicethat there are now too many people in our prisons who should not be there and thatwe need to shift the balance between prison and community punishments. This is…

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward proposals to implement a 20% increase in drug rehabilitation services.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: These matters willbe considered as part of the Spending Review 2007. We will also be discussing thebest way forward across the range of drug misuse issues with interested partiesover the coming months.

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward proposals for increased resources for criminal justice social work.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The future level offunding of criminal justice social work services will be considered during the forthcomingspending review and announced to Parliament in due course.

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact would be of a 5% reduction in the prison budget.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response isas follows:A 5% reduction wouldamount to some £20 million. The impact of such a reduction would depend on a rangeof factors, including the size of the pri…

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed the proposal to move £35 million from the prison budget with the Scottish Prison Service.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response isas follows:Discussions will takeplace in due course with the Scottish Prison Service as part of the wider spendingreview process.

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will implement the commitment to move £35 million from the prison budget to fund community sentences.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Proposals for thefuture funding of criminal justice services will be considered during the forthcomingspending review and announced to Parliament in due course.

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward proposals for developing community sentences.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I will bring forwardproposals for tough community sentences that protect the public, help offendersturn their lives around and include some payback to the community once we completethe work to examine what more can be done to improve community sentences whic…

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward the proposal to implement the presumption that offenders who are given a custodial sentence of less than six months will have that sentence turned into an equivalent punishment within the community.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: My announcementof plans to reform and revitalise community sentences to Parliament during the“Safer and Stronger” debate on 6 June 2007 will include what more can be doneto shift the balance between the use of community and custodial sentences. Iwill report p…

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fine defaulters have refused to comply with supervised attendance orders.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available informationon breach applications of supervised attendance orders (SAOs) is given in tablenumbers 50 and 51 of statistical bulletin Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics2005-06, published by the Scottish Executive in 2007, a copy…

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fine defaulters have been placed on supervised attendance orders.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The latest availablestatistics on supervised attendance orders (SAOs) is given in table numbers 43 to49 of statistical bulletin Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics 2005-06,published by the Scottish Executive in 2007, a copy of which is available in…

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fine defaulters have been held in prison in the last year and of these how many (a) were first offenders and (b) had never previously paid fines.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response isas follows:In 2005-06, therewere 6,213 fine default receptions, which were made up by 5,293 individuals. The average daily prison population of finedefaul…

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners there were in May 2007, also broken down by the number sentenced to (a) four years or more, (b) from six months to four years and (c) under six months.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response isas follows:The provisional averagedaily population by sentence length for December 2006, which is the most recentmonth for which data can be released, is …

6 Jun 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to meet representatives of the voluntary sector.

Answer · Jim Mather: I met with many representativesof the voluntary sector yesterday, at a reception here in Parliament. I discussedwith them the important contribution they make to our strategic purpose of focusinggovernment and all public services on creating a more successful…

30 May 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive Executive how many dispersal orders have been introduced and where they have been applied.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Up to the end of September 2006,13 dispersal orders were granted in nine locations across Scotland: oneeach in Dingwall, Mid Calder, Moffat, Lockerbie, Sauchie, and Glasgow; two eachin Dumfries and Aberdeen, and three in Edinburgh.Statistics for the us…

6 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it proposes to consult on the future uses of electronic monitoring in the criminal justice system.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The consultation document Tagging Offenders: the Role of Electronic Monitoring in the Scottish Criminal Justice System will be published on 9 October. A copy will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre and additional copies will be made availab…

28 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources for tackling drug misuse in Scotland will be available as a result of the recent spending review.

Answer · Angus MacKay: In the Spending Review the Executive has agreed a new £100 million package of drugs expenditure for the three years from 2001-02. This will fund the Drugs Action Plan we published in May, which sets out our plans in support of the field across the four pillar…

14 Jun 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote equal opportunities and tackle racism.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all. In support of that commitment the Executive established an Equality Unit and is currently engaged in the development of an equality strategy.The Executive is working to tackl…

24 May 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to promote equality of opportunity in the fields of education, lifelong learning and economic development in order to address gender divisions in the labour market.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive is working together with Her Majesty’s Government to break down the old barriers to equality in education, lifelong learning and economic development. We are committed to the promotion of opportunity for all of our people all of the tim…

3 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it has received to its consultation on the modernisation of public appointments.

Answer · Jack McConnell: By Thursday 4 May, a total of 88 responses had been received. A number of individuals and organisations have asked for further time to prepare their responses and accordingly I have decided to extend the deadline until 31 May to allow as many people as possib…

2 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the monitoring of initial teacher education.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Arrangements are being developed in collaboration with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Higher Education Institutions, the General Teaching Council, education authorities, schools, teachers' ass…

2 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make extra resources available to the NHS.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I am pleased to announce that I am today making available to health boards a total of £60 million, subject to the provision of satisfactory plans showing how the resources are to be used.These funds will enable health boards and NHS Trusts to accelerate de…

29 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that the recent increases in health expenditure tackle geographical health inequalities, particularly in Glasgow.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive recognises that priority must be given to tackling the legacy of health inequalities that Scotland has inherited. This informs our approach to resource allocation and a key aim of the current review of the formula by which resources are…

28 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-851 by Henry McLeish on 5 November 1999, when the Quigley Committee will report to the Scottish Parliament and whether the Scottish Executive will respond to this report.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The Secretary of State for Education and Employment established a committee under the chairmanship of Sir George Quigley in December 1998, as required by Section 25 (4) of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998, to review fee support for students from Eng…

1 Mar 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the progress of the discussions which have taken place at the Women's Consultative Forum (WCF) and what mechanisms have been put in place for the WCF to inform policy development.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Executive held its first meeting of the Women in Scotland Consultative Forum on 1 November and a detailed report of this meeting has been widely circulated.The Forum provides a useful opportunity for Ministers and officials to engage in dialogue with w…

29 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Bill will be introduced.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The Scottish Executive has today introduced the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament.The Executive issued a draft of the Bill on 18 November and received over 2,200 responses to that cons…

28 Feb 2000 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what measures are being taken to increase the employment opportunities of those in Scotland's most disadvantaged areas.

Answer · Donald Dewar: We are committed to promoting social justice and equality of opportunity for everyone in Scotland, and this includes increasing the employment rates of groups that are disadvantaged in the labour market.We now have a network of 47 Social Inclusion Partners…

16 Feb 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what new measures are being introduced to address school exclusions.

Answer · Peter Peacock: A wide range of initiatives are being developed by education authorities supported by funding from the Scottish Executive under the Alternatives to Exclusion initiatives. £5 million was allocated this year rising to £8 million in 2000-01 and £10 million in 20…

10 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to publish and implement the recommendations of the report of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I welcome the Expert Advisory Group's report that is being published today.The report provides a robust evidence base for the management and delivery of infertility services in Scotland. It will also provide equity of access to services and…

9 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases there have been in Scotland where the wrong organ has been transplanted, how such cases were investigated and what the outcome was of any such investigations.

Answer · Susan Deacon: We are not aware of any cases in Scotland where the wrong organ has been transplanted. There was, however, a case in Glasgow in 1997 where the wrong organ was removed. The matter is currently subject to legal restrictions.

19 Jan 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to further the strategy on drugs and, in particular, what role the Drug Action Teams will play.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Executive has made significant progress in implementing Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership. Officials are currently drawing up a Drugs Action Plan for publication which will highlight areas being tackled and to hold the Executive to …