- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how it measures the quality of delivery of service in sheriff courts.
Answer
The ministerial targets set for the Scottish Court Service include targets relating to quality of service. Quality of service in the sheriff courts is measured by the percentage of sheriff courts achieving administrative standards agreed with the Sheriff Principal and by the percentage of court houses meeting the Coming to Court standards. The results are reported in the Scottish Court Service Annual Report and Accounts.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what funds have been (a) allocated to and (b) spent on bail schemes in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002-03 to date.
Answer
Funding allocated to local authorities for bail information and supervision schemes increased from £313,322 in 1999-2000, to £426,553 in 2000-01, £945,536 in 2001-02 and to £971,859 in 2002-03.The expenditure for bail schemes in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 was £337,591 and £526,637 respectively. Local authorities are presently in the process of submitting their audited accounts for 2001-02 and so the figures on expenditure for 2001-02 and 2002-03 are not currently available.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will issue bail guidelines.
Answer
As indicated in the answer given to question S1W-28351 on 9 September 2002, the Executive does not issue guidelines to the judiciary on judicial matters. In Scotland, judicial decisions on bail are governed by the relevant legislation and case law.The Lord Advocate has no plans to issue further guidance to procurators fiscal as to the attitude they should adopt when the courts are considering the grant of bail.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a bail hearing in respect of an indictable offence and a bail application in an appeal against a conviction on indictment should be heard in public and what action it is taking on this issue.
Answer
Where a person is accused on petition, all pre-trial procedures are held in private including the consideration of applications for bail. This is because bail applications are considered at hearings which also cover confidential matters.Where a person convicted on indictment applies for interim liberation pending the determination of his appeal, his application is considered in private by the court on the basis of a written submission. I understand that the Crown have a system in place for alerting victims and next of kin when a person convicted of a serious crime is granted interim liberation pending appeal.We are currently considering the full range of issues around interim liberation on bail, in consultation with the Lord Justice General.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what facilities for access for disabled people there are in Lochmaddy, Tain, Dingwall and Portree Sheriff Courts.
Answer
I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service to respond. His response is as follows:Tain Sheriff Court has no facility to allow easy access for disabled persons. However Lochmaddy, Dingwall and Portree all have disabled access into the building and disabled toilet provisions. In addition Portree has a stair lift to gain access to the courtroom on the first floor.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive which courts do not currently have custody suites and what action is being taken to provide such suites.
Answer
I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service to respond. His response is as follows:A number of rural courts have custody suites within the court building. Eleven rural sheriff courts do not have custody holding facilities within the court building. Nine of these (Duns, Fort William, Jedburgh, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Oban, Portree, Stonehaven and Wick) are adjacent to the local police station from which prisoners in custody can be taken into the court without using the public courthouse. In the case of Peebles and Rothesay prisoners are held in the police station which is located a short distance from the court.The Scottish Court Service is currently reviewing the custody accommodation across the court estate in consultation with the police to determine what, if any, improvements to that accommodation is required. No decisions have yet been taken on whether it will be necessary to provide such accommodation in locations other than Peebles.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what alternatives to facilitating access for disabled people to court-related matters have been considered for Peebles Sheriff Court.
Answer
I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service to respond. His response is as follows:The feasibility study, which was commissioned after the discovery of dry rot, was prepared with regard to the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and contains proposals to comply with the requirements of the legislation. No further report has been commissioned.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list any sheriff courts except Peebles where access for disabled people is still required, giving in each case the access requirements and the cost of providing such access.
Answer
I have asked John Ewing, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service to respond. His response is as follows:The Scottish Court Service is currently assessing the scale and extent of the work required to bring the court up to the level of compliance required by the Disability Discrimination Act. In most courts there is already disabled access to the sheriff clerk's offices but in other cases work may be needed to extend the access to a wider range of courts, jury rooms and witness accommodation. The full extent of work needed and costings have yet to be determined. The following table lists the courts where work is likely to be required.Facilities for the Disabled
Location | Disabled Access to Jury and Witness Rooms | Disabled Access to Courts | Disabled Access to General Office |
Aberdeen | Yes | Yes in Cts 2,3 4 & 7 | Yes |
Airdrie | Yes | Yes but not Ct 4 | Yes |
Alloa | No | No | Yes |
Banff | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Campbeltown | No | Yes | Yes |
Cupar | No | Yes | Yes |
Dingwall | No | No | Yes |
Dornoch | No | No | Yes |
Dumfries | Ct 1 only | Ct 1 only | Yes |
Dunoon | No | No | Yes |
Duns | No | No | - |
Elgin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Forfar | Ct 1 only | Yes | Yes |
Fort William | No | No | Yes |
Greenock | Only 1 | Yes | Yes |
Hamilton | Not Ct 2, 4 | Yes but not Ct 4 | Yes |
Inverness | Not Ct 1, 3 | No | Yes |
Kilmarnock | Yes | No | Yes |
Kirkcaldy | Ct 2 & 3 only | Ct 1 only | Yes |
Kirkcudbright | No | No | Yes |
Kirkwall | No | No | No |
Lanark | Ct 3 only | No | No |
Lerwick | No | No | Yes |
Linlithgow | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Lochmaddy | No | No | No |
Oban | No | No | Yes |
Paisley | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Peebles | No | No | Yes |
Portree | Yes but too small | Yes | Yes |
Rothesay | No | No | Yes |
Selkirk | No | No | Yes |
Stirling | One Ct | One Ct only | Yes |
Stonehaven | No | No | No |
Stornoway | No | Yes | Yes |
Stranraer | No | No | Yes |
Tain | No | No | Yes |
Wick | No | No | Yes" |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what special arrangements are being made to facilitate access for disabled people to all courts.
Answer
I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service to respond. His response is as follows:The Scottish Court Service is currently undertaking an audit of the Court estate to determine the scale and extent of work required throughout the Estate to ensure compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. Additional resources have been provided to the Court Service to enable any reasonable and necessary adaptations to proceed. The information is not collected centrally in respect of District Courts as responsibility for this rests with the relevant local authority.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27460 by Mr Jim Wallace on 6 August 2002, what criteria are applied to determine "level of business".
Answer
In determining the level of business conducted in any sheriff court consideration is given to the wide range of criminal and civil business which may be conducted in the court. This covers procedural hearings as well as those required for determining the case. Regard is also had to the level of administrative work carried out by the court in respect of matters which may not require an appearance before the sheriff in court.