Parliamentary questions
Robert Brown
1,531 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects a decision to be made on the future delivery of forensic laboratory services.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The delivery of forensic science services is a matter for the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA). The SPSA announced on 3 April 2009 that it is developing a national model for the delivery of forensic science services. The SPSA will consult the police …
20 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on any proposals to replace the functions of the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Forensic Science Regulator for England and Wales has published and is consulting on draft quality standards for forensic services. The Scottish Government is considering, along with key stakeholders, whether this standard is appropriate for use in Scotlan…
20 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had regarding the implications for Scotland of the closure of the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has discussed with the Scottish Police Services Authority''s Forensic Service the implications for Scotland of the closure of the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners. It will have no impact on the ability of forensic…
17 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of self-harm by young offenders have (a) been reported and (b) required hospital treatment in each of the last five years, broken down by institution.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The following information is all reported instances of attempted and/or planned self harm as well as actual self harm relating to Y…
17 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of self-harm by prisoners have (a) been reported and (b) required hospital treatment in each of the last five years, broken down by institution.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The following information is all reported instances of attempted and/or planned self harm as well as actual self harm. It is not po…
17 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of alleged racism have been recorded in prisons in each of the last five years, broken down by institution.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The following table shows all recorded prisoner related racial incidents from the last five years broken down by Establishments. This data…
17 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many alleged offenders have entered the criminal justice system for the first time in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is contained in the following table, which shows the number of individual people who were proceeded against in Scottish courts, together with how many of these had not been proceeded against in previous years.</p> <p >The source of …
14 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the evaluation of the success of the injury surveillance projects in accident and emergency units in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife will take place.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22953 on 7 May 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/Apps2/Bus…
14 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether findings from the injury surveillance projects in accident and emergency units in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife will be made public and, if so, when.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22953 on 7 May 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/Apps2/Bus…
14 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the Cardiff Model, which was established to collect data on violent incidents from accident and emergency units, and whether it has carried out an assessment of any potential benefits from adopting this model.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: A key element of the Scottish Government''s approach to tackle violence is to work closely with the national Violence Reduction Unit and other partners in order to better understand the nature and true extent of the problem. Injury surveillance systems at acc…
14 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what legislation authorises the operation of police armed response units.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Police armed response units operate under Section 54 of the Firearms Act 1968.</p>
14 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which police forces allow armed response units to operate covertly and in plain clothes.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: At present, only Strathclyde Police allows armed response units to operate covertly and in plain clothes.</p>
14 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive at what level any decisions are made allowing Strathclyde Police Armed Response Unit to operate covertly and in plain clothes.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22948 on 7 May 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/Apps2/Bus…
14 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether guidelines are in place concerning when Strathclyde Police Armed Response Unit can operate covertly and in plain clothes.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22948 on 7 May 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/Apps2/Bus…
14 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was consulted on the decision to allow Strathclyde Police Armed Response Unit to operate covertly and in plain clothes.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The deployment of police armed response units, including covertly and in plain clothes, is an operational matter for the relevant Chief Constable and as such it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to be involved. Armed response units in Scotl…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether further funding will be made available to community justice authorities to ensure that community service work placements begin within seven days once the revision of the national objectives and standards for social work services in the criminal justice system is complete.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20113 on 28 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Busines…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the £1 million funding made available to community justice authorities for the delivery of speedier and more immediate community penalties from 2009-10 will be divided between the eight authorities.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-19206 on 15 January 2009 and S3W-20556 on 23 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: </p> <p >…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the change in the national objectives and standards for social work services in the criminal justice system that will require offenders sentenced to community service to commence work within seven days will be complete.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Following extensive consultation with the Association of Directors of Social Work, revised guidance for the operation of Community Service schemes, which reflects the need for work placements to commence within seven working days of imposition of the order, w…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its proposal to place a duty on licensing boards to consider raising the minimum age of off-sales purchases within their area to 21, what consideration it has given to the possibility of confusion arising whereby the minimum off-sales age varies across local authority areas a…
Answer · Shona Robison: In light of consultation responses to our proposal to raise the minimum legal purchase age for off-sales to 21, and the difficulties of carrying such a measure through Parliament, the Scottish Government has decided not to pursue a blanket approach across Sco…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals were prosecuted for purchasing excisable liquor for consumption by a person under 18 in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) police force and (b) local authority area and showing the fines in each case.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following tables.</p> <p align=left >Persons Proceeded Against for Purchasing Excisable Liquor for Consumption by an Underage Person<sup>1</sup>, by Police Force Area, 2003-04 - 2007-08</p> <table border=1 cellspa…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many on-sales test purchase visits in 2008 resulted in alcohol being sold to an underage person for the (a) first time and (b) second time; what action was taken against the licensee in each case, and how many licences were suspended.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following information has been obtained from the Scottish Police Service in respect of on-sales test purchases during 2008, alcohol being sold for: </p> <p >(a) the first time - seven occasions</p> <p align=left >(b) the second time “ nil.</p> <p ali…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many on-licence premises received a test purchasing visit in 2008, broken down by police force.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following information has been obtained from the Scottish Police Service in respect of on-sales test purchases during 2008:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=182 valign=top > <p >Police Force</p> </t…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many on-sales premises had their licence to sell alcohol (a) suspended or (b) revoked in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is given in the following table.</p> <p >Suspensions of On-Sales Liquor Licences: 2003-07</p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=157 nowrap valign=bottom > <p align=center > </p> …
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many on-sales licence holders were prosecuted for selling alcohol to underage customers in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008, broken down by (i) police force and (ii) local authority area and showing the fines in each case.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: On-sales cannot be identified separately from other types of licence holders in the information held centrally on court proceedings. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22817 on 5 May 2009, which gives the total numbers proceeded against for sel…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many retailers were prosecuted for selling alcohol to underage customers in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008, broken down by (i) police force and (ii) local authority area and showing the fines in each case.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following tables. The data held centrally cannot be broken down between shop owners and licensed drinking establishments.</p> <p >Persons Proceeded Against for Selling Alcohol to Underage Persons<sup>1</sup>, by Poli…
8 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoner-on-prisoner assaults there were in each prison in each of the last five years.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The following table illustrates the total number of prisoner on prisoner assaults broken down by year and establishment. The data is as o…
25 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it expects the police strength projection study to cost.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Police Force Projection Study was carried out by Scottish Government officials in the normal course of their duties. There are no separately identifiable costs associated with the preparation of the study.</p>
25 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what incentives are in place to help retain serving police officers.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The 30+ scheme, which enables police forces to retain officers who are seeking to retire with maximum pension benefits, is currently in place. The scheme is now being reviewed and when it is completed we will consider with stakeholders what is most appropriat…
23 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals aged under 18 were (a) arrested and (b) issued with a penalty notice for being drunk and disorderly in each of the last five years.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information on the number of arrests made by the police is not held centrally, only the number of crimes recorded.</p> <p >The list of offences eligible for an antisocial behaviour Fixed Penalty Notice is contained in primary legislation. There are a number…
23 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many woundings were reported where the weapon used was a (a) gun and (b) sharp or pointed instrument in each police board area in each of the last three years.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Number of crimes and offences recorded by the police in which a firearm was fired resulting in fatal or non-fatal injury, 2005-06 to 2007-08.</p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=352 > <tr > <td width=160 nowrap valign=bottom > <p al…