Richard Baker

16 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many licences were granted by Aberdeen City Licensing Board to pubs and clubs in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006 and (e) 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information is not availablein the format requested, however, the number of applications for an On Sales licencereceived by Aberdeen City Licensing Board during 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 is givenin the following table.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cel…

16 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Grampian were victims of (i) manslaughter or (ii) murder caused by alcohol-related violence from 2003 to 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The crime of Manslaughterexists under English law and in other jurisdictions but is not a crime known tothe law of Scotland. The nearest similar crime under Scots Lawis that of Culpable Homicide. Figures for culpable homicide have therefore beenused in this a…

16 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Grampian were admitted to accident and emergency wards with injuries resulting from alcohol-related violence in each month from 2003 to 2007.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested isnot held centrally.</p>

16 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people convicted of alcohol-related offences in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Grampian from 2003 to 2007 received an antisocial behaviour order or were sentenced to (i) a prison sentence of six months or less, (ii) a prison sentence of more than six months, (iii) another custodial sentenc…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information isgiven in the table below. Civil antisocial behaviour orders cannot be broken downto the level of detail asked for.</p><p>Persons with a Charge Provedin Scottish Courts for Alcohol-Related Offences^1,2, in GrampianPolice F…

16 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of alcohol-related violence were reported in (a) Aberdeen City, (b) Grampian and (c) Angus from 2003 to 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: No information on whether ornot particular crimes or incidents are “alcohol-related” is held centrally.</p>

16 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage people to use the rail network for commuting to work.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We are improving journeytimes, we are investing in new services, we are enhancing rolling stock and, inthe last year, we have provided funding for more than 250 extra parking spaces atrail stations.</p>

16 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to electrify the Aberdeen to Edinburgh rail line.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We expect electrificationoptions, including cost, to emerge from the Strategic Transport Projects Review(STPR). The review will deliver its findings to the Scottish ministers in thesummer of 2008.</p>

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its latest cost estimates are to fund the building of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and what percentage of its financing would come from (a) public, (b) private and (c) commercial sources through the Scottish Futures Trust.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We are making provision for thepreferred route of between £295 million and £395 million at outturn cost in 2012.This is based on the risks currently identified but we will continue to monitorthis in light of prevailing tender prices for roads contracts. The p…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Futures Trust will be fully operational.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT)is our alternative funding mechanism to the “standard PFI” and will deliver better,more efficient infrastructure for taxpayers. A consultation paper on SFT was launchedin December 2007 and this can be accessed at: </p><p><ahref…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of a project funded by the Scottish Futures Trust would be funded by (a) public, (b) private and (c) commercial finance.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8465 on 22 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it expects to generate from commercial banks for the Scottish Futures Trust in each of the next three financial years .

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8465 on 22 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much private investment it expects to generate for the Scottish Futures Trust in each of the next three financial years.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8465 on 22 January. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sea…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much public funding will be allocated to the Scottish Futures Trust in each of the next three financial years.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT)initiative is our alternative funding mechanism to the “standard PFI” and will deliverbetter, more efficient infrastructure for taxpayers. A consultation paper on SFTwas launched in December 2007 and this can be accessed at: </…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who were convicted of a sexual offence in Grampian were sentenced to (a) a prison sentence of six months or more, (b) a prison sentence of less than six months, (c) another custodial sentence or (d) community service in each year from 2003 to 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information isgiven in the following table.</p><p>Persons with a Charge Provedin Grampian Police Force Area for Sexual Offences^1,2, by Selected Sentences,2003-04 to 2005-06</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr>…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers it expects to redeploy to Grampian over the next three years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The deployment and redeploymentof police officers is a matter for which the chief constable is responsible.</p><p>We will work with chief constablesand other partners to support the introduction of initiatives designed to reducebureaucracy and strip out red t…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers it will pledge to Grampian over the next three years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The recruitment of police officersis the responsibility of the chief constable.</p><p>As a first step to deliveringits commitment to make 1,000 additional officers available in Scotland’s communities,the government has pledged to fund the direct recruitment o…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of primary 1 to 3 pupils in Aberdeen city primary schools were in class sizes of (a) 18 and under, (b) 19 to 25, (c) 26 to 30 and (d) over 30 in each school year from 2003-04 to 2007-08.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Information for the 2007 census is due to be published on 26 February. Data for the previous years are shown in the following table:</p> <p >Percentage of P1-P3 Pupils in Aberdeen City Primary Schools, by Size of Class</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cel…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding the area hub of sportscotland in Aberdeen and the Grampian Institute of Sport will receive over the four years up to the 2012 London Olympics.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Funding for the Aberdeen Huband the Grampian Institute of Sport will be a matter for the new management teamand board of sportscotland to determine once the structures and staffing are inplace.</p>

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Communities and Sport will meet Aberdeen City Council to discuss the need for an Olympic-standard swimming pool in Aberdeen.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have no current plans to meetwith Aberdeen City Council to discuss the proposed swimming pool in Aberdeen.</p><p>sportscotland has accepted aninvitation to join the project board, which has been set up to take forward theswimming pool proposal and a meeting…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the area hub of sportscotland in Aberdeen will be fully operational.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: It is proposed to have allfour hubs operational by April 2009. However, it is my intention to ensure thatthe de-centralised structure is in place as quickly as possible.</p>

11 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it submitted to the Office of Rail Regulation in respect of the electrification of the rail line from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Our High Level Output Specification(HLOS), published in July 2007, outlined outputs we expect Network Rail to deliveror prepare to deliver between 2009-14. The HLOS (tier 3) provides for infrastructureenhancements such as those which would reduce journey time…

11 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Office of Rail Regulation will report back to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on the proposal to electrify the rail line from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to answerto question S3W-8374 on 28 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.Scottish Parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sear…

10 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals who committed vandalism-related offences received community service orders in Grampian during (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006 and (e) 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: In Grampian police force areafor the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 (the latest year for which data is available)six, eight and 10 persons respectively received community service orders for vandalismrelated offences. Vandalism related offences covers offe…

10 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many vandalism-related arrests were made by Grampian Police from 2003 to 2007 and, of these, how many were of individuals aged from (a) 10 to 15, (b) 16 to 18, (c) 18 to 25 and (d) over 25.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information on the number ofarrests made by the police is not held centrally, only the number of crimesrecorded. Statistics on the number of crimes of vandalism recorded in theGrampian Police Force Area, 2003-04 to 2007-08, are available in the answergiven to…

10 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of restoring vandalised public sector property in Grampian during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: We do not maintain informationpermitting a full answer to this question. We have no information relating to buildingsother than Scottish Government buildings and no records are kept which would enableus to readily discriminate any historical costs related to …

10 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of vandalism were reported to Grampian Police during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information isgiven in the following table.</p><p>Crimes of Vandalism Recordedin the Grampian Police Force Area, 2003-04 to  2007-08.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td valign=top> <p align=center>Year</p> </…

10 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in Aberdeenshire during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: According to research on theuse of civil antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) undertaken by DTZ Pieda and Heriot-WattUniversity, no ASBO were issued in Aberdeenshire in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and fivewere issued in 2005-06.</p><p>Sincethis research has now report…

10 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in Aberdeen city during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: According to research on theuse of civil antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) undertaken by DTZ Pieda and Heriot-WattUniversity, 13 ASBOs were issued in Aberdeen City in 2003-04, 14 in 2004-05 and11 in 2005-06.</p><p>Since this research has now reported,figure…

10 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in Grampian as a result of vandalism-related incidents during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Although the Scottish Governmentcollects data on the number of ASBOs granted in each local authority area, it doesnot collect data on the nature of the misconduct that prompted the ASBO. This informationis not held centrally.</p>

10 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report on its findings in respect of the contents of the Nestrans transport strategy.

Answer · John Swinney: Scottish ministers will consider the Nestrans regional transport strategyfollowing receipt of a revised draft requested recently.</p>