Chamber and committees

An extensive review of the existing evidence base was undertaken to inform the Changing Scotland''s relationship with alcohol discussion document.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with NHS Health Scotland and Information Services Division, published an update of the Scottish Alcohol Research Framework in June 2008. The framework identifies priority areas for new research to help inform policy development, including the need for further analysis of consumption patterns across population sub-groups, of which older adults is one. The framework is available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/930/0061845.pdf.

The reduction in the rate of VAT is expected to result in a saving of approximately £125,000.

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

Prisoners coming into custody are assessed for Substance Misuse issues, which include alcohol-related problems. Prisoners with an identified need are offered medical intervention, groupwork and one to one motivational support.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) offers an Alcohol Awareness Programme at Aberdeen, Barlinnie, Cornton Vale, Edinburgh, Glenochil, Greenock, Inverness, Perth, Peterhead, Polmont and Shotts prisons. While this can be delivered in open prisons the SPS believes it is better that prisoners'' needs are addressed prior to being transferred to an open prison. SPS also operates a Substance Related Offending Behaviour Programme for offenders with either alcohol and/or drug issues that consists of around 120 hours of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. This is for very high, high and medium risk offenders and is currently being delivered in Aberdeen, Cornton Vale, Barlinnie, Edinburgh, Glenochil, Polmont and Shotts prisons.

Access to Alcoholics Anonymous and other community agencies providing services in prison are also available.

The drop in the use by the courts of DTTOs in 2007-08 is disappointing, although fluctuations from year to year are to be expected. The position across Scotland also varies significantly from area to area and we are therefore asking the Chief Officers of the Community Justice Authorities to assess the situation within their own areas with a view to identifying what steps may be needed locally to encourage courts to make greater use of this order.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-18729 on 9 January 2009. Our commitment to Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) remains strong. We are contacting the Chief Officers of the Community Justice Authorities to ask them to assess what measures are needed in their areas to encourage courts to make greater use of this order. In addition, we are piloting the use of DTTOs for lower tariff offenders in the majority of the courts in Lothians and Borders. The pilot, which started in June 2008 for a two year period, will be subject to independent evaluation.

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.

We are taking further steps to reduce breach by more pro-active sentence management. The proposals we announced on 17 December in response to the report of the Scottish Prisons Commission set out our plans for regular sentence review as part of the new Community Payback Sentence. In addition the aim is to speed up and simplify how breaches are handled.

It will not be possible to eliminate breach but the intention is to send strong signals to offenders who fail to comply with the terms of their sentence that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

The specific factors contributing to this increase are not easy to identify, although there was an increase in 2007-08 in the overall number of orders given. Breach rates fluctuate from year to year and also from order to order. Criminal justice social work practice in relation to breach applications is determined by the framework set out in National Objectives and Standards for the service.

Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) are high tariff disposals, which make stringent demands on a very challenging client group. Offenders on DTTOs are subject to monthly review hearings by the court, which provides opportunity for issues of non-compliance, where these occur, to be dealt with at an early stage. Where a breach is formally reported to the court, it is for the court to determine what sanction should be applied.

As we indicated in our strategy for the management of offenders Protecting Scotland''s Communities we are currently piloting the use of DTTOs for lower tariff offenders, and will revisit the current sentences for drug related offending after that pilot is complete in 2010.

More generally, and in line with the new national drugs strategy The Road to Recovery, we are seeking to ensure that all services providing treatment and rehabilitation for people with problem drug use, including those subject to DTTOs, have the individual''s recovery as their explicit aim. As stated in the strategy, this requires that a range of appropriate treatment and rehabilitation services must be available at a local level. In the longer term, services which more effectively promote recovery should make a positive contribution to the successful completion rate of DTTOs.

In 2007-08 the number of breach applications made in respect of Supervised Attendance Orders increased by 17%. However, this was against the backdrop of a 46% increase in the number of such orders that same year, which suggests that the overall breach ratio of breaches to orders made reduced.

We announced on 17 December our intention to replace the existing sentences of Community Service, Probation and the Supervised Attendance Order with a single Community Payback Sentence. Judges will have power to set review hearings to monitor progress on the new sentence, so that problems can be picked up and dealt with as early as possible.

There are many factors behind breach rates as recorded in the statistics, including more stringent reporting of breaches. Many breaches relate to failure to observe exactly the terms of the order - for example, turning up late to a work placement or failing to notify a change of address. In 2007-08, the courts revoked an order and imposed a custodial sentence in relation to only 17% of reported breaches.