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-03311

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2772 by Mr Jack McConnell on 2 October 2003, when the targets on promoting Scotland as a good place to live will be announced; who it has consulted in the process of considering the targets, and what the strategic objectives of the Fresh Talent Initiative are

The strategic objectives of the Fresh Talent Initiative are:

Promoting Scotland as a place to live and work.

Encouraging students to stay in Scotland.

Promoting Scotland as a destination for people taking up work permits.

Improving first impressions of Scotland onarrival (points of entry).

An Implementation Teamwithin the Scottish Executive has consulted widely with the stakeholders such asthe CBI, universities and local authorities. A report from the steering group willbe sent to ministers later this year, which will include possible targets formeasuring the success of the delivery of the objectives.

Question reference: S2W-03508

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 14 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of the justification for the report in the Sunday Herald on 5 October 2003 of a statement made by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service that the quality check process for all Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) evidence by independent experts has shown that “evidence provided by SCRO was of the highest quality”.

Following Her Majesty’sChief Inspector of Constabulary’s review of the Scottish Criminal Record Officein 2000, the Lord Advocate instructed Procurators Fiscal to obtain independentverification of fingerprint evidence from the Scottish Criminal Record Office.In the 11 months to 14 May 2001, a total of 1,781 cases were examined and theidentification of 5,553 marks containing 8,350 impressions were verified byindependent fingerprint evidence. On this basis, the Crown Office was satisfiedthat evidence provided by the Scottish Criminal Record Office was of thehighest quality.

Question reference: S2W-03509

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 14 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate will commission an independent enquiry into the competency and efficiency of the Scottish Criminal Record Office including the safety of the fingerprint evidence it submits to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for use in court cases.

I do not intend tocommission an enquiry into fingerprint evidence from the Scottish CriminalRecord Office/Scottish Fingerprint Service. I am satisfied that the ScottishCriminal Record Office/Scottish Fingerprint Service has adopted an appropriateQuality Assurance Management System. I refer the member to the answer given toquestion S2W-3508. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

Question reference: S2O-00718

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 13 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government with regard to taking appropriate action to deal with the international trade in counterfeit whisky, as highlighted in the BBC documentary "On the trail of the whisky bandits" on 4 November 2003.

The regulation ofinternational trade is a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive maintains close contact with Whitehall officials on trade issues including those affectingthe whisky industry in Scotland.

Counterfeitingis a major issue for the sector and the Department of Trade and Industry, theindustry and the European Commission regularly discuss and formulate strategiesto deal with the cases in various international markets.

Question reference: S2W-03630

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 12 November 2003

To ask the Presiding Officer whether any costs were incurred in the employment of the acting Parliamentary Standards Commissioner from 1 April 2003 and, if so, what they were, broken down by wages and expenses; whether the contract of the acting commissioner was extended beyond 31 March 2003 and, if so when, by what process this extension was agreed and who was involved in the decision to extend the contract.

The acting Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner received a salary of £3,907.82 andexpenses of £144.44 for work undertaken on investigating complaints against membersduring the period 1 April 2003 to the end of his contract (7 October 2003).

The acting Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Mr William Spence QPM, was appointed bythe Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body on 31 January 2003.The Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Dr Jim Dyer, took up hisappointment on 1 April 2003. Under the terms of Mr Spence’s appointment, theacting Standards Commissioner was to be regarded as continuing to investigate acomplaint until the Standards Committee had confirmed that no assistance orfurther assistance from the acting standards commissioner would be sought.

Question reference: S2W-03631

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 12 November 2003

To ask the Presiding Officer when Dr Jim Dyer began his appointment as the permanent Parliamentary Standards Commissioner and what costs have been incurred to date in relation to his employment, broken down into salary and expenses.

Question reference: S2W-03414

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times in each of the last three years the Scottish Criminal Record Office has submitted fingerprint evidence in criminal cases and how many times that evidence has been disputed in open court.

The number of cases wherethe Scottish Criminal Record Office has submitted fingerprint evidence incriminal cases in the last three years is as follows:

2000-01	343
2001-02	235
2002-03	276

During that period,fingerprint experts gave evidence on 25 occasions. Information is not, however,available on the number of cases in which their evidence may have beendisputed.

Question reference: S2W-03454

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has decided not to use fingerprint evidence provided by the Scottish Criminal Record Office to it in court cases in each of the last three years.

There are a number of reasons why a prosecutor may decide not to use evidence in court.

I am not aware of any caseother than that of Mark Sinclair, which concluded in the High Court in Ayr inOctober 2003, in which the Crown has decided not to use fingerprint evidenceprovided by the Scottish Criminal Record Office following a challenge to thatevidence by a defence expert. However, no central record of such challenges is kept.

Question reference: S2W-03411

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Lord Advocate will reply to Ian Hamilton QC in respect of his concerns about the quality of the fingerprint service provided by the Scottish Criminal Record Office, as reported in the Sunday Herald on 5 October 2003.

Question reference: S2W-03412

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what quality checks were made in respect of the fingerprinting evidence submitted by the Scottish Criminal Record Office for the High Court trial in Ayr during September and October 2003 of Mark Sinclair; who carried out the checks, and what the outcome was.

The initial identificationof the scene of crime mark was made by a fingerprint expert of the ScottishFingerprint Service, Glasgow bureau at the Scottish Criminal Records Office. Thisidentification was followed by two independent verifications by other expertsat the bureau.

As the identification wasmade on less than the standard of 16 points, the case was referred to the qualityassurance manager of the bureau who confirmed the identification.

The procedures in Glasgow fingerprintbureau are accredited to ISO 9001:2000 standard. The fingerprint experts in thebureau are subject to external annual competency testing and are registered bythe Council Registration of Forensic Practitioners.