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: S2W-16402

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff have been in post in each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institution in each of the last three years.

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

	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Aberdeen	159	158	154
Barlinnie	584	596	600
Castle Huntly	70	69	66
Cornton Vale	239	270	255
Dumfries	158	150	155
Edinburgh	450	465	465
Glenochil	470	459	461
Greenock	186	193	209
Inverness	108	109	109
Low Moss	172	181	174
Noranside	70	62	60
Perth	434	426	441
Peterhead	228	210	219
Polmont	348	349	364
Shotts	442	421	416

Question reference: S2W-16407

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage overcrowding level has been in each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institution in each of the last three years.

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

The daily information is not available. Comparing the annual average prisoner population with the capacity gives the following percentages for the last three years for which audited figures are currently available.

Establishment	2001-02 %	2002-03 %	2003-04 %
Aberdeen	122	136	144
Barlinnie	114	116	112
Castle Huntly	90	94	98
Cornton Vale	103	106	93
Dumfries	81	97	106
Edinburgh	114	113	94
Glenochil	86	84	79
Greenock	127	127	121
Inverness	123	133	138
Kilmarnock	98	98	99
Low Moss	84	76	85
Noranside	76	88	98
Perth	85	99	114
Peterhead	95	96	102
Polmont	102	105	96
Shotts	97	92	89
Zeist	50		“

Question reference: S2W-16415

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how may incidents of refusals to undergo a mandatory drug test there have been in each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institution in each of the last three years.

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

The information for 2003-04 is:

	2003-04
Aberdeen	4
Barlinnie	16
Castle Huntly	1
Cornton Vale	14
Dumfries	3
Edinburgh	17
Glenochil	11
Greenock	8
Inverness	5
Kilmarnock	72
Low Moss	0
Noranside	3
Perth	56
Peterhead	1
Polmont	23
Shotts	25
Total	259

Such information was not collectedprior to 2003-04.

Question reference: S2W-16409

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many assaults on staff there have been in each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institution in each of the last three years.

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

The number of serious assaults by prisoner on staff is published in SPS Annual Reports. The breakdown by establishment was:

Establishment	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Aberdeen
Barlinnie	1	4	1
Castle Huntly
Cornton Vale	2
Dumfries	1
Dungavel
Edinburgh	1	1	1
Glenochil	1	2	3
Greenock		1
Inverness			1
Kilmarnock	2	6	1
Low Moss
Noranside
Perth	1	1
Peterhead			2
Polmont	1	3	1
Shotts	2	11	1

Question reference: S2W-16345

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16158 by Cathy Jamieson on 5 May 2005, whether there are any rules or guidelines which cover the holding of media conferences by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and, if so, what they are, who drew them up, whether they cover attendance or invitation protocols and how often they are reviewed.

Question reference: S2W-16504

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16176 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 May 2005, whether HM Chief Inspector of Prisons will revert to the policy of his predecessor of allowing MSPs to attend his press conferences and of issuing his reports and news releases to MSPs at the same time as he issues the documents to the media.

Question reference: S2W-16404

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the staff turnover rate has been in each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institution in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S2W-16411

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) apparent and (b) attempted suicides there have been in each (i) prison and (ii) young offenders institution in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S2W-16412

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of self harm other than suicide there have been in each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institution in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S2W-16544

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16157 by Cathy Jamieson on 12 May 2005, whether it will provide a list of (a) invitees, (b) attendees, (c) MSPs in attendance and (d) MSPs who were invited to each media conference.