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-13954

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 24 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12627 by Kenny MacAskill on 26 February 2013, what targets it (a) has set or (b) plans to introduce for prisoners (i) across the prison estate, (ii) in HMYOI Polmont and (iii) aged 15 to 17-years-old and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

“In relation to targets, as I advised in response to question S4W-12628 on 26 February 2013, the delivery of purposeful activity in the Scottish Prison Service is currently monitored through a Key Performance Indicator (KPI). KPIs are performance measures set by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the SPS Delivery Plan. Targets are not set for these measures and performance is evaluated by comparing current performance against past performance, the general emphasis is towards continuous improvement, where that is possible or desirable, rather than specific targets.

The Organisational Review of the Scottish Prison Service that I commissioned in late 2012 will deliver its recommendations for the future form and function of the organisation during the summer of 2013. Recommendations will also be made for a revised performance management approach, including addressing the issues raised by way of the Justice Committee’s Inquiry into purposeful activity in prisons and towards re-focussing purposeful activity in our prisons and young offender institutions.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.”

Question reference: S4W-13953

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 24 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12627 by Kenny MacAskill on 26 February 2013, what the figure is for 15 to 17-year-old prisoners.

The following answer was corrected on 23 September 2013

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

“The Scottish Prison Service does not collect information on the amount of hours and the average amount of time 16 and 17 year olds spend on purposeful activity, however, we are taking steps to rectify this. We do not currently have any 15 year old children in custody.”

Question reference: S4W-13874

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 16 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many hours per week on average convicted prisoners are held in lockdown in their cells, also broken down by prison.

I have asked Colin McConnell, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

“The standard regime in Scottish prisons is for prisoners to be locked in their cells on a Monday to Friday basis from 9pm to 7am and at the weekends from 6pm to 8am. During the day, dependent on each prisons daily routine, prisoners may be locked in their cells for up to one hour during patrol periods, where the residential staff group are on an authorised meal break.”

Question reference: S4W-13872

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve protection from assault for shopworkers.

Everyone should have protection under criminal law and that is why the Scottish common law of assault provides legal protections to everyone, including public facing workers, as they go about their daily lives. Anyone committing an assault (including those on public facing workers) can be dealt with by prosecutors and the courts using the full force of the law. The maximum penalty for common law assault is up to life imprisonment.

The Scottish Government is also working to reduce the underlying causes of violence and assault. We have been working with the Violence Reduction Unit since 2008 and continue to invest in initiatives such as No Knives Better Lives, Medics Against Violence and Mentors in Violence Prevention.

We fund the Scottish Business Crime Centre and are working in partnership with them to raise awareness through the creation and distribution of the Violence Reduction Handbook. The Scottish Government also funds the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives. The centre provides a wide range of advice on workplace health, safety and wellbeing which is accessible free of charge to employers and employees.

Question reference: S4W-13729

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 20 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how the (a) Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, (b) Scotland Act 1998 and (c) Human Rights Act 1998 are applied in judging petitions to the nobile officium.

Question reference: S4W-13439

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to installing devices to block mobile phone signals in prisons.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

The Scottish Prison Service is in the early stages of planning the implementation of the provisions of The Prisons (interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Act 2012 which received Royal Assent on 19 December 2012. The installation of any devices to block mobile phone signals in prisons will be considered as part of the implementation process.

Question reference: S4W-13440

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been found in possession of a mobile phone in each of the last five years.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

The number of incidents of mobile telephones recovered which can be linked to a prisoner by year is as follows:

	2012	2011	2010	2009	2008
Totals	343	410	523	534	547

A specific criminal offence was brought in as part of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 and this made it an offence to have a mobile phone in prison with penalties available up to two years imprisonment. This offence was brought into force in December 2010.

Question reference: S4F-01257

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2013

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to tackle contraband in prisons.

Question reference: S4W-13370

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12215 by Kenny MacAskill on 8 February 2013, how many (a) High Court fines, (b) Sheriff Court fines, (c) Justice of the Peace Court fines, (d) District Court fines, (e) Stipendiary Magistrate Court fines and (f) fiscal direct penalties imposed for common assault since 2007 (a) have been paid (i) in full and (ii) in part and (b) are unpaid.

Question reference: S4W-13371

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12215 by Kenny MacAskill on 8 February 2013, how many (a) High Court fines, (b) Sheriff Court fines, (c) Justice of the Peace Court fines, (d) District Court fines, (e) Stipendiary Magistrate Court fines and (f) fiscal direct penalties for drugs offences since 2007 (a) have been paid (i) in full and (ii) in part and (b) are unpaid.