- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive to detail by local authority area, for each year since the diversion from prosecution scheme was introduced, the number of people who have been diverted from prosecution and what crimes they committed.
Answer
Piloting within 18 local authority areas of 100% funded schemes of diversion from prosecution to social work and other service agencies commenced in 1997. Information supplied by the local authorities on the number of cases commenced each year is set out below:
| Authority | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 |
| Aberdeen City | 56 | 67 | 67 |
| Clackmannanshire | 32 | 40 | 20 |
| East Ayrshire | 19 | 24 | 21 |
| Edinburgh | 122 | 341 | 397 |
| Midlothian | 50 | 66 | 36 |
| Glasgow | * | * | * |
| Highland | 126 | 42 | 72 |
| Inverclyde | 30 | 60 | 59 |
| North Ayrshire | 80 | 42 | 31 |
| North Lanarkshire | 112 | 341 | 341 |
| Perth & Kinross | 16 | 63 | 76 |
| Scottish Borders | 50 | 108 | 95 |
| South Lanarkshire | 34 | 81 | 92 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 18 | 70 | 98 |
| Western Isles | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 121 | 115 | 70 |
| Shetland | 23 | 23 | 5 |
| Orkney | 10 | 11 | 11 |
* Although piloting took place in Glasgow, the purpose there was to explore the use of two highly targeted schemes rather than assess the wider potential for diversion. Numbers for Glasgow were not collected during the course of the evaluation.Information on the offences allegedly committed by diverted accused is not held centrally. However, such data was collected by researchers as part of the evaluation of the pilot schemes. The evaluation report Diversion from Prosecution to Social Work and Other Agencies: Evaluation of the 100% Funding Pilot Programmes was published in January as part of the Executive's Central Research Unit's Criminology Series and I am arranging for a copy of this to be sent to the member.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has committed to educating the public on their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights and what form any such education will take.
Answer
The Human Rights Act, which incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law, is UK legislation. The Home Office's Human Rights Unit has taken the lead in an extensive information and advertising campaign right across the UK on people's rights under the Act. Guidance material has been provided to libraries and Citizens' Advice Bureaux, and is freely available via a telephone order line. In addition, the Scottish Executive has circulated guidance to all public authorities in Scotland; and we have set up an Internet website including basic information, references and contact points.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 6 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken or plans to undertake any studies into the impact of opencast mines on national energy strategy.
Answer
Energy policy is a reserved matter. The Scottish Executive has no plans to study the impact of opencast mines on national energy strategy.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the End Child Prostitution and Pornography Trafficking Campaign, what issues were discussed and what the outcome was of any such discussions.
Answer
The Executive has been involved in discussions with ECPAT through our joint review with the UK Government of the Sex Offenders Act 1997. The main issue discussed was the extension of the sex offenders register to those resident in the United Kingdom who have been convicted of sex offences abroad.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 27 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether European Regional Development Fund money is available for the re-opening of the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link.
Answer
In line with current EC policy for the 2000-06 Objective 2 Programmes, ERDF will not provide for major infrastructure projects. Activities indirectly connected with such projects which provide additional economic development outcomes may however be eligible to receive European Funding.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 23 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to meet its target of providing every school pupil with Internet access and a personal e-mail address.
Answer
We expect that by 2002 all schools will be connected to the Internet and that e-mail will be available to all pupils.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had and with whom regarding a UK sex offenders register and what the outcome was of any such discussions.
Answer
There have been no such discussions. Arrangements already exist whereby police forces can access registration details on a UK basis through the Police National Computer and the Scottish Criminal Records Office computer.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had and with whom regarding a European sex offenders register and what the outcome was of any such discussions.
Answer
There have been no such discussions. Arrangements already exist through the National Criminal Intelligence Service and Interpol for intelligence to be sent to other countries when the police believe a known sex offender has travelled to that country and anticipate that he may commit a criminal offence.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards are in place at present to prevent known sex offenders from relocating to avoid registration on the sex offenders register.
Answer
Under the Sex Offenders Act 1997, sex offenders liable for registration have to inform the police when they move house or if they stay at an address for more than 14 days. Failure to do so is an offence.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of a sex offenders register which does not include those convicted abroad and under which those travelling abroad do not have to inform the relevant authorities of their whereabouts.
Answer
Under the provisions being introduced in the Criminal Justice and Court Services Bill, Ministers will have the power to make regulations requiring certain sex offenders to notify the police when travelling abroad. More widely, the effectiveness of the register is being considered in our joint review with the UK Government, which is consulting interested organisations. We will also draw on the report of the Expert Panel on Sex Offending chaired by Lady Cosgrove, which has carried out its own consultation on a range of issues related to the monitoring of sex offenders.
