Margaret Smith

21 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many unconvicted persons have been refused bail at first appearance on complaint or on petition since 10 December 2007 where the procurator fiscal has not opposed the grant of bail.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.</p>

21 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many summary custody trials have been held in sheriff courts in each month from April 2006 to date.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information for all sheriff courts is only available from May 2007 onwards and is shown in the following table:</p> <p >Number of Custody Trials with Evidence Led</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=120 valign=t…

21 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women were serving sentences of imprisonment or detention in prisons or young offenders institutions on the first day of each month from April 2006 to date.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The table below illustrates the number of sentenced female and male prisoners on the first day of each month from April 2006.</p> <table …

21 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women were held on remand in prisons or young offenders institutions on the first day of each month from April 2006 to date.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The table below illustrates the numbers of prisoners held on remand on the first day of each month from April 2006.</p> <table border=0 …

14 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider taking action to ensure the provision of information packs to support people suffering from Acquired Brain Injury on discharge from hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The most suitable vehicle for taking this forward is the national Managed Clinical Network (MCN) for Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). One of its main aims is to provide, in easily accessible formats, high quality information for people with ABI and their families…

14 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support is available to people suffering from Acquired Brain Injury on discharge from hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The early management of patients with a head injury is covered in <i >SIGN Guideline 46</i> which is currently under revision and due for publication in 2009. The draft revised guidelines suggest that patients with severe head injury should be assessed for mu…

12 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will spend on drug rehabilitation in each year from 2008 to 2011, also showing in percentage real terms how these figures compare with 2007 spend.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Spending Review proposes £29.5 million/£32 million/£32.8 million for the period 2008-9 to 2010-11 for the drug misuse budget within the Justice portfolio alone. This represents a 14% increase in spending by 2010-11. No decision has yet been taken about ho…

12 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will spend on mental health rehabilitation in each year from 2008 to 2011, also showing in percentage real terms how these figures compare with 2007 spend.

Answer · Shona Robison: Spend on mental health services is drawn from the record funds allocated to NHS boards and local government. Expenditure on rehabilitation will be included within these resources but not separately identified.</p> <p >Record funding included within the Scott…

12 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average reoffending rate after two years is of women who were convicted of crimes and subsequently underwent mental health rehabilitation.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>

12 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average reoffending rate after two years is of women who were convicted of crimes and subsequently underwent drug rehabilitation.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>

12 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average reoffending rate of women is two years after they completed community sentences.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The two year reconviction rates of women following the date on which they completed a community sentence is not held centrally.</p> <p >The two year reconviction rates of women following the date at which they were sentenced to a community sentence in 2003-0…

12 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average reoffending rate of women is two years after they completed custodial sentences.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The two year reconviction rate of women released from a custodial sentence in 2003-04 was 65%.</p>

12 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what proportion of female prisoners have been recognised as having mental health problems on admission to prison in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >This information is not available because of the difficulties of precise definition in this complex field. However, proxy prescribing indi…

12 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what proportion of female prisoners have tested positive for drugs on admission to prison in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Statistical information on positive drug tests of prisoners is not available by gender. However, it is available by establishment and the …

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents have involved blue light vehicles from the (a) police, (b) fire service and (c) ambulance service in each of the last five years and how many (i) deaths and (ii) serious injuries resulted from accidents in each category.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: (a) The number of road accidents involving the police and the number of deaths and serious injuries resulting from these accidents are:</p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=70 valign=top > <p align=center >Yea…

6 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many solicitors’ practices undertook legal aid work for which they received fee payments, excluding VAT, from the Scottish Legal Aid Board in 2005-06 for (a) criminal and (b) civil legal aid of (i) less than £25,000, (ii) from £25,000 to £49,999, (iii) from £50,00 to £74,999, (iv) fro…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following tables give details of the fees paid to solicitors'' firms between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 for criminal and civil legal aid. All fee payments are excluding VAT and include solicitor and solicitor-advocate fees paid to the firm.</p> <p >R…

4 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what effect windshielding would have had on the numbers of restrictions and closures on the Forth Road Bridge in the last two months.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The operation and maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge is a matter for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA). There are several examples of bridges where wind shielding has been incorporated and as a result vehicles are unaffected by inclement weather.…

4 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it took account of the disruption caused by bridge closures in bad weather conditions in its decision to build a bridge rather than a tunnel at Queensferry.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Yes.</p>

4 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to hold a public inquiry into its decision to build a further Forth crossing at Queensferry or whether the decision will be fast-tracked.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The decision has been made to construct a replacement Forth Crossing. There is no intention to hold a public inquiry into this decision.</p>

4 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Historic Scotland’s listing of buildings at the former Royal Navy base at Port Edgar was taken into account during the evaluation of the best option for a further Forth crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The listing of buildings at Port Edgar Naval Barracks was considered during the Forth Replacement Crossing Study. As with all construction projects we will seek to minimise or avoid any impact on listed or designated sites.</p>

4 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact Historic Scotland’s listing of buildings at the former Royal Navy base at Port Edgar will have on plans for the new Forth crossing at Queensferry.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The barrack buildings at Port Edgar form a remarkably complete survival of a First World War Grand Fleet base. No other Grand Fleet base is known to have survived in such an intact condition in the UK. It has considerable historical interest for its former us…

1 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or Transport Scotland have attended any meetings of the (a) TIE Limited Board or (b) the Edinburgh Trams Project Board in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08 and, if so, when they attended and in what capacity.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland routinely attended the four weekly meetings of both the TIE Limited Board and Edinburgh Trams Project Board from September 2006 to July 2007. Transport Scotland was an observer on the TIE Limited Project Board and a member of the Edinburgh …

1 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what actions it or Transport Scotland has taken to improve the governance of the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link scheme since 27 September 2007.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: It is not intended that the EARL project should proceed. Governance processes now reflect that status.</p>

1 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has decided where the proposed new Gogar rail station will be built.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland is developing plans to build a new railway station in the Gogar area of Edinburgh which will integrate with the tram network for onward connection to Edinburgh airport. This scheme is at an early stage of development.</p> <p >There is a nu…

1 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any investigations into the possibility of an additional rail stop at the Gyle Shopping Centre rather than at Gogar.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: It is intended that one of the benefits of a station at Gogar will be improved public transport access to the South Gyle Shopping Centre. The optimum location of the new station is being considered as part of the current design development work.</p>

1 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the proposed rail stop at Gogar will have on the levels of road traffic in west Edinburgh compared with those if the direct Edinburgh Airport Rail Link were to have proceeded.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Edinburgh “ Glasgow Improvements Programme, of which a new station at Gogar comprises one part, should be considered in conjunction with the significant investment in the Edinburgh Tram Project. Taken together, these will have a wider impact on road traff…

1 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of modal shift from private cars to public transport will be achieved for passengers travelling to Edinburgh Airport as a result of the proposal for a rail stop at Gogar rather than a direct rail link to the airport.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: A significant modal shift from private car to rail use is anticipated as a result of the Edinburgh “ Glasgow Improvements Programme, which includes the station at Gogar, to link with the Edinburgh Tram Project. Specific patronage estimates for Gogar station w…

1 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or Transport Scotland has had any meetings with local landowners about the impact of a new train station at Gogar since the decision on 27 September 2007 on plans for the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: This scheme is at an early stage of development and therefore meetings with landowners who may be affected have not yet been held. </p>

1 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact a new rail stop at Gogar would have on the rail network timetable.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: A new station at Gogar will enhance the connectivity for passengers delivered through the rail network timetable. </p>

1 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or Transport Scotland has met Network Rail to seek its views on the feasibility and deliverability of the proposal for an airport station at Gogar since the decision on 27 September 2007 on plans for the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link and, if so, how often such meetings have taken…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland are taking forward the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvements Programme using a joint approach with Network Rail and First ScotRail.</p> <p >Meetings between Transport Scotland, Network Rail and First ScotRail are held on a weekly basis and th…