Chamber and committees

This information is not heldcentrally. It is likely to be available from authorities with compulsory purchasepowers, individual local authorities and registered housing associations.

The Performance and InnovationUnit has principally been involved in development of the longer term and radicalelements of the Efficient Government plan Building a Better Scotland: Efficient Government – securing Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity. The unit is now leading projects in support of the longterm programme set out in the plan such as in long-term financial planning, Streamliningbureaucracy and better performance management information. A copy of the unit’swork programme under the Efficient Government Initiative has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 35413).

The Lord Advocate and procuratorsfiscal on his behalf have responsibility for the investigation and prosecutionof crime in Scotland, wherever it occurs. In practice, the initialinvestigation of crimes is conducted by the police, who are subject to thedirection of procurators fiscal. If the police investigation disclosessufficient evidence, the matter is reported for the consideration of theProcurator Fiscal.

Since May 2004, 58 staff havebeen seconded from the Scottish Executive to a variety of organisations in the public, voluntaryand academic sectors. These include 13 people to Europe and overseas; 14 to othergovernment departments; 16 to other public bodies; four to local authorities;10 to voluntary organisations, and 1 person to an academic institution. The followingtable details the organisations to which those staff have been seconded.

Europe and Overseas	Total	Other Govt. Dept	Total
Bi-Lateral Exchange (France)	1	Cabinet Office	1
Bi-Lateral Exchange (Denmark)	1	Crown Office	1
British Embassy, Washington	1	DTI	1
Ecole Nationale d’Administration	1	DfES	1
European Commission	3	DfID	1
European Parliament	1	FCO UKREP	1
Stagiaire	5	Food Standards Agency	1
Total	13	HM Treasury	4
Home Office	1
No.10 Downing Street	1
Scottish Prison Service	1
Total	14

 

Other Public Body	Total	Local Authority	Total
Rural Payments Agency	1	Aberdeen City Council	1
Scottish Civic Forum	3	Fife Council	2
Scottish Council Foundation	1	Moray Council	1
Solway Heritage	1
Water Industry Commissioner	1
Social Investment Scotland	2
Scottish Enterprise	2
Scottish Business in the Community	1
Scottish Council for Development and Industry	1
NHS	1
Equal Opportunities Commission	1
Learning and Teaching Scotland	1
Total	16	Total	4

 

Voluntary Organisations	Total	Academic
Advocacy Safeguards Agency	1	Edinburgh University	1
Barnados	1
PSYBT	1
Columba 1400	1
The Princes Trust	2
Jubilee Scotland	1
MACS	1
NIDOS	1
Girl Guide Scotland	1
Totals	10	Total	1

 

At 1 February 2005, withinScottish Executive core departments, there were 292 (282.4 full-timeequivalent) permanent administrative staff at the C1 (Branch Head) grade. Theterm “policy analyst” is a descriptive which has been used for posts at thislevel although the actual quantity of analytical work will vary from post topost depending on other responsibilities.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Changing to Deliver Division was set up in late 2002 to take forward the Scottish Executive’s Changing to Deliver cultural change and reform programme.

Changing to Deliver was launched as a two-year programme of centrally managed activities and projects, complemented by action at local level within departments to promote business improvement and improve communications. The programme has four broad themes: developing leadership; outcomes; outward focus, and corporate processes. Changing to Deliver Division provided an overall programme management function, as well as undertaking direct responsibility for a number of projects and supporting culture change activities within departments.

The division has contributed to improving the Executive’s operation through the key products and achievements of Changing to Deliver. These include:

Improved leadership, through promoting better internal communications and the sharing of knowledge and information across the organisation. Staff’s positive rating of leadership in the Executive is almost twice as high as in a benchmark group of other UK government departments and public sector organisations.

Improved outcomes, through introducing a major new training programme on open, engaged and evidence-based policymaking, and developing networks to share good practice amongst policy makers and celebrate excellence and innovation.

Improved outward focus, through promoting a culture of openness and information sharing, for example through better and easier-to-access policy consultations, a programme of internal and external secondments, and the publication of a “Who’s Who” chart for external stakeholders. Over 70% of the 824 stakeholders surveyed in autumn 2004 were satisfied with their dealings with the Executive in the previous year and two-thirds considered that the Executive’s approach to working with other organisations has got better since devolution.

Improved processes, for example through initiatives to reinforce sound financial management across the organisation; the introduction of a new HR strategy; streamlining business planning processes, and introducing a balanced scorecard to support strategic planning and performance management.

The centrally managed programme of activity was mainstreamed in autumn 2004. The division is now building on change activity already underway by focusing on performance management, improved approaches to corporate internal communications and continued development of policy-making and stakeholder engagement.

The management and operation of Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is the responsibility of the Home Office.

Outwith Dungavel, Scotland’s police force, prison service or medical staff may use retraint on asylum seekers as they would for any other individual. Also, Scottish ministers have statutory responsibility for transferring mentally ill persons detained under the Immigration Act to hospital. These powers are contained in Section 71 of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984. The use of restraint under the mental health act would be the same for asylum seekers as for any other person.

The information requested, which does not include any figures for cases where no proceedings are taken on other grounds or which are dealt with by way of alternatives to proceedings such as conditional offers of fixed penalties and fiscal fines, is as follows:

Reports received from the police in 2002/03

Agency Name	Number of Cases	No Proceedings on account of Delay by Reporting Agency	Proceeded to trial: evidence led from witnesses	Reports Resulting in a Conviction	Pending Cases
CENTRAL SCOTLAND POLICE	14,879	264	407	6,547	647
DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY POLICE	7,640	60	189	3,718	319
FIFE CONSTABULARY	14,776	221	386	6,135	1,173
GRAMPIAN POLICE	18,019	213	552	10,365	1,316
LOTHIAN & BORDERS POLICE	34,934	1,482	1,484	15,485	1,664
NORTHERN CONSTABULARY	13,437	142	464	6,534	556
STRATHCLYDE POLICE	148,175	12,921	5,674	46,661	13,071
TAYSIDE POLICE	23,115	97	970	11,908	1,527
BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE	1,692	9	40	466	134
OTHER	64	2	8	10	8
Total	276,731	15,411	10,174	107,829	20,415

Note:

1. Delay by reporting agency figures now also include those marked no-pro time-bar as being time-barred upon receipt.

2. The total number of cases marked no proceedings during the period was 51133; the number of cases dealt with by non-court disposals such as fiscal fines, diversions from prosecution and fixed penalties was 54930 and the number discontinued after proceedings commenced (no further proceedings) was 25097.

3. For more recent figures on no pro as a result of delay, see answer S2W -7838

4. “Reports resulting in a conviction” includes cases where accused pleaded guilty before trial.

5. ”Pending Cases” includes cases which do not have a status of “closed” in our case management system as at 1 June 2004.  It includes cases where criminal proceedings have started but not yet concluded, cases where there is an outstanding warrant and cases which have resulted in conviction but the sentence has been deferred or proceedings have been re-activated because of a breach of community order or a current appeal,  It is therefore possible that a case will also be recorded in another column in this table.

The law concerning physical restraint centres around the use of reasonable force. Following recommendations from the inquiry into the death of the psychiatric patient David Bennet, NHS Education Scotland has developed training standards on Prevention and Therapeutic Management of Violence in Adult Mental Health Settings. These have been piloted and are now being consulted on with the NHS publication later this year. A copy will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 35187).