- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31210 by Mr Jim Wallace on 14 November 2002, whether it is currently reviewing the legislation on combating abuse of children on the internet.
Answer
We are considering, in consultation with Crown Office, whether to strengthen the law in this area and whether to introduce a specific new offence of grooming.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its report on the progress of the national strategy to address domestic abuse.
Answer
I reported our progress to the Parliament in a debate on 28 November 2002.We intend to publish a written report in February 2003.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to broaden the range of offences that will trigger registration on the sex offenders register.
Answer
We are considering the range of offences that trigger registration on the sex offenders register with the UK Government in order to ensure that the register continues to provide comparable protection throughout the UK.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the Protection of Children (Scotland) Bill will have on voluntary organisations.
Answer
The bill provides for a list of persons unsuitable to work with children to be established. We have proposed amendments at stage 2 that will extend to all organisations employing individuals in child care positions (whether voluntary or statutory) the duty to refer individuals to the list if they have harmed a child or put a child at risk of harm. All organisations will commit an offence if they fail to comply with this duty or employ an individual, in a child care position, who is on the list. We are considering appropriate support, advice and training for all organisations in implementation.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will accept the recommendation of the Justice 1 Committee regarding the Protection of Children (Scotland) Bill that all evidence must be corroborated before someone can be included on the list of those unsuitable to work with children and, if so, how such a recommendation will affect the original intention of the bill.
Answer
As the bill establishes a civil procedure, it does not require corroboration of evidence. However, a person will not be included on the list unless the evidence submitted with the referral is robust, and the appropriate disciplinary procedures have been undertaken.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any monitoring or evaluation is to be carried out on the implementation of the Sexual Offences (Procedures and Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2002.
Answer
Statistical information relevant to the Sexual Offences (Procedure and Evidence)(Scotland) Act 2002 is being collected as from 1 November 2002, the date on which the act came into force. Qualitative research to assess the impact of the act will be commissioned once the new provisions have been in operation for a sufficient period to make such research meaningful. We also plan shortly to commission research on the operation of the pre-2002 law of evidence in sex offence trials, to provide baseline data for the future evaluation of the impact of the act.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring system is in place to ensure that general practitioners are not refusing to add patients with a long history of ill health to their lists.
Answer
Regulations provide that general practitioners may refuse applications from patients for inclusion in their lists. Any person whose application is refused has the right to be assigned to a general practitioner by the appropriate Island NHS Board or Primary Care Trust. No monitoring system is in place.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what processes are in place to allocate a general practitioner to patients when the patient has moved area.
Answer
Regulations provide that when a patient has moved area and their application to join the list of a general practitioner has been refused they may apply to the appropriate Island NHS Board or Primary Care Trust for assignment to a general practitioner. Where the board or trust has been informed by the general practitioner that the application has been refused, it should inform the patient that an application should be made to another general practitioner or for assignment. If, after 14 days, the patient has not been accepted by another general practitioner and has not applied for assignment, they will be deemed to have applied for assignment.In selecting the general practitioner to whom a patient should be assigned, the board or trust should take into account whether the number of patients on any general practitioner's list is at the maximum, the respective distances between the patient's home and the practice premises of doctors in the area and such other matters which the board or trust considers relevant.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29187 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 October 2002, whether any external evaluation of police training programmes for the investigation of rape and sexual assaults has taken place, who carried out any such evaluation, and what the outcome was.
Answer
Each of the Scottish Police College's training programmes is subject to a continuous evaluation and review process. A quality assurance committee reviews all the outputs of training design and examines the detail of evaluations. The membership of that committee comprises representatives of the Scottish Executive, the police staff associations, the college and an independent person.In addition, a number of college courses are validated by higher education institutions and this validation requires the whole training and evaluation process to be examined to ensure a high quality. The colleges procedures and performance generally are regularly reviewed by a number of external bodies including Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Audit Commission, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland as customers and by the review processes contained in the charter mark, Investors in People and the European Foundation for Quality Management.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation is made of training programmes for the investigation of rape and sexual assaults provided by individual police forces; when any such evaluations were carried out in each force; who carried out the evaluation, and what the outcome was.
Answer
Evaluation of the training provided by individual police forces is carried out by members of the force staff who have had no input to the training courses. Questionnaires are used to elicit information about participants' satisfaction with the course content in relation to the quality of presentation, achievement of learning outcomes and about whether the course was appropriate and challenging. The evaluation process is continuous. The outcome from each evaluation is used to inform assessments about the quality of the training provided.