- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 26 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many projects under the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund have had their funding discontinued and how many of these will continue to be funded by the other funding partner.
Answer
Nine projects from the first round had funding discontinued in this round. It is a matter for other funding partners to decide whether they should continue their support.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has funded into the effects of sexual abuse and what the conclusions of any such research have been.
Answer
The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) funded a research project in 1995-97, to evaluate the effectiveness of open learning training on sexual abuse in services to people with learning disabilities: Universities of Dundee, Keele and St Andrews; costing £89,998, Principal Investigator Prof. C Cullen. The research concluded that the open learning course was successful in improving student's knowledge of abuse, and enhanced attitudes to its causes. The Scottish Executive part-funded Beyond Trauma: Mental Health Care Needs Of Women Who Survived Childhood Sexual Abuse, a summary copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 14287).The CSO is currently funding one project on child sexual abuse. This is a pilot study evaluating an early intervention service, for non-abusing parents of victims of child sexual abuse: Edinburgh University, costing £17,230, Principal Investigator Dr Fiona Forbes. A report on its effectiveness is due soon, and will be considered by the Health Services Research Committee in due course.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what services it funds for survivors of sexual abuse.
Answer
I announced on 19 February grant of £120,000 over the next three years to the Moira Anderson Foundation, to help raise awareness of the needs of survivors and to expand local self help groups, and £53,000 over the next two years to the Edinburgh Association for Mental Health, to evaluate operation of a national telephone helpline service for survivors of sexual abuse.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to combat the trafficking of people who are subsequently sold into the sex industry.
Answer
Scots criminal law contains a range of provisions - in statute and common law - which protect people from being held unlawfully and from sexual exploitation and abuse. Those involved in sexual exploitation could be committing one or more of a variety of crimes, the most serious of which can attract up to life imprisonment. We are reviewing the law in this area and working with the Home Office on the development of the EU Framework Directive on combating trafficking in human beings and will take steps to implement the directive once it is agreed.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the current situation in regard to training for the judiciary, so that training in issues such as domestic abuse, sexual assault and vulnerable witnesses is compulsory.
Answer
Training is in the hands of the independent Judicial Studies Committee. I am satisfied that the committee have arrangements to tackle the subjects to which the question refers.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government on combating the trafficking in human beings.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues. Officials in the Scottish Executive Justice Department are working with the Home Office on the development of the EU Framework Decision on combating trafficking in human beings.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-18517 by Mr Jim Wallace on 9 October 2001, how many judges and sheriffs have received training relating to (a) domestic abuse, (b) sexual assault and (c) vulnerable witnesses.
Answer
These subjects have been, and are, covered in training exercises which have been attended by all the judiciary.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what processes are used by the Scottish Prison Service to notify police force areas of the release of short-term sex offenders.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The legal requirement to notify the police is placed on the offender. It has nevertheless been agreed following discussion with the other Criminal Justice Agencies, that the SPS will issue reminders about notification, to relevant prisoners, as part of the discharge process, and inform the police when relevant offenders are released.When a prisoner is liberated, a notice that summarises the notification requirements under the Sex Offenders Act is given to the prisoner. A second copy is filed, a third copy is sent to the Chief Constable for the area to which the prisoner is to be discharged and a fourth to the Prison Social Work Unit for onward transmission to the relevant Community Social Work Department.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will implement recommendation 14 of the report Fife Council Independent Enquiry Established by the Chief Executive Following The Conviction of David Logan Murphy For the Sexual Abuse of Children in regard to the funding of services for survivors of abuse.
Answer
Recommendation 14 was aimed at local authorities and health boards as well as central government. Services for survivors of childhood sexual abuse are provided by a range of health, education, social care and criminal justice services funded by the Scottish Executive. The Executive also funds voluntary sector bodies to undertake work in this area, and I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-4765 on 28 February 2002.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations from the report Fife Council Independent Enquiry Established by the Chief Executive Following The Conviction of David Logan Murphy For the Sexual Abuse of Children it will recommend be implemented across all local authorities.
Answer
This was a report commissioned by Fife Council and the recommendations were mainly directed to the council. However, other local authorities may have lessons to learn from the report. We are aware that Fife Council has sent the report to all local authorities and they will want to determine whether the recommendations are relevant to their procedures.Recruitment practice was a key issue in this case, and the Scottish Executive is currently consulting externally on a safer recruitment "toolkit", commissioned by the Executive in response to a recommendation in the report of the Children's Safeguards Review.