Parliamentary questions
Kenny MacAskill
2,611 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been invested in forensic pathology in each year since 1999.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) purchases forensic pathology services in connection with its core function to investigate sudden, suspicious, unexpected and unexplained deaths. The annual spend on forensic pathology services since 2000-…
8 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to page 24 of Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008, under which section of Table 4.01 funding will be allocated for the training of prosecutors in dealing with environmental and wildlife crime.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The expectation is that the prosecution of environmental and wildlife crime will be through Summary court business. Accordingly, funding for the training of prosecutors in dealing with environmental crime is allocated to this section.</p>
8 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated for the training of prosecutors in dealing with environmental and wildlife crime in each year since 1999.
Answer · Colin Boyd: Procurators Fiscal are provided with the necessary training and development opportunities to enable them to carry out their wide range of duties, including appropriate training on dealing with environmental crime. It has not proved possible to disaggregate tr…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, investigations into deaths which require further investigation, are concluded and the next-of-kin advised within 12 weeks.
Answer · Colin Boyd: In the last quarter for which completed statistics are available (April, May and June 2004), of the 1,639 death investigations concluded in cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal which required further investigation, a total of 1,328 (81%) were concluded wit…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, court bail decisions are communicated within 24 hours to victims in cases in which the accused has appeared from custody.
Answer · Colin Boyd: During 2003-04, of those cases where victims, witnesses and/or bereaved next of kin were referred to Victim Information and Advice (VIA), 4,453 (approximately 99%) of the 4,504 court bail decisions recorded where the accused had appeared from custody were com…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the base year will be for the reduction by 10% of the level of High Court trial diet adjournments by March 2008.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The base year is the financial year 2004-05.</p>
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, high court indictments involve bail within (a) nine and (b) 10 months of first appearance on petition.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) target for financial year 2003-04 was to serve 80% of High Court bail indictments within nine months of the accused’s first appearance on petition. This target was changed in financial year 2004-05 to ser…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many, and what percentage of, sheriff and jury cases, indictments were served for sheriff and jury cases that involve bail within eight months of first appearance on petition in each year since 1999.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The Crown Office and Procurator Fisal Service does not measure the number of bail indictments served for trial in the sheriff court within eight months of first appearance. Our target is to serve 80% of sheriff court bail indictments within nine months of fir…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the recommendations were of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Inspectorate's review of the prosecution of racial crime.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The Inspectorate of Prosecution is due to submit its report on race issues to me during November 2004. It is intended that this and all subsequent reports from the Inspectorate will be published.</p>
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why, with reference to page 21 of Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008, police loan charges are not listed in Table 3.01.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Police loan charges represent police grant at 51% in respect of loan charges that police authorities have incurred for borrowing under Section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. These are historical loans which, following the introduction of the …
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, with reference to page 21 of Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008, it will publish Table 3.01 in real terms, using 2004-05 as the base year.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is set out in table 1.02 on pages 10 and 11 in the Justice chapter of the Draft Budget 2005-06 which was published on 15 October.</p>
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive from which portfolio any funding for the Efficient Government initiative will come.
Answer · Tom McCabe: An Efficient Government Fund totalling £60 million in financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06 has been established to support the Efficient Government initiative. This funding will be made available from the Finance and Public Services portfolio.</p>
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding it will provide to roll forward and continue investment in the (a) Youth Crime Prevention Fund and (b) Intensive Support Fund, as referred to in Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-11334, answered on 4 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p><p><ahref="http://www.scotti…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding has been provided to the (a) Youth Crime Prevention Fund and (b) Intensive Support Fund in each year since inception.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: he table sets out funding under the Youth Crime Prevention Fund and the Intensive Support Fund in each year since they started in 2002-03. Around £1.5 million of this investment has gone on capital projects and investments. Budgets will be held level from 200…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to pages 20 and 21 of Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008, what funding will be allocated to ensure that all young offenders get a “right place, right time” intervention and under what section of Table 3.01 any such funding will be provided.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Funding for the provision of youth justice services is at record levels (£63 million in 2005-06) and this level of funding has been maintained in our new spending proposals. Details can be found in table 5.01 of <i>Building A Better Scotland</i>.</p>
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many commissions it has established in each year since 1999 and what funding was allocated for their establishment.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is set out in the table:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Year Established</p> </td> <td> <p>Year Abolished (where applicable)</p> </td> <td> <p>Name of Commission</p> </td> <…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated for (a) judicial pay and (b) increasing the judicial complement in each year since 1999.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information is given in thefollowing table:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p align=center>Financial Year</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Judges</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Sheriffs</p> </td> <td>…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any specific funding will be allocated to the police for enhancing its response to the increased threat from global terrorism.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Yes. Funding is provided in a number of ways but, given the sensitivity of the activities involved, it is the Executive’s policy not to comment on the levelsof such funding made available.</p>
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the funding allocated to the police in each year since 1999 has been earmarked for enhancing the police’s response to the threat of global terrorism and, if so, what that level of funding has been.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Special Branch activity is the main component of the Scottish Police Service’s response to terrorism. Special Branches are funded mainly from within police Grant Aided Expenditure ,which rose by over 31% between 1999-2000 and 2004‑05 and is planned to r…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the funding allocated to the fire service in each year since 1999 has been earmarked for enhancing the fire service’s response to the threat of global terrorism and, if so, what that level of funding has been.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Expenditure approval was given by Scottish ministers in February 2002 to provide £5 million funding for additional resources to provide the fire service in Scotland with an enhanced operational capacity and a greater level of resilience in response to terrori…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated for (a) pay and (b) pension costs in the fire service in each year since 1999 and what funding has been allocated for modernisation costs in the fire service in each year in which figures are available.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The total funding in respect of Grant Aided Expenditure allocations to fire authorities is set out in the following table:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=556> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Year</p> </td> <td> <p>Staff Costs (Including…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of additional investment will be provided for increased community-based drug rehabilitation.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Minister for Justice announced on 27 October that an additional £6 million per annum will be provided to support drug treatment and rehabilitation services. This will bring direct support for services to a total of £32.5 million per annum, an increase of …
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of investment has been provided for community-based drug rehabilitation in each year since 1999.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Executive provides resource to NHS boards and local authorities to support treatment and rehabilitation services respectively. The allocations from 1999-2000 to the current financial year are set out in the table:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpad…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the #5-#6 million allocated for allowing sheriff courts to deal with increasing numbers of cases and supporting innovative drug and youth courts will be for supporting innovative drug and youth courts.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Final decisions have yet to be taken on the detailed allocation of resources.</p>
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to (a) drug and (b) youth court pilots in each year since they began.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The information requested is as follows:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p align=center>Drug Court (£)</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>2001-02</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>2002-03</p> </td> <td> <p a…
7 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been heard in sheriff courts in each year since 1999 and, of these, how many were solemn cases.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The number of summary criminal complaints and indictments registered since 1999 is shown in the following table.</p><p>Sheriff Court National Figures</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p align=right> </p> </td> <td> …
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific funding it will provide to help reintegrate prisoners at the end of their sentence while safeguarding the community and what percentage of this funding will be allocated for (a) reintegrating prisoners and (b) safeguarding the community.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: An additional £2 million is being invested in statutory throughcare services and an additional £1.5 million in voluntary assistance, bringing the total budget to £6 million in 2005-06. The extra resources support the enhanced throughcare strategy prepared by …
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures it will put in place to help reintegrate prisoners at the end of their sentence while safeguarding the community.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Risk and community safety are always key considerations in the management of offenders. The enhanced throughcare strategy will provide an integrated approach to work in both prison and in the community. For those subject to statutory supervision, improved pro…
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated for legal aid in each year since 1999, expressed also in real terms with 1999 as the base year.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The following table sets out the funding, in cash and real terms, for legal aid made by the Scottish Executive in each year since 1999. The funding covers the costs of the Scottish legal aid fund and the administrative costs of the Scottish Legal Aid Board.</…
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the #56 and #109 million allocated in 2006-07 and 2007-08 for pay and pension increases and allowing additional recruitment to offset a peak in officer retirements, referred to in Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008 will be provided for additional recruitme…
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Additional amounts were included in <i>Building a Better Scotland: Spending Proposals 2005-2008</i> to enable police forces to fund additional recruitment and also as part of the levelling-up of Grant Aided Expenditure across forces following a recent review …