Current status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that crime against people with learning disabilities is explicitly recognised and not described by other terms such as bullying, harassment and abuse.
I announced in Parliament on 20 February during the debate on Stage 3 of the Criminal Justice Bill that the Scottish Executive would set up a working group to look at how the justice system deals with people within groups defined by gender, age, disability and sexual orientation. We made this decision following consultation with Robin Harper MSP, and taking into account representations from equality groups. Final decisions on remit and membership must wait until after the forthcoming Scottish Parliament elections.In addition, the Executive has recently commissioned a team from Edinburgh University to take forward a research project to examine the functioning of the Appropriate Adult Schemes in Scotland. Appropriate Adult Schemes are designed to assist people with learning disabilities or mental illness in their communications with the police. The findings of the research are expected in December 2003.