Parliamentary questions
Margaret Mitchell
550 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Mar 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to support family businesses.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Family-run businesses, like allbusinesses in Scotland, are benefiting from the Executive’s record investmentin infrastructure, health, education and skills, along with the steps we are takingto reduce business rates and reform the planning system.</p><p>Scott…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many fines were recovered by deductions from wages in each year since 1997 and what proportion these represented of the total number of fines imposed, broken down by sheriff court.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information is not held centrally.Deductions from wages (arrestment of earnings) could competently be applied onlyin those cases where the court had ordered recovery of the fine by civil diligencefrom an individual. The answer to question S2W-24321 on 27 …
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many fines were recovered by deductions from benefits in each year since 1997 and what proportion these represented of the total number of fines imposed, broken down by sheriff court.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The following tables report onthe number of fines marked for recovery by deductions from benefits as a proportionof fines imposed. It is not possible to report on the amounts recovered.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many fines were recovered by civil diligence in each year since 1997 and what proportion these represented of the total number of fines imposed, broken down by sheriff court.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The following tables report on the number of fines ordered by the sheriff courts to be recovered by civil diligence as a proportion of fines imposed. It is not possible to report on the amounts recovered.</p> <p>The method of payment of the fine is for the co…
13 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average value was of means warrants issued in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The position in the sheriffcourts in respect of the average value of means warrants outstanding is as follows:</p><p>As at January 2004 - £202.</p><p>As at January 2005 - £214.</p><p>As at January 2006 - £221.</p><p>Further information is not heldcentrally.</…
13 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost was of issuing and enforcing a means warrant in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Means warrants are issued inrespect of fines that are not paid in accordance with the terms set by the courtwhen the fine was imposed, to ensure that action is taken against those who defaulton fine payment. Means warrants are currently issued in around a thi…
1 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many inmates who did not test positive for drugs upon entry to HM Prison Kilmarnock, tested positive for drugs when leaving, in each of the last seven years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The Scottish Prison Service doesnot have this information.</p>
1 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young offenders have been held on remand in HM Prison Kilmarnock in each of the last seven years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=543> <thead> <tr> <td width=132 nowrap valign=bottom> <p align=center> </p> </td> <…
27 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what quantities of drugs has been recovered in prisons through the use of sniffer dogs in the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the ScottishPrison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The information is availableonly for the last three years and is shown in the table:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead>…
27 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which prisons use sniffer dogs to detect drugs.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p>All prisons have access to drug detection dogs.</p>
27 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many sniffer dogs are used in prisons to detect drugs.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p>Nine dogs are used across prisons in Scotland to detect drugs.</p>
24 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons have been for excluding the public from court when a witness has given their evidence in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
24 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the public has been excluded from court when a witness has given evidence in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
27 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has sought in respect of the Information Commissioner's response to the Executive's consultation on the retention of DNA profiles of persons arrested but not convicted of any offence.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: We can confirm that we haveconsidered the UK Information Commissioner’s consultation response and it isnot thought that the policy proposals set out in the consultation paper <i>PoliceRetention of Prints and Samples: Proposals for legislation</i> would be inb…
27 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who owns the DNA profiles and DNA samples collected by the police
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Profiles and the data derived from them have always been considered the property of the police force obtaining the original mouth swabs. One mouth swab is used to develop the personal profile. The DNA extracted from this swab is converted into a numerical seq…
27 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of serving police officers have voluntarily provided DNA samples for DNA profiles to be held in the Police Elimination Database
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: As at 31 January 2006, there are a total of 1,574 personnel currently listed on the Scottish Police Elimination Database. 1,458 of these are police officers which is approximately 9% of serving police officers.</p> <p>The majority of these are thought to have…
13 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations have taken place with local business organisations, and specifically the local chambers of commerce network, in respect of any restructuring of local enterprise companies.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Ministers have made it clear that any proposals should have the support of business. They have discussed, and will continue to discuss, with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise the nature and outcome of their discussions with business org…
9 Nov 2005 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has had on recruitment within the police.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Both serving police officers and applicants to joint the police service are protected by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Scotland’s Chief Constables have a clear responsibility for ensuring that their recruitment policies and employment practices are …
7 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many procurators fiscal were employed in each sheriff court in each of the last five years.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The following table shows the number of procurators fiscal and total number of legal staff in each sheriff court area in each of the last five years. The numbers reflect permanent staff in post at 1 October each year only and do not include trainee solicitors…
22 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time for forensic evidence to be processed was in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally. The average time taken to process forensic evidence varies considerably depending on the nature of the sample and the analysis which is required.</p>
22 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many forensic scientists there were in Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: A total of 201 scientific staff are currently employed at the four forensic science laboratories in Scotland. Comparable figures are not available for previous years.</p>
22 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many forensic science centres there are in Scotland.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: There are four forensic science laboratories located in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.</p>
22 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time to process a case by each sheriff was in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.</p>
22 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were subject to a continuance by each sheriff in each of the last five years and what the average duration of a continuance was.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.</p>
22 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were processed by each sheriff in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.</p>
22 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time to process a case in each sheriff court was in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Sheriff courts handle a range of civil and criminal business, but the largest component of it is summary criminal cases. The average time to process summary criminal cases concluded in each sheriff court in each of the last five financial years is shown in th…
22 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were subject to a continuance in each sheriff court in each of the last five years and what the average duration of a continuance was.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Sheriff courts handle a range of civil and criminal business, but the largest component of it is summary criminal cases. Summary cases are often subject to a number of procedural steps. The number of summary cases which were concluded after a second or subseq…
22 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were processed in each sheriff court in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Sheriff courts handle a range of civil and criminal business, but the largest component of it is summary criminal cases. The number of summary criminal cases concluded in each sheriff court in each of the last five financial years is shown in the following ta…
19 Aug 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any research into the impact of diet on the behaviour of children held in secure accommodation and, if not, whether it will do so.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: No specific research has been undertaken in this area and there currently no plans to do so. Practice within secure accommodation continues to be informed by wider research and resulting initiatives focussing on young peoples’ diet such as the Hungry for Succ…
19 Aug 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the diets of children held in secure accommodation.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not gathered by the Scottish Executive. It is the responsibility of the Care Commission to inspect all aspects of secure care against the National Care Standards for School Care Accommodation Services (Bib. number 20145) and the National C…