- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners may occupy a prisoner place, as defined in the Scottish Prison Service's key performance targets.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
The Scottish Prison Service’sKey Performance Indicators do not specify a number of prisoners.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-33923 and S2W-116 by Mrs Elish Angiolini on 10 March and 2 June 2003 respectively, how many cases were marked “no proceedings” in 2003-04 because of a non-court disposal, broken down into warnings, conditional offers, fiscal fines and diversions from prosecution.
Answer
As indicated in the answer givento question S2W-116 on 2 June 2003, cases in which there has been a non-court disposalare not marked “no proceedings” and do not form part of any no proceedings dataprovided by Crown Office.
The numbers of cases closed bynon-court disposals in the categories listed for the period 2003-04 are as follows:
| Total Reports Received | Cases Closed as Warning | Cases Closed as Conditional Offer | Cases Closed as Fiscal Fine | Cases Closed as Diversion from Prosecution |
| 325,461 | 21,920 | 8,690 | 30,029 | 1,342 |
| As % of Total Reports | 6.7% | 2.6% | 9.2% | 0.4% |
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3121 by Cathy Jamieson on 14 October 2003, who was responsible for the proportionate increase to the baseline figures in the calculation of the payment for the services of HM Prison Kilmarnock to reflect the provision of additional prisoner places being incorrect.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
The Scottish Prison Service.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to remove road maintenance functions from local authorities.
Answer
The Executive has no plans toremove local road maintenance functions from local government.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) statutory instruments made by a Minister of the Crown or Her Majesty in Council and (b) Acts of the UK Parliament have amended (i) an Act of the Scottish Parliament, (ii) an Act of Parliament relating to a devolved area and (c) a Scottish Statutory Instrument in each year since 1 July 1999.
Answer
The information requested isnot recorded in the form specified. However, (a) statutory instruments and (b) actsof the UK Parliament are published on Her Majesty’s Stationery Office website, whichcan be accessed at
www.hmso.gov.uk, and includethose which have amended (i) an act of the Scottish Parliament, (ii) an Act of Parliamentrelating to a devolved area and (iii) a Scottish Statutory Instrument since 1 July1999. Also, in relation to (b) acts of the UK Parliament, any which amend legislationrelating to a devolved area will have been subject to one or more of the 54 Sewelmotions (covering the 49 bills listed below) so far approved by the Scottish Parliament.
Bills for which SewelMotions have been Approved
| Food Standards |
| Financial Services and Markets |
| Electronic Communications |
| Limited Liability Partnerships |
| Sea Fishing Grants (Charges) |
| Representation of the People |
| Sexual Offences (Amendment) |
| Political Parties, Elections and Referendums |
| Regulation of Investigatory Powers |
| Learning and Skills |
| Race Relations (Amendment) |
| Insolvency |
| Care Standards |
| Government Resources and Accounts |
| Criminal Justice and Courts Service |
| Health and Social Care Modernisation |
| Tobacco Advertising and Promotion |
| International Criminal Court |
| Outworking |
| Criminal Justice and Police |
| International Development |
| Culture and Recreation |
| Armed Forces |
| Adoption and Children |
| Proceeds of Crime |
| Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security |
| NHS Reform and Health Care Profession |
| Police Reform |
| Enterprise |
| Private Hire Vehicles (Carriage of Guide Dogs etc.) |
| Extradition |
| Waste and Emissions Trading |
| Criminal Justice |
| Crime (International Co-operation) |
| Local Government |
| Sexual Offences |
| Railways and Transport Safety |
| Health and Social Care (Community Health & Standards) |
| Fireworks |
| Legal Deposit Libraries |
| Planning & Compulsory Purchase* |
| Health Protection Agency* |
| Energy* |
| Gender Recognition * |
| Higher Education* |
| Asylum and Immigration (Treatment for Claimants)* |
| Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise)* |
| Civil Contingencies* |
| Justice (Northern Ireland)* |
Note:
*Signifies yet to be enacted.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003, when it will bring into force (a) the remainder of section 8 and section 9, (b) section 11, (c) the remainder of section 35 and section 36 and (d) section 40 and what the reasons are for each of these sections not yet being brought into force.
Answer
Sections 35 and 36 of theLocal Government in Scotland 2003 were fully commenced on 1 April 2004. The commencementof the other sections referred to depend on regulations being laid and approvedby the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish Executive has undertakento consult local authority associations and others before laying regulations underthe Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 to ensure that they - and any subsequentguidance - are clear, unambiguous, and take practical issues into account. The consultationand feedback processes have been paced to ensure that overload and confusion isavoided.
Regulations to be laid undersection 11 will be published in draft within the next month for consultation.
Consultation on the content ofregulations to be laid under section 40 was undertaken earlier this year and regulationsare currently in development.
Consultation on the content ofregulations to be laid under sections 8 and 9 is planned to commence this summer.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what records it is keeping of the use by local authorities of their power to advance well-being under section 20 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003.
Answer
The power to advance well-beingis designed as an enabling measure, giving local authorities the freedom to workin a more innovative and creative way in responding to the needs of their communities.
The overall intention of the act is to offer trust withina framework: it is for the local authorityto decide whether any particular action would be likely to promote or improve thewell-being of its area and/or persons in it. Accordingly, local authorities arenot required to report to the Scottish Executive on how they have used, or intend to use, the power, andno records will be maintained centrally.
Guidance on the useof the power was issued by Scottish ministers in April 2004 (The Local Governmentin Scotland Act 2003: Power to Advance Well-Being Guidance). It may be foundon the Executive’s internet site at the followingaddress:
www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/localgov/pawbg-00.asp.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, for each non-police reporting agency that provides reports to the procurator fiscal, which agencies provide electronic reports and, for each agency that does not, when it expects the agency to introduce electronic reporting.
Answer
Only two specialist reportingagencies provide electronic reports to Procurators Fiscal: the Vehicle and OperatorServices Agency and South Ayrshire Council. The Crown Office and Procurator FiscalService is establishing a secure web site that will allow all other specialist reportingagencies to provide reports on-line to Procurators Fiscal by the end of 2004.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-1869 and S2W-3121 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 September and 14 October 2003 respectively, why the proportionate increase to the baseline figures to reflect the provision of additional prisoner places was incorrect.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
It was a clerical error.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive by how much the economy has grown since 1999 and how this compares with other European economies.
Answer
GDP growth in Scotland between1999 and 2003 was 7.2%. The comparable figure for the UK (at basicprices) was 9.0%. The UK growth figure for GDP at market prices is 10.1%.
GDP for Scotland is measuredin basic prices whilst GDP figures for other countries are measured in market pricesso they are not strictly comparable. The difference between the two measures isthat the basic price measure does not take taxes and subsidies into account.
Growth in GDP (Market Prices)
| Country | % Growth 1999-2003 |
| Austria | 6.6% |
| Belgium | 6.3% |
| Denmark | 5.5% |
| Finland | 10.7% |
| France | 7.9% |
| Germany | 4.2% |
| Greece | 18.2% |
| Italy | 5.6% |
| Netherlands | 4.2% |
| Portugal | 4.4% |
| Spain | 12.0% |
| Sweden | 9.6% |
| UK | 10.1% |
| EU15 | 7.6% |
Source: OECD Quarterly National Accounts
