Parliamentary questions
Richard Baker
2,136 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
19 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16681 by Kenny MacAskill on 27 October 2008, when information on the proportion of sex offenders having received rehabilitation treatment prior to release will be made available.
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 >Rehabilitation treatment covers the full range of interventions and support services provided by SPS. These include: Prisoner Progra…
19 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-17224 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 November 2008, when information on the proportion of convicted sex offenders in receipt of alternative treatment will be made 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 >This information will be available shortly. I will write to the Member with further details.</p>
19 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive against what criteria sex offenders are assessed for suitability for participation in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme.
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 process and issues are covered during the selection process for Sex Offender Treatment Programmes (SOTPs).</p> <p >An ini…
19 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of sex offenders who completed a custodial sentence on 31 March 2008 and had been assessed during their sentence as suitable for participation in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme took part in the programme during their custodial sentence.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Whilst the question seeks information for a specific date, for the purpose of answering this question we have presumed the interest was fo…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders received a prison sentence of six months in 2007-08, broken down by category of crime or offence.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: 2007-08 court proceedings data is planned for release in April 2009. Data for the latest year available on numbers sentenced to six months or less is contained in table 10 of the statistical bulletin <i >Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts, 2006-07</i>. T…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of offenders received a prison sentence of six months or less, since and including 2007-08.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: 2007-08 court proceedings data is planned for release in April 2009. Data for the latest year available is contained in table 10 of the statistical bulletin <i >Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts, 2006-07</i>, which can be found on the Scottish Governmen…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders received a prison sentence of six months or less, since and including 2007-08, broken down by police force area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: 2007-08 court proceedings data is planned for release in April 2009. Data for the latest year available (2006-07) is given below.</p> <p >Persons Receiving a Custodial Sentence in Scottish Courts of Six Months or Less, 2006-07</p> <table border=1 cellspaci…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the announcement on 24 October 2008 by Kenny MacAskill MSP of £1 million additional funding to deliver speedier community penalties, when it anticipates that the period of time between sentencing and the start of a community service will begin to decrease.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: We will shortly be issuing revised guidance for implementation from April 2009 for operation of community service schemes. It has been agreed with the Association of Directors of Social Work that the overall aim should be for the work placement to start withi…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the announcement on 24 October 2008 by Kenny MacAskill MSP of £1 million additional funding to deliver speedier community penalties, how many additional staff it expects will be recruited in each local authority.
Answer · John Swinney: The £1 million of additional funding has been included in the allocations to community justice authorities (CJAs) for 2009-10 to achieve the desired outcome that offenders start their community service orders more quickly, and for orders to be completed in a …
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the announcement on 24 October 2008 by Kenny MacAskill MSP of £1 million additional funding to deliver speedier community penalties, whether it intends to continue funding beyond 2009-10.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The £1 million additional funding to deliver speedier community penalties has been incorporated into the core funding for community justice authorities. As such it becomes part of their baseline budget and will continue beyond 2009-10.</p>
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the £1 million of additional funding announced by Kenny MacAskill MSP on 24 October 2008 to deliver speedier community penalties will be allocated to each community justice authority in 2009-10.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The £1 million of additional funding to deliver speedier community penalties has been allocated to each community justice authority (CJA) as per the following table.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td valign=top > …
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18738 by Kenny MacAskill on 16 December 2008 regarding the length of time that passes before a non-custodial sentence commences, whether it plans to start recording this information centrally.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: It is not intended to record this information centrally as a matter of routine. However, the additional £1 million funding to community justice authorities from 2009-10 which was announced on 24 October 2008 for the delivery of speedier and more immediate com…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18738 by Kenny MacAskill on 16 December 2008 and his announcement on 24 October 2008 of £1 million additional funding to deliver speedier community penalties, how it will monitor the effectiveness of the additional funding given that information is n…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19200 on 15 January 2009. We intend to carry out an early audit of current practice and a further audit 12 months later. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s websit…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive at what point in 2009 it expects the number of prisoners to reach a peak and what additional precautions it intends to take to ensure that safety and security are maintained.
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 >Historically the peak level of the prison population is reached in August/September. The SPS takes whatever action is appropriate to…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive at what point the number of prisoners reached a peak and what that number was in each of the last 10 years.
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 gives the maximum prisoner population during each calendar year from 1998 to 2008 and the date on which this maximum o…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prison cells accommodate two or more prisoners, 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:</p> <p >The information requested is contained in the following table.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <t…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the announcement on 24 October 2008 by Kenny MacAskill MSP of £1 million additional funding to deliver speedier community penalties, how it will measure whether community service orders begin more quickly after sentencing and are completed in a shorter time.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The award of an additional £1 million in 2009-10 (£250,000 this financial year) to the community justice authorities for the delivery of speedier and more immediate community penalties indicated that the Scottish Government, in conjunction with COSLA, will be…
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) offences have been recorded and (b) prosecutions there have been for offences contained in Part 8 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 since the introduction of the legislation, broken down by (i) month and (ii) local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Some elements of Part 8 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 are currently in force. Section 105(1), purchase of alcohol by or for a child or young person, came into force from 1 June 2006 (subject to a number of transitional provisions).</p> <p >For recorde…
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions powers contained in section 15 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 have been used by local licensing officers, broken down by (a) year and (b) local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: In line with the implementation timetable set by the previous administration, section 15 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 does not come into force until 1 September 2009.</p>
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the impact of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: In line with the implementation timetable set by the previous administration, the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 does not come fully into force until 1 September 2009. It is therefore too early to assess its impact in a comprehensive way, but it is clear that …
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to reform the National Licensing Forum to help facilitate the sharing of good practice between licensing boards.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The National Licensing Forum was abolished by the previous administration. At a meeting with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and Alcohol Focus Scotland on 12 June, I made clear that the Scottish Government would welcome the sharing of good practi…
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many licensing boards there are and what area each board covers.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: There are currently 43 licensing boards. These cover the same areas as their respective local authority except for:</p> <p >Aberdeenshire, where the area is served by three licensing boards covering North; Central, and South Aberdeenshire.</p> <p >Dumfries…
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that local licensing officers are adequately trained and equipped to carry out their duties.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The appointment, training and support for Licensing Standards Officers is a matter for local authorities as set out in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Regulations made by the previous administration set out the training requirements for Licensing Standards…
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it plays in the training of local licensing officers.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The requirement for licensing standards officers to be trained is set out in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and the detail of that training is set out in regulations made by the previous administration. Training providers are delivering training in line wi…
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in which local authorities licensing standards officers have been appointed.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally. In line with the previous administration''s timetable for implementing the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, licensing standards officers are to be appointed by 1 September 2009.</p>
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it considers that COSLA should play in relation to local licensing forums.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 provides a national framework for licensing and significant scope for local policy setting and decision making. It is for COSLA to decide what role, if any, it should play over and above the respective roles of licensing boar…
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to set up a national forum of local licensing forums.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The National Licensing Forum was abolished by the previous administration. At a meeting with COSLA and Alcohol Focus Scotland on 12 June 2008, I made clear that the Scottish Government would welcome the sharing of good practice between licensing boards and wo…
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to facilitate the sharing of good practice between local licensing forums.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is funding a National Licensing Officer post within Alcohol Focus Scotland. Part of the remit of this post is to support and inform local licensing forums and encourage best practice on community engagement processes.</p>
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of local licensing forums.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Local licensing forums are established by local authorities under section 10 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. The act does not empower ministers to assess the forums, and no such assessment has been made.</p>
15 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in which local authority areas local licensing forums have been set up and how many times each forum has met.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Section 10 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 requires local authorities to establish one or more local licensing forums for their area. Information about the number of times each forum has met is not held centrally.</p>