Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-05591

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 31 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will improve and develop services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

The Scottish Governmentis committed to addressing all forms of violence against women, including servicesfor women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

To assist in that process the Scottish Government is inthe process of developing a National Violence Against Women Strategy and actionplan for broader work on violence against women.

Furthermore, the National Domestic Abuse Delivery Groupfor Children and Young People is also working on a plan for addressing issues forchildren and young people affected by domestic abuse.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with keystakeholders on the National Group to Address Violence Against Women and the NationalDomestic Abuse Delivery Group for Children and Young People to ensure that effectiveprotection and support is available to those affected.

The exact detailsof how these services will be developed, beyond March 2008, will be made in an announcementfollowing the outcome of the spending review.

Question reference: S3W-05592

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 31 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will continue and develop the media campaign to challenge attitudes to domestic abuse.

The 2007-08 campaignwill commence on Boxing Day with the main aim of highlighting the unacceptabilityof domestic abuse in our society. This year’s focus will highlight the effects thatdomestic abuse has on children and young people. As in previous years the targetaudience will be women experiencing domestic abuse with the recognition that thecampaign will seek to influence the wider Scottish public.

Question reference: S3W-05590

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 31 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue existing funding streams beyond March 2008 to help support women experiencing domestic abuse.

Question reference: S3W-04830

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 31 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-29 by John Swinney on 30 May 2007, what travel, accommodation and subsistence allowances have been claimed by each special adviser since appointment.

The expenditure recordedin table A shows the total expenses incurred by special advisers since their appointmentin May. It includes accommodation and meals, travel expenses and personal incidentalexpenses. The expenditure was either incurred by the adviser and claimed back throughthe Scottish Government Travel & Subsistence system, booked through the officialtravel agency or paid directly to suppliers via the travel & subsistence chargecard.

Special Adviser expensesare incurred in the course of carrying out official business on behalf of the ScottishGovernment.

Table A

	Accommodation	Air	Rail Travel	Taxi	Incidental
Special Advisers	£471	£2,221	£1,334	£847	£10

Question reference: S3W-04624

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to improve the accuracy of civil judicial statistics and when these will be implemented.

Question reference: S3W-04617

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for extensions of time to pay debts were made in the sheriff courts in each year since 2002, broken down by type of order.

The information requestedfor 2002 is given in table 5.1 of Civil Judicial Statistics 2002, which canbe found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/02/18897/33079.

The number of applicationsfor extension of time to pay debts made, by type of order, in the sheriff courts,2003 to 2006, is provided in the following table.

Nature of application	2003	2004	2005	2006
Time to pay order (non summary cause)	160	113	194	165
Time to pay order (summary cause)	174	151	270	148

Notes:

1. The data are managementinformation statistics which have not been subjected to the same quality assurancestandards as statistics produced by the Government Statistical Service. In addition,there are general concerns surrounding the accuracy of some of the civil judicialstatistics collected by the Scottish Government. Therefore, the data should be usedwith caution and it should be appreciated that firm conclusions cannot be drawnfrom the data provided.

2. Action is beingtaken to improve the accuracy and reliability of the civil judicial statistics collectedby the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S3W-04618

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for (a) warrant sales, (b) reporting of poindings and (c) reports of sales were disposed of in the sheriff courts in each year since 2002.

Question reference: S3W-04621

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many diligences were executed, including summary warrant, in each year since 2002.

The information requestedfor 2002 is given in tables 5.4 and 5.5 of Civil Judicial Statistics 2002,which can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/02/18897/33079.

Information on diligencesexecuted, including summary warrant procedures, 2003 to 2006, is provided in thefollowing table. Implementation of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 resulted in changes being made to the datacollected on diligence from 2003 onwards.

Diligence Executed¹	2003	2004	2005	2006
Summary Warrant
Council Tax
Attachments executed	1,191	1,401	1,113	1,658
Reports of attachments^2,3	-	1,836	1,425	1,344
Auction completed following attachment³	79	0	0	1
Exceptional attachments (EA) executed	4	2	6	1
Auction completed following EA³	0	0	0	0
Earnings arrestments executed	104,270	110,760	116,449	123,601
Non-earnings arrestments executed	130,436	155,481	162,762	226,037
Community Charge
Attachments executed	67	14	1	0
Reports of attachments^2,3	-	14	3	0
Auction completed following attachment³	0	0	0	0
Exceptional attachments (EA) executed	0	0	0	0
Auction completed following EA³	0	0	0	0
Earnings arrestments executed	4,180	2,617	952	1,686
Non-earnings arrestments executed	7,758	4,301	3,958	2,777
Other Summary Warrant
Attachments executed	2,037	2,044	1,221	1,964
Reports of attachments^2,3	-	1,521	991	1,001
Auction completed following attachment³	11	13	6	5
Exceptional attachments (EA) executed	0	0	0	1
Auction completed following EA³	0	0	0	0
Earnings arrestments executed	2,084	838	570	455
Non-earnings arrestments executed	12,327	9,369	8,787	11,679
Non-Summary Warrant
Attachments executed	2,741	3,345	4,234	4,547
Reports of attachments^2,3,4	-	2,913	2,037	3,350
Auction completed following attachment³	170	178	204	187
Exceptional attachments (EA) executed	0	63	27	46
Auction completed following EA³	0	0	0	0
Earnings arrestments executed	10,627	11,057	11,295	9,289
Current maintenance arrestments executed	5,978	8,037	11,117	6,035
Non-earnings arrestments (excluding admiralty)
Executed on the dependence	572	492	732	507
Executed in execution	4,429	4,725	4,247	5,153
Admiralty arrestments
Executed on the dependence	12	3	7	12
Executed in execution	42	2	3	244
Inhibitions
Executed on the dependence	1,358	1,804	2,103	2,106
Executed in execution	2,232	2,829	3,318	5,700
Other
Sequestrations for rent executed	9	9	5	2
Decrees for maills and duties executed	41	0	0	0

Notes:

1. This is not anexhaustive list of all diligences available, it includes only those for which the Scottish Government collects data.

2. Information isnot available for 2003.

3. Reports of attachmentsand auctions completed following attachment have been included here for completeness.

4. Information isnot available for quarters 3 and 4 of 2005.

5. The data have beenprovided by sheriff officers and Messengers-at-Arms and have not been subjectedto the same quality assurance standards as statistics produced by the GovernmentStatistical Service. The data are incomplete as not all data returns are completedand returned to the Scottish Government. In addition, there are general concernssurrounding the accuracy of some of the civil judicial statistics collected by the Scottish Government. Therefore, the data should be used with caution and it shouldbe appreciated that firm conclusions cannot be drawn from the data provided.

6. Action is beingtaken to improve the accuracy and reliability of the civil judicial statistics collectedby the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S3W-04620

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many diligences were executed under summary warrant for (a) community charge, (b) council tax and (c) other summary warrant in each year since 2002.

Question reference: S3W-04623

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations for reform of civil judicial statistics have emerged following the review of civil judicial statistics and when these will be implemented.

The Scottish Governmentis reviewing the scope, quality and presentation of statistics on the civil justicesystem, and will make and implement recommendations for change to ensure that accurate,relevant and timely statistics are collected in a consistent way across Scotland, are published in an appropriate format and are usedwith confidence.

As part of this review,research has recently been carried out with users of civil judicial statistics,to identify their data requirements and suggestions for a revised Civil JudicialStatistics publication. The report setting out the findings from this researchwas published on 5 October in Research with Users of Civil Judicial Statistics,and can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/04094856/0.

In addition to this,it is believed that some of the data contained within the Civil Judicial Statisticspublication contain significant inaccuracies and as a result the publication hasbeen suspended whilst these inaccuracies are investigated. The latest availablepublication contains data for 2002.

The Scottish Court Service, the main provider of the data concerned, isworking with Justice Analytical Services to improve the accuracy and level of detailof the civil judicial statistics it collects. This work includes changes to theconfiguration and use of electronic systems for case management and data capturethroughout the civil courts, which will be in place by April 2008.