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: S3W-21330

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have received training in the use of Taser guns, broken down by police board area.

Only Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs) in Scotland are trained in the use of Taser guns. All AFOs receive this training.

AFO Numbers by Force as at 27 November 2008

Dumfries and Galloway	50
Lothian and Borders	107
Strathclyde	197
Tayside	67
Central	43
Fife	72
Grampian	119
Northern	66
British Transport Police	0
Total	721

Question reference: S3W-21332

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether anyone has been significantly injured by a Taser gun used by a police officer.

Question reference: S3W-21334

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether police forces are allowed to use Taser guns other than in deployments involving conventional firearms.

Question reference: S3W-20756

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have been recruited in each of the last eight quarters, broken down by police authority.

Question reference: S3W-20754

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the approved establishment numbers were for each police authority in each of the last eight quarters.

Question reference: S3W-20755

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers were in post in each of the last eight quarters, broken down by police authority.

Question reference: S3O-06118

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the advantages would be of the acquisition of borrowing powers.

Question reference: S3W-21349

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) design capacity and (b) safe operating limits are for each young offenders institution.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

The design capacity and Assessed Operation Limit for each young offenders institution is illustrated in the following table.

Establishment	Design Capacity	AOL
Polmont	623	700
Greenock Darroch Hall	57	54
Perth Friarton Hall	89	89

Question reference: S3W-21354

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what alcohol rehabilitation programmes are available to prisoners under 21 years old who offended while under the influence of alcohol and how many places on such programmes are available in (a) Scotland and (b) YOI Polmont.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

In 2007-08 a total of 944 substance related interventions were delivered in Scottish prisons against a target of 800. Of these 139 (14.7%) were delivered to prisoners under 21-years-old of which 92 (9.7%) were delivered in Polmont. These interventions are either alcohol specific or include this under the wider heading of substance misuse.

During 2008-09 delivery of the Substance Related Offending Behaviour Programme was extended to HM YOI Polmont, HMP and YOI Cornton Vale, HMP Barlinnie, HMP Edinburgh and HMP Glenochil.

The following prisons currently holding young offenders now deliver the listed Substance Misuse interventions:

HM YOI Polmont: Alcohol Awareness, First Step and Substance Related Offending Behaviour Programme.

HMP and YOI Cornton Vale: Alcohol Awareness, Drugs Action for Change and Substance Related Offending Behaviour Programme.

HMP Greenock: Alcohol Awareness and Drugs Action for Change.

HMP Perth: Alcohol Awareness and First Step.

In addition, offenders also have access to Alcoholics Anonymous and the Enhanced Addictions Casework Service (EACS). This provides a range of interventions and in-prison support to those serving 31 days or over and sets up throughcare referrals, based on agreed criteria, with external service providers to ensure continuation of support in the community.

Question reference: S3W-21445

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its policy to introduce minimum alcohol pricing would require an exemption to be sought under the Competition Act 1998.