- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific funding is available in its current budget for providing alternatives to imprisonment for women.
Answer
The total budget provided by the Executive for alternatives to custody amounts to £50.1 million in the present year. This funds a broad range of community disposals for both female and male offenders. With the exception of the programmes listed below, it is not possible to identify specific funding packages in respect of female accused/offenders:Turnaround Project in Glasgow (£141,321) for female drug misusing accused/offenders;Glasgow Intensive Support Services for Vulnerable Young Women (£30,000) - this funding is in respect of 16 to 17-year-olds and represents a funding contribution to a project which also deals with under 16s;South Ayrshire Intensive Probation Project for Women Offenders (£19,003).
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Annual Report of the Cornton Vale (Under 21) Visiting Committee, what its position is regarding the concerns expressed over the adequacy of the prisoner food allowance and what is being done to address this issue.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The per capita food budget provides prisoners at Cornton Vale with three meals a day. Four choices are available at lunch and tea times including a "Scottish Slimmers" and "healthy options" choice. Fresh fruit and vegetables are available daily. All religious and dietary needs can also be catered for.The Cornton Vale catering team were this year awarded Charter Mark for the quality of their service.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Annual Report of the Cornton Vale (Under 21) Visiting Committee, what initiatives have been taken to provide a specialist regime for young women offenders.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Skye House is due to open as a dedicated Young Offender Unit in November 2001.The facility will feature:A designated manager with specific responsibilities for young women offenders.A staff group specially selected and trained to work with young women offenders.An induction and assessment process aimed specifically at young women offenders.A regime aligned to meet identified needs.Increased access to educational opportunities.Support to assist in addressing offending behaviour, addictions, family problems and other matters.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Annual Report of the Cornton Vale (under 21) Visiting Committee, what improvements have been made to the prison's library facilities.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:A recent refurbishment of the library included repainting, the installation of new comfortable seating and carousel book display racks. Prisoners now have access to:2,000 books50 talking books100 video cassettes100 musical audio tapes50 CD romsfive copies of Prison Rules & Directionstwo copies of Prison Rules (on floppy disc)All items are regularly changed and updated. Books not held, including any requested legal books/foreign language books are sourced through a partnership with Stirling District Council Library Services. Other recent additions are:
- Citizen Advice Bureau information volumes 1 to 3 which are updated every month through the establishment's membership with the CAB.
- A "scanlab" computerised system for book management comparable to any modern local authority library.
- two PCs for prisoner access.
- A TV/video combination of previewing videos.
- A hi-fi system for pre-listening audio tapes.
The number of borrowers presently stands at 249.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received concerning the first report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales on HM Prison Buckley Hall, Rochdale since it was transferred from the private to the public sector and what lessons it has learned from that report.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The SPS does not normally receive reports on prisons from other jurisdictions and has not received the report referred to.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost implications would be of bringing HM Prison Kilmarnock back into the public sector.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Like all contracts, costs of termination depends on many factors, including the reasons for such a decision and the point of time in the contract. Such costs would require detailed calculation by independent advisers, both financial and legal.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 2.3 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 regarding the comments by visiting committees about the level of staff morale and that because of staff absences prisoners were locked up for longer periods.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18792.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 2.4 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 that the practice of prisoners eating in cells where there is in-cell sanitation could be successfully challenged under the European Convention on Human Rights and what contingency plans are in place should this occur.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18792.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place for informing the Minister for Justice as to the views of prison visiting committees, whether these procedures require review and, if so, what plans it has to conduct such a review.
Answer
Each visiting committee is required to submit an Annual Report to the Scottish ministers. In addition, a committee may at any time submit a report to the Scottish ministers on any matter which it thinks it expedient so to report. Such reports are usually submitted direct to ministers by the visiting committee concerned. There are no plans to review these arrangements.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 3 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 on raising awareness and what action it is taking to raise public awareness of the existence and functions of prison visiting committees.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18792.
