Parliamentary questions

Bill Aitken

308 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

24 Oct 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering taking any steps to reduce the number of persons being imprisoned for non-payment of fines.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Following a discussion in the Criminal Justice Forum, we have been discussing with a number of interests how the enforcement of fines might be improved, with a view to reducing the use of imprisonment as a last resort.

4 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue was obtained from non-domestic rates in Scotland in each of the last two years and what the total amount of non-domestic rates paid by businesses registered in Glasgow was in each of these years.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The latest information available indicates that councils have contributed £1,496,647,482 to the Scottish non-domestic rates pool in 1999-2000 and have estimated contributions of £1,540,563,079 for 2000-01. Glasgow City Council's contribution was £239,192,865 …

4 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many rape and sexual assault cases there were in each of the past five years and in how many of those cases the accused represented themselves in court.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the following table. Data for the year 2000 is not yet available. Information on the number of instances where the accused represented themselves in court is not readily available, though these are believed to be relative…

29 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the Law of the Tenement to enable the resolution of disputes between owner-occupiers and local authorities where local authorities are the majority landlord in tenement properties.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Law Commission published its Report on the Law of the Tenement (Scot Law Com No 162) in 1998. Following the publication of the subsequent Report on Real Burdens (Scot Law Com No 181) in October 2000, the Executive asked the commissi…

23 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals from the High, sheriff and district Courts concerned devolved issues and were on grounds relating to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in the last two years and this year to date.

Answer · Neil Davidson: The information requested is not readily available and cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.An indication of the extent to which the terms of the ECHR have been relied upon by accused persons and appellants in all Scottish criminal courts since…

23 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the increase in the number of appeals sent to the High Court Judiciary, as highlighted in the Criminal Appeal Statistics, Scotland, 2000.

Answer · Neil Davidson: The most recent issue of Criminal Appeal Statistics, Scotland was published on 22 August 2001. The statistics relate to appeals against conviction, sentence or acquittal concluded in the High Court of Justiciary sitting in its appellate capacity during…

22 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many persons served periods of custody due to non-payment of fines in 2000, giving the average time served and the average fine involved.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Reliable figures for 2000 are not yet available. 1999 information is given in tables 29, 30, 32 and 33 of Prison Statistics Scotland, 1999 published by the Scottish Executive in 2000, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (B…

22 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many supervised attendance orders were imposed by courts during 2000.

Answer · Jim Wallace: In the period 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000, a total of 2,401 supervised attendance orders were imposed.

23 Jul 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were dealt with under the children's hearing system in (a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000 and, of these, how many were referrals on the grounds of offending behaviour and how many were in need of care and protection.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA). The information requested is not held centrally.

23 Jul 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure a consistency of approach by Reporters to children's panels throughout Scotland.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) was established in 1996 to ensure a consistent approach by Reporter staff is achieved.I have asked the Principal Reporter and his response is:"SCRA have placed particular emphasis on the need to sha…

23 Jul 2001 · Written Question

Answer · Jim Wallace: The total number of persons aged under 16 who were proceeded against on indictment was 52 in 1998 and 26 in 1999. Figures for 2000 are not yet available.

23 Jul 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports made by the police to the Reporters to the Children's Panels in (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Aberdeen and (d) Dundee are currently not actioned.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Principal Reporter is required by the Children's (Scotland) Act 1995 to investigate each report. Action can and frequently does occur without a children's hearing being necessary. A child will be referred to a hearing only where supervision on a compulsor…

10 Jul 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that the appeal hearing in respect of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi will commence.

Answer · Jim Wallace: At this stage in the appeal process no date has been fixed for the hearing of the appeal.Once the trial judges report to the Appeal Court following the lodging by Mr Al Megrahi of his grounds of appeal, the case will go before a sing…

10 Jul 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what haircutting, chiropody, dentistry and other services have been provided to Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi by the Scottish Prison Service using personnel from Scotland.

Answer · Iain Gray: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:While I can confirm that a hairdresser from Cornton Vale was recently sent to HM Prison, Zeist, for reasons of medical confide…

6 Jul 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what quantity of drugs was sei'ed by the Scottish Police Force, what the street value was of those drugs, how many drug dealers were arrested and what the value was of the assets sei'ed by the Scottish Police Force, in each year from 1997 to date.

Answer · Iain Gray: The available information is as follows.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=595><TR><TD WIDTH="43%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="19%" VALIGN="TOP">1997</TD><TD WIDTH="19%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial"…

20 Jun 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a strategy to reduce the number of drug abusers who are currently reliant upon methadone.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: There is a wealth of national and international research evidence to support prescribing of methadone as a substitute for illegal opiate-based drugs. The duration and dosage of methadone prescriptions are matters for individual patients and their health profe…

23 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have been reported to the police in connection with assaults on asylum seekers in Glasgow in the last year.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The statistics available centrally on crimes of assault recorded by the police do not distinguish the requested information.

23 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many assaults against asylum seekers have been reported in Glasgow in the last year.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The statistics available centrally on crimes of assault recorded by the police do not distinguish the requested information.

19 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many "Campaign for a new Victoria" postcards the Minister for Health and Community Care has received to date.

Answer · Susan Deacon: As at 27 April, the Executive has received around 910 postcards from members of the public campaigning for a new Victoria Infirmary. The department continues to ask Greater Glasgow Health Board to consider these, since public consultation on the review of acu…

15 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the approved code of practice on smoking in the workplace, outlined in Smoking Kills: A White Paper on Tobacco, has not yet been introduced, given that the Health and Safety Commission endorsed the code in September 2000.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Health and Safety at Work legislation is a reserved matter.

15 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any evidence on the take-up of the voluntary charter set out in Smoking Kills: A White Paper on Tobacco designed to protect employees and customers within the hospitality industry from the health risks of passive smoking.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Voluntary Charter on Smoking in Public Places was launched on 23 May 2000. It is too early to measure effectively the impact that the Charter is having. However, Charter Implementation Guides have been distributed to 20,000 businesses. A survey o…

24 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many council houses (a) there were in total and (b) were available for letting in each Glasgow parliamentary constituency as at (i) 1 January 1997 and (ii) 1 January 2001.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Executive does not hold information on council housing stock within parliamentary constituencies. On the basis of returns from the council, the total local authority housing stock in Glasgow at 31 March 1997 was estimated to be 105,035 and at 31 March 200…

23 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Campaign for a New Victoria postcards the Minister for Health and Community Care has received to date.

Answer · Susan Deacon: As at 31 January, the Executive has received around 550 postcards from members of the public campaigning for a new Victoria Infirmary. The Department has asked Greater Glasgow Health Board to consider these, since public consultation on the review of acute se…

23 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers there were in each division covering Glasgow parliamentary constituencies on (a) 1 January 1997 and (b) 1 January 2001.

Answer · Jim Wallace: This information is not available.

6 Dec 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Social Justice last met representatives of Scottish Homes.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: I met the Chair, Chief Executive and other senior officials of Scottish Homes on 27 November to review their performance against ministerial targets in the current year. I had a further meeting with the Chief Executive on 5 December.

16 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the fact that almost half of the calls to the Health Education Board for Scotland Smokeline are from smokers aged 16 and under, what cessation strategies have been put in place to respond to these callers.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive regards action to tackle smoking among young people as a key priority and smoking cessation has been identified as an area for investment from the £26 million health improvement fund.The Executive has provided the Hea…

1 Nov 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in view of the targets outlined in Towards a Healthier Scotland, what strategy is in place to achieve a reduction in smoking among young people.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is taking forward a range of measures to reduce levels of smoking among young people. These include health education and promotion activities such as mass media advertising and Smokeline; a new enforcement package to target underage sal…

25 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding the Health Education Board for Scotland has received specifically to address the priorities outlined in the White Paper on Tobacco, Smoking Kills, in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The total expenditure by the Health Education Board for Scotland on initiatives relating specifically to priorities outlined in Smoking Kills amounted to £749,544 in financial year 1999-2000 and £1.5 million in the financial year 2000-01.

25 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to evaluate the impact in Scotland of the White Paper on Tobacco, Smoking Kills.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive will judge the impact of Smoking Kills in part by measuring Scotland's performance against the smoking targets set out in Annex A of the Public Health White Paper, Towards a Healthier Scotland which was published in…

18 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which groups will receive priority in its initiative on central heating announced on 18 September 2000 and how priority need will be assessed.

Answer · Frank McAveety: We believe that pensioners without central heating are in priority need and so they will be first to benefit.