Chamber and committees

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows

I refer the member to the answers to questions S2W-19210 and S2W-19212 on 4 October 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search. The main differences is that the Throughcare Addiction Service (TAS) will:

Work with prisoners six weeks pre-release. This will enable TAS providers to visit the prisoner in prison and input into individual care packages (Community Integration Plans) on a number of occasions prior to release. Continuity of care will be improved because the same provider will support this prisoner on release.

The remit of the service is to provide intensive 1:1 support and refer prisoners to appropriate support in the community. This support will focus on motivational work, harm minimisation and getting prisoners access to primary health care. This increased level of help will enable improved levels of communication with primary health care teams in the community.

Evaluation of SPS Transitional Care Services has shown that it was difficult to engage young offenders in services on release. In targeting this vulnerable group and women the service will tailor care plans to meet individual needs.

Voluntary Assistance places a duty upon local authorities to make available advice, guidance and assistance to people who request such a service within 12 months of release from prison. This service is not addictions focused, however people with addictions needs can access help and support. Support may be in the form of for example welfare needs, family support or housing.

The Scottish Executive is committedto ensuring that its regeneration policies and programmes deliver maximum benefitfor deprived communities. This includes encouraging those involved in regeneration,in the public, private and voluntary sectors, to provide training and employmentopportunities in the construction and other sectors. Initiatives such as the agreementnegotiated by Stirling Council in the Raploch regeneration project, Youth Buildin Paisley and the Clyde Valley's Schools Vocational Training Programme are good examplesof this.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

The information available toSPS is that during 2003, 36 ex-offenders died within one month of release, 10 ofthese deaths were within three days of release. These figures do not reflect sentencelength.

The ScottishExecutive have commissioned a number of relevant research projects, and have moreplanned for the future. Research on tackling binge drinking was commissioned onbehalf of the Nicholson Committee as part of its review of liquor licensing law.We are also conducting a programme of research looking at ways to reduce all kindsof antisocial behaviour, including rowdy or loutish behaviour resulting from bingedrinking.

The introduction of the new EU Food Hygiene Regulations on 1 January 2006 will have no impact on the hygiene and inspection costs for these abattoirs.

The full extent of our ambitious programme to increase the availability of affordable housing is set out in our housing policy statement. We are taking action on land release, shared-equity schemes and planning advice and our £1.2 billion investment over three years will raise the number of affordable homes funded over that period to 21,500.

We are today publishing a draft Animal Health and Welfare Bill for consultation. The bill and associated documents are being placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 36405 and 36406) and on the Scottish Executive website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations. There will also be a number of public meetings where members of the public can express their views and seek clarification on the proposals. These meetings will be held at:

15 June	Inverness	Thistle Hotel	Milburn Road, IV2 3TR
16 June	Aberdeen	Marriott Hotel	Overton Circle, Dyce, AB21 7AZ
21 June	Glasgow	Grosvenor Hotel	Grosvenor Terrace, G12 0TA
22 June	Edinburgh	Holiday Inn Edinburgh	Corstorphine Road, EH12 6UA

 

The consultation period will last until 4 July 2005. We would encourage all organisations, businesses and individuals with an interest to respond.      

The bill willmodernise the powers of local authorities to tackle housing in poor condition, forexample by enabling financial support to be targeted where it is most needed andby declaring Housing Renewal Areas. It will update the Tolerable Standard and therepairing standard to which private landlords must adhere. It provides the powers for the establishment of the singlesurvey scheme.  And it will improve the rights of mobile home owners who rent stances. 

In March 2004, the National RadiologicalProtection Board (NRPB) published new advice on limiting public exposure to electromagneticfields, including those from power lines. This new advice recommends adoption of the guidelines on levels of public exposure that are published by the InternationalCommission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection. The NRPB note, however, that therehave been some population studies that point to the possibility of effects belowthese guidelines, in particular for power-frequency magnetic fields. It has thereforerecommended that Government consider the possible need for further precautionarymeasures.

The Parliamentary Under Secretaryof State for Public Health (Melanie Johnson) has written to the Chairman of theNRPB welcoming the new advice, highlighting the need for inter-departmental workingand introducing initial plans for a wider stakeholder process to address the NRPB’scall for consideration of further precautionary measures in this area.  This processis now underway through a stakeholder advisory group on extremely low frequencyelectromagnetic fields. Membership of the group includes UK governmentdepartments, the devolved administrations, the electricity supply industry, theelectricity supply regulators and a number of non-governmental organisations andpublic concern groups.

The Scottish Executive is working closely with the Strategic Rail Authority to ensure that the provisions in the new Scottish rail franchise agreement, which require better performance from First ScotRail, are effectively enforced. Failure to meet these standards can lead to penalty payments being imposed on the franchisee.