Parliamentary questions

Kenny MacAskill

2,611 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected level is of (a) pay and (b) pension increase for each grade of police officers for each year to 2007-08.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The additional amounts for police pay and pensions in 2006-07 and 2007-08 taken into account within Building a Better ScotlandSpending Proposals 2005-2008, announced on 29 September 2004, were as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3…

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of (a) pay and (b) pension increase there has been for each grade of police officer in each year since 1999.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The pay awards made to all grades in the police service since 1999 are as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> 1999 </td> <td> 3.6% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 2000 </td> <td> 3% </td> </tr> <tr>…

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the base year is from which a 10% reduction in High Court trial adjournments will be achieved by March 2008.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The base year is the financial year 2004-05.

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many sheriff summary and district court cases were disposed within 26 weeks of the date of caution since 1999, expressed also as a percentage of all sheriff summary and district court cases.

Answer · Colin Boyd: This information is not available from 1999 because there was no target of this nature at that time. There is now a new joint target for Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), the Scottish Police Service and the Scottish Court Service to dispose …

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many High Court trial adjournments there have been in each year since 1999, expressed also as a percentage of all High Court trials.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Central collection of this information has only started from 2004-05.

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in which years, between now and March 2008, it will collect data on reconviction rates for all types of sentences, in order to be able to monitor the target of reducing reconviction rates for all types of sentences by 2% by March 2008.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The data available centrally on reconviction rates are derived from information held on the Scottish Offenders Index (SOI). The SOI database is updated annually, incorporating the latest information on convictions recorded by the Scottish Criminal Record Offi…

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent year is for which figures on reconviction rates are available.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The most recent data available on two-year reconviction rates relates to the cohort of offenders who were discharged from a custodial sentence or given a non-custodial sentence in calendar year 2000. Provisional figures on the two-year reconviction rates for …

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the base year is from which a 2% reduction in reconviction rates in all types of sentences will be achieved by March 2008.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The base year measure will be the two-year reconviction rate for the cohort of offenders discharged from a custodial sentence or given a non-custodial sentence in the year ending 31 March 2004.

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many criminal networks were disrupted in each year since 1999, broken down by police board area.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: It is not possible to provide a break down of disruptions to criminal networks by police board or police force areas as many networks, by their very nature, tend to operate on a national or international basis.The Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA…

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of police clear-up rate was for crimes classified as serious violent crimes in each year since 1999, as referred to in Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008, expressed also as a percentage of all serious violent crimes and broken down by local …

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is given in the following table.Clear up Rates for Serious Crimes of Violence1 Recorded by the Police, by Council Area, 1999 to 2003<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Council …

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the base year is from which a 10% (a) reduction in the number of persistent young offenders and (b) increase in the number of drug misusers entering treatment is to be achieved by March 2008.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The base year for (a) is 2005-06 and for (b) the base year is 2003-04.

6 Oct 2004 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether, in the appointment of ArupScotland as an adviser in respect of the preliminary financial case of the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill, there were any concerns raised about a potential conflict of interest as Ove Arup Scotland produced the Edinburgh LRT Masterplan…

Answer · George Reid: As part of the specification for tenders to undertake an analysis of the updated preliminary financial case for the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill, a statement from each tenderer on any potential conflict of interest was requested. The Committee was su…

6 Oct 2004 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the criteria were for appointing the adviser in respect of the analysis of the preliminary financial case of the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill.

Answer · George Reid: The criteria for appointment was set out in the specification for the submission of tenders. This was published as an Annexe to the minute of the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill Committee meeting of 14 September 2004.

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost of a sheriff is, including salary, pension and other emoluments.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: £159,218, including employer’s National Insurance and superannuation contributions.

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many hours on average sheriffs presided over (a) small claims and (b) summary cause cases in each year since 1999.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) small claims and (b) summary cause cases were presided over by a sitting sheriff in each year since 1999.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The number of small claims and summary causes registered for each year since 1999 is shown in the following table.Sheriff Court National Figures<table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> </td> <td> 1999-20…

6 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available for the Edinburgh Domestic Violence Probation Project; when, and how, the project will be evaluated; on what basis funding is allocated to the project; whether such funding will be renewed; whether any action will be taken to ensure that the project can continue…

Answer · Hugh Henry: In financial year 2004-05, the Lothian and Scottish Borders Consortium has been allocated grant of £173,141 for its Domestic Violence Probation Project (DVPP). This funding is provided through Section 27 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. Indicative fund…

5 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage MSPs to develop contact and relationships with senior civil servants similar to those that have been developed with heads and leading officials in non-departmental public bodies; if so, how it intends to do so, and what the reasons are for its position on the ma…

Answer · Tom McCabe: All civil servants are required to act in accordance with the terms of the Civil Service Code, including their contact with MSPs. The Civil Service Code states that the constitutional and practical role of the civil service is to assist the duly constituted g…

5 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10766 by Mr Andy Kerr on 1 October 2004, whether it will provide a breakdown of all transfers and loans by grade and specify whether such transfers and loans were to or from a UK department located within or outwith Scotland.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The following tables show the breakdown of loans by grade and whether the loans were to (Table (a)) or from (Table (b)) a UK department located within Scotland or elsewhere. Tables (c) and (d) show information on the grade of staff who have transferred inward…

5 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, prisoners were employed at the time of the imposition of their sentence.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The Scottish Prison Service does not hold such information in respect of sentenced prisoners.

5 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many actions have been raised under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 in each year since it came into force, broken down by sheriff court.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Data relating to the number of actions under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 are not collected centrally. Top-line information is collected and published annually in Civil Judicial Statistics. The latest version can be viewed on the Executive we…

5 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise has clearly defined what services it expects to be delivered under Project ATLASs business park network and the level of demand for those services and whether it has considered the impact of the network on Scottish-based operators who are already providin…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive’s broadband strategy is facilitating the rollout and uptake of broadband technology across Scotland. Project ATLAS fits within this overall strategy but is led by Scottish Enterprise. Therefore, this is an operational matter for Scottis…

5 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many UK fast-stream civil servants have joined the Scottish civil service in each year since 1999; whether it has any plans to adopt an equivalent scheme of its own and, if so, what this scheme will be.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The number of UK fast stream civil servants that have joined the Executive since 1999 are detailed as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> 1999 </td> <td> 2000 </td> <td> 2001 </td>…

5 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of prisoners was incarcerated for a period of less than six months in each year since 1999.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The available information is given in tables 21 and 25 of Prison Statistics Scotland, 2003 published by the Scottish Executive in Au…

5 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of any concerns among Scottish-based telecommunications companies about Project ATLAS, steps will be taken to consult fully with the industry and ensure their support before embarking on a second procurement exercise for the business park network.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer to S2W-11211 on 2 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.searc…

5 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprises decision to proceed with Project ATLAS was supported by a business case and, if so, what proportion of the level of utilisation assumed in the business case for the telecommunications trading exchange and the link to London has been achieved to date.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer to S2W-11211 on 2 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sear…

1 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many planes it is anticipated will use Edinburgh Airport as a base for accessing the G8 summit; whether Leuchars was considered as an alternative site and what the reasons are for the position on the matter, how many flights are anticipated to land at Leuchars if it is used to access…

Answer · Tom McCabe: The practical and logistical arrangements for the summit are a matter for the UK Government, with whom we are keeping in close touch. We do not expect that there will be any significant disruption to the designated arrival airport’s business.

1 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9781 by Hugh Henry on 12 August 2004, how much additional funding will be provided by the Her Majestys Government to help meet the agreed additional policing costs arising from the G8 summit at Gleneagles.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: It is too early, at this stage, to say what the total policing cost of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles will be and therefore what amount of additional funding will be provided by the UK Government. A group involving representatives from UK Government departments,…

30 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Ofcom regarding the granting of new radio licences and the operation and regulation of radio stations, in particular in respect of a quota for the amount of airtime allocated to Scottish artistes.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The granting of new radio licences and the regulation of radio stations is a reserved matter. Ofcom is the regulator for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services.…

30 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its powers are in respect of the use in casinos, or other establishments, of (a) category A slot machines and (b) fixed-odds betting terminals; what action it can take in respect of the use of these machines, and what representations it will make on the matter.

Answer · Tavish Scott: These matters are reserved to the UK Government. However, the Executive has been and continues to be in regular discussion with the UK Government on a range of matters relating to these issues.