Chamber and committees

Section 133 of the Criminal JusticeAct 1988 provides that Scottish ministers shall pay compensation in cases wherea conviction is reversed on the ground that a new or newly discovered fact showsbeyond reasonable doubt that there has been a miscarriage of justice. There mayalso be exceptional circumstances that justify compensation in other cases. The amount of compensation paid is determined on the adviceand recommendation of an independent assessor, based on a memorandum prepared bythe Justice Department, compiling information submitted by the applicant, otherrelevant papers and taking account of comments from the applicant. In consideringclaims, the assessor applies principles analogous to those on which claims for damagesarising from civil wrongs are assessed. The assessor also has the power to recommendinterim payments to applicants where they provide evidence of immediate need.

The following information showsthe number of applications at each stage in the process:

Number of Applications:	8
Eligibility Determined:	5
Memorandum Agreed:	3
Interim Payment Applied For:	1
Interim Payment Made:	1
Assessor Determining Final Payment:	3

 

Generally we would expect tosubmit a successful claim for compensation to an assessor within three to four monthsof receipt of an application. Such a target can only be indicative however as thecircumstances of each case vary greatly. The time taken for other stages also variesaccording to the complexity of the case and any delays which arise as a result ofnecessary background documentation being requested from the applicant or their agent.

The delivery of Business Gatewayis managed by Scottish Enterprise on behalf of partners. Details of the number ofethnic minority staff supporting this role is therefore an operational matter forthe Scottish Enterprise Network.

Scottish Enterprise’scommitment to equal opportunities employment is embedded in its equal opportunitiespolicy. They aim to encourage diversity intheir workplace through policies and practices which promote creativity, talentand results regardless of ethnic origin, colour, age, disability, gender, maritalstatus, religion or sexual orientation.

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

None.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

Visits are permitted at the discretion of the Director of HM Prison Kilmarnock, who may consult SPS if he considers it necessary.

The Executive does not have data on actual expenditure by local authorities (LA) on free school meals. However, using data available on the gross expenditure by local authorities on school meals and the total number of meals provided, we are able to establish an average cost per meal for each local authority. This average cost per meal is multiplied by the take-up of free school meals in order to estimate the cost to local authorities of providing free school meals.

On this basis, it is estimated that free school meals cost LAs: £36.4 million in 1996-97; £32.9 million in 1997-98, and £34.5 million in 1998-99. Comparable data are not available before 1996 and therefore we cannot estimate the costs for 1994-95 and 1995-96.

These estimates may not include all the costs local authorities face when providing free school meals. In some cases the cost per meal figure may be underestimated due to the meals being provided under an external contract. In such cases, the figures may not include some elements of operating costs.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: I refer the member to Schedule D of the contract with Premier Prison Services, which can be found at http://www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/kilmarnock.

There is an on-going programme of quality improvement for economic statistics within the Executive. For example, there is a continuous development programme in place for the quarterly GDP index, and there are initiatives to further improve exports statistics. Work is underway on a project to harmonise data sources within the Scottish supply-and-use tables, and to enhance analytical capability by redesigning IT systems.

The Executive is working with the Office for National Statistics to obtain better information on businesses in Scotland, which will have a positive impact on all the economic statistics we produce. The range of information produced from the analysis of business statistics is currently being reviewed, along with the potential for linking various datasets to investigate drivers of productivity.

There are several planned improvements for Labour Market statistics. The Scottish  Executive boost of the Labour Force Survey will provide better more detailed information over time and for local areas. Further analysis of economic inactivity will also take place. New figures on Public Sector employment are soon to be published, and the Executive will be publishing a Scottish-based strategy to take forward work arising from the Atkinson Review.

An updated economic statistics plan for 2005-06 will soon be available on the Scottish Executive website.

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

No, Section 29 of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock specifically relates to the Monitoring and Inspection of prison premises by those with a specific remit to do so.

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

The information below reflects working days lost per member of staff, calculated by dividing the number of sickness days by the number of staff. This reflects the standard measure utilised across the Civil Service.

Establishment	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Aberdeen	15	16	15
Barlinnie	10	16	15
Castle Huntly	6	8	10
Cornton Vale	19	21	20
Dumfries	18	15	18
Edinburgh	13	14	12
Glenochil	15	12	11
Greenock	10	10	12
Inverness	11	13	10
Low Moss	16	12	16
Noranside	9	8	5
Perth	10	10	9
Peterhead	7	6	11
Polmont	13	13	14
Shotts	15	17	20

 

The information requested is set out in these tables:

GP Urgent Calls for 2002-03

Health Board	Total GP Urgent Calls With An Agreed 1 Hour Time Factor	Achieved Within 1 Hour
Argyll and Clyde	5,035	3,615
Ayrshire and Arran	473	411
Borders	41	25
Dumfries and Galloway	281	242
Fife	235	198
Forth Valley	190	152
Grampian	2,015	1,757
Greater Glasgow	1,713	861
Highland	1,468	1,317
Lanarkshire	3,887	2,358
Lothian	200	125
Orkney	175	161
Shetland	89	81
Tayside	291	240
Western Isles	287	260
Grand Total	16,380	11,803

 

GP Urgent Calls for 2003-04

Health Board	Total GP Urgent Calls With An Agreed 1 Hour Time Factor	Achieved Within 1 Hour
Argyll and Clyde	3,203	2,332
Ayrshire and Arran	76	60
Borders	12	7
Dumfries and Galloway	30	24
Fife	56	42
Forth Valley	49	37
Grampian	1,405	1,325
Greater Glasgow	2,064	858
Highland	1,067	1,018
Lanarkshire	2,335	1,278
Lothian	160	101
Orkney	69	64
Shetland	39	38
Tayside	73	51
Western Isles	244	234
Grand Total	10,882	7,469

 

GP Urgent Calls for 2004-05

Health Board	Total GP Urgent Calls With An Agreed 1 Hour Time Factor	Achieved Within 1 Hour
Argyll and Clyde	213	140
Ayrshire and Arran	141	85
Borders	13	6
Dumfries and Galloway	45	18
Fife	31	15
Forth Valley	37	26
Grampian	1,635	1,620
Greater Glasgow	234	82
Highland	1,154	1,137
Lanarkshire	260	126
Lothian	68	42
Orkney	113	112
Shetland	56	56
Tayside	42	26
Western Isles	281	280
Grand Total	4,323	3,771

 

The percentage figures provided in the answer to question S2W-15713 were calculated on the basis of all urgent calls received by the ambulance service, most of which are from GPs. Percentages calculated from the figures given above will therefore differ very slightly from those provided in the previous answer.

The time for ambulance response agreed between the ambulance service control room and a GP is a guideline and not a target. An ambulance tasked to respond to a GP urgent call may be diverted to respond to a category A (life threatening) call if it can provide the quickest response to that call. Such a diversion would be communicated to the GP or the patient. Where a GP decides that a patient’s need for an ambulance is urgent, the GP will dial 999 and the call will be categorised (where appropriate) as category A leading to an immediate ambulance response.