- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be 17,278 or more full-time equivalent police officers in Scotland in May 2011.
Answer
Official statistics revealed that on 30 June there were already 17,278 police officers in Scotland, the highest number ever on record. This means that the Scottish Government has reached its target of having 1,000 more police officers in Scotland compared to the 16,234 officers when we came to power.
The Police Force Projection Study which was published on 18 March modelled the likely officer numbers as at March 2011. This shows that officer numbers in March 2011 are likely to be between 17,275 and 17,484. The central point in this range is 17,391.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 8 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-26694 by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2009, whether it considers that under the terms of the bilateral prisoner transfer agreement (PTA) between the UK and Libyan governments there is no obligation to meet a prisoner in prison but rather a suggestion that any prisoner subject to the PTA should be “invited to make written representations”, which should then be taken into account when determining whether or not the transfer should proceed.
Answer
The terms of the Prisoner Transfer Agreement between the UK and Libya make no reference to the views of the prisoner into account. As outlined in my statements on 20 and 24 August, the commitment that a prisoner should be able to make representations was given by the Secretary of State. The reasons for my visit to Mr Megrahi were set out in those statements, and again in the debate on 2 September.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 8 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-26717 by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2009, for what reason this information is not available and whether it intends to collect such information in future.
Answer
A large volume of correspondence has been received, in a variety of formats and by a variety of routes, expressing views either supportive of or opposing the decisions I took in relation to Mr Megrahi. It would not be a good use of public resources to spend time simply counting and categorising this correspondence.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 7 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate was briefed with details of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi’s current medical condition prior to court proceedings in the High Court to have Mr Al Megrahi’s second appeal against his conviction dropped.
Answer
I was not briefed with details of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi''s current medical condition prior to his abandonment of his appeal against conviction.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the comments of the First Minister on the BBC programme Good Morning Scotland on 21 August 2009 that the Cabinet Secretary for Justice received advice from officials in the Justice and Communities Directorate on the decision to visit Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi at HMP Greenock, whether it agrees that the content of this advice is firmly in the public interest and should be released as a matter of urgency.
Answer
The advice has been published and is available at
www.scotland.gov.uk/lockerbie.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) on what date, (b) at what time and (c) by what means the Cabinet Secretary for Justice officially notified the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was to be released on compassionate grounds.
Answer
The families of the victims were notified in an email sent at 13:03 on 20 August, as I stood up to begin my statement. Those who did not have email access were contacted by telephone at the same time.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive at what date and time the Cabinet Secretary for Justice received the recommendation from the Parole Board to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi on compassionate grounds.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26720 on 4 September 2009. 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: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many American victims of the Lockerbie bombing the Cabinet Secretary for Justice met during his recent video conference, (b) how many video conferences were held between the Cabinet Secretary and the American victims, (c) what the duration was of each video conference and (d) what contact was made with families that were unable to meet by video call.
Answer
At my request I held a video conference with 11 family members of victims from the United States on 9 July. Arrangements for attendance were made through the Victims of Pan-Am Flight 103 organisation. The video conference lasted around 90 minutes. Many family members from the United States and elsewhere made written representations, and these were taken into account in reaching my decisions. The note of the videoconference has been published and is available at
www.scotland.gov.uk/lockerbie.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive for what purpose the Cabinet Secretary for Justice met Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi in HMP Greenock on 5 August 2009 and whether he intends to visit any other convicted murderers in custody with appeals pending.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26500 on 1 September 2009. 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: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive at what date and time the Cabinet Secretary for Justice received each representation and piece of information which he considered in reaching his decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi from HMP Greenock on compassionate grounds.
Answer
The final advice on the applications for prisoner transfer and compassionate release were sent to my office at 17:50 on 14 August 2009.
