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: S4W-01310

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 18 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the view of the Scottish Prisons Commission that prison sentences of six months or less should be discouraged.

Question reference: S4W-01304

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 18 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a victims’ fund modelled on the Victim and Witness General Fund in England and Wales.

The Scottish Government has announced its intention to introduce a Bill that will build on the progress that has already been made in enhancing victims’ rights and that will implement the requirements of the proposed Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council aimed at establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime. Consideration is being given to additional measures that could be included in the planned Bill, including looking at developments in other jurisdictions, but no final decisions have been made.

Question reference: S4W-01305

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its view is on banning people from public parks through the use of antisocial behaviour notices.

Antisocial Behaviour Notices are provided for in Part 7 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004. This provides the power for a local authority to act against a private landlord in connection with antisocial behaviour by the tenant of a house let by the landlord, or by another occupant or visitor to the house. The antisocial behaviour notice requires the landlord to take specified management actions in relation to the tenancy.

We therefore do not believe that Antisocial Behaviour Notices currently offer an appropriate mechanism for tackling antisocial behaviour in public parks.

Our approach to tackling antisocial behaviour, Promoting Positive Outcomes, was jointly published with COSLA in March 2009. This approach was recently debated, and agreed, by this Parliament in December 2010.

Question reference: S4W-01301

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to allow communities to decide on the work that offenders serving community sentences should carry out locally.

Question reference: S4W-01306

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on drink banning orders.

Drink Banning Orders are civil orders intended to tackle drink related antisocial behaviour or nuisance and protect others from it. Our approach to tackling antisocial behaviour, Promoting Positive Outcomes, was jointly published with COSLA in March 2009. This places prevention, early and effective intervention, and diversion at its heart. This approach was debated and agreed by this Parliament in December 2010.

We believe that a minimum price per unit of alcohol would be the most effective and efficient way to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland and that is why we will introduce an Alcohol Minimum Pricing Bill as a priority.

Question reference: S4W-01308

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to bring forward a law that will permit previous convictions to be used as evidence in court.

The Scottish Law Commission is considering this issue as a part of its project on "Similar Fact Evidence and the Moorov Doctrine". The Commission expect to present a final report to ministers by the end of 2011, at which point ministers will consider closely any recommendations. This is the final part of the reference to the Commission made by ministers in November 2007. Further information on that reference can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2007/11/21103557

Question reference: S4W-00797

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-00306 by Roseanna Cunningham on 10 June 2011, when it expects to make a statement regarding how it will proceed with legislation in relation to high hedges.

Question reference: S4W-00495

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many whole-time equivalent police support staff were employed in each quarter from May 2007 to May 2011, broken down by police force area.

Over the course of the last Parliament, the number of police support staff increased by 1.2%, to stand at 7,444 full-time equivalent (FTE) on 31 March 2011.

Data are provided below for each quarter from 31 March 2007 to 31 March 2011.

Police Support Staff (Full-time Equivalent)

Quarter¹	Central	Dumfries and Galloway	Fife	Grampian	Lothian and Borders	Northern	Strathclyde	Tayside	SPSA² and SCDEA	Scotland³
Q1 2007	386	262	526	780	1,335	383	3,046	634	-	7,352
Q2 2007	388	250	505	740	1,210	371	2,669	535	874	7,543
Q3 2007	346	261	477	718	1,156	377	2,688	504	883	7,411
Q4 2007	349	263	545	753	1,264	380	2,663	507	896	7,621
Q1 2008	353	264	477	759	1,265	366	2,632	509	903	7,528
Q2 2008	369	251	477	722	1,195	334	2,501	478	1,252	7,580
Q3 2008	339	252	476	720	1,186	332	2,474	478	1,275	7,533
Q4 2008	334	252	479	710	1,202	343	2,502	488	1,274	7,583
Q1 2009	335	252	522	720	1,211	355	2,536	509	1,264	7,704
Q2 2009	334	258	469	725	1,211	361	2,550	505	1,256	7,671
Q3 2009	343	257	473	744	1,257	360	2,571	517	1,282	7,804
Q4 2009	350	255	473	737	1,284	354	2,558	532	1,295	7,839
Q1 2010	357	257	469	733	1,281	352	2,524	543	1,347	7,864
Q2 2010	358	252	471	723	1,270	340	2,495	552	1,374	7,835
Q3 2010	353	253	475	712	1,252	346	2,491	565	1,370	7,816
Q4 2010	342	248	476	693	1,238	337	2,453	551	1,358	7,697
Q1 2011	326	215	460	661	1,148	333	2,415	549	1,338	7,444

Notes:

1. Figures are as the end of the respective quarter: Q1=31 March, Q2=30 June, Q3=30 September, Q4=31 December.

2. The Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) was created in April 2007.

3. Scotland totals may not equal the sum of the parts due to rounding.

Question reference: S4W-00546

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the role of the UK Supreme Court in the Scottish legal system.

The Scottish Government has been consistent in its view that the Scottish courts should make the final decision in Scottish criminal cases and that the UK Supreme Court should have no role in such matters. That position reflects the distinctive, independent nature of Scotland’s centuries-old legal system.

The Scottish Government has recently asked Lord McCluskey to undertake an independent review of the mechanisms for applying human rights law to criminal cases in Scotland and looks forward to receiving advice from his independent specialist group later in the year.

Question reference: S4O-00090

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to collect uncollected fiscal fines.