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-20818

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders prohibited offenders from wearing clothing associated with a gang in each of the last two years.

Question reference: S3W-20817

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders prohibited offenders from entering a gang territory in each of the last two years.

Question reference: S3W-20685

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were held on remand in 2007-08, broken down by police board area.

Question reference: S3W-20683

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were subject to bail supervision orders in 2007-08.

Question reference: S3W-20682

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were subject to bail supervision orders in 2006-07.

Question reference: S3W-20684

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were held on remand in 2006-07, broken down by police board area.

Question reference: S3W-20455

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions were brought under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 that were dealt with by a direct measure in the Grampian Police area in 2007-08, broken down by type of offence.

A total of 4,291 charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 were reported to Procurators Fiscal in the Grampian Police Area in 2007-08. Of these, 442 (10%) have been dealt with by means of a Direct Measure. The following table provides a breakdown by charge:

Section of Act	Charge Description	Total Number of Charges
S5(2)	Possession of controlled drug	434
S23(4)(a)	Obstruct police	4
S4(3)(b)	Concerned in the supplying of a controlled drug	2
S5(3)	Possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply	1
S4(2)(a)	Produce a controlled drug	1
Grand Total		442

Notes:

1. The three charges involving supply of or possession with intent to supply a controlled drug “ Sections 4(3)(b) and 5(3) “ were dealt with by referral to the Reporter to the Children''s Panel. The charge involving production of a controlled drug involved a middle-aged man found to be growing two cannabis plants in his house for his personal use who accepted a fiscal fine of £300.

2. The information in this table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service''s Case Management Database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency the database will record details only of the amended charge.

3. The database is charge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges rather than the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave rise to such charges.

Question reference: S3W-20454

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions were dealt with by a direct measure in the Grampian Police area in 2007-08, broken down by type of offence.

The period referred to largely pre-dates the introduction on 10 March 2008 of the enhanced range of direct measures provided for in the Criminal Proceedings etc (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007.

Of the 45,218 charges reported to Procurators Fiscal by the Police or Specialist Reporting Agencies in the Grampian Police Area in 2007-08, 5,988 (13%) have been dealt with by means of a direct measure.

For the purposes of compiling statistical data the term direct measures is normally used to refer to all disposals that do not involve either a decision by the Procurator Fiscal to take no action or a decision to initiate court proceedings. It therefore includes disposals such as referral to the Reporter to the Children''s Panel which involve referring the case to another competent authority, rather than direct action by the Procurator Fiscal.

The following table provides a breakdown of the direct measures used in the 5,988 charges referred to above:

Direct Measure	Number of Charges	% of Total Charges Reported
Road Traffic Fixed Penalty	1,758	4%
Warning	1,669	4%
Referred to Reporter to the Children''s Panel	1,192	3%
Fiscal Fine	1,130	2%
Diversion from Prosecution Schemes	167	<1%
Combined Offer (Fiscal Fine + Compensation) (only available from 10 March 2008)	72	<1%
Grand Total	5,988	13%

There were 295 different charges where a direct measure was offered. The top 10 such charges (which account for 53% of the charges where a direct measure was used) are as follows:

Charge Description	Number of Charges	% of Total
Breach of the Peace	795	13%
Assault	459	8%
Possession of controlled drug	434	7%
Vandalism	355	6%
Theft by shoplifting	254	4%
Driver fail to wear seatbelt	225	4%
Drive motor vehicle while using a hand held mobile telephone	178	3%
Exceed 30 mph - Local Order	174	3%
Use/Install a television receiver without a licence	168	3%
No MOT	161	3%

Notes:

1. The information in these tables has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service''s Case Management Database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency the database will record details only of the amended charge.

2. The database is charge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges rather than the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave rise to such charges.

Question reference: S3W-20611

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Home Office following the crime prevention summit held by the Home Secretary on 4 February 2009.

Question reference: S3W-20679

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many breaches to bail orders were recorded by Grampian Police in 2006-07.

The following table shows the number of bail offences recorded in Grampian in 2006-07.

Bail Offences Recorded in Grampian, by Local Authority, 2006-07

Local Authority	Failing to Appear for Trial having been given Court Bail	Bail Offences other than Absconding/Re-Offending	Total
Aberdeen City	-	232	232
Aberdeenshire	-	181	181
Moray	-	182	182
All Grampian	-	595	595