Chamber and committees

The information requested is as follows:

YEAR	Total Deputes Employed (average per month)	New Deputes appointed
1996	121	35
1997	137	10
1998	138	16
1999	150	37
2000 (Jan-March)	192	13

These figures do not include legal staff of Principal Depute grade and above.

The information requested is as follows:

YEAR	PFDs left with 6-11 months service	PFDs left with 12-23 months service	PFDs left with 24 months + service
1996	Nil	1	5
1997	2	2	3
1998	1	1	2
1999	Nil	Nil	8
2000 (Jan -March)	Nil	1	1

These figures do not include legal staff of Principal Depute grade and above.

Disposal of clinical waste generated by the NHS in Scotland is the responsibility of NHS Trusts and island health boards.The majority of Trusts in Scotland, along with the island health boards, have clinical waste disposal contracts in place with private sector companies. Two companies are involved, namely Eurocare Ltd and Dundee Energy Recycling Ltd. These companies were awarded their contracts following national tendering exercises. Exceptions are Borders' Trusts and Orkney Health Board who have their own incinerator for clinical waste.The treatment processes involved are disinfection, using a hot oil auger system, and incineration. All processes are regulated by SEPA.

Guidance on clinical waste management was issued by the NHS in Scotland Property and Environment Forum in Scottish Health Technical Memorandum No.3 Management and Disposal of Clinical Waste (April 1998).

It is important that the NHS provides an appropriate response to those presenting as victims of abuse, including rape. Sympathetic, non-judgmental clinical investigation and treatment is essential. The NHS in Scotland has, in recent years, put in place processes to improve its response to victims of rape and other types of abuse. Recent developments in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lanarkshire, for example, indicate the emphasis which the Scottish Executive expects to be put on aspects such as appropriate training of staff, close co-operation with voluntary organisations involved with victims of abuse, developing appropriate protocols in Accident and Emergency settings, and having proper frameworks for monitoring and evaluating the services provided to rape and other victims of abuse.

The Scottish Executive will continue to promote this kind of approach throughout the NHS in Scotland.

Current guidance on the disposal of clinical waste from patients with suspected or actual variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) is detailed in the 1998 report from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens and the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (ACDP/SEAC), "Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Agents: Safe Working and the Prevention of Infection". The report was circulated to Health Boards and NHS trusts in Scotland. This guidance is reiterated in a Scottish Executive Health Department Management Executive Letter (1999)65: Variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD): Minimising the Risk of Transmission which was issued on 31 August 1999.

All agents of transmissable spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are categorised under the EC Classification of Biological Agents as belonging to Hazard Group 3. This means that they are considered to present significant risk to human health because of their severity of infection.

Because of this all clinical waste from patients diagnosed, or suspected of, having vCJD or other TSEs should be disposed of by incineration at an authorised incineration site. For the safe handling of clinical waste, secure leak-proof containers are used which where appropriate should be double-bagged. External contamination of the container should be avoided.

Organisations were generally sent single copies, although bodies such as local authorities were sent sufficient copies for each of their members. Where an organisation requested additional copies these were provided.

The consultation document was initially circulated to those identified by the Executive as having interests in ethical standards for public bodies and/or repeal of S2 including Whitehall Departments. Copies were also sent to organisations and individuals that requested them both within and outside Scotland. The consultation paper was also published on the Scottish Executive website.

The consultation document was initially circulated to those identified by the Executive as having interests in ethical standards for public bodies and/or repeal of S2A. Initial consultees included local authorities; devolved public bodies; organisations with interests in education, children's issues, and legal issues; churches and bodies with interests in equality issues. Further copies were sent to organisations and individuals on request.

The Scottish Executive is committed to providing opportunities to allow prisoners to take responsibility for their offending behaviour and take steps to reduce the risk of re-offending following release. Under current sentence management arrangements, most prisoners convicted of serious sexual offences spend a large part of their sentences in Peterhead Prison. The Scottish Prison Service has developed a variety of intervention programmes aimed at addressing offending behaviour. It is introducing this month, at Peterhead, STOP 2000, an accredited programme - developed by HM Prison Service in England and Wales - that is designed specifically for sex offenders. The assessment process for STOP 2000 identifies those prisoners in most need and targets those who present the greatest risk of re-offending. It is proposed to introduce the programme at HMP Edinburgh and HMP Barlinnie later this year. The adoption of the programme by the Scottish Prison Service will allow a UK wide approach to be taken to dealing with sex offenders while they are in custody.

So far as the early release of such prisoners is concerned, a long-term prisoner (that is one sentenced to four years or more) may be granted early release on licence if this is recommended by the Parole Board once he or she has completed one-half of his or her sentence. In it's review of a long-term prisoner's case, the board's function is primarily to assess the risk that the prisoner would present to public safety if released early on parole. In making its assessment, it takes into account a variety of factors including, the nature of the offence, the prisoner's conduct and response in custody and his or her home circumstances. The board and Scottish Ministers, in those cases in which the latter exercise discretion over release, consider very carefully reports on the steps that a prisoner has taken to address his or her offending behaviour and whether their participation in, and response to, offence-related programmes suggests a reduction in risk.

We do not have information about the average waiting time for a rape case to come to trial. Rape must be prosecuted in the High Court and proceedings are subject to the time bar provisions which require a trial to commence within 12 months of an accused's first appearance in court, if he is granted bail, and if he is remanded in custody, within 110 days of his committal for trial.