Current status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the East Dunbartonshire Council area were arrested in the last three years for contravening local byelaws banning drinking in public places.
Local authorities have the power to make byelaws to prohibit drinking in designated public places under provisions contained in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, subject to confirmation by the Scottish ministers. To date, 30 local authorities across Scotland have byelaws in place, covering over 480 towns and villages, and the built up areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Information on the number of arrests made by the police is not held centrally, only the number of crimes recorded. The number of breaches of these byelaws recorded within the East Dunbartonshire local authority area are shown in the following table.
Breaches of Byelaws which Prohibit Drinking in Designated Public Places, East Dunbartonshire Local Authority Area, 2004-05 to 2006-07
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 |
| 530 | 513 | 476 |