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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 2136 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S3W-22857

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders sentenced to serve a community service order in 2008 are still waiting to start their order, broken down by local authority area and waiting time since sentencing.

Question reference: S3W-22853

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of offenders sentenced to serve a community service order had their first appointment with a criminal justice social worker within (a) one day, (b) seven days and (c) one month of sentencing in 2008, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S3W-22851

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the longest waiting time between sentence and the commencement of a community service order was in each quarter since May 2007, broken down by local authority area.

Historically the data requested has not been held centrally. Recognising the need for more information, the government commissioned an audit of individual local authority performance of start and completion timescales in respect of community service orders based on late 2008 data. The results of the audit, which will be repeated in 12 months time, were lodged with the Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre on 27 April (Bib. number 47783).

Question reference: S3W-22856

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders sentenced to serve a community service order in March 2009 are still waiting to start their order.

Question reference: S3W-22854

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders sentenced to serve a community service order in January 2009 are still waiting to start their order.

Question reference: S3W-22855

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders sentenced to serve a community service order in February 2009 are still waiting to start their order.

Question reference: S3W-24828

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the average number of hours prisoners spend working per week has increased since May 2007.

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

The SPS does not record this information, in the manner requested.

The SPS currently records offender development hours (ODH) as the measure for recording prisoners development activity.

The total ODH''s for all establishments for the last three financial years are as follows:

2006-07	2,118,993
2007-08	2,352,888
2008-09	2,456,518

Question reference: S3W-24822

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that every sex offender released from prison receives adequate preparation for release while in prison.

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

Ideally every sex offender would have effectively completed a Sex Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP), would have effectively completed any other prisoner programme appropriate for addressing all aspects of their offending behaviour, would have been tested in less secure conditions prior to release through time spent in open conditions, community work placements and home leave, and their continuing risk robustly assessed and effectively managed for their time in prison and to inform ongoing supervision in the community.

However, the reality is that a significant number of this group of prisoners either deny their offence, or minimise their involvement, or minimise the effects on the victim or on society.

Therefore some either refuse to participate in appropriate interventions or are assessed as unsuitable. The options for testing in less secure conditions is subject to robust risk assessments with public safety being the paramount outcome resulting in fewer being assessed as suitable for these opportunities than is the case for other prisoners serving sentences for other offences.

This leaves the assessment of the risk they represent and the supervision arrangements for managing this risk. All sex offenders are assessed using nationally agreed risk assessment tools, they are subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) and the majority are subject to statutory supervision under the terms of the Sex Offenders (Scotland) Act 2006.

Consequently, whilst every effort is made to encourage sex offenders to address their offending behaviour whilst in prison, the attitudes that some sex offenders display and the management of their risk with the focus on public safety can restrict the opportunities available to them. However, each will have had adequate preparation for release within the context of their willingness to participate, their suitability for appropriate interventions and the arrangements for managing their risk.

SPS continues to explore options to encourage sex offenders to actively participate in interventions to address their offending behaviour and to form partnerships with external providers to expand the opportunities available to them.

Question reference: S3W-24821

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the comments in HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland: Annual Report 2008-09 in relation to sex offenders that there is an “absence of any real testing in the community before release” and that “a cornerstone of the preparation for release of the most serious offenders is that they participate in a pattern of community placements and home leaves and open prison, as their responsibility for their own actions is tested in increasing degrees of freedom before release” and what action it will take to address this.

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

Preparation for release during an individual''s custodial sentence includes, where appropriate, access to opportunities in less secure conditions.

As with other prisoners, sex offenders have the same opportunity of transfer to open conditions and accessing community placements, home leave (subject to a suitable home/hostel being available) and special escorted leave (SEL), provided that the risk that they represent can be appropriately managed in this way. These risk assessments not only review the risk to the public but also the risk to the offender taking up these opportunities, both of which can determine an individual''s suitability. Sex offenders can also refuse the option of transfer to open or less secure conditions as this takes them out of protection areas within closed prisons and places them in mainstream accommodation.

The primary concern of SPS has to be their responsibility for public protection which explains why comparatively fewer sex offenders gain community access prior to their formal release date.

SPS continues to explore options with appropriate partner agencies.

Question reference: S3W-24819

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the comment in HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland: Annual Report 2008-09 in relation to sex offenders that “equally disturbing is the fact that there is very little statistical evidence in the UK that the Sex Offender Treatment Programme makes a difference” and what action it will take to address this.

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

The Home Office have conducted research on the treatment impact of the Sexual Offending Treatment Programme (SOTP) in England and Wales, where there is a higher number of prisoners who participate on the programme and therefore a greater research base for the outcomes. Findings indicate a lower rate of reconviction for sex offenders in the medium to low risk and medium to high risk groups and minimal treatment impact for the very low risk or very high risk sex offenders groups.

SPS regularly scans international research literature on sexual offending to inform its understanding of programme effectiveness and will continue to do so. This information is currently informing the development of a new SOTP.