Parliamentary questions
Richard Baker
2,136 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
1 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the chamber on 25 March 2010 (Official Report c. 25109) that “there are significant problems [with knife crime] in some areas of Edinburgh”, where those areas are.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Edinburgh is a safe city and initiatives such as the Edinburgh Violence Reduction Programme enable partners to work together to make the city even safer. For example, the number of homicides in Edinburgh in 2008-09 was at the lowest recorded level in 20 years…
1 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-10000 by Kenny MacAskill on 25 March 2010, when its comprehensive review of support for witnesses will (a) begin and (b) conclude; what its scope is, and who will undertake it.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The review will begin later this month. The aim will be to complete a first phase of the review by delivering a report proposing priorities and recommendations at the end of 2010. An implementation phase will then follow, initially to March 2012 but potential…
1 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-10000 by Kenny MacAskill on 25 March 2010, what proposals it is working on to further enhance the rights of victims.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The current review of the <i >Scottish Strategy for Victims of Crime</i> is looking at a range of proposals for securing better outcomes for victims. The Scottish Government will be discussing those proposals with stakeholders before they are finalised.</p>
29 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the benefits will be of locating the Scottish Intelligence Co-ordination Unit with other key crime-fighting agencies at the Scottish Crime Campus.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Crime Campus will provide purpose built accommodation for the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and its partner agencies responsible for tackling serious organised crime in Scotland. It will enable closer and more joined up working in th…
29 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it expects the Scottish Intelligence Co-ordination Unit (SICU) to relocate to the Scottish Crime Campus and how much it will cost to house the SICU in Livingston in the interim.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Subject to contract the first agency is expected to move into the Scottish Crime Campus during 2012 with full occupation expected by mid 2013. The order in which agencies move in has not yet been determined.</p> <p >The SICU is presently located in a buildin…
24 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many grants have been made under the CashBack for Communities initiative to applicants since May 2007 and what the total value was, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does not hold the value or the number of grants paid by Parliamentary constituency under the CashBack for Communities scheme. The following table sets out the total number of grants and value administered by Youthlink Scotland since 20…
22 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16814 by Kenny MacAskill on 21 October 2008, how many test purchases of alcohol were carried out in 2009 in (a) on-sales and (b) off-sales premises, broken down by police force area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The use of test purchasing is an operational decision for each police force. We understand that test purchasing is intelligence-led and deployed in premises with a perceived problem of sales of alcohol to those under the age of 18.</p> <p >The following tabl…
22 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-32236, S3W-32237 and S3W-32238 by Kenny MacAskill on 17 March 2010, whether it plans to collect this information in future and what information it holds on the educational attainment of prisoners.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >SPS has no plans to capture the specific information requested in questions S3W-32236, S3W-32237.</p> <p >In respect of th…
22 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds centrally relating to timescales for commencement and completion of community service orders.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: To allow progress to be measured in relation to the immediacy and speed with which offenders commence and complete their orders, we are currently conducting an audit of activity across Scotland. We will apply the findings of the audit to inform and reinforce …
22 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20018 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 January 2010, whether it plans to collect this information in future.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: In addition to the audit of activity I highlighted in my answer to question S3W-32623 on 9 April 2010, we are currently working in collaboration with delivery partners who deal with front‘line services to review the scope and collection of criminal justice so…
22 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it defines the assessed operating limit (AOL) of a prison and what the AOL of each prison is.
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 >To assist in managing the consequential risks associated with the pressure on the prison system when the prisoner pop…
17 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether action on congestion at the Haudagain roundabout in Aberdeen is dependent on a decision being made by Aberdeen City Council on plans for the construction a third Don crossing.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: No.</p>
17 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18527 by Stewart Stevenson on 17 December 2008, when it will announce a timetable for the construction of improvements at the Haudagain roundabout in Aberdeen.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We have previously made clear that work on Haudagain Roundabout will be completed before financial responsibility transfers to the Council.</p>
17 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the cost to the NHS of knife crime.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: No information is held on the costs to the NHS of knife crime.</p>
17 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost to the NHS was of treating knife crime-related incidents in the last year for which information is available and how this cost has changed over the last 10 years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the cost to the NHS of treating knife crime-related incidents is not available.</p>
17 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of a police homicide investigation.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The investigation of homicides is an operational matter for chief constables. Information on the costs of investigations is not held centrally.</p>
17 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of police time was spent on (a) paperwork, (b) other non-frontline duties and (c) frontline duties, in each of the last three years.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for chief constables. Information on the time police officers spend on individual tasks is not held centrally.</p>
12 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the finding in the Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts 2008-09 that the number of people with a charge proved for handling an offensive weapon in the Grampian police force area reached a 10-year high in 2008-09; whether this figure represents a record hi…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is working with the police-led Violence Reduction Unit to tackle weapons carrying across Scotland. Reducing violence is a priority for Grampian police, and they undertake a range of activities to tackle its causes and consequences. The…
12 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have been (a) seconded to and (b) employed by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency in each year since its inception, broken down by (i) police force area and (ii) officer rank.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency was placed on a legal footing by the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 and was formally established in April 2007.</p> <p >The SCDEA does not currently employ any police officers and …
12 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in The Scotsman on 1 March 2010 that the operation of community service orders in some areas is “frankly outstanding”, where these areas are and what action it will to take in order that this good practice can be replicated els…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Community Service teams across Scotland are increasingly introducing projects for low level offenders to carry out unpaid work to repay their dues that are more meaningful and relevant to local communities. A recent example of this is the excellent work under…
12 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in The Scotsman on 1 March 2010 that “there are problems in some parts of the country” regarding the operation of community service orders, where and what these problems are and what action it is taking to improve the position.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government and partner agencies are working together to ensure more projects undertaken by low level offenders on community service is meaningful and relevant to local communities. To support this we have allocated an additional £9.5 million over…
12 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-31328 by Kenny MacAskill on 23 February 2010, what types of drug are being found in prisons.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The SPS do not determine the type or category of drugs recovered. Substances recovered are sent to the police.</p> <p >It …
8 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what crimes and offences in relation to which a custodial sentence of six months or less can currently be imposed it considers should not incur a custodial sentence.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The principle of judicial independence is a fundamental cornerstone of the Scottish justice system. In bringing forward the proposals to create a presumption against sentences of six months or less, contained in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) B…
8 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the (a) estimated capital value and (b) timescale of the replacement prison at Low Moss compares with the original project cost and timescale estimates.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >As the original project was terminated prior to the receipt of bids, the estimated capital value and timescales associated …
8 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average daily prison population was in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009, broken down by prison.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The following table provides the average daily population broken down by establishment.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0…
8 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30602 by Kenny MacAskill on 11 January 2010, how many Scottish Qualifications Authority units were achieved by prisoners in each of the last three years, broken down by prison.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The number of Scottish Qualification Authority units achieved by prisoners in each of the last three financial years is as …
8 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts it has made to encourage offenders serving custodial sentences to undertake Scottish Qualifications Authority qualifications while in prison.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Prisoners are able to undertake Scottish Qualifications Authority qualifications through the prison education units and the…
8 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners undertook at least one Scottish Qualifications Authority qualification during their sentence in each of the last three years, broken down by prison.
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 >The SPS does not hold this information.</p>
8 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average level of qualification held by an offender is on departure from prison.
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 >The SPS does not have this information.</p>
8 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average level of qualification held by an offender is on admission to prison.
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 >The SPS does not have this information.</p>