Chamber and committees

I regret that the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) have offered two answers to questions which are inconsistent. The answer to question S1W-28889 should have made clear which budgets were delegated to individual establishments, what they covered and what expenditure relating to establishments was budgeted for centrally. I have instructed SPS to respond in this manner to future questions.

I have asked Scottish Prison Service (SPS) for an explanation. I am advised that the reversionary interest value for land which is managed as part of the PFI contract is included in SPS's balance sheet under the heading tangible assets in accordance with both accounting standards and Treasury guidelines. Its omission from the table given in response to question S1W-30175 was therefore in error, for which I apologise.The location and value of the tangible land assets of SPS, including the aforementioned reversionary interest, is as listed in the following table:

	As at 31 March 2000(£000)	As at 31 March 2001(£000)	As at 31 March 2002(£000)
Aberdeen City	1,800	1,900	2,059
Aberdeenshire	1,250	1,066	1,180
Angus	272	302	308
Clackmannanshire	713	1,131	1,226
Dumfries and Galloway	641	500	522
East Ayrshire	1,111	244	259
East Dumbartonshire	169	67	72
Edinburgh	9,915	31,202	35,556
Falkirk	3,060	4,833	6,012
Glasgow	5,207	4,860	5,262
Highland	504	460	490
Inverclyde	1,238	1,050	1,161
North Lanarkshire	203	253	257
Perth and Kinross	2,658	6,122	6,571
South Lanarkshire	244	-	-
Stirling	3,633	3,819	4,139
West Lothian	141	125	136
Grand Total	32,759	57,934	65,210

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29254 today. 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/search_wa.

Table 1 provides information on the number of cases reported to procurators fiscal during the specified period that included charges under the Firearms Act 1968 and associated legislation. Table 2 provides information on the total number of such charges included in those cases. In the years 1999-2002 1,605 cases containing 2,818 charges under this legislation were reported to the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland (the statistics from one office, Kirkcaldy, are unavailable). It is not possible to extract information on the number of cases and charges for common law offences, such as murder, robbery, assault, that involved the use of a firearm. Information on the number of convictions for firearms offences is not available from Crown Office systems. It is not possible to differentiate between air weapons and non-air weapons. Although some of the firearms legislation does distinguish between the two types of weapon, in most no distinction is made. Table 1Cases Reported which Include Charges Under Various Firearms legislation, Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, S50(5) or Culpable and Reckless Discharge of Firearm

PFO	Financial Year 1999-2000	Financial Year2000-01	Financial Year 2001-02	Grand Total
Aberdeen	23	31	31	85
Airdrie	15	11	10	36
Alloa	5	3	17	25
Arbroath	7	10	9	26
Ayr	16	23	32	71
Banff	8	7	1	16
Campbeltown	6	1	1	8
Cupar	3	7	6	16
Dingwall	9	5	3	17
Dornoch	2	2	5	9
Dumbarton	14	12	14	40
Dumfries	7	12	16	35
Dundee	30	20	20	70
Dunfermline	14	16	12	42
Duns	1		4	5
Edinburgh	44	54	41	139
Elgin	10	14	9	33
Falkirk	18	22	29	69
Forfar	6	4	4	14
Fort William	3	12	7	22
Glasgow	81	92	94	267
Greenock	6	11	13	30
Haddington	9	4	5	18
Hamilton	37	20	43	100
Inverness	16	13	17	46
Jedburgh	4	5	8	17
Kilmarnock	20	21	34	75
Kirkcudbright	3	3	5	11
Kirkwall	1	7	3	11
Lanark	6	7	7	20
Lerwick	3	5	1	9
Linlithgow	6	12	14	32
Lochmaddy		3	1	4
Oban	7	3	2	12
Peebles		1	1	2
Perth	9	16	16	41
Peterhead	9	4	5	18
Portree	2	2	3	7
Selkirk	6	4	4	14
Stirling	10	18	16	44
Stonehaven	3	5	2	10
Stornoway		1	3	4
Stranraer	5	6	6	17
Tain	3	3	8	14
Wick	3		1	4
Total	490	532	583	1,605

Table 2Charges Reported: Total of all Three Financial Years (1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-02)

PFO	Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982	Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988	Firearms (Amendment) Act 1994	Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997	Firearms Act 1968	Reckless Discharge of Firearm	Grand Total
Aberdeen	4			2	139	42	187
Airdrie	1				52	3	56
Alloa					39	8	47
Arbroath	1	1	1		42	5	50
Ayr					121	16	137
Banff					20	4	24
Campbeltown	1			2	5	1	9
Cupar					25	5	30
Dingwall	1				26	1	28
Dornoch					19		19
Dumbarton	1				62	4	67
Dumfries					55		55
Dundee	1	3		1	107	27	139
Dunfermline	2				64	14	80
Duns	1				9	5	15
Edinburgh	1				164	25	190
Elgin					41	16	57
Falkirk	1				88	21	110
Forfar					17	1	18
Fort William				3	26	7	36
Glasgow	3	1			426	52	482
Greenock	1	1			48	9	59
Haddington					30	2	32
Hamilton	5			2	136	15	158
Inverness	2				81	13	96
Jedburgh					18	6	24
Kilmarnock	3				161	9	173
Kirkcudbright					16		16
Kirkwall				2	15	3	20
Lanark	2				33		35
Lerwick					15	2	17
Linlithgow	1				40	9	50
Lochmaddy				2	8		10
Oban					14	1	15
Peebles					2		2
Perth	2			1	49	4	56
Peterhead					28	1	29
Portree					13		13
Selkirk					15	2	17
Stirling	1				56	17	74
Stonehaven					18	3	21
Stornoway					7		7
Stranraer				2	26		28
Tain	1				15	6	22
Wick					3	5	8
Total	36	6	1	17	2,394	364	2,818

The Executive received a £3.5 million consequential, based on the funding for the English-based pilot of Your Guide. This sum, as with all consequentials, went into the Scottish Block. As a substantial pilot of the Your Guide approach was being carried out in England and because we had access to its findings, no bid was made against the Scottish Block for funding to carry out a parallel exercise in Scotland.DTI Ministers' announced, in the written answer given to parliamentary question number 2001/6136 in the House of Commons on 15 October, their decision, on value for money grounds, that Your Guide should not be rolled out nationally.

Royal Mail Group plc, post offices and postal services are reserved matters. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including postal services.

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 answer given to question S1W-29809 on 18 October 2002, which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The question asked about sale of land whereas Penninghame was sold as a property (inclusive of land and buildings). On the same basis the former HM Prison Dungavel and some staff quarters and garages were also excluded from the table.

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 answer given to question S1W-31444 today, which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:Yes. The published content of such contracts is governed by the Scottish Executive guidance in Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information. The SPS has in the public interest a duty to ensure that disclosure does not harm the public interest or prejudice the commercial positions of itself or the contractor.