- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have been prosecuted for buying alcohol for under-18s in each year that this has been an offence and what the level of punishment was in each case.
Answer
The following table gives the number of people prosecuted for this offence under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976.
Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Purchasing Excise Liquor for Consumption by Persons Aged Under 18 1, 1977-78 to 2006-07
| Financial Year | Main Result of Proceedings |
| Not Guilty | Admonished | Community Sentence | Monetary Penalty | Custody | Other Penalty2 | Total |
| 1977-78 | 3 | 6 | - | 65 | - | 1 | 75 |
| 1978-79 | 5 | 7 | - | 71 | - | 2 | 85 |
| 1979-80 | 4 | 5 | - | 62 | - | - | 71 |
| 1980-81 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 68 | - | - | 81 |
| 1981-82 | 6 | 8 | - | 35 | - | - | 49 |
| 1982-83 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 45 | - | 1 | 56 |
| 1983-84 | 11 | 9 | - | 55 | - | 2 | 77 |
| 1984-85 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 42 | - | - | 50 |
| 1985-86 | 7 | 5 | - | 43 | - | 1 | 56 |
| 1986-87 | 4 | 3 | - | 34 | - | - | 41 |
| 1987-88 | 6 | 5 | - | 59 | - | - | 70 |
| 1988-89 | 11 | 5 | - | 68 | - | - | 84 |
| 1989-90 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 52 | - | 1 | 70 |
| 1990-91 | 7 | 8 | - | 42 | 1 | 1 | 59 |
| 1991-92 | 4 | 4 | - | 50 | - | - | 58 |
| 1992-93 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 43 | - | - | 57 |
| 1993-94 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 44 | - | - | 55 |
| 1994-95 | 6 | 6 | - | 49 | - | - | 61 |
| 1995-96 | 9 | 4 | - | 60 | - | 1 | 74 |
| 1996-97 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 94 | - | 2 | 109 |
| 1997-98 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 109 | 1 | - | 138 |
| 1998-99 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 54 | - | - | 77 |
| 1999-2000 | 2 | 2 | - | 33 | - | - | 37 |
| 2000-01 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 41 | - | 1 | 55 |
| 2001-02 | 7 | 5 | - | 48 | - | - | 60 |
| 2002-03 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 32 | - | - | 41 |
| 2003-04 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 49 | - | - | 58 |
| 2004-05 | 5 | 2 | - | 48 | - | - | 55 |
| 2005-06 | 3 | 11 | - | 71 | - | 2 | 87 |
| 2006-07 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 76 | - | - | 98 |
Notes:
1. Where main offence.
2. For example: Admonition and absolute discharge.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available for alcohol referral schemes in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11, expressed in real terms.
Answer
The Scottish Government provides funding for alcohol services through NHS boards and local alcohol and drug action teams (ADATs). It is for ADATs and boards to decide which services to fund based on identified local need.
£24.86 million has been distributed to NHS boards in 2008-09 to fund alcohol services. Funding allocations to boards for 2009-10 and 2010-11 have not yet been finalised.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been given to licence holders with regard to customers buying alcohol for under-18s.
Answer
Guidance is given to prospective personal licence holders as part of the training required by the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Before a personal licence can be granted, the applicant must possess a licensing qualification. The training which leads to the award of a qualification includes training in respect of the offences under the Act.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were born to women in prison in the last five years.
Answer
I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
Since November 2003, 24 babies have been born to mothers in custody.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is encouraging police forces to work in partnership with local authorities, health and other agencies to establish best practice in dealing with drunk and incapable people.
Answer
The Scottish Government, working with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, the Scottish Ambulance Service and the NHS, commissioned research on drunk and incapable people in June 2008. This aims to identify the potential scale of the problem in Scotland, and to identify different models of support practised by all relevant agencies including local authorities, both in Scotland and elsewhere, to establish the key elements of successful approaches.
A set of conclusions and recommendations on how best to manage people who are drunk and incapable to help alleviate the unnecessary pressure on emergency services is expected in the New Year.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the thematic inspection report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland on medical services for people in police custody.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomes this report and recommendations which provide a valuable opportunity to reassess how medical services are provided in police custody in Scotland. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is considering the report and its recommendations and will take action as appropriate.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the Tayside Psychiatric Assessment Protocol is used as a model of good practice by other police forces across Scotland.
Answer
Provision of medical services in police custody is determined at a local level. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is considering the report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland on medical services for people in police custody and will take action as appropriate.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-12371 by Shona Robison on 9 May 2008, what targets it has in place and what action it is taking to reduce the number of under-18s admitted to hospital accident and emergency departments suffering from alcohol-related problems.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no central target in place in relation to this.
In June 2008, we published our discussion document Changing Scotland''s Relationship with Alcohol which outlined a robust package of measures to tackle alcohol misuse. We are currently analysing the responses to this consultation and our next steps will be announced early in 2009.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on the National Conversation.
Answer
Expenditure on the National Conversation supports delivery of our manifesto commitment to give the Scottish people the opportunity to debate, reflect and then decide Scotland''s constitutional future in a referendum.
The design, publication, translation and launch of Choosing Scotland''s Future cost approximately £48,000. National Conversation events organised and paid for by the Scottish Government have so far cost approximately £44,000, including a one-off cost for branding and staging materials which will be used throughout the conversation. Funding of £87,000 over two years has been made available to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and Young Scot to facilitate the National Conversation among the third sector and young people respectively.
All expenditure on the National Conversation has been met from existing budgets.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is given to accident and emergency departments on whether under-18s admitted suffering from alcohol-related problems should be referred to alcohol counselling or support services.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not issued any such guidance. These are decisions made by clinicians on the basis of their own clinical judgement and on a case-by-case basis.
