Parliamentary questions
Claire Baker
1,724 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people convicted of an offence in each of the last five years were involved with child and adolescent mental health services at the time of their offence.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.
23 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people convicted of an offence in each of the last five years stated that (a) alcohol and (b) substance misuse was as a cause of their offending behaviour.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: There is no data held by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) which can categorically attribute alcohol or substance misuse as a cause of offend…
23 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the reconviction rate was for people leaving young offender institutions in each of the last five years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The reconviction rate for offenders released from a Young Offenders Institution between 2009-10 and 2013-14 is presented below. The rate measures the proportion of offenders who were reconvicted within a year. Reconviction rates for those released from a You…
22 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of alleged hate crime have been reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in each of the last three years.
Answer · James Wolffe: The following table contains the total number of hate crime charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) from April 2013 to March 2016. All figures provided are based on data extracted from the COPFS case management system on 6 M…
22 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of alleged hate crime have resulted in a prosecution in each of the last three years.
Answer · James Wolffe: The following table contains the total number of hate crime charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) from April 2013 to March 2016 where the decision made was prosecution. All figures provided are based on data extracted from…
22 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of alleged hate crime (a) have been marked as (i) having been aggravated by prejudice and (ii) charged under another offence with no marking for being aggravated by prejudice and (b) resulted in no charge being brought forward in each of the past three years.
Answer · James Wolffe: All figures provided are based on data extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service case management system on 6 May 2016, which was the basis of the 2016 report on hate crime in Scotland. The following table contains information in respect o…
22 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of alleged hate crime have been taken to court in each of the last three years.
Answer · James Wolffe: The following table contains the total number of hate crime charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) from April 2013 to March 2016 where court proceedings were commenced. All figures provided are based on data extracted from …
22 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many attempted prosecutions of alleged hate crime in the last three years have resulted in (a) a conviction and (b) an aquittal, broken down by (i) charges marked as having been aggravated by prejudice and (ii) having no marking for being aggravated by prejudice.
Answer · James Wolffe: All figures provided are based on data extracted from the The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) case management system on 6 May 2016, which was the basis of the 2016 report on hate crime in Scotland. The following tables contain information …
22 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of alleged hate crime have been recorded in each of the last three years.
Answer · Angela Constance: A hate crime is defined as being where an offence is committed by a perpetrator motivated by prejudice on the grounds of one or more of the following - race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. The Scottish Government currently prod…
22 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to bring forward legislation to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: As announced on 6 September 2016, the Scottish Government’s programme for government for 2016-17 includes the introduction of a Bill that will ban the use and exhibition of wild animals in travelling circuses in Scotland.
16 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many times tasers have been (a) deployed and (b) discharged by the police in each year since 2013, broken down by (i) reason for deployment, (ii) distance that they were discharged from and (iii) the number of (A) injuries and (B) deaths that have arisen from their use.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The deployment of tasers is an operational matter for Police Scotland and are deployed in accordance with the current national UK practices as directed by the College of Policing and National Armed Policing and approved by the National Police Chiefs' Council.…
16 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) quad bikes and (b) other similar single-person operated vehicles have been (i) seized and (ii) destroyed by the police (A) across Scotland and (B) in Fife in each of the last five years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Police Scotland have legislative authority, provided for by part ten of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, to seize vehicles for a variety of reasons including antisocial behaviour and road traffic offences. A police officer has authority to s…
16 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the responsible ownership of (a) quad bikes and (b) other similar single-person operated vehicles.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The legislation governing the usage of quad bikes on our roads has not been devolved to Scottish Ministers and remains reserved to the UK Government. Police Scotland uses this UK Government legislation along with the additional powers available through the A…
16 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the responsible selling of (a) quad bikes and (b) other similar single-person operated vehicles.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The selling and ownership of quad bikes and other similar single-person operated vehicles has not been devolved to Scottish Ministers and remains an issue that is reserved to the UK Government.
16 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) quad bikes and (b) other similar single-person operated vehicles have been reported stolen (i) across Scotland and (ii) in Fife in each of the last five years, and how many were recovered.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Police Scotland report that a total of 972 quad bikes were stolen across Scotland over the past five years, with 276 of those being recovered. For the Fife area, 177 quad bikes were stolen over the same period with 54 of those being recovered. Due to restrict…
5 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any (a) within-year payments, (b) loans or (c) grants to Police Scotland in the last two years and, if so, when and what for.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has made no payments, loans or grants directly to Police Scotland in the last two years.
14 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether local authorities receive contributions from (a) businesses and (b) organisations that provide Fiscal Work Order placements and, if so, how much each has received since rollout in April 2015.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Where possible, local Fiscal Work Order (FWO) schemes should harness the potential of local organisations to both provide activities and be involved in carrying them out. Local authorities do not, however, receive contributions from businesses or organisation…
14 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the target number of Fiscal Work Orders is for each local authority since rollout in April 2015.
Answer · Michael Matheson: No such targets are set for local authorities. The provision of Fiscal Work Orders is governed by the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, as amended, which provides that both the decision to send a work offer, and the subsequent decision to impose a work …
14 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many offenders who have completed Fiscal Work Orders have moved into work as a result of their placement since rollout in April 2015, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is not held centrally. Local authorities are encouraged to develop programmes which will reduce the likelihood of individuals engaging in future offending behaviour. For example, programmes which increase the individual's awareness …
14 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Fiscal Work Orders since the publication of its report, Summary Justice Reform: Evaluation of Fiscal Work Order Pilots, in 2011.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The national rollout of Fiscal Work Orders (FWOs), which commenced in April 2015, was a direct response to a recommendation of the final report of the Commission on Women Offenders which was published in 2012. In that report, the Commission highlighted that F…
14 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Fiscal Works Order (a) referrals, (b) placement starts, (c) completions and (d) hours there have been, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) offence type since rollout in April 2015.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not currently available. Detailed statistics for Fiscal Works Orders (FWOs) will be included in the annual Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics in Scotland bulletins from 2015-16 onwards. This will include data on the number of assessm…
14 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) assessment it has made of and (b) discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding the impact of Fiscal Work Orders on the requirements of (i) out-of-work and (ii) means tested social security benefits.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government’s assessment is that the imposition of a Fiscal Work Order (FWO) should not adversely impact an individual’s ability to meet the requirements of either (i) out-of-work or (ii) means tested social security benefits. As such, we have not…
14 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which (a) sectors, (b) businesses and (c) organisations have provided placements to facilitate Fiscal Work Orders, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is not held centrally. Where possible, local Fiscal Work Order (FWO) schemes should harness the potential of local organisations to both provide activities and be involved in carrying them out. Local authorities are required to appo…
4 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct research into police response to rape at a national level.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: Rape is a heinous crime, and the Scottish Government is committed to supporting victims and tackling perpetrators. The police prioritise a strong response to rape; Police Scotland, after its creation in 2013, established the National Rape Task Force and Domes…
4 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what training is available to police officers regarding the handling of rape cases, including officers carrying out first response.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The training of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland’s policing response is victim focused at all times and every police officer is given 'First Responder Training' during their initial course at the Police College of Scotland,…
4 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to evaluate and improve the experience for victims reporting rape to the police.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-01213 on 22 July 2016. We have also legislated, through the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014, to ensure that those who report sexual offences should be able to choose the gender of their police intervi…
4 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for implementation of the governance review of the Scottish Police Authority, which was published earlier in 2016.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The chair of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) published his review of governance in policing on 23 March 2016: http://www.spa.police.uk/about-us/governancereview. The publication included an indicative timescale for delivery. Updates on the review are bein…
4 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an assessment of Police Scotland's estate and, if so, when and whether it will provide details.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment of Police Scotland's estate. Assessment and maintenance of the police service are matters for the Scottish Police Authority. In June 2015, the Scottish Police Authority approved an estate strategy f…
4 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what activities consent is determined by Marine Scotland.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Marine Scotland issues a variety of consents, licences and other permissions relating to a wide range of marine activities including; Sea Fisheries: Sea fisheries licences Authorisations following requests for fishing vessels to change the country of adm…
4 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to make a decision on the application to construct and operate the Strathy South windfarm.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The consideration that officials and Ministers have been required to give to this proposal has been complex and time consuming. Now that the Public Local Inquiry is complete Scottish Ministers are considering the terms of the report and should be in a positio…