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: S1W-22966

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 February 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 March 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to provide sex offenders with learning disabilities with access to sex offender programmes while in (a) prison and (b) the community.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:The Scottish Prison Service runs a sex offender programme developed by HMPS specifically for sex offenders with borderline or learning disability problems. The programme is called Adapted STOP and runs for 70 sessions. It is being delivered at HMP Peterhead for adult sex offenders and HMYOI Polmont for young offenders.

Question reference: S1W-21739

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 25 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what training is currently available to staff employed by government agencies in how to deal with people suffering from domestic abuse and whether any such staff training is compulsory.

Question reference: S1W-22584

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 14 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20558 by Colin Boyd QC on 18 December 2001, why the information requested regarding the breakdown by crime and offence of the number of fiscal warnings in 2000 is not available and whether it will, from now, collate this information, detailing the reasons behind its decision.

Question reference: S1W-22586

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 14 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20556 by Colin Boyd QC on 18 December 2001, why the information requested regarding the breakdown by crime and offence of the number of no proceedings in 2000 is not available and whether it will, from now, collate this information, detailing the reasons behind its decision.

Question reference: S1W-22585

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 14 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20557 by Colin Boyd QC on 18 December 2001, why the information requested regarding the breakdown by crime and offence of the number of fiscal fines in 2000 is not available and whether it will, from now, collate this information, detailing the reasons behind its decision.

Question reference: S1W-22588

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 14 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken at present, and is planned, to challenge and change the behaviour of men who abuse women and who have not been through the criminal justice process.

The current Scottish Executive awareness raising campaign aims to change attitudes of both men and women through a variety of media.The Action Plan in the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland recommends the further development of voluntary programmes for those abusive men who are not dealt with through mandatory supervision under criminal justice processes. The national group will consider this recommendation in due course.

Question reference: S1W-22587

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 14 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21740 by Malcolm Chisholm on 25 January 2001, which NHS boards are providing the match funding for the seven domestic abuse projects being supported and how much each board is providing.

The following health boards have made funding available for Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund projects in 2001-02:Dumfries and Galloway (two projects) - £17,500Forth Valley Health Board - £3,000Highland Health Board - £5,000Ayrshire and Arran Health Board (two projects) - £9,500Lothian Health Board has also contributed to a project in partnership with Lothian and Borders Police and City of Edinburgh Council but separate figures are not available.

Question reference: S1O-04668

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 February 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it plans to take to ensure that convicted sex offenders notify the UK authorities of their address when travelling abroad and that Scottish nationals and residents who have been convicted of sex offences abroad are automatically put on the UK register of sex offenders.

We have already strengthened the Sex Offenders Act by requiring certain sex offenders to inform the police when they travel overseas. Although there are practical difficulties in automatic registration of UK and foreign nationals convicted of sex offences overseas, the Executive and the Home Office have proposed further measures to make some of these offenders subject to the same registration requirements as sex offenders convicted in the UK.

Question reference: S1W-22071

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 13 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19180 by Iain Gray on 15 November 2001, what further research has been carried out into "attrition rate" as recommended by Dr Lynn Jamieson and Dr Michelle Burman in the Central Research Unit report The 'Attrition' of Sexual Offences in the Criminal Justice System.

No further research has been carried out into the rate of attrition in sexual offence cases. Responses to the consultation document, Towards a Just Conclusion, provided numerous examples of the problems experienced by victims giving evidence. As noted in my response to your question on plans for research into the treatment of sexual offence witnesses in court (question S1W-18513, answered on 9 October 2001), we plan to commission further research to provide a baseline of information prior to any changes to be brought about by the Sexual Offences (Procedure and Evidence) (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S1W-22439

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20358 by Nicol Stephen on 7 December 2001, whether it plans to review the appropriateness of allowing parents convicted of abusing their children to participate in a children's hearing.