Parliamentary questions
Gil Paterson
788 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-5858 and S1W-9994 by Mr Jack McConnell on 28 April 2000 and 4 October 2000 respectively, whether it is now in a position to publish the Notes on Sections to the Scotland Act 1998 and make them available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
7 Feb 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it is planning to combat sexual violence outwith domestic settings.
Answer · Iain Gray: We have put in place a wide range of criminal justice responses to tackle sexual violence including strengthening the sex offenders legislation, and providing resources to put more police on our streets. A White Paper in the spring will outline further propos…
6 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that all computers within schools with access to the Internet are fully equipped with filtering or blocking software and what funding it has made available for this purpose.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has issued an information pack "ClickThinking - Personal Safety on the Internet" to all Scottish education authorities and schools. The pack includes policy guidelines and background information for local authorities to help them t…
24 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow the emergency contraceptive Levonelle to be made available to children over 12 years of age by school nurses without parental consent in any area of Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Nurses can only provide medication where authorised to do so under a Patient Group Direction, issued by their NHS Trust. Whether any such Direction would extend to emergency contraception would be for health boards and NHS Trusts to consider in the light of l…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimated annual economic cost is of domestic violence in Scotland.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The information requested is not held centrally.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what structures are in place to ensure that its departments co-ordinate efforts to reduce the incidence of domestic violence.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Crime Prevention Unit of the Justice Department co-ordinates the work of Scottish Executive departments in tackling domestic abuse.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to carry out research into attitudes and perceptions of domestic violence before, during and after the development of the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: As stated in my replies to questions S1W-12713 and S1W-12706, the Scottish Executive is carrying out evaluation research of the Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust's "Respect" educational package. This research will involve asking children and young peo…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research into public awareness and perceptions of domestic violence it or the Scottish Office have carried out over the past 10 years.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: Research into public awareness and perceptions of domestic abuse was carried out by the Scottish Office in 1994, following the first domestic abuse advertising campaign. Similarly, research was carried out prior to the 1998-99 advertising campaign and repeate…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of spousal homicide there were from 1978 to 1999 inclusive.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is detailed in the following table. The figures shown include all cases where the main accused was the spouse, separated/divorced spouse or cohabitee of the victim.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Homicide victims<SUP>1</SUP> where main accused wa…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of serious assault of women there were in each year from 1993 to 1999 inclusive.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The recorded crime statistics collected centrally do not include information on the victims of the crimes and therefore cannot distinguish those crimes of assault where the victims were women. The only information available comes from the Scottish Crime Surve…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many treatment programmes for perpetrators of domestic abuse it is currently funding.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-10179 on 30 October.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it is planning to devote to research surrounding domestic violence issues in each of the next five years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive Central Research Unit is in the process of developing its Crime and Criminal Justice Research Programme for 2001-2004. The Programme will, in due course, be presented to Ministers for approval. It is not, therefore, possible at this sta…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to fund programmes aimed at reducing violence against people with disabilities and against people from ethnic minorities.
Answer · Iain Gray: We are currently considering the development in Scotland of the RaceActionNet Directory on Racial Harassment. The Directory is designed to provide a range of multi-disciplinary contacts up to date knowledge and new ideas for individuals and organisations comm…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to complete a national survey to measure the extent of domestic violence across Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Crime Survey (SCS) collects information on the extent of domestic violence from a nationally representative sample of adults living in private households across Scotland. The Survey is carried out approximately every four years, the most recent b…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is currently carrying out or planning to carry out on issues surrounding domestic violence.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: Reid-Howie Associates have been contracted to carry out an evaluation of the Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust's "Respect" educational package, which will be piloted in schools and youth groups in Edinburgh and Glasgow from February 2001. The report o…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms are in place to enable national information sharing on domestic violence issues between it, non-governmental organisations, front-line workers and academics.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Action Plan of the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland includes a recommendation to develop links between local groups and the national group through information sharing and dissemination of good practice.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>A…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates exist on what proportion of women with disabilities will be sexually assaulted at some point during their life.
Answer · Iain Gray: This information is not held centrally.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of all victims of sexual assault were children, in each year since 1993.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The recorded crime statistics collected centrally do not include information on the victims of the crimes and therefore cannot distinguish those crimes of sexual assault where the victims were children. The only information available derives from some interna…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times on average women are assaulted before they contact the police.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive is currently conducting research in the area of domestic abuse. However, according to Yearnshire S (1997) "Analysis of cohort" published in Bewley S, Friend J, and Mezey G <I>Violence Against Women,</I> London, RCOG Press, in …
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges of domestic assault there were in each year between 1990 and 2000.
Answer · Iain Gray: There is no specific charge of "domestic assault". However, statistics on domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland are contained in the Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin (CrJ/2000/5), published in August 2000, a copy of which is avail…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of domestic assault were dropped by the Procurators Fiscal because of a lack of evidence in each year since 1997.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The information is not available.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what types of evidence the police take into account when seeking corroborative evidence in cases of domestic assault.
Answer · Iain Gray: The types of evidence the police take into account when seeking corroborative evidence in cases of domestic assault are no different from those in any other type of crime, although such evidence can be more difficult to obtain for a number of reasons. The pol…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of domestic assault resulted in a guilty disposition between February 1998 and February 2000.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The information is not available.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that cases of domestic assault are dealt with as quickly as possible through the criminal justice system.
Answer · Colin Boyd: Internal departmental guidance to prosecutors emphasises the effect that delay can have on a victim's resolve and instructs Procurators Fiscal to seek an early diet of trial, wherever possible.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>Where an early trial diet has been re…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average length of time is from charges being brought against an offender of domestic assault to the date of verdict.
Answer · Colin Boyd: There is no available information about the average length of time for a case of domestic assault to progress through the criminal justice system, from charge by the police to verdict.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Procurator Fiscal Service has set a target in its St…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce specialised domestic violence courts.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive is committed to implementing the Action Plan in the <I>National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland</I>. This will include a review of legislation and legal processes.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to prosecute all cases of domestic violence through sheriff courts.
Answer · Colin Boyd: There are no plans to prosecute all cases of domestic violence in the sheriff court. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will continue to consider each case on its individual facts and circumstances.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of domestic assault were brought before sheriff courts between 1992 and 1997.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The information is not available.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of domestic assault were prosecuted through sheriff courts in (i) 1998-99 and (ii) 1999-2000.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The information is not available.
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to revise Police (CC) Circular No. 3/1990, Investigations of Complaints of Domestic Assault.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The need to produce a new police circular on domestic abuse will be considered in the context of the National Strategy to address Domestic Abuse in Scotland, which is working on the development and circulation of good practice guidelines and service standards…