- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned at the finding in The nature and extent of illegal drug and alcohol-related litter in a Scottish social housing community: A photographic investigation by Alasdair J M Forsyth and Neil Davidson that 54% of all discarded glassware was Buckfast tonic wine bottles or their remains and what action it intends to take.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22303 on 21 April 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: Tuesday, 24 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the findings in The nature and extent of illegal drug and alcohol-related litter in a Scottish social housing community: A photographic investigation by Alasdair J M Forsyth and Neil Davidson and what action it intends to take.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not yet seen the study to which the member refers and understands that it has not yet been published, so I am unable to comment on the specifics.
Local authorities have primary responsibility for dealing with litter in their local area and their designated officers, along with the police, have powers to deal with those who litter.
However, the Scottish Government recognises that alcohol and illegal drug use can contribute to antisocial behaviour, including littering, and that this in turn can undermine the safety and wellbeing of our communities. We are taking action on a number of fronts - including through our Framework for Action on Alcohol, our Road to Recovery drugs strategy and Promoting Positive Outcomes: Working Together to Tackle Antisocial Behaviour in Scotland “ in order to address the underlying attitudes and behaviours which contribute to these problems.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned about the consumption of caffeinated alcoholic beverages and their effect on drinkers’ behaviour and, if so, what action it intends to take.
Answer
Research on the effect of mixing caffeine and alcohol is limited and inconclusive. The Scottish Government considers that the main issue is not the consumption of particular drinks or drink combinations but the sheer volume of alcohol that is being consumed in Scotland. Consumption has risen by almost 19% since 1980.
That is why on 2 March we published our Framework for Action on Alcohol (Bib. number 47805) which contains a package of both long and short-term measures which together can deliver a sustainable change in Scotland''s relationship with alcohol.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents where a glass bottle was used as a weapon were recorded in the last year, broken down by police force.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
The Scottish Government does not hold individualised data on any crimes or offences recorded by the eight police forces in Scotland, and as such does not hold information on the nature of the crime or the circumstances that led to the crime being committed. As such it is not possible to identify how many incidents were recorded in the last year where a glass bottle was used as a weapon.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the finding in Alcohol and Violence among Young Male Offenders in Scotland (1979-2009), published in January 2009, that 43.4% of prisoners who admitted to drinking alcohol before their current offence and could remember what they had been drinking had consumed Buckfast tonic wine, what its assessment is of this finding and what action it intends to take.
Answer
Whilst a significant number of the young offenders surveyed in the Alcohol and Violence among Young Offenders report indicated they drank Buckfast, a similar percentage reported drinking spirits (42.0%) and a significant number reported drinking beer (31.0%). The study provides no indication of volume of each type of alcohol drunk or in what combination. More worryingly the report highlights how alcohol misuse among young offenders has increased over the last 20 years, with those reporting they get drunk daily up from 7.3% in 1979 to 40.1% in 2007.
That is why Scottish Government considers that effort needs to focus on reducing the amount of alcohol consumed, particularly by offenders, and its consequences rather than on targeting specific drinks which is likely to be both illegal and lead to the consumption of substitute products.
Our Framework for Action (Bib. number 47805) outlines a robust and comprehensive package of measures to tackle alcohol misuse, including actions which are specifically aimed at reducing and addressing alcohol-related antisocial behaviour and offending. These include: investment in diversionary activities for children and young people; tackling alcohol-related violence directly through the Safer Streets campaign; working with the Violence Reduction Unit to tackle gang-related violence in Glasgow; reviewing the identification and treatment of offenders with alcohol problems, and research into the effectiveness of alcohol brief interventions for offenders.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the scale of the problem of glass bottles being used as weapons.
Answer
All violence, with or without a weapon, is unacceptable and that is why the Scottish Government is working in partnership with local authorities and the national Violence Reduction Unit to support initiatives “ both in licensed premises and in the community - to tackle the problem. The new Licensing Act which will come fully into force on 1 September will give licensing boards more flexibility to introduce specific conditions on licensed premises, such as requiring the use of polycarbonate glass in premises with a history of disorder, and, in our communities, visible and sustained police enforcement continues to be coordinated by the national Violence Reduction Unit through its on-going anti-violence campaign, with much of the focus being on the prevention and detection of weapon carrying. More generally, it is crucial that we begin to educate young people about the dangers of carrying a weapon and that is exactly what our groundbreaking initiatives such as Medics Against Violence and No Knives Better Lives will begin to do.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the finding in Alcohol and Violence among Young Male Offenders in Scotland (1979-2009), published in January 2009, that gang membership could act as a barrier to the cessation of violent offending, what its assessment is of this finding and what action it intends to take.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22244 on 21 April 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: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the finding in Alcohol and Violence among Young Male Offenders in Scotland (1979-2009), published in January 2009, that in 2007 the drug most cited by prisoners who blamed drugs for their current offence was diazepam, what its assessment is of this trend and what action it intends to take.
Answer
I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
The research does not describe a trend in the use of diazepam. The Scottish Prison Service is taking action by publishing the findings of the report and featuring diazepam as an important drug of misuse in its education of prisoners.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it is running to help gang members leave gangs and where.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22244 on 21 April 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: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to deal with specific alcohol products that have been identified as problematic in relation to offending behaviour and that will not be affected by its proposed minimum pricing policy.
Answer
There is strong evidence that a minimum price per unit of alcohol can make a significant contribution to reducing excessive alcohol consumption and the harm caused by such consumption. Alcohol has become nearly 70% more affordable in Scotland since 1980 and consumption has increased by almost 19% over the same period.
We are aware that some of those involved in offending behaviour may choose alcoholic drinks that are already likely to be above any minimum price we might set. But to target particular drinks would be likely to be both illegal and lead to the consumption of substitute products.
Our Framework for Action on Alcohol (Bib. number 47805) makes clear a package of measures are required to change Scotland''s relationship with alcohol. Actions which are specifically aimed at reducing and addressing alcohol-related antisocial behaviour and offending include: investment in diversionary activities for children and young people; tackling alcohol-related violence directly through the Safer Streets campaign, working with the Violence Reduction Unit to tackle gang-related violence in Glasgow, reviewing the identification and treatment of offenders with alcohol problems and research into the effectiveness of alcohol brief interventions for offenders.
