Parliamentary questions
Michael Matheson
1,154 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25569 and S1W-26060 by Mr Jim Wallace on 24 and 30 May 2002 respectively, why the performance points accrued under measure 2.1(i) of Schedule F of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Li…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>A single breach, in each of the two years, took place in areas to which only Category C or D prisoners had access.
30 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25429 by Mr Jim Wallace on 27 May 2002, what resources it has allocated to community safety (a) in each of the last three years, (b) in the present year and (c) for the next three years, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The Community Safety Partnership Award Programme referred to in the previous answer was introduced on 1 April 2002. Prior to the introduction of this programme funding for CCTV and other community safety initiatives was awarded to specific projects through ch…
28 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any civil servant or member of staff of the Scottish Prison Service has ever provided any advice or assistance to the operators of HM Prison Kilmarnock on the answering of any communications from (a) MSPs and (b) members of the public and, if so what advice or assistance was prov…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The monitoring process of the contract at Kilmarnock involves daily interaction between the Prison Director and his staff and the Control…
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any guidance has been issued to special advisers on providing advice on answers to parliamentary questions.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Executive's guidance on parliamentary questions is available to all Executive staff.
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether special advisors are able to delay the issuing of answers to parliamentary questions.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The responsibility for answering a parliamentary question lies with the appropriate minister.
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the circumstances when the advice of a special adviser would be sought.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25644 on 20 May 2002.
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanism it has in place to prevent solicitors employed by the civil service who advise it on transactions with Her Majesty's Government from breaching rule 4 of the Solicitors (Scotland) Practice Rules 1986.
Answer · Colin Boyd: As civil servants, solicitors employed in the civil service owe their loyalty to the particular administration which they serve and are accountable to the minister in charge of their department. No conflict of interest therefore arises for the purposes of rul…
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25060 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, what estimates it has received from police forces of the costs associated with retirements in future years, broken down by year and force.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Police forces, via the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, have indicated that they expect total pension costs to increase by an estimated £8 million in 2003-2004, a further £15 million in 2004-05 and a further £28 million in 2005-06. These esti…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, how many prisoners were released in error from prisons operated by the Scottish Prison Service in each of the last five years, broken down by prison.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The information requested is given in the following table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=453><TR><TD WIDTH="23%" VALIGN="TOP">…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, what the nature was of the incident of failure to comply with agreed reporting procedures in year three of the operation of HM Prison Kilmarnock which resulted in the accrual of performance points to the operat…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The answer to question S1W-25569 was based on the requirements of measure 2.2(k) and were applied on the basis that the SPS Controller at…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, why no breakdown was provided of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under sections 2.1(i), 2.2(a), 2.2(b), 2.4(a), 2.4(b), 2.4(c), 2.4(d) and 2.4(e), and whether the…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>Question S1W-25569 asked for the performance points to be broken down for each heading. The question did not refer to sub-sections and was answ…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will provide a breakdown of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under section 2.4(e) showing the number and degree of instances of failure to deliver the r…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The answer to question S1W-25569 was based on the requirements of measure 2.4(e) not having been met on 14 occasions in Year 1 but having been …
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will provide a breakdown of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under section 2.4(d) showing the number and degree of instances of failure to deliver the r…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The answer given to question S1W-25569 was based on the requirements of measure 2.4 (d) not having been met on nine occasions in Year 1; 25 occ…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will provide a breakdown of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under section 2.4(c) showing the number and degree of instances of failure to deliver the r…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The answer to question S1W-25569 was based on the requirements of measure 2.4 (c) not having been met on four occasions in Year 1 but having be…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will provide a breakdown of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under section 2.4(b) showing the number and degree of instances of failure to deliver the r…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The answer to question S1W-25569 was based on the requirements of measure 2.4 (b) not having been met on 13 occasions in Year 1; 73 occasions i…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will provide a breakdown of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under section 2.4(a) showing the number and degree of instances of failure to deliver the r…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The answer to question S1W-25569 was based on the requirements of performance measure 2.4 (a), as defined in the contract, not having been met …
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will provide a breakdown of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under section 2.2(b) for each category of assault for each year of operation.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The answer to question S1W-25569 was based on performance measure points having been applied on the following "level of injury sustained&q…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will provide a breakdown of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under section 2.2(a) for each category of assault for each year of operation.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The answer to question S1W-25569 was based on performance measure points having been applied on the following "level of injury sustained&q…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will provide a breakdown of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under section 2.1(i) for each security category of prisoner for each year of operation.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>All of the performance points identified in the answer to question S1W-25569 as having related to measure 2.1 (i) were applied on the basis tha…
9 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the recommendations of the joint Scottish Executive and Brigades Purchasing Arrangements Working Group on the review of procurement within the fire service are publicly available; if so, in what format and, if not, what the reasons are for withholding these recommendations.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The document produced by the Purchasing Arrangements Working Group is available on the Scottish Executive website at the following address: <P><A HREF="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/sfsbpp-00.asp">www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/sfsbpp-00.a…
9 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it will employ in the selection of consultants for work on each of recommendations 17, 19, 20, 22, 25 and 26 contained in The Scottish Fire Service of the Future.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The appointment of external consultants will be carried out according to Scottish Executive procurement policy, which is published on the Scottish Executive website.
7 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether written parliamentary questions are ever referred to political advisers for input into the answer and, if so, what proportion, and what its reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Advice is given and sought, appropriate to the question. No central record is held of referrals to special advisers.
7 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any internal guidance to staff of the Scottish Prison Service on how to deal with parliamentary questions and whether any such guidance will be published.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The guidance to SPS staff is the same as that used in the Scottish Executive, the current version of which has been placed in the Parliam…
7 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued any internal guidance to civil servants on how to answer parliamentary questions additional to the civil service code and whether any such guidance will be published.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25651 today.
7 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of holding a person in prison for (a) a seven-day sentence, (b) a two-week sentence, (c) a one-month sentence, (d) a two-month sentence, (e) a three-month sentence, (f) a six-month sentence, (g) a one-year sentence, (h) a two-year sentence and (i) a four-year sen…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The Key Performance Indicator (target) set for SPS for 2002-03 is to operate within an average annual cost per prisoner place of £33,800.…
2 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25133 by Mr Jim Wallace on 1 May 2002, whether it will show the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock broken down for each heading in Schedule F to the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotl…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The performance points are listed in the following table.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=226><TR><TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN="TOP">&…
2 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24629 by Mr Jim Wallace on 1 May 2002, whether it will provide a table showing where omissions have been made in the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Mana…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: <P>This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. <P>Members of the Justice 1 Committee have now had the opportunity to view t…
26 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Falkirk Council structural plan has not been approved.
Answer · Margaret Curran: It is expected that a final decision on the Falkirk Structure Plan will be announced by the Scottish ministers in the summer. The large number of representations made on this plan, together with other pressures of work, mean that the Scottish Executive has ye…
24 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24351 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 April 2002, what the cost was to the Scottish Prison Service of the controller's function at HM Prison Kilmarnock in 2001-02.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The cost of the controller's function at HM Prison Kilmarnock in 2001-02 was £142,000.
24 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24351 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 April 2002, what the cost was to the Scottish Prison Service of (a) the Assisted Prison Visit Scheme, (b) additional transitional care service and (c) prisoners' discharge grants at HM Prison Kilmarnock in (i) 1999-2000,…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The Assisted Prison Visit Scheme cost is charged to SPS by the Home Office without identification of the costs for individual prisons. Tr…