Chamber and committees

Patient safety is of paramount importance and junior doctors, or any other NHS staff, should not be working when they are overtired. No agreement has yet been reached in Europe to abolish the opt-out from the working time regulations (WTR). In reality there are practical difficulties about junior doctors using the opt-out.

The WTR are one of the reasons new arrangements for training junior doctors will be implemented from August under Modernising Medical Careers. This will create more effective and responsive training pathways which will use reduced time to train doctors more effectively. Already 97% of doctors in training currently work 56 hours a week or less. By 2009, all junior doctors should be working a maximum of 48 hours per week in line with the working time directive.

By developing young people's confidence, teamworking and other soft skills, Project Scotland compliments Executive programmes - such as Determined to Succeed, Skillseekers and Modern Apprenticeships - helping develop a skilled workforce with the attitudes to exploit the opportunities available.

Following completion of the 2002-03review of governance and accountability arrangements in the further education sector,ministers agreed to a further review after two years. A review will commence shortly.

The following people have agreed to sit on the working group to review the scope and impact of adult entertainment. Linda Costelloe Baker has agreed to chair the group.

Linda Costelloe Baker, Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman.

James Coleman, Depute Council Leader, Glasgow City Council.

Lorna Shiels, Councillor, City of Edinburgh Council.

Raymond Hutcheon, Convenor of the Licensing Committee, Aberdeen City Council.

Jill Shimi, Council Leader, Dundee City Council.

Patricia McIlquham, Clerk of Licensing Board and Depute Chief Executive (Support Services) – Dundee City Council.

Dr Sharon Cowan, School of Law, University of Edinburgh.

George Clelland, Superintendent for Licensing Branch, Strathclyde Police.

Eddie Tobin, Chair, Bar Entertainment and Dance Association.

Jan MacLeod, member of the Expert Committee on Violence Against Women and the Women’s Support Project.

Dr Catherine Kennedy, School of Psychology and Sociology, Napier University.

Rab Fleming, Head of Local Governance and Licensing Division, Finance and Central Services Department, Scottish Executive

The terms of reference for the working group were set out in my reply to parliamentary question S2W-14687 on 24 February 2005. All answers to written questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The working group is expected to run from April 2005 to April 2006 and to submit a final report to ministers in April 2006

The Inspectorate’s report has been published today and is available on the Scottish Executive’s website. www.scotland.gov.uk.

The report makes 12 recommendations, all of which I have accepted. Our full departmental response has now been published on the Crown Office website. www.crownoffice.gov.uk

Copies of the report have also been placed in the Parliament Reference Centre (Bib. number: 35625)

It is not possible todetermine what sentence or disposal might otherwise have been imposed by thecourts on women who offend, had Time Out not been available, except in veryspecific circumstances (for example, on bail with a condition of residence).

However, the independentevaluation currently being carried out by Stirling University, due for completion in October, will examine thisissue and draw on data from a range of different sources.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:

No female prisoners arereceived in HM Prison Greenock from the Courts - all transfer there fromCornton Vale. The number of women at Greenock has normally been about 65.

Sentencing must remain a matterfor the courts. The Executive, however, remains committed to reducing the numbersof women sentenced to custody who might benefit from a community penalty. We haveincreased the sentencing options available to the courts over the last five yearswith the introduction of Restriction of Liberty Orders and Drug Treatment and TestingOrders and pilots for the mandatory use of Supervised Attendance Orders. In addition,we are investing £1 million a year in bail information and supervision schemes andhave introduced arrest referral and deferred sentence pilots. We fund the 218 TimeOut centre in Glasgow and have provided sheriffs with Information on Non-CustodialDisposals packs to keep them informed of the options.

The following table detailsthe number of women referred to the Drug Court each month since the start of the pilot. (Where no month is given, no referrals of women were received).

No women have appeared inthe Drug Court as a result of a charge of soliciting. Soliciting isan offence in terms of section 46 of the Civic Government (Scotland)Act 1982 which does not carry a penalty of imprisonment. Such offences areusually prosecuted at the District Court and would not be eligible for the Drug Court wherethe chances of receiving a custodial sentence are much higher.

Month	Number of Women Referred
November 2001	2
December 2001	2
February 2002	1
May 2002	1
July 2002	2
February 2003	1
March 2003	1
May 2003	1
June 2003	1
January 2004	1
February 2004	3
March 2004	1
April 2004	3
May 2004	1
August 2004	2
Total	23

 

The Executive is in regularcontact with the 218 Time Out centre and receives monthly monitoringinformation from the pilot.

The pilot is also being evaluatedby researchers from the University of Stirling and a report is expected in October.