- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that electroshock Taser weapons should only be used by specially trained, authorised firearms officers.
Answer
The deployment and use of Taserweapons is an operational matter for Chief Constables. These devices are used inaccordance with policy and operational guidance prepared by the Association of ChiefPolice Officers in Scotland. This provides that Tasers will only be issued to authorisedfirearms officers who have successfully completed an approved training course inthe use of the device.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce legislation on the statutory aggravation of hate crimes against disabled and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Answer
Yes. Legislation on this matterwill be brought forward when a suitable opportunity arises.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to meet representatives of the voluntary sector to discuss its future role in policy making and service delivery and the implications of the change of ministerial remit for the voluntary sector from Communities to Finance and Sustainable Growth.
Answer
We recognise that volunteers,voluntary organisations and social enterprises have a major contribution to makeacross our five strategic objectives and we will work closely with the sector toenhance the lives of individuals and communities across Scotland.
I am in the process of meetinga wide range of stakeholders of which the third sector is a key one.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 4 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it intends to take to increase energy efficiency in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.
Answer
The Executive is committed toincreasing energy efficiency in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.The Executive supports a coherent approach to energy policy, recognising that promotingreduced energy consumption and promoting low carbon technologies are key to achievingsustainable economic growth. The Executive’s proposed Energy Strategy for Scotlandand the introduction of a Climate Change Bill in Scotland will set out ambitioustargets for improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects Glasgow Housing Association to proceed to second stage transfer of housing stock and whether additional funding will be required to allow this to happen.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-143 on 1 June 2007. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 1 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to revise building standards.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
Following the revisions introducedon 1 May this year, work has begun on the next major revisions.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with the UK Steering Group on Less Lethal Weapons and how its Justice Department is represented on this group.
Answer
Scottish policing interests onthe UK Steering Group on Less Lethal Weapons are represented by the Associationof Chief Police Officers in Scotland.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered, or is considering, the extension of taser use and whether it has been asked by any organisations in Scotland to consider extending the use of tasers.
Answer
No. The circumstances and extentto which tasers are deployed are matters for Chief Constables. The current positionof the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is that tasers will notbe routinely deployed and will only be issued to authorised firearms officers.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 16 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the guidelines on the use of biometric systems in schools, currently being developed by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, will apply in Scotland.
Answer
I understand that this guidance is being developed on behalf of the Department for Education and Science and will, therefore, only apply to schools in England.
The following is a corrected answer (published on 28 March 2007); see below.I understand that this guidance is being developed on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills and will, therefore, only apply to schools in England.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 February 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it issues guidance to police on the meaning of the term “reasonable grounds” in section 48(1) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995.
Answer
No. It is the responsibilityof individual police forces to develop guidelines regarding stop and search.Police officers have to act according to the law and be able to demonstrate to theCourts that they have done so.
