- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made regarding the level of fares on Highland and Island air services and (a) when and (b) to whom it made any such representations.
Answer
The Scottish Executive and its agencies are in regular contact with airlines to discuss a range of aviation matters including fare levels.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers in Lothian and Borders Police Force have been the subject of a complaint in each year since 1997.
Answer
Information on the basis sought is not held centrally. The following table gives the number of complaint allegations made involving officers in Lothian and Borders Police and also the number of cases investigated:
| Year | Complaint allegations made | No of cases investigated |
| 1996-97 | 426 | 251 |
| 1997-98 | 385 | 210 |
| 1998-99 | 492 | 320 |
| 1999-2000 | 619 | 347 |
| 2000-01 | 625 | 340 |
Notes:1. An allegation may involve a complaint against more than one officer. A case is defined as a single investigation undertaken by an investigating officer into one incident or a group of incidents following a complaint by one or more persons. 2. Neither of the columns in the table equate to the number of officers who have been the subject of a complaint because, for example, more than one person may make a complaint about a single officer, someone may make a complaint about a number of officers or an officer may be the subject over a period of more than one complaint.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 7 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on any plans of Strathclyde Passenger Transport in respect of constructing a rail link to Strathbungo and what consideration has been given to any impact of such a link on the financing and delivery of the M74 northern extension.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has had initial discussions about the Strathbungo Link with Strathclyde Passenger Transport. Those discussions include an assessment of the impact of the proposed link on the M74 northern extension. No decision has yet been reached on the Strathbungo Link or the final alignment of the M74 where it crosses the proposed link.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 7 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Superfast Ferries about recruiting locally-based labour for the on-board ferry crew.
Answer
The recruitment of seagoing staff by Superfast Ferries for its new Rosyth to Zeebrugge service is a commercial matter for the company. I understand that the company recently advertised for seagoing staff in the Scottish press.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to set up community warden schemes in the Lothians and the Borders or whether it will rule out the use of such schemes in those areas.
Answer
We have no plans for community support officers with police powers in Scotland to undertake neighbourhood patrols along the lines proposed south of the border. However, the Scottish Executive has provided funding under the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund (BNSF) for a pilot to explore the use of neighbourhood wardens in part of Paisley. Their principal function will be to observe and report incidents to local authority colleagues or the police, as appropriate, with the aim of reducing vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers left Lothian and Borders Police Force as a result of work-related ill health in each year since 1997.
Answer
Information on the number of work-related ill-health retirements is not held centrally. It would be open to the member to approach Lothian and Borders Police to obtain these figures. The numbers of officers from Lothian and Borders Police who retired early on ill-health grounds in 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are 22, 32, 32 and 35 respectively. Better management of ill-health retirement is currently being considered by the Police Negotiating Board which advises Government on the pay and conditions of police officers.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers in Lothian and Borders Police Force claimed Criminal Injuries Compensation in each year since 1997.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received about introducing capital city policing in Edinburgh; from whom any such representations have been received; whether capital city policing will be introduced in Edinburgh and, if so, what funding will be made available.
Answer
Representations have been received from the Lothian and Borders Joint Police Board and also from the Chief Constable.Funding for the Scottish Police Service is currently at record levels. It is a matter for the Lothian and Borders Joint Police Board to set a budget for its area and, within that, for the Chief Constable to determine how best to use the resources available to him to meet local needs and circumstances. In addition, forces have also received extra funding to meet a number of special pressures. Among the extra amounts provided to Lothian and Borders Police in this way are: (i) £4.4 million over the past three years for new recruitment; (ii) £0.1 million in 2001-02 to meet the costs of the Scottish Parliament Police Unit when the Parliament is not sitting - the Parliament meets the rest of the costs of this unit, and (iii) £0.4 million in 2001-02 for additional policing costs incurred following the events of 11 September 2001.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote or fund further bus park-and-ride schemes similar to Ferry Toll in Fife; what sites have been selected under any such plans, and what (a) funds have provided and (b) steps have been taken to date.
Answer
Promotion of park-and-ride schemes is a matter for individual local authorities.The Scottish Executive supports the development of park-and-ride and other interchange schemes through the Public Transport Fund. To date over £20 million has been awarded towards 10 different park-and-ride schemes in Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Angus, Perth and Kinross, Fife, Falkirk, Stirling, and Midlothian.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its current position is on the financing of the M74 northern extension.
Answer
The position remains as stated in the answer given by Sarah Boyack to Robert Brown in question S1W-15440 11 May 2001.
