Parliamentary questions
Robert Brown
1,531 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders are incarcerated in young offenders institutions for knife crime offences.
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 SPS do not know what particular offences involved knives. Many assaults, murders or culpable homicides may have involved the use…
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what formula is used in the allocation of funding for young offenders institutions.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >There is no set formula for the allocation of funding for young offenders institutions or prisons.</p> <p >Funding for all establishments…
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) design capacity and (b) safe operating limits are for each young offenders 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 design capacity and Assessed Operation Limit for each young offenders institution is illustrated in the following table.</p> <table …
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners have been held at each young offenders institution in each month in the last three years for which information is available.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Young offenders are held in Polmont, Greenock Darroch Hall, Perth Friarton Hall and Cornton Vale. The average number of prisoners held in …
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times Taser guns have been used on people under the age of 18.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Taser guns have not been used on any person under the age of 18 in Scotland.</p>
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether police forces are allowed to use Taser guns other than in deployments involving conventional firearms.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: All Taser deployments in Scotland are as part of an authorised firearms operation. In Scotland only Authorised Firearms Officers are trained in the use of Taser guns. Therefore Tasers are only deployed as a less lethal option when dealing with a firearms inci…
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are restrictions on using Taser guns on people under the age of 18.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: There are no restrictions on the use of Taser guns on people under the age of 18. While the age of a suspect is taken into account when considering a proportionate policing response to firearms incidents, it is vital that police consider the threat posed firs…
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether anyone has been significantly injured by a Taser gun used by a police officer.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Association for Chief Police Officers in Scotland has confirmed that there have been no significant injuries caused by use of a Taser gun. All identified injuries sustained as a result of the use of a Taser gun, are recorded and reported to the Home Offic…
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions police officers have used a Taser gun to help apprehend a suspect.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Between 22 April 2004 and 31 December 2008 Taser guns have been deployed at 53 incidents during which they were discharged 18 times.</p>
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have received training in the use of Taser guns, broken down by police board area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Only Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs) in Scotland are trained in the use of Taser guns. All AFOs receive this training.</p> <p >AFO Numbers by Force as at 27 November 2008</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=152 valign=…
25 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers carry a Taser gun, broken down by police board area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Scotland has 721 Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs) trained in the use of Taser guns. Tasers are one of the options, alongside other weapons, that are available to AFOs when deployed.</p> <p >I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-21330 on 6 March…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers Scottish ministers have to give directions to Glasgow Housing Association.
Answer · Alex Neil: Scottish ministers have the power to direct Glasgow Housing Association to delegate a specified range of housing management functions to Registered Social Landlords/Local Housing Organisations under section 68A of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. This is a ti…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an option for remodelled management agreements to lead on to community ownership.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Remodelled Management Agreements currently give Local Housing Organisations preferred bidder status to bring forward second stage transfer proposals. Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) could continue to offer preferred bidder status if Remodelled Managemen…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains committed to the transfer of all Glasgow Housing Association stock to local tenant organisations.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Executive welcomes progress with current Second Stage Transfers and would expect Glasgow Housing Association to continue to offer all tenants an opportunity in the future to consider community ownership when the time is right and it can be sensib…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for negotiating and agreeing revised management agreements between Glasgow Housing Association and local housing organisations and what the process is for consultation on this.
Answer · Alex Neil: I have asked Karen Watt, Chief Executive of The Scottish Housing Regulator, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p >In January 2009, the Scottish Housing Regulator issued a consultation paper setting out the proposed terms of its review of directions…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is providing written comment and direction on Glasgow Housing Association’s consultation draft 2009-10 business plan, Above and Beyond - Shaping a New Vision for GHA, and whether Scottish ministers were consulted before the draft was circulated.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing wrote directly to GHA on 9 February 2009, providing comments on GHA''s consultation draft Business Plan 2009-2010, <i >Above and Beyond. </i>Earlier drafts were made available to ministers.</p>
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the comprehensive improvement plan submitted by Glasgow Housing Association to the Scottish Housing Regulator and the new grant conditions are resulting in satisfactory progress with local management and community ownership.
Answer · Alex Neil: The improvement plan submitted to the Scottish Housing Regulator does not set out detailed timescales for Second Stage Transfer (SST). Progress with each SST is a matter for Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) and the respective Local Housing Organisations. The…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any delays in the timescales set out by the Deputy First Minister for the submission of the comprehensive improvement plan by Glasgow Housing Association to the Scottish Housing Regulator in response to the critical inspection report of June 2007.
Answer · Alex Neil: I have asked Karen Watt, Chief Executive of The Scottish Housing Regulator, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p >We published our report on our inspection of Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) on 18 September 2007. In accordance with our published …
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is content with the progress made by Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) on the second-stage transfer (SST) programme approved by its board in October 2007 and the timescales for SST initiatives detailed in the comprehensive improvement plan submitted by the GHA to the Scottish H…
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to answer to question S3W-21021 on 10 March 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/Busi…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescales were for achieving a ballot in each of the three groups of initiatives approved by the Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) Board in October 2007 and whether Scottish ministers and the Scottish Housing Regulator are content with the progress and timescales set by the GHA …
Answer · Alex Neil: The timescales set out by the GHA Board in October 2007 have been subject to discussion with the Local Housing Organisations pursuing second stage transfer. No detailed timescales were set for ballots in October 2007, only estimated timescales for the submiss…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons Scottish ministers propose to delegate to the Scottish Housing Regulator powers to direct Glasgow Housing Association to delegate housing management functions to registered social landlords on expiry of the existing 64 remodelled management agreements in Glasgow.
Answer · Alex Neil: The delegation of the review and the issuing of any future directions to the Scottish Housing Regulator are in line with the Ministerial Code of Practice, which explains the Scottish Housing Regulator''s role as follows:</p> <p >The Housing (Scotland) Act 20…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is content with the processes and timescales set out by the Glasgow Housing Association and the Scottish Housing Regulator for reviewing and, thereafter, directing the extension of remodelled management agreements with registered social landlords in the regulator’s guidance of …
Answer · Alex Neil: It is the responsibility of the Scottish Housing Regulator to set out the process and the timescale for reviewing the remodelled management agreement.</p>
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how and when Scottish ministers, or the Scottish Housing Regulator on behalf of ministers, fulfilled the commitment to consult with each of the 64 registered social landlords or management-only local housing organisations in year two of the operation of their remodelled management agreeme…
Answer · Alex Neil: I have asked Karen Watt, Chief Executive of The Scottish Housing Regulator, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p >The first set of directions was issued in April 2006 under section 68A of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. At that time, we said that …
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many management-only local housing organisations entered into a remodelled management agreement with Glasgow Housing Association in 2006 and how many homes were covered by each agreement.
Answer · Alex Neil: Twenty-eight Management-only Local Housing Organisations entered into a remodelled management agreement (RMA) with Glasgow Housing Association in 2006. A list of these Local Housing Organisations is provided below, containing stock numbers covered by each agr…
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many fully registered social landlords entered into a remodelled management agreement with Glasgow Housing Association in 2006 and how many houses were covered by each agreement.
Answer · Alex Neil: Twenty-four registered social landlords entered into a Remodelled Management Agreement (RMA) with Glasgow Housing Association in 2006 covering a total of 34 local housing organisation areas.</p> <p >A list of these registered social landlords and their LHO …
16 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the operational period is of each of the 64 remodelled management agreements created during 2006 under section 68 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 through the direction of Scottish ministers.
Answer · Alex Neil: The operational period of each of the 62 remodelled management agreements is three years. They end at various times between April and September 2009 (see following list).</p> <p >In accordance with the original direction, a review is being carried out. The M…
9 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have been recruited in each of the last eight quarters, broken down by police authority.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Police officer recruitment is a matter for police authorities and chief constables.</p> <p >Figures on the number of police officers employed are collected on a whole-time equivalent basis each quarter. The 31 December 2008 figures were published on 3 Marc…
9 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers were in post in each of the last eight quarters, broken down by police authority.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is available in table 2 of <i >Police Officer Quarterly Strength Statistics </i><i >Scotland</i><i >, </i><i >31 December 2008</i>, published by the Scottish Government on 3 March 2009. Copies of the publication are available in the Scottish…
9 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the approved establishment numbers were for each police authority in each of the last eight quarters.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Police officer establishments are a matter for police authorities and Chief Constables.</p> <p >Figures on the number of police officers employed are collected on a whole-time equivalent basis each quarter. The 31 December 2008 figures were published on 3 M…
9 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under 16 have been detained in a young offenders institution or adult prison in each of the last 24 months.
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 number of occasions children aged under 16 were admitted to SPS in each of the last 24 months.</p> <t…