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: S2W-09645

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive on what percentage of applications to Disclosure Scotland no charge was levied in each of the last six months and in each year since its establishment.

Disclosure Scotland may only issue disclosures where the appropriate fee is paid. Scottish ministers have, however, made available funding to cover the cost of disclosures applied for by volunteers working unpaid with children and vulnerable adults. The following table shows, for each period, the actual number of applications involved and the number expressed as a percentage of the total number of applications received.

Period/Month	Number of Applications Made by Volunteers	As Per Cent of All Applications
April 2002 to Mar 2003	9,242	7%
April 2003 to Mar 2004	30,119	8%
January 2004	1,357	2%
February 2004	2,364	4%
March 2004	3,383	8%
April 2004	3,026	9%
May 2004	1,862	6%
June 2004	2786	9%

Question reference: S2W-09644

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications to Disclosure Scotland were returned to the applicants due to errors in each of the last six months and in each year since its establishment, in each case expressed also as a percentage of the total number of applications in each category of disclosure.

Information relating to applications returned to applicants is only available from January 2004 and a breakdown by category of disclosure is not available. The available information is shown in the following table:

Month	Applications Returned	% Returned
January 2004	1,851	3%
February 2004	2,491	4%
March 2004	9,116	20%
April 2004	5,113	13%
May 2004	3,954	11%
June 2004	3,663	11%

Question reference: S2W-09641

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there were to Disclosure Scotland for (a) basic, (b) standard and (c) enhanced disclosures in each year since its establishment and in each of the last 12 months.

The information requested is set out in the following table:

Period/Month	Number of Applications	Period/Month	Number of Applications
Basic	Standard	Enhanced
April 2002 to Mar 2003	2,191	20,871	115,558
April 2003 to Mar 2004	178,818	29,758	187,162
July 2003	9,326	1,961	12,765
August 2003	13,534	1,785	12,794
September 2003	13,368	2,219	16,688
October 2003	14,565	2,824	19,887
November 2003	16,478	2,815	22,714
December 2003	24,978	1,843	18,087
January 2004	45,558	896	8,818
February 2004	40,689	1,329	13,852
March 2004	24,449	2,229	18,493
April 2004	19,220	1,813	14,055
May 2004	14,621	1,639	15,979
June 2004	11,156	1,786	17,755

The figures relate to valid applications and exclude those returned to applicants as a consequence of errors identified during initial checks.

Question reference: S2W-09640

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average turnaround times for applications to Disclosure Scotland for (a) basic, (b) standard and (c) enhanced disclosures are currently and were in each of the last 12 months.

The estimated average turnaround time for all levels of disclosures processed in the week ending 25 July 2004 was 11 calendar days.

The times for the earlier periods are set out in the following table:

Month	Times in Calendar Days
Standard/Enhanced	Basic
July 2003	9	10
August 2003	12	12
September 2003	9	12
October 2003	15	13
November 2003	16	13
December 2003	17	15
January 2004	17	20
February 2004	23	24
March 2004	30	23
April 2004	13	17
May 2004	17	17
June 2004	13	13

In all cases, the turnaround times given apply to applications which did not require the correction of errors in the application form, clearance of payment arrangements or enquiries to police forces for any relevant non‑conviction information. Applications requiring correction, etc took longer to process.

Question reference: S2W-09643

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are employed by Disclosure Scotland and how many were employed in each year since its establishment.

Question reference: S2W-09642

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of applications to Disclosure Scotland has fallen outwith the turnaround times stipulated by each service agreement for (a) basic, (b) standard and (c) enhanced disclosures in each year since its establishment and in each of the last six months.

The service level agreement (SLA)for standard and enhanced applications is to deal with 90% in 14 calendar days and for basic applications it is to deal with 90% in six calendar weeks. The SLA relates to applications which do not require the correction of errors in the application form, clearance of payment arrangements or enquiries to police forces for any relevant non-conviction information.

The table shows the percentage of applications which were completed within and outside the SLA.

Period/Month	Standard/Enhanced	Basic
Within	Outside	Within	Outside
April 2002 to Mar 2003	92%	8%	99%	1%
April 2003 to Mar 2004	75%	25%	98%	2%
January 2004	30%	70%	93%	7%
February 2004	16%	84%	97%	3%
March 2004	29%	71%	95%	5%
April 2004	72%	28%	99%	1%
May 2004	47%	53%	97%	3%
June 2004	36%	64%	100%	0%

Question reference: S2W-09682

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the European Commission in completing the review of access rules referred to in Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 and what the latest anticipated timescale is for the completion of this review.

The Commission has sought and secured a delay in the production of a report into the effectiveness of access restrictions, which was originally intended to be made available by 31 December 2003. During 2003 and 2004, the Commission secured agreement on the scope of the review, established a scientific expert group to agree its terms of reference and established scientific expert sub-groups to conduct reviews and draft reports for evaluation of each access rule. The Commission’s scientific expert groups first met in April 2004 and the sub-groups are now preparing their reports. No revised timescale for the Article 19 review has been agreed, but the Commission’s final report and corresponding proposalsare expected before the end of 2004.

Question reference: S2W-09684

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any submissions or representations to the European Commission in relation to the review of access rules referred to in Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002.

The Scottish Executive have made no direct submissions or representations to the European Commission in relation to the review of access rules referred to in Article 19. The UK Government have, after oral and written representations from the Scottish Executive, submitted written comments on the scope of the Article 19 review, made necessary analytical data available to the Commission and offered active co-operation in the establishment and membership of necessary scientific expert working groups.

Question reference: S2W-09685

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in relation to the review of access rules referred to in Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002, it will seek to justify the continued existence of the Shetland Box in terms of conservation and sustainable exploitation objectives.

Question reference: S2W-09683

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any submissions or representations to Her Majesty's Government in relation to the review of access rules referred to in Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002.

In the course of routine business the Scottish Executive has made numerous written and oral representations to Department for Environment Food andRural Affairs (DEFRA) on several aspects of the Article 19 review, concentrating on the implications of the review for the Shetland Box access arrangements. Representations from Scottish Executive have included views on the proper scope and timetabling of the review, the membership and terms of reference for the Commission’s scientific expert groups, and the UK strategy for anticipating and handling proposals arising from the Commission’s report, including effective stakeholder engagement and consultation.

The Scottish Executive provided DEFRA with detailed submissions on the effectiveness of the Shetland Box during the negotiations leading to the reformed framework regulation of the Common Fisheries Policy. No further submissions have been provided.