Alison McInnes

8 Jul 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of (a) the process and (b) how long it would take for an independent Scotland to join the (i) International Monetary Fund and (ii) World Bank.

Answer · John Swinney: An independent Scottish Government would remain in membership of a range of international organisations and would follow standard procedures to do so. Given that Scotland, as part of the UK, already meets membership requirements, we do not anticipate any barr…

8 Jul 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on (a) whisky producers and (b) other manufacturers if they were required to pay import duties during an independent Scotland's negotiations for membership of the World Trade Organization.

Answer · John Swinney: Since an independent Scotland would be a member of, and represented by, the EU, which the WTO describes as “a single customs union with a single trade policy and tariff”, there is no reason why any Scottish company should be required to pay import duties duri…

8 Jul 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the process by which an independent Scotland could join the World Trade Organization and how long it would take. 

Answer · John Swinney: An independent Scottish Government would remain in membership of a range of international organisations and would follow standard procedures to do so. Given that Scotland, as part of the UK, already meets membership requirements, we do not anticipate any barr…

8 Jul 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether an independent Scotland would be a member of the G7, G8 or G20.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: As with other comparable countries, an independent Scotland would not expect to be a member of these groups. However, as a member of the EU, Scotland’s interests would be represented at the G8 and G20.

19 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) prisoner-on-prisoner and (b) prisoner-on-staff assaults were reported in each prison in 2012.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: “The Scottish Prison Service publishes information in its annual report in relation to financial years. The following table illustrates the …

19 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were prosecuted for offences under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 in 2012-13.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information for 2012-13 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2012-13 Statistical Bulletin. This is due to be published in November 2013. The dates of all Scottish Government Official and National Statistics publica…

19 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of (a) adult prisoners and (b) young offenders has attended education programmes in each of the last six months.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: SPS does not collate information on the percentages of adult and young offenders that attend education programmes. However, SPS learni…

19 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what average number of hours per week convicted prisoners have been engaged in purposeful activity (a) across the prison estate and (b) in each penal establishment, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: Purposeful activity as a performance measure has existed in the Scottish Prison Service since 2010-11 with the average number of hours per w…

19 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not included the use of social impact bonds in its projects related to public-social partnerships.

Answer · John Swinney: Many of the existing Public Social Partnerships (PSPs) were already established before the first social impact bond pilot was developed and launched in Peterborough. To date, none of the service providers and funders involved in the development of more recent…

19 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on identifying potential projects for piloting social impact bonds.

Answer · John Swinney: We are working in partnership with a range of people and organisations to develop and test social investment models that deliver social and economic impacts. We are very interested in the results of the Perth YMCA living balance social impact bond, and are su…

19 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what social impact bond projects there are in Scotland and what monitoring it carries out of these.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is aware that a number of third sector organisations, partners and potential investors are exploring alternative social impact funding models. This includes the YMCA’s Living Balance social impact bond pilot. This is part of the DWP’s …

6 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S4O-02201 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2013, how the charging of event organisers for policing inside and in the direct vicinity of events such as football matches and music festivals reflects the cabinet secretary's statemen…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15538 on 14 June 2013. 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/parliamentarybu…

6 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S4O-02201 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2013, how his statement that "the police are there to serve and not to operate as a business" reflects the charging for policing of music festivals and other events.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15538 on 14 June 2013. 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/parliamentarybu…

6 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S4O-02201 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2013, what its policy is on charging event organisers for policing under a single police force.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Chapter 13 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 sets out the arrangements allowing for the provision of, and charging for, certain services provided by the Police Service or the Scottish Police Authority. Section 86(9) of the Act makes clear that…

26 Apr 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Court Service on the establishment of purpose-built justice centres as recommended in the report, Shaping Scotland’s Court Services; what the timescale is for their establishment, and when it will be able to provide more details on their faci…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The SCS published, Shaping Scotland’s Court Services: The Scottish Court Service response to the consultation and recommendations for a future court structure in Scotland on 9 April 2013. Its proposals are designed to deliver a more sustainable courts estate …

22 Apr 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing regarding establishing melanoma screening programmes for people working in agriculture.

22 Apr 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) stage 3 report on the Aberdeen to Inverness rail improvement project.

Answer · Keith Brown: Following the publication of Network Rail’s Strategic Business Plan for the 2014 – 2019 rail investment priorities at the beginning of the year, it is continuing to undertake detailed development work on the Aberdeen to Inverness Rail Improvements Project to …

18 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage more women to enter the computer games industry.

18 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many civilian staff are employed by each police force, broken down by department.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13622 on 22 March 2013 for the latest figures of civilian staff employed by each police force in Scotland as at 31 December 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s…

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not yet published the responses to its consultation on Mental Health Strategy for Scotland: 2012-2015 and when it will do so.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The consultation responses were made available publicly for anyone wishing to view them shortly after the consultation ended on 31 January 2012. Arrangements can be made to view the responses by contacting the Scottish Government Library at Victoria Quay, Ed…

5 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many inadmissible items have been found during strip searches at (a) young offenders institutions and (b) secure units in each of the last five years, broken down by type of item.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: In regards to (a) I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: SPS do not collect this information. Searches are carried out to prevent prisoners, visitors or staff bringing into the pr…

5 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many strip searches have taken place at (a) young offenders institutions and (b) secure units in each of the last five years, broken down by age of offender.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: In regards to (a) I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: SPS do not collect this information. Searches are carried out to prevent prisoners, visitors or staff bringing into the pr…

26 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the one-year reconviction frequency rate is following a/an (a) custodial sentence, (b) discharge from custody, (c) community service order, (d) probation order, (e) restriction of liberty order, (f) drug treatment and testing order, (g) monetary sentence and (h) other type of non-cu…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This information is published as additional tables to the Reconviction Rates in Scotland: 2009-10 Offender Cohort statistical publication. These are available on the Scottish Government website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Ju…

26 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many football banning orders have been issued in each of the last three years.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There were 33, 86 and 92 football banning orders issued in the calendar years 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. Source: Scottish Football Banning Orders Authority, Football Co-ordination Unit for Scotland (FoCus).

26 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many convictions there have been for a breach of the peace relating to football in each of the last three years.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There were 65, 46 and 39 convictions in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively for a football related* breach of the peace *Football related convictions are only identifiable where a specific football aggravation has been recorded against an offence. Offe…

26 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many charges have been brought under section (a) 1 and (b) 6 of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The available information as provided by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is as follows:- (a) Between 1 March 2012 and 31 December 2012 there were 64 charges reported to COPFS under section 1 of the Offensive Behaviour and Threatening …

26 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many convictions there have been under section (a) 1 and (b) 6 of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The available information as provided by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is as follows:- (a) Between 1 March 2012 and 31 December 2012 proceedings in relation to 64 charges had been concluded with 54 charges convicted (84%) under se…

26 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many arrests there have been at regulated football matches involving Scottish teams in each of the last three years, also broken down by charge.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Information relating to arrests is not held centrally.

20 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many deaths of patients compulsorily detained under provisions in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 have been attributed to patient safety incidents in each of the last five years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government do not hold figures which specify the number of deaths of patients whilst receiving compulsory treatment under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

20 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients with autism spectrum disorders have been compulsorily detained under provisions in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 in each year.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold figures on the number of patients who are, or have been, detained under the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 under compulsory measures. The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland only report on the br…