- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison officers under the age of 35 at (a) HM Prison Cornton Vale and (b) HM Prison Perth have left the service in each of the last three years.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
Year | Cornton Vale | Perth |
| 28.03.98-27.03.99 | 3 | 17 |
| 28.03.99-27.03.00 | 6 | 9 |
| 28.03.00-27.03.01 | 12 | 16 |
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 6 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken as a result of the study by the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland which monitored the use of new grounds for eviction.
Answer
The study entitled The Crime and Disorder Act 1998: The use of section 23 evictions for anti-social behaviour, which also reports on the use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, was received in March 2000. A copy was placed in the Scottish Parliament's Reference Centre. A repeat of that study is currently being undertaken to establish the position to date. The Scottish Executive will consider what action needs to be taken in the light of that study which is due for completion shortly. A copy of the report, when published, will be placed in the Scottish Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 6 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can quantify the numbers of instances of anti-social behaviour in each of the last two years in each local authority area, using as a definition the types of behaviour described as anti-social in paragraphs 21 to 27 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead.
Answer
Not at present. Pilot work has recently begun on improving the quality and quantity of information collected by local authorities and other landlords.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 6 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) formal complaints by neighbours to local authorities, (b) legal actions and (c) evictions in respect of anti-social behaviour there were in each local authority area in each of the last three years.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. A new Scottish Executive return is being introduced from 1 April 2001 which will obtain, among other things, the following information for all local authorities each quarter: the number of eviction actions for anti-social behaviour which:(a) proceeded to court during the quarter; (b) resulted in an eviction order being issued during the quarter; (c) resulted in an eviction during the quarter. We expect the first information to be available in December 2001 for the quarter April to June 2001.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 6 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many anti-social behaviour orders have been (a) applied for and (b) granted in the last two years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
A study was commissioned by the Executive from the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland in 1999 which monitored the use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, as well as the extended powers of eviction for anti-social behaviour in the Act. The outcome of that survey was published in March 2000 and a copy was placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre. The report indicated that a total of 15 ASBOs had been applied for in the period 1 April 1999 to 1 December 1999, of which 9 had been granted and 2 breached. The study did not break the figures down by local authority area. This relatively small number is not unexpected, given that the new grounds had only been effective since 1 April 1999. A repeat of that study is due for completion shortly and will provide up to date figures on the use of ASBOs and the new eviction powers. A copy, when published will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the evaluation of the fast-tracking for drugs cases referred to in paragraph 97 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead and what action has subsequently been taken as a result of this evaluation.
Answer
The evaluation of the fast -tracking for drugs cases has recently been received and is currently being considered.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many landlords have made use of the services offered by Safeguarding Communities Reducing Offending (SACRO) and referred to in paragraph 18 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead to date, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
22 local authorities have so far made use of the mediation services offered by Safeguarding Communities Reducing Offending (SACRO). These are listed in the table. In addition SACRO have held discussions with some 30 housing associations.The following Local Authorities have made use of services offered by SACRO.
| Aberdeenshire | Midlothian |
| Angus | North Ayrshire |
| Argyll and Bute | North Lanarkshire |
| City of Edinburgh | Orkney Islands |
| Clackmannanshire | Perth and Kinross |
| East Ayrshire | Renfrewshire |
| East Dunbartonshire | Scottish Borders |
| East Renfrewshire | Shetland Islands |
| Falkirk | South Ayrshire |
| Highland | South Lanarkshire |
| Western Isles | West Lothian |
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the new baseline study into housing management practice referred to in paragraph 55 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead and what action has subsequently been taken as a result of this study.
Answer
Two parts of the study, "A Review of the Literature" and " A Review of Progress" were placed on the Scottish Executive website in August 2000. The third part of the review, "Case Studies, Conclusions and Recommendations", has now been completed but has yet to be published. A copy of the full report, when published, will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have adopted the model secure tenancy agreement.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. While some authorities are using the Model Secure Tenancy Agreement (MoSTA), it has not yet been widely adopted as MoSTA did not become available until after the secure tenancy had been introduced. However, authorities have been encouraged to follow the model in respect of all new tenancies and tenancy agreements that are subject to review.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what options for speeding up the eviction process were explored following the analysis of the research study into any possible delays in the legal process in dealing with anti-social behaviour cases referred to in paragraph 50 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead.
Answer
The research found that whilst there was scope for some minor improvements in the courts, the greatest scope for improvement lay with the landlords and related agencies. I understand, however, that the Sheriff Court Rules Council is considering, as part of its current review of procedure, how cases dealt with under summary cause procedure, including eviction cases, can be dealt with more expeditiously.
