- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 4 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether ex-service personnel are a priority category for housing under homelessness legislation and whether it intends to legislate further on this issue.
Answer
Under Scottish homelessness legislation, a person who is vulnerable as a result of having been discharged from any part of the regular armed forces should be treated as in priority need. The 2012 target will mean that all those considered unintentionally homeless, not just those also in priority need, will have the right to settled accommodation. The current housing bill contains an amendment to the homelessness legislation which will enable ex service personnel to form a local connection through employment or residence in the area. Existing legislation prevents this happening.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 4 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors the treatment of ex-service personnel by local authorities under homelessness legislation.
Answer
The Scottish Government monitors homelessness applications from ex service personnel through the statistical return from local authorities. There are several questions relating to homeless applicants'' circumstances which allow the Scottish Government to analyse local authority decisions for those who were formerly in the armed services. Detail is published in twice yearly homelessness statistics available on the Scottish Government''s website.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) licence holders and (b) employees were issued fines for supplying alcoholic liquor to a drunken person in licensed premises under section 76 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 in (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009.
Answer
Information for 2008-09 will be available on 9 March 2010 (when the 2008-09 Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts Statistical Bulletin will be published). I will write to the member with the answer as soon as possible after that date. The answer will also be placed with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 50319)
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) young and (b) adult offenders convicted in the last year for which information is available had (i) no, (ii) one to four, (iii) five to 10 and (iv) over 10 previous convictions.
Answer
Information for 2008-09 will be available on 9 March 2010 (when the 2008-09 Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts Statistical Bulletin will be published). I will write to the member with the answer as soon as possible after that date. The answer will also be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 50321).
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted for selling alcohol to a drunk person under section 113 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 since it came into force and what the level of fine was in each case.
Answer
Section 113 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 came into force on 1 September 2009, following the transition period from the 1976 Act regime to the 2005 Act regime. Although the latest Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts Statistical Bulletin (and associated data) will be available on 9 March 2010, it will only include data to April 2009. The 2009-10 criminal proceedings data is not likely to be available until late 2010 or early 2011.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Strathclyde Police regarding its decision to move away from current policy that Tasers should be used only by specially trained, authorised firearms officers.
Answer
The Scottish Government held no discussions with Strathclyde Police or any other police body regarding Strathclyde''s decision to pilot these arrangements. Firearms legislation is reserved, and is the responsibility of the UK Government. The deployment and use of firearms is an operational matter for chief constables.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-255 by Kenny MacAskill on 6 June 2007, which stated that the policy of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland provides that Tasers will only be issued to authorised firearms officers, whether it considers the decision by Strathclyde Police to issue Tasers to frontline officers to constitute a change in policy.
Answer
Firearms legislation is reserved, and is the responsibility of the UK Government. The deployment and use of firearms is an operational matter for chief constables. It is for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland to decide, in consultation with the chief constables of all eight police forces in Scotland, whether its policy should be amended following the pilot in Strathclyde.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland regarding the proposal by Strathclyde Police to move away from current policy that Tasers should be used only by specially trained, authorised firearms officers.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31607 on 3 March 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many assaults were reported against police officers in each of the last five years, broken down by police force.
Answer
The police recorded crime statistics collected centrally are based on an aggregate return, and do not record the occupation of the victim. However, following the introduction of the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act in 2005, a new distinct crime classification of Minor assault of an emergency worker was created. This will include minor assaults of police officers during any course of their duties.
The following table shows the number of offences of minor assault of an emergency worker recorded by the police, by police force area, in each year since the act came into force.
Offences of minor assault of an emergency worker recorded by the police by police force area, 2005-06 to 2008-09
| | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
| Northern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grampian | 0 | 18 | 14 | 19 |
| Tayside | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Fife | 403 | 436 | 452 | 387 |
| Lothian and Borders | 49 | 78 | 74 | 496 |
| Central | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Strathclyde | 64 | 189 | 205 | 222 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 2 | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Scotland | 518 | 723 | 753 | 1,150 |
Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services.
Note that the increase in the number of offences recorded by Lothian and Borders Police from 2007-08 to 2008-09 is the result of a change in recording practice. Prior to August 2008, some of these offences were recorded as minor assaults and were not separately identified in the statistics submitted by Lothian and Borders Police to the Scottish Government.
All serious assaults are recorded under a separate crime classification. However, the Scottish Government does not hold the number of serious assaults on police officers, as the occupation of the victim is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, given that Strathclyde Police is piloting the use of Tasers outwith authorised firearms operations, what policy and guidance will govern such use.
Answer
Firearms legislation is reserved, and is the responsibility of the UK Government. The deployment and use of firearms is an operational matter for chief constables. Scottish police forces follow guidance contained in the Association of Chief Police Officers'' Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms.
