- 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 plans it has to amend the Sex Offenders Act 1997.
Answer
The provisions of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Bill currently before the UK Parliament will strengthen the existing regime to include:
- initial registration in person within 72 hours;
- powers for the police to fingerprint and photograph offenders on initial registration;
- an increase in the maximum penalty for failing to register from six months to five years imprisonment;
- powers for Ministers to make regulations requiring sex offenders to notify the police when travelling overseas; and
- powers for Ministers to make regulations on the police stations at which offenders must register and on notification to the police on the release of registrable sex offenders.
The Scottish Parliament approved the extension of the measures to Scotland in a debate on 5 October.
We are also continuing our joint review of the 1997 Act with the UK Government. The conclusions reached by the Expert Panel on Sex Offending chaired by Lady Cosgrove and the findings of Lord MacLean's Committee on violent and sex offenders will also be taken into account in considering future legislation.
- 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 provisions are in place at present to place sex offenders who were convicted abroad on the sex offenders register.
Answer
There are no such provisions in the Sex Offenders Act 1997. However, we are considering this subject in our joint review of the 1997 Act with the UK Government.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 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 email address.
Answer
We expect that by 2002 all schools will be connected to the internet and that email will be available to all pupils.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what projects or programmes it funds which work with men who have used domestic violence in the past or consider that they risk doing so in the future and what the current level of funding is of each.
Answer
Various programmes are provided in prison and in the community by Criminal Justice Social Work Services to assist offenders convicted of or at risk of committing domestic violence. The Executive currently funds two projects specifically focused on offenders convicted of domestic violence. These are in Edinburgh/Midlothian (£153,833 for the current financial year) and Angus Council (£25,625). Projects or programmes which deal with men not in custody or under order of the court are a matter for local initiatives although they may attract support from the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund. Two awards have been made in support of projects of this kind amounting to £29,900 in total.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to local authorities on projects they fund through the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund regarding funding of projects working with men.
Answer
All local authorities received the same application guidance for the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund regardless of the nature of the project they wished to support. No specific guidance was issued regarding the funding of projects working with men.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the money allocated to the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund has been committed to programmes working with men.
Answer
An award of £13,800 was made to the Edinburgh Domestic Violence Probation Programme, which works with abusive men. This money was match funded by Edinburgh City Council and is to be used to employ a Partner Worker to provide information, advice and support to the partners of violent men currently taking part in the programme.
An award of £16,100 was made to Falkirk Council/Stirling Council/Clackmannan Council in support of a 20-week groupwork programme addressing male abusive behaviour. This money is to be used to provide a support worker for women whose partners are undergoing rehabilitation.
This represents 2% of the money allocated to the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take to prevent any possibility of the Violence Intervention Programme closing due to lack of funding.
Answer
The Violence Intervention Programme is a local group. The Scottish Executive does not provide core funding for local groups, this is the responsibility of local authorities.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases of alleged rape, in each of the last 10 years, in which a verdict of not guilty was returned were investigations subsequently made into whether the allegations had been made falsely and what percentage of cases in which not guilty verdicts were returned this number represents for each year.
Answer
This information is not available.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases of alleged rape, in each of the last 10 years, in which a verdict of not guilty was returned and in which investigations were subsequently conducted into whether the allegations had been made, were the original complainants charged in relation to the making of false allegations; what percentage of these cases this number represents for each year, and what offences any such persons were charged with.
Answer
This information is not available.
- Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8043 by Mr Jim Wallace on 31 August 2000, what date or approximate timescale is envisaged for announcing its decisions on the future of the Diversion from Prosecution scheme.
Answer
I announced my decision on the future of the Diversion from Prosecution scheme on 22 September.
Diversion will be made available to procurators fiscal throughout Scotland as an alternative to prosecution from next January. The expanded schemes will be targeted on those groups which research has shown benefit most from diversion. These are accused people who are experiencing mental health difficulties; those misusing drugs and alcohol; female accused; and young accused aged 16 and 17 years.
Additional funding is being made available and this, together with a redistribution of existing funding which reflects the refocusing and targeting of the schemes, will result in a total of £1 million being made available to support these schemes.
