Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-16486

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the maximum limit of 5% of contract price for performance revenue deduction, as referred to in the second paragraph of Schedule F to the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock, has been applied, broken down by quarter since the prison opened.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: I refer the member to the answers to the answers to questions S2W-1868 on 1 September 2003 and S1W-33964 on 24 February 2003. The position has not changed. 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.

Question reference: S2W-16511

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the full terms of its agreement with Reliance Secure Task Management Ltd regarding the monthly performance summary of the contract for the provision of prisoner escort and court custody services.

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

The SPS and Reliance Secure Task Management Ltd and have agreed that the following performance summary information can be released:

Prisoner movements

Police Custody to Court

Prisons to Court

Hospital to Court

Court to Court

Other

Performance

On time delivery to Court

Prisoners unlawfully at large

Financial

Payment due to Service Provider

This information is published quarterly in arrears on the SPS website which can be found by clicking on the following link http://www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/reliance/html/nstats2.htm

Question reference: S2W-16474

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a European Arrest Warrant has been issued for any person in Scotland for an act that is not an offence in Scots law.

I refer to my answer to the previous question posed by the Member for Lothians, S2W-16299 answered on 12 May 2005 and confirm that all the five European Arrest Warrants so far received by Scotland relate to acts that are offences known to Scots law.

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.

Question reference: S2W-16467

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15876 by Mr Tom McCabe on 25 April 2005 and given the requirement for confidentiality of discussions on EU matters between it and the UK Government as set out in article 19 of the Memorandum of Understanding, what opportunity the Parliament has for scrutinising work of the Executive on EU matters, such as submissions to European Commission consultations made by it through the UK Government.

Scottish Executive ministers and officials are subject to full scrutiny by the Parliament on European Union issues. I recently appeared before the European and External Relations Committee to give evidence on Scotland’s contribution to the G8 summit and the UK Presidency of the EU.

Complete confidentiality is, however, often essential in formulating a UK negotiating position in the EU and in developing tactical responses. The arrangements for the Executive’s involvement in the UK decision-making process rely on mutual respect for the confidentiality of information exchanged. This may include submissions to European Commission consultations made by the Executive through the UK Government.

Question reference: S2W-16497

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what opportunity the Scottish Parliament will have to scrutinise the proposal of the UK Government and others for a European Council Framework Decision on the retention of data processed and stored in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or data on public communications networks for the purpose of prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of crime and criminal offences including terrorism.

Question reference: S2W-16395

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated costs are to be incurred by (a) Lothian and Borders Police, (b) Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade, (c) the Scottish Ambulance Service, (d) NHS Lothian and (e) the City of Edinburgh Council as a result of the G8 summit.

Question reference: S2W-15778

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 13 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will designate the operator of the new private prison at Addiewell as a public authority under section 5 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 for the purpose of the act.

Question reference: S2W-16297

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 12 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15878 by Colin Boyd QC on 21 April 2005, whether it will provide a breakdown of the European Arrest Warrants received by (a) issuing country and (b) offence in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005.

In 2004, Scotland received three European Arrest Warrants and to date in 2005 Scotland has received a further two European Arrest Warrants.

Two of those received in 2004 were from Portugal, but were subsequently withdrawn.

One of the warrants received in 2005 was from Poland in respect of an allegation of attempted murder. It was executed earlier this year.

The other warrants remain outstanding. It is inappropriate for operational reasons to give details of either the issuing country or the offences for which those outstanding warrants have been issued.

Question reference: S2W-16298

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 12 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15878 by Colin Boyd QC on 21 April 2005, whether it will provide a breakdown of the European Arrest Warrants issued by (a) country to which they were addressed and (b) offence in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005.

In 2004 Scotland issued 14 European Arrest Warrants (EAW) so far in 2005 two European Arrest Warrants have been issued.

Of those issued in 2004, eight have been executed and two were withdrawn by Crown Office before they were executed, as the fugitives returned voluntarily to Scotland. Four remain outstanding.

Seven European Arrest Warrants were issued to Spain. Two of these were in respect of the fugitives who returned voluntarily to Scotland. The remaining five were in relation to offences of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement, attempt to defeat the ends of justice, a contravention of Section 27(7) Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, embezzlement, a contravention of Sex Offenders Act 1997 Section 2(6E)(A), theft, a contravention of the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993 Section 17(5). All of these warrants were executed in Spain, and the fugitives returned to Scotland.

One warrant was issued to Portugal in relation to an allegation of a contravention of the Road Traffic Act 1998 Section 1, attempting to defeat the ends of justice and a contravention of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) 1995 Section 27(7). The EAW was executed and the fugitive was returned to Scotland.

Two European Arrest Warrants were executed in The Netherlands for a contravention of the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1995 Section 67(2) and Section 67(9) together with a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice. Both EAW were executed (in respect of the same individual) and the fugitive was returned to Scotland.

It would be inappropriate for operational reasons to give details of the European Arrest Warrants issued in 2005 which both remain outstanding.

Question reference: S2W-16299

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 12 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the European Arrest Warrants received have been for acts that are not offences in Scots law.