Parliamentary questions
Gavin Brown
1,064 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many off-licences in the Lothians region had their licence suspended in each year since 2007, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30174 on 25 January 2010. 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…
22 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many off-licences in the Lothians region were found to have sold alcohol to people under 18 in 2008-09, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is provided in the following table:</p> <p >Number of offences recorded by the police in the Lothians, in which a licensed person has sold alcohol to a person under 18, in 2008-09:</p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 …
22 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many recorded convictions there were for drug trafficking in 2008-09, broken down by sheriff court.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The information requested for 2008-09 will be available on 9 March 2010 (when the National Statistics Bulletin <i >Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts, 2008-09</i> will be published). Details of forthcoming statistical publications on crime and justice ar…
22 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people caught by police with (a) knives and (b) other weapons in the Lothians region in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09 represents (A) repeat and (B) first-time offenders, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on whether people caught by the police with knives/other weapons are repeat or first-time offenders is not held centrally.</p>
19 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of bills for local authority contracts was paid within (a) 30 and (b) 10 days in each year since 2007, broken down by local authority.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not collected by the Scottish Government. However, local authorities are required to report their performance against a number of statutory performance indicators, including the percentage of invoices sampled that were paid within…
19 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of bills for its contracts was paid within (a) 30 and (b) 10 days in each year since 2007.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government''s payment policy is that all suppliers'' invoices not in dispute are paid within the terms of the relevant contract. The Scottish Government aims to pay 100% of invoices, including disputed invoices once the dispute has been settled, …
13 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people had a charge proved in court for supply of drugs offences in the Lothian and Borders police force area in 2008-09 and what disposals were applied to them, broken down by type of drug.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested for 2008-09 will be available on 9 March 2010 (when the <i >2008-09 Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts Statistical Bulletin </i>will be published). Details of forthcoming statistical publications on crime and justice are availab…
13 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been collected in the Lothians region in fiscal fines imposed since December 2008 and in how many cases (a) no payment has been made and (b) payments are overdue.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information relating to the recovery and enforcement of financial penalties, including fiscal fines, is now published in reports on the Scottish Court Service website.</p> <p >This can be accessed at <a href="http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/payyourfine">www.sco…
13 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many direct measures have been issued by procurators fiscal for vandalism in each month since August 2009, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Frank Mulholland: The following table shows the number of charges under Section 52(1) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 (wilfully or recklessly destroy or damage property), where the initial decision taken by the Procurator Fiscal was to deal with the off…
13 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of alcohol poisoning there were in the Lothians region in 2009, broken down by hospital.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22375 on 20 April 2009, which contains the most recent information available. </p> <p >Data for the financial year 2008-09 will be released on 23 February 2010, on the Information Services Division (ISD) Scotl…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many and (b) what percentage of people convicted of shoplifting have been (i) male and (ii) female in each year since 1998-99, also broken down by age group.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following table:</p> <p >Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish courts for Shoplifting Crimes<sup>1</sup> 1998-99 to 2007-08</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width="21%" nowrap vali…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many and (b) what percentage of shoplifters have been repeat offenders in each year since 1998-99 and how many such offenders have committed (i) two, (ii) three, (iii) four, (iv) five to 10 and (v) more than 10 crimes, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The data in the following table are taken from the Scottish Government Court Proceedings Database and are based on individuals with a charge proved for shoplifting. Information about whether or not individuals had a criminal record at the time of prosecution …
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many of the fines issued in shoplifting cases remain outstanding and (b) what their value has been in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many of the fines issued in shoplifting cases have been collected and (b) what their value has been in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what disposals have been applied to people caught shoplifting in each year since 1998-99, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following table:</p> <p >Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Shoplifting Crimes<sup>1</sup> by Local Authority<sup>2</sup> and Disposal 1998-99 to 2007-08</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpaddi…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been convicted of shoplifting in each year since 1998-99, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30668 on 21 January 2010. 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…
7 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many emergency hospital admissions in NHS Lothian can be attributed to the recent cold weather conditions and what proportion was represented by individuals aged over 60.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Official statistics relating to emergency admissions to acute general hospitals in NHS Lothian are published as part of the quarterly update to the Acute Hospital Care section of the Information Services Division''s (ISD) website (<a href="http://www.isdscotl…
7 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been treated at emergency units in NHS Lothian due to falls during the recent cold weather conditions and what proportion was represented by individuals aged over 60.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The precise number of people attending NHS Lothian emergency services due to falls during the recent severe weather is not available from centrally collected, validated statistics.</p> <p >According to provisional management information, during the period 28…
7 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been treated for hypothermia in NHS Lothian during the recent cold weather conditions and what proportion was represented by individuals aged over 60.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: People with hypothermia may be treated in a number of different health care settings (for example; accident and emergency (A&E) departments, acute hospitals).</p> <p >The total number of people who have received treatment in these settings for hypothermi…
6 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many direct measures were issued for (a) assault and (b) assault to injury in December 2009, broken down by sheriff court.
Answer · Frank Mulholland: The following table shows the number of charges of (a) assault and (b) assault to injury where the initial decision taken by the Procurator Fiscal was to deal with the offending behaviour by means of a direct measure.</p> <p >The 222 charges relate to a tota…
6 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many direct measures were issued for (a) assault and (b) assault to injury in November 2009, broken down by sheriff court.
Answer · Frank Mulholland: The following table shows the number of charges of (a) assault and (b) assault to injury where the initial decision taken by the Procurator Fiscal was to deal with the offending behaviour by means of a direct measure.</p> <p >The 239 charges relate to a tota…
6 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary school pupils have been sent home as a result of alcohol misuse in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Keith Brown: Nationally, the number of primary school pupils recorded as being temporarily excluded in the annual National Statistics report on Exclusions as a result of alcohol misuse in each of the last five years is:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 >…
6 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it and its agencies have spent on recruitment advertising since May 2007, broken down by (a) directorate or agency and (b) position advertised.
Answer · John Swinney: The following table shows spend with our recruitment advertising supplier, TMP, on recruitment advertising media for civil service recruitment and public appointments. Agencies may have used other recruitment advertising suppliers but that spend is not availa…
17 Dec 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Investment Bank will begin to make investments.
Answer · John Swinney: Scottish Enterprise is already making investments in innovative high growth potential Scottish companies through the Scottish Co-investment, Venture and Seed Funds. These three funds will comprise the initial interventions of the Scottish Investment Bank. Fro…
9 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners have been (a) known and (b) estimated to have drug dependency issues at HMP Edinburgh in each year since 1970.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >This information is not available, however SPS addiction testing information, relating to HMP Edinburgh, is publishe…
9 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many women aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 44, (c) 45 to 64 and (d) 65 and over in the Lothians region have been admitted to a mental health speciality in each of the last five years.
Answer · Shona Robison: The number of women aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 44, (c) 45 to 64 and (d) 65 and over resident in the Lothians who have been admitted to a mental health speciality in each of the last five years are detailed in the following table.</p> <p >Lothian residents …
9 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many men aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 44, (c) 45 to 64 and (d) 65 and over in the Lothians region have been admitted to a mental health speciality in each of the last five years.
Answer · Shona Robison: The number of men aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 44, (c) 45 to 64 and (d) 65 and over resident in the Lothians who have been admitted to a mental health speciality in each of the last five years are detailed in the following table.</p> <p >Lothian residents ad…
8 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many admissions there have been to NHS Lothian hospitals as a result of taking the ecstasy substitute GBL in each of the last three years.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Centrally held information on discharges from acute non-obstetric, non-psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) and psychiatric inpatient records (SMR04) does not allow the explicit identification of admissions where the patient has taken gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).</p>…
8 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many admissions there have been to NHS Lothian hospitals as a result of taking the amphetamine substitutes (a) mephadrone and (b) BZP in each of the last three years.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Centrally held information on discharges from acute non-obstetric, non-psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) and psychiatric inpatient records (SMR04) does not allow the explicit identification of admissions where the patient has taken mephedrone or benzylpiperazine…
8 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many admissions there have been to NHS Lothian hospitals as a result of taking the cannabis substitute, Spice, in each of the last three years.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Centrally held information on discharges from acute non-obstetric, non-psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) and psychiatric inpatient records (SMR04) does not allow the explicit identification of admissions where the patient has taken the cannabis substitute Spice.…