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-21352

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 how many prisoners are held in each young offenders institution and how many have a previous history of incarceration.

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

The number of young offenders held in each young offender''s institution and the number of those who have a previous period in custody is illustrated in the following table. The data is as of 13:15 on 2 March 2009.

Establishment	Total	Previous Period in Custody
Cornton Vale	41	34
Greenock Darroch Hall	30	25
Perth Friarton Hall	59	50
Polmont	624	530

Question reference: S3W-21353

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 how many people are serving short-term prison sentences of under (a) three and (b) six months and, of these, how many have a previous history of incarceration.

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

The following table illustrates the number of prisoners serving less than three months and less than six months and the total of those who have previous periods in custody. The data is as of 14:00 on 2 March 2009.

Sentence	Total	Previous Period in Custody
Less than 3 months	113	108
Less than 6 months and more than or equal to 3 months.	288	254

Sentence

Total

Previous Period

in Custody

Less than 3 months

113

108

Less than 6 months and more than or equal to 3 months.

288

254

Question reference: S3W-21356

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 how many young offenders in each young offenders institution have a learning disability.

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

The Scottish Prison Service does not centrally collate data on the number of young offenders who have a formal diagnosis of learning disability. However, the SPS does seek to address the presenting needs of prisoners identified with learning disability and learning difficulties.

The SPS has reviewed its service provision for learning disability and difficulties and is seeking to implement an improved detection and alerting process to identify such people in custody.

Assessment of learning needs shows that 64% of women offenders and 90% of prisoners in HM YOI Polmont experience communication and literacy difficulties.

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.

Question reference: S3W-21444

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 under what legal or other mechanism minimum alcohol pricing could be introduced.

Question reference: S3W-20726

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under 18 have been detained in police cells for (a) one and (b) more than one night in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) police force and (ii) age.

Question reference: S3F-01488

Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Salmond on 26 February 2009

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government remains opposed to the UK Government’s ID card scheme.

Question reference: S3O-06048

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

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to deal with overcrowding at Polmont Young Offenders Institution.