Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-07607

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) offenders and (b) sex offenders (i) are being monitored and (ii) have been monitored through the use of the intensive support packages in each year since 2007.

Each intensive support package (ISP) where the Scottish Government have made a financial contribution since 2007 was related to the management and monitoring of a sex offender.

The number of sex offenders monitored through the use of an ISP each year since 2007 is as fcollows.

Year	ISPs
2007-08	13
2008-09	19
2009-10	26
2010-11	16
2011-12	13

The Scottish Government have not received any bids for a funding contribution to an ISP from Community Justice Authorities (CJAs) this financial year.

Question reference: S4W-08093

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a correlation between the value of an unpaid fine or arrears and the length of a supervised attendance order imposed on offenders unable to pay and, if so, what ratio is used.

Question reference: S4W-08140

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-07699 by Kenny MacAskill on 18 June 2012 and the letter from the Justice Directorate to Neil Powrie of the Association of Visiting Committees dated 8 June 2012, what its final position is on whether the proposed prison monitoring service will be able to deal with individual prisoner complaints.

Question reference: S4W-08090

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been given to the Scottish Court Service regarding the use of enforcement measures to recover unpaid fines and arrears and how long to wait before imposing them.

Question reference: S4W-08091

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been given to (a) police forces and (b) the Scottish Court Service regarding the use of fines as an alternative punishment to community service orders or custodial sentences.

Decisions of the courts on the use of fines are a matter for judges and are made independently of Government, within the framework set by legislation.

Police fixed penalty notices are alternatives to prosecution and are not alternative punishments to community service orders or custodial sentences. The range of offences for which police fixed penalty notices may be used are set out in legislation and guidance on the circumstances in which they should be used is determined by the Lord Advocate’s Guidelines.

Question reference: S4W-08092

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the value is of fines not imposed as a result of courts imposing supervised attendance orders on offenders who are unable to pay, in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S4W-08087

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money the Scottish Court Service has recovered through the use of (a) seizure of vehicle orders, (b) arrestment of funds orders, (c) deduction from benefits orders and (d) earnings arrestment orders from unpaid and in arrears Sheriff Court fines in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S4W-08086

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money the Scottish Court Service has recovered through the use of (a) seizure of vehicle orders, (b) arrestment of funds orders, (c) deduction from benefits orders and (d) earnings arrestment orders from unpaid and in arrears Justice of the Peace court fines in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S4W-08083

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the Scottish Court Service has used (a) a seizure of vehicle order, (b) an arrestment of funds order, (c) a deduction from benefits order and (d) an earnings arrestment order to recover unpaid fines and arrears from Sheriff Court fines in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S4W-08085

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money the Scottish Court Service has recovered through the use of (a) seizure of vehicle orders, (b) arrestment of funds orders, (c) deduction from benefits orders and (d) earnings arrestment orders from unpaid and in arrears antisocial behaviour fixed penalty orders in each year since 2007.

Chamber and committees