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-13083

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12384 by Kenny MacAskill on 8 February 2013, how many custodial sentences of (a) less than three months and (b) between three and six months have been imposed in each sheriffdom in each year since 2007.

The available information is given in the following table.

People given a custodial sentence of six months or less in Scottish Courts, 2007-08 to 2011-12

Sheriffdom/sentence length	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12
Glasgow and Strathkelvin
less than 3 mths	1,187	931	871	758	607
3 mths to 6 mths	1,295	1,314	1,229	1,329	1,574
Total	2,482	2,245	2,100	2,087	2,181
Grampian, Highland and Islands
less than 3 mths	696	540	471	420	362
3 mths to 6 mths	819	810	676	756	827
Total	1,515	1,350	1,147	1,176	1,189
Lothian and Borders
less than 3 mths	900	915	752	683	498
3 mths to 6 mths	747	892	670	741	765
Total	1,647	1,807	1,422	1,424	1,263
North Strathclyde
less than 3 mths	840	635	680	678	529
3 mths to 6 mths	1,093	1,112	1,061	962	1,156
Total	1,933	1,747	1,741	1,640	1,685
South Strathclyde Dumfries and Galloway
less than 3 mths	997	862	813	567	471
3 mths to 6 mths	1,209	1,258	1,146	996	1,255
All	2,206	2,120	1,959	1,563	1,726
Tayside, Central and Fife
less than 3 mths	1,443	1,277	1,034	1,061	812
3 mths to 6 mths	1,431	1,581	1,463	1,602	1,794
Total	2,874	2,858	2,497	2,663	2,606
High Court
less than 3 mths	2	1	2	2	2
3 mths to 6 mths	5	14	6	6	12
Total	7	15	8	8	14
Scotland
less than 3 mths	6,065	5,161	4,623	4,169	3,282
3 mths to 6 mths	6,599	6,981	6,251	6,392	7,383
Total	12,664	12,142	10,874	10,561	10,665

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings Database.

1. Includes an approximate mapping of District courts to Sheriffdoms.

2. Includes a small number of cases where court location is not known.

By way of context, the table below shows information on the number of people with a charge proved in Scottish courts over the same period.

People with a charge proved in Scottish Courts, 2007-08 to 2011-12

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12
Scotland	133,608	125,889	121,028	115,564	108,336

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings Database.

Question reference: S4O-01906

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government which minister has portfolio responsibility for the Rural Payments and Inspections Division.

Question reference: S4O-01867

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what contribution Scotland’s offshore wind resources will make to meeting European Union renewable energy targets.

Question reference: S4W-12622

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Lesley Thomson on 26 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many fiscal direct penalties have been withdrawn at the Procurator Fiscal’s discretion for (a) a failure to pay or complete a fiscal direct penalty and (b) other reasons in each year since 2009.

Question reference: S4W-12621

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Lesley Thomson on 26 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many fiscal direct penalties for (a) motor and (b) other offences have been withdrawn for mandatory reasons in each year since 2009.

Question reference: S4W-12627

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what average number of hours per week convicted prisoners are engaged in purposeful activity (a) across the prison estate and (b) in each penal establishment.

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

“The average number of hours per week which convicted prisoners are engaged in purposeful activity across a) the prison estate and b) in each prison establishment is shown in the attached table.”

Totals 2012-2013 (until end November 2012)	Average per convicted prisoner
Aberdeen	26
Barlinnie	19
Cornton Vale	22
Dumfries	19
Edinburgh	15
Glenochil	18
Greenock	21
Inverness	22
Low Moss	27
Open Estate	23
Perth	16
Peterhead	23
Polmont	16
Shotts	16
Addiewell	25
Kilmarnock	29
Estate Average	21

Question reference: S4W-12629

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what average number of hours per week convicted prisoners spend out of their cells (a) across the prison estate and (b) in each penal establishment.

Question reference: S4W-12628

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what targets the Scottish Prison Service has for the number of hours per week that convicted (a) short-term and (b) long-term prisoners should be engaged in purposeful activity.

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

“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 performance against the previous years, it is therefore a mechanism of continuous improvement rather than specific targets.

Purposeful activity increased by 18% in public sector prisons from 4.3 million hours in 2009-10 to 5.1 million hours in 2011-12. Private sector hours were 1.6 million in 2010-11 and 2011-12. SPS does not collect information related to short term and long term prisoners who are engaged in purposeful activity.

I have instigated an organisational review to ensure that SPS is more clearly aligned with the Scottish Government's National Performance Framework, Reducing Re-offending Agenda and Justice Strategy. The review will refresh the vision, mission, strategic priorities and overall operating philosophy of SPS and provide a better foundation upon which to design and develop purposeful activity.”

Question reference: S4W-12625

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the definition is of purposeful activity in prisons.

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

“Rule 84(2) of The Prison and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2011 defines purposeful activities as

Work
Education of any kind, including physical education;
Counselling and other rehabilitative programmes;
Vocational training and;
Work placements outside the prison.”

Question reference: S4W-12623

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Lesley Thomson on 26 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have appeared in court to face charges in relation to their original offence after their fiscal direct penalty has been (a) refused and (b) recalled in each year since 2009.