Parliamentary questions

Robert Brown

1,531 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that social workers who prepare home background reports for serious violent and sex offenders always interview the prisoner, visit the prospective release address and address specifically any risk issues.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Executive will remind local authority criminal justice social work departments of the requirements in Criminal Justice Social Work National Objectives and Standards that when preparing background reports they should visit the prisoner and the pro…

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide succinct, plain and unambiguous practical guidance for managers and practitioners on the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) process.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The latest version of MAPPA guidance (version 4), which issued on April 2008, is subject to a rolling programme of revision to take account of new legislation and changes in policy and practice. This guidance will also be amended to take cognisance of the fin…

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a national review of the joint and integrated working practices in place between police, social work services, co-located units and other relevant agencies, in order to identify and disseminate good practice.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Yes. The Scottish Government accepts and supports the recommendation on integrated working arrangements contained in the joint report by the Social Work Inspection Agency, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland and HM Inspectorate of Prisons on the insp…

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that a multi-agency risk management plan is in place when prisoners who present a high risk of serious harm are on home leave or an extended work placement.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS recognises the importance of robust risk assessment and risk management of offenders, particularly when they are being considered…

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish national standards and guidelines for risk assessment practice to make clear the necessity for fully assessing the risk of serious harm for sex offenders and serious violent offenders.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Executive is actively working with agencies to introduce the Level of Service Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) which aims to introduce a common approach for risk assessment practice. The version of LS/CMI proposed also includes a method for ass…

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend its Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) guidance to ensure that MAPPA meetings always consider a full analysis of risk of serious harm.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The current version of MAPPA guidance (version 4), which issued in April 2008, provides detailed advice on the need to consider risk of serious harm. Indeed Annex E of this guidance - Risk Assessment and Management - which was produced by the Risk Management …

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to address concerns set out in Multi-agency inspection: Assessing and managing offenders who present a high risk of serious harm 2009, regarding inadequate social work plans for serious violent offenders and sex offenders, with reference to the quality of the plans, evide…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: National Objectives and Standards for the delivery of social work services in the criminal justice system, with the associated guidance, set out the principles of planning and preparation for release and supervision of offenders in the community. We…

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to ensure improvement of social work and prisons access to the Violent and Sex Offenders Register (ViSOR) to enhance information sharing.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is already working closely with Scottish stakeholders and the National Policing Improvement Agency to enhance information sharing across the public protection network by improving access to ViSOR. There are 68 ViSOR terminals…

10 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the retail vacancy rate has been in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.

10 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people accused in rape cases in each Strathclyde Police force division area in each year since 1999 was under the influence of (a) alcohol and (b) drugs at the time of the offence.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on whether people accused in rape cases were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the offence is not held centrally. Data is available for crimes/offences related to alcohol or drugs where the involvement of alcohol or d…

10 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people accused in assault cases in each Strathclyde Police force sub-division in each year since 1999 was under the influence of (a) alcohol and (b) drugs at the time of the offence.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on whether people accused in assault cases were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the offence is not held centrally. Data is available for crimes/offences related to alcohol or drugs where the involvement of alcohol o…

10 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been charged by Strathclyde Police for possession of illegal drugs in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) sub-division and (b) type of drug.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.

10 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what quantity of drugs has been recovered in the Strathclyde Police force area in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) sub-division and (b) type of drug.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Data on drug seizures is available by police force region and not by sub-division. Figures for the years 1999 to 2006-07 are given in the following publications list, copies of which are available from the Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre. T…

3 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many legislative consent motions have been approved by the Parliament in the current parliamentary session, broken down by year.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: A total of 18 legislative consent motions (LCMs) have been passed this session in connection with 17 UK bills. Broken down by year the totals are: Legislative Consent Motions by Parliamentary Year “ Session 3 <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellp…

3 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to address the use of section 47 certificates for ongoing planned restraint in care homes, as reported in Remember, I’m still me.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26251, on 19 August 2009. 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/Apps…

3 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue guidance on the use of section 47 certificates to authorise covert medication in care homes.

3 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to address failures to comply with Part 5 of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, as reported in Remember, I’m still me, the joint report by the Care Commission and Mental Welfare Commission, to review these failures as a matter of urgency and to ensure that se…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has accepted all the recommendations in the Remember, I''m Still Me report. The implementation of Part 5 of the Adults with Incapacity Act 2000, and whether action needs to be taken to improve routine compliance with its requir…

29 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders are incarcerated in each young offenders’ institution and adult prison for carrying an offensive weapon and how many have a previous history of incarceration for the same offence.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The following table shows all prisoners currently in custody with an offence of offensive weapon. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cel…

29 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police applications to intercept communications sent by post or via telephone have been (a) made and (b) authorised in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Details of the number of interception warrants issued by the Scottish ministers are contained in the Interception of Communications Commissioner''s annual reports, which are laid before this Parliament. The most recent annual report (for 2008) was laid before…

29 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been made to a surveillance commissioner for approval of a chief constable’s grant of authorisation to carry out intrusive surveillance and of these how many have been successful in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does not collect the information requested. Information is provided in the annual reports of the chief surveillance commissioner.

29 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been (a) injured and (b) killed in road traffic accidents involving police response vehicles that were (i) in pursuit of another vehicle, (ii) responding to an emergency call and (iii) responding to a non-emergency call in each of the last five years, broken down by p…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: (a) (i) and (ii) the numbers of people injured in road traffic accidents involving police vehicles in pursuit of another vehicle or responding to an emergency, in each of the force areas during the last five years are: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cell…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how single outcome agreements will be monitored and by whom.

Answer · John Swinney: Councils and their community planning partners will monitor the effectiveness of services and how well placed they are to support the outcomes they have agreed in their single outcome agreements (SOAs). They will also report to their communities and to the Sc…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of falling school rolls, which local authorities have a commitment in their single outcome agreements to maintain teacher numbers and which of them have met that commitment

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The single outcome agreements (SOAs) reflect the priorities and agreed outcomes for each council and include relevant supporting indicators and targets. Copies of all 32 SOAs can be obtained via the Improvement Service website at the following link: …

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers have been in post in South Lanarkshire Council at an appropriate date in each of the last five years, broken down by type of school.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This information is published in Teachers in Scotland, 2008. A copy was sent to each MSP. The information is available on the government website using the following link: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were (a) prosecuted, (b) convicted and (c) given a custodial sentence in cases involving rape in each of the last 10 years, broken down by police force area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following table. Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Rape1, By Police Force Area 1998-99 to 2007-08 <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=1…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of rape were recorded by the police in each of the last 10 years, broken down by police force area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following table contains information on the number of crimes of rape recorded by each of the eight Scottish police forces in each of the last 10 years. Number of Crimes of Rape Recorded By The Police, 1998-99 to 2007-08 <table border=1 cell…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the number of people who may have contracted hepatitis C but have not yet received a diagnosis.

Answer · Shona Robison: By the end of 2008, an estimated 39,000 people living in Scotland were chronically infected with hepatitis C. Of the 39,000 with chronic hepatitis C, an estimated 23,500 (60%) remained undiagnosed by the end of 2008.<…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been diagnosed with hepatitis C in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Shona Robison: The answer is provided in the following table. Persons in Scotland reported to be hepatitis C antibody-positive by NHS board and year earliest positive specimen, 2003-08: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td wi…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided to support action on alcohol issues in each of the last three years, broken down by recipient group.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government spend for alcohol misuse in the last three years was as follows: 2006-07 - £12.07 million 2007-08 - £12.4 million 2008-09 - £28.9 million The majority of funding from…