Parliamentary questions

Richard Baker

2,136 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons it has learnt following the Festive Road Safety Campaign for 2008.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Figures provided by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) indicate that there were 610 positive or refused breath tests during the period of the recent Festive Safety Campaign. Although this represents a welcome reduction of 23% compare…

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of a report in the Press and Journal on 7 January 2009, what assessment it makes of the AA’s call for the vehicles of repeat drink-drivers to be confiscated.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: In cases where a road traffic offence punishable by imprisonment has been committed, Section 33A of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 provides the courts with the power to make an order for the forfeiture of a vehicle following an application from the prose…

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, what the duration is of the Alcohol Awareness Programme and what it involves for participants.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS-developed Approved Activity Alcohol Awareness is a 16-hour awareness intervention. It focuses mainly on the physiological…

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, how many prisoners have attended the Alcohol Awareness Programme during their sentences in each of the last three years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: The number of prisoners who completed the Alcohol Awareness programme in the last three years is as follows: 2007-08 “ 402 prison…

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, how the Scottish Prison Service evaluates the Alcohol Awareness Programme.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS-developed approved activity Alcohol Awareness is, as described, an awareness intervention. It focuses on the physiological effects…

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, how much it cost to run and how many prisoners took part in the Alcohol Awareness Programme in the last year, broken down by prison.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: The cost for delivering the approved activity Alcohol Awareness is not separately available. It is contained within the general programme …

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, what evaluation it will make of the Alcohol Awareness Programme.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19593 on 19 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available o…

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, given that the Alcohol Awareness Programme is not offered to prisoners at HMP Dumfries or HMP Kilmarnock, what alternative forms of support are offered to prisoners suffering from alcohol-related problems.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19588 on 19 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available o…

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, whether it intends to offer the Alcohol Awareness Programme to prisoners suffering from alcohol-related problems at HMP Dumfries or HMP Kilmarnock.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19588 on 19 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available o…

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, what the reasons are for the Alcohol Awareness Programme not being offered to prisoners at HMP Dumfries or HMP Kilmarnock.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS delivers a suite of prisoner programmes and approved activities that address issues or provide awareness pertaining to subst…

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, prior to the announcement on 24 October 2008 by Kenny MacAskill MSP of an additional £1 million of funding for these purposes, what discussions it had with each community justice authority on how to ensure that (a) offenders start their community service orders more quickly and (b) order…

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The chief officers of the community justice authorities (CJAs) have been represented on the project group which has been overseeing the revision of the National Objectives and Standards which provide the operational framework for criminal justice social work …

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19208 by John Swinney on 9 January 2009, what specific activities or resources it expects community justice authorities to spend the £1 million additional funding on and how, in each case, this will help to ensure that (a) offenders start their commu…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: It is anticipated that local authorities will use the bulk of the additional £1 million being made available to employ additional community service staff. Local authorities are responsible for the operational delivery of community service orders and how best …

9 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19208 by John Swinney on 9 January 2009, how, in each case, it intends to evaluate the effectiveness of the £1 million additional funding allocated to ensure that (a) offenders start their community service orders more quickly and (b) orders are comp…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19200 on 15 January 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/App…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average level of fine left outstanding by those fine defaulters who served a prison sentence was in the last year.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many alternative measures to prison have been (a) imposed on and (b) successfully completed by fine defaulters in the last year and what proportion of all fine defaulters this represents.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information on the numbers and completion rates of Supervised Attendance Orders, which provide courts with an alternative to custody for fine defaulters, is contained in the Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics Bulletin for 2007-08 published on 9 December …

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what work it is undertaking to reduce the number of fine defaulters that serve prison sentences.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government have taken forward significant measures to tackle fine default. We are implementing summary justice reform which has brought improvements to the system and changes in the law under the Criminal Proceedings Reform Act. Fines enforcement…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fine defaulters have served prison sentences in the last year, broken down by prison, and what proportion of all fine defaulters this represents.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.

6 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what work it is undertaking to improve public awareness of the levels of burglary, robbery, theft, vehicle crime, violent crime and antisocial behaviour in local communities.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government publishes statistical information to raise public awareness of the levels of different types of crime in local communities. In particular, the Recorded Crime in Scotland Statistical Bulletin, published in September 2008, presents stati…

6 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what work it is undertaking to improve public awareness of local crime-fighting activity.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The first annual report of the Scottish Policing Performance Framework, which was published on 8 December 2008, will help ensure that the public and other stakeholders are better informed about how their police force is working to tackle crime. This can be fo…

6 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to make available to communities in Scotland neighbourhood crime maps, as introduced in England and Wales by the Home Office on 6 January 2009.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: We have no immediate plans to replicate the Home Office scheme in Scotland, but will monitor the impact of this innovative approach to public engagement with interest. The Scottish Government Justice and Communities Analytical Services Division has p…

6 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that providing communities with more information about localised crime patterns and hotspots is beneficial to (a) local communities and (b) police forces.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: How best to engage and communicate with local communities on localised crime is principally a matter for Scottish police forces, police boards and their community safety partners, supported by central government. We are providing this support in a nu…

22 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which police force or other organisation will be operationally responsible for the new Major Crime and Terrorism Investigation Unit.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Strathclyde Police.

22 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the set up costs were for the new Crime and Terrorism Investigation Unit; how much it expects the unit will cost to run, and from which budget or budgets the funding will be drawn.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The unit has been set up and funded by Strathclyde Police from within its existing resources. It is for the chief constable to determine the running costs and operation of the unit.

22 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding has been provided for the new Major Crime and Terrorism Investigation Unit and, if so, how much.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This unit has been funded by Strathclyde Police from within existing resources.

22 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the functions are of the new Major Crime and Terrorism Investigation Unit.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Major Crime and Terrorism Investigation Unit was set up by Strathclyde Police to maximise the effectiveness of the force''s response to serious and organised crime, including terrorism, in line with the force''s Strategic Assessment and Control Strategy P…