Stewart Maxwell

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse · 7 Mar 2016

The reports titled Religiously Aggravated Offending in Scotland 2014-15 and Charges reported under the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 in 2014-15 were published on 12 June 2015 and presented information on the number of charges that were reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) by the police in 2014-15 under section 74 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 and section 1 and section 6 of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.
The following table shows religious aggravation charges that were reported to COPFS in 2014-15 for conduct which was derogatory to each religion under the two pieces of legislation. The final column presents the number of charges per 1,000 members of each, as recorded in the 2011 census.
It is important to note that reported charges only contain information about the nature of the offensive conduct and not about the religious affiliation of the victims of incidents. In 41% of charges, the victim of the conduct was a police officer (a proportional decrease from 48% in 2013-14), and in 15% of charges the victim was a worker (a proportional increase from 11% in 2013-14). The occasions when religious abuse targeted people within the ‘general community’, and not a particular individual, represented 36% of all charges (a proportional increase from 26% in 2013-14).
This suggests that for many of the charges it is unlikely the accused knew the religious affiliation/belief of the victim at the time of incident, and that the attacks were more arbitrary in nature.
Table: Religious aggravation and offensive behaviour at football charges derogatory to religions in Scotland in 2014-15 per 1,000 members
Religious aggravation charges in 2014-151
Offensive behaviour at football charges in 2014-15
The religion that the conduct was derogatory towards5
Number of charges2
Number of members3
Charges per 1,000 members
Number of charges2
Number of members3
Charges per 1,000 members
Christianity4,5
479
2,850,199
0.17
48
2,850,199
0.02
of which: Roman Catholicism
328
841,053
0.39
42
841,053
0.05
of which: Protestantism
145
1,717,871
0.08
6
1,717,871
0.00
Judaism
25
5,887
4.25
1
5,887
0.17
Islam
71
76,737
0.93
1
76,737
0.01
Unknown
9
N/A
N/A
0
N/A
N/A
Other
1
N/A
N/A
0
N/A
N/A
Table notes:
1. Information on religious aggravations is taken from Religiously Aggravated Offending in Scotland 2014-15 and information on offensive behaviour at football charges is taken from Charges reported under the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 in 2014-15, published on the Scottish Government website on 12 June 2015.
2. The number of charges refers to the religion that the conduct was derogatory towards and not the number of charges where victims had the relevant affiliation. Information about victims’ religious affiliations is not recorded by the police.
3. Religious group membership information data for this parliamentary question and in 2013-14 (S4W-24173 on 9 February 2015) were taken from the 2011 census. These were published in census release 2A, on 26 September 2013. Previous calculations of the number of incidents per 1,000 members for 2011-12 and 2012-13, presented in response to previous parliamentary questions (S4W-15809 on 7 July 2013 and S4W-11536 on 12 December 2012), were based on membership data as presented in the 2001 census:
http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/censusresults/release2a/StatsBulletin2A.pdf
4. There are six charges in the Christianity total for religious aggravations charges that referred to conduct which was offensive to Christianity in general and were not directed towards Protestantism or Roman Catholicism.
5. Religious group membership data is based on self-reported affiliation in the 2011 census. Christian denominations are presented in the census under three

Answer · Angela Constance · 1 Feb 2016

Data is provided from 2007-08 up to 2014-15 for schools which have been rebuilt or refurbished. The distinction between rebuilt or refurbished has only been collected and published since 2010-11, so two further tables have been provided from 2010-11 to 2014-15 to show which schools have been rebuilt and which schools have been refurbished.
Table 1: Schools Rebuilt or Refurbished 2007-08 to 2014-15, by Local Authority





Local Authority
07-08
08-09
09-10
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
14-15
Total
Aberdeen City

1
6
3
1

1

12
Aberdeenshire
4
1

1



5
11
Angus
7
4
2
2




15
Argyll and Bute
9
1






10
Clackmannanshire
1
2
1




1
5
Dumfries and Galloway

4
11
5

4
6
2
32
Dundee City

6
2
1
2
1
2

14
East Ayrshire
3
6



8
1
1
19
East Dunbartonshire

1
7





8
East Lothian

5
1
2
1

2

11
East Renfrewshire


1

1

1

3
Edinburgh, City of
4
6
7



6
4
27
Eilean Siar




3
4


7
Falkirk

5
4


1


10
Fife
6

2
5
2
3
2
1
21
Glasgow City
2
9
7
4
3
2
2
44
73
Highland
4
6
8


4
2
2
26
Inverclyde
1
3
2

3
3
5

17
Midlothian
8

3


1
2

14
Moray




1
1

1
3
North Ayrshire
7
1

3
2
1
2
1
17
North Lanarkshire
9
5


5
8


27
Orkney Islands

1
1


1
1

4
Perth and Kinross

2
9
2
1
1
3
2
20
Renfrewshire
5
5
3

1
3

1
18
Scottish Borders
2
3
3
2
1
1
1

13
Shetland Islands



2


1

3
South Ayrshire
1
8

2
1

4
2
18
South Lanarkshire
14
12
13
15
11
12
16
14
107
Stirling
6
7
1
1
1
1
1

18
West Dunbartonshire


3
3
2

1

9
West Lothian

2
6
2
4

1

15
Total
93
106
103
55
46
60
63
81
607

Table 2: Schools Rebuilt 2010-11 to 2014-15 by Local Authority
Local Authority
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
14-15
Aberdeen City
2
1



Aberdeenshire




1
Angus
1




Argyll and Bute





Clackmannanshire




1
Dumfries and Galloway
3

1
1
1
Dundee City
1
1
1
2

East Ayrshire


5
1

East Dunbartonshire





East Lothian

1



East Renfrewshire

1

1

Edinburgh, City of





Eilean Siar

3
4


Falkirk





Fife

1
1
1
1
Glasgow City
2
2
2

1
Highland


3


Inverclyde

2

3

Midlothian


1
1

Moray

1
1


North Ayrshire


1

1
North Lanarkshire

5
4


Orkney Islands


1
1

Perth and Kinross
2
1


1
Renfrewshire


1

1
Scottish Borders


1
1

Shetland Islands
2




South Ayrshire
1


1

South Lanarkshire
14
11
11
16
14
Stirling


1


West Dunbartonshire
3
2

1

West Lothian

1

1

Total
31
33
39
31
22

Table 3: Schools Refurbished 2010-11 to 2014-15 by Local Authority
Local Authority
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
14-15
Aberdeen City
1


1

Aberdeenshire
1



4
Angus
1




Argyll and Bute





Clackmannanshire





Dumfries and Galloway
2

3
5
1
Dundee City

1



East Ayrshire


3

1
East Dunbartonshire





East Lothian
2


2

East Renfrewshire





Edinburgh, City of



6
4
Eilean Siar





Falkirk


1


Fife
5
1
2
1

Glasgow City
2
1

2
43
Highland


1
2
2
Inverclyde

1
3
2

Midlothian



1

Moray




1
North Ayrshire
3
2

2

North Lanarkshire


4


Orkney Islands





Perth and Kinross


1
3
1
Renfrewshire

1
2


Scottish Borders
2
1



Shetland Islands



1

South Ayrshire
1
1

3
2
South Lanarkshire
1

1


Stirling
1
1

1

West Dunbartonshire





West Lothian
2
3



Total
24
13
21
32
59

Answer · Aileen McLeod · 26 Jan 2016

Scotland provides the largest component of the UK’s contribution to the European Union’s Natura 2000 network. The Scottish Government is continuing to participate in the European Commission’s “fitness check” of the EU birds and habitats directives, the conclusions of which have yet to be determined. Like the UK Government (as outlined by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Council of the EU Environment Council meeting on 16 December 2015), we do not wish to seek the renegotiation of the directives.

Answer · Richard Lochhead · 24 Nov 2015

Scottish Government officials contributed to the formulation of the UK Government’s response to the evidence gathering phase of the European Commission ‘Fitness Check’ exercise, including involvement in a workshop held when commission officials visited the UK as part of their evidence gathering. The UK Government’s response has been published by the commission via the following web link: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/fitness_check/responses_en.htm

Answer · Richard Lochhead · 24 Nov 2015

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28386 on 24 November 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.