Mary Fee

20 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many alleged offences have been recorded by the police in each year since 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Statistics relating to crimes and offences recorded by the police are available in the Recorded Crime in Scotland bulletin series. 2012-13, statistics were published on 18 June 2013 and are available via the following web link: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publ…

20 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many alleged offences have been reported to procurators fiscal in each year since 2007.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The number of criminal reports received by the Procurators Fiscal in each year are as follows: 2007-08 306,770 2008-09 285,398 2009-10 275,503 2010-11 265,830 2011-12 276,080 2012-13 280,942 The reports can be received against one or more individ…

20 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it collates crime statistics.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The statistical return, from which most of the figures in the annual statistical bulletin are taken, is a simple count of the numbers of crimes and offences recorded, and cleared up, by the police in Scotland. One return is made for each council area in Scotl…

17 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take in relation to the number of cases brought under the Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Act 2005.

Answer · Shona Robison: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a form of physical abuse of women and girls and a violation of their human rights under the guise of culture and/or religion. To date there have been three reported incidents of FGM in Scotland, with no prosecutions or cour…

17 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to open a clinic specialised in female genital mutilation.

Answer · Shona Robison: Opening a clinic specialised in female genital mutilation (FGM) would be a matter for health boards to decide. Currently in Scotland, the NHS offers all available assistance to ensure positive health outcomes for women identified as being victims of FGM.

17 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the £35 million that it has pledged to the UN to deal with female genital mutilation and what information it has on how it will be spent and whether it will be spent in the UK and abroad.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government contacted the UK Government when the fund was announced to ask for details and check that Scottish based diaspora organisations will be included in the allocation of grants. We understand that part of the fund will be used to support d…

6 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many emergency service workers have been charged with driving offences while responding to an emergency call in each of the last three years and what additional protection it provide to such workers.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on the number of emergency service workers charged with driving offences while responding to an emergency call in each of the last three years. Road traffic legislation including responsibility for …

6 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many currently serving police officers have received emergency response training and how many are qualified in emergency response.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. The training of police officers in emergency response driving is a matter for the chief constable and the Scottish Police Authority.

6 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are quotas relating to issuing (a) endorsable and (b) non-endorsable fixed penalty tickets.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. The Scottish Government sets the strategic direction for the Scottish Police Authority through the strategic police priorities that Scottish Ministers determine. The Scottish Police Authority a…

3 Jun 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the annual cost is of prescribing drugs for prisoners with depression.

30 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages the business and retail sector to comply with equal opportunities requirements in respect of transgender people.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Scottish Ministers and officials regularly speak to, meet and correspond with individual retailers and business organisations about a range of topics including equal opportunities, as part of on-going engagement with sectors of the economy. In addition, the S…

30 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the rights of transgender men and women are being protected under the Equality Act 2010.

Answer · Shona Robison: Enforcement of the Equality Act 2010 is not the responsibility of the Scottish Government: it is a matter for the courts and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The Scottish Government does, however, act where it has a locus to act, for example, in rel…

30 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle transphobia.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government shows leadership in tackling inequalities that exist for transgender people, by taking opportunities to raise awareness of transphobia when speaking at public events, and ensuring issues for transgender people are embedded in relevant …

28 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-01708 by Alex Neil on 17 January 2013, what criteria it (a) applies and (b) will apply in its approach to race equality on (i) prioritising issues, (ii) deciding on funding and resourcing; whether and how visible or invisible minority status is part…

Answer · Shona Robison: Funding is provided to organisations to fulfil projects or programmes of work and on the basis of outcomes outlined in either business plans or funding applications. Grant levels and conditions are determined accordingly. The general approach to funding and t…

28 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-01708 by Alex Neil on 17 January 2013, whether its approach to race equality will include visible and invisible minorities in Scotland; what communities it regards as visible and invisible minorities, and whether and how issues of multiple or inters…

Answer · Shona Robison: Our work on race equality and tackling racism acknowledges that minority ethnic communities include those who might be described as both visible and invisible minorities as ethnicity is not always identifiable by physical characteristics. We recognise that t…

28 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-01708 by Alex Neil on 17 January 2013, what progress there has been on its approach to race equality; when its approach will be published; what consultation is planned, and whether this approach is informing work on its (a) autumn budget considerati…

Answer · Shona Robison: We recently published our current thinking on how race equality should develop over the next three years. During the summer we will work with stakeholders to develop the approach to be taken and we will publish the refreshed statement in the autumn. This will…

15 Apr 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it evaluates the throughcare and support given to prisoners.

8 Apr 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to prisoners wanting to study for educational qualifications.

11 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve services for people with neurological conditions and their carers.

4 Mar 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will protect courses for adults with learning difficulties during college regionalisation.

Answer · Michael Russell: College Regionalisation is about delivering education more efficiently and effectively, it is not about cutting the provision of education. Thousands of students with learning disabilities are benefitting, and will continue to benefit, from the services that …

1 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many first-time offenders there have been in each year since 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is shown in the following table. Number of individuals convicted during the period with no prior convictions in previous 10 years: 2006-07 to 2011-12 2006-07 18,939 2007-08 18,695 2008-09 17,304 2009-10 16,350 2010-11 15,0…

1 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have passed the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 4 in each year since 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows. The SPS Learning and Skills Providers and SPS staff both deliver qualifications under the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. SPS…

1 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to set up a Scottish sentencing council.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: We are discussing with the Lord President arrangements for establishing, before the end of this Parliament, a Scottish Sentencing Council.

1 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12231 by Kenny MacAskill on 24 January 2013, whether (a) it or (b) the Scottish Prison Service plans to evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes in prison.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: SPS will over the next three years submit its rehabilitation programmes to the Scottish Advisory Panel for Offender Rehabilitation (SAPOR) f…

1 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12231 by Kenny MacAskill on 24 January 2013, from what countries the research comes that evaluates the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: There are a number of countries that, over many years, have contributed to the research evidence available in relation to the effectiveness …

1 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on reducing reoffending in each year since 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: A number of Ministerial portfolios including justice, housing, health and education make important contributions towards reducing reoffending. However, we do not hold an aggregate figure for those contributions. Within justice, a number of budgets contribute…

1 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance social workers are given regarding preparing social enquiry reports for courts in relation to children of convicted offenders in order to assist sentencing.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Social Enquiry Reports were replaced in February 2011 by Criminal Justice Social Work Reports (CJSWRs). Practice guidance for report writers and managers was published in December 2010 and is available on the Scottish Government website at: http://www.scotl…

1 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what costs have been incurred in each year since 2007 as a result of children being taken into care following a parent being sent to prison.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government does not collect this data centrally and has made no estimate of these costs.

1 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children with a parent in prison are in (a) foster, (b) residential and (c) kinship care.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government does not collect this data.

25 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on public sector severance payments in the last five years.