Chamber and committees

Information on recorded crime for specific months is not held centrally. As such, we are not aware of any other police force, at this time, that has recorded an increase in the number of crimes of dishonesty in recent months.

The latest official figures for recorded crime, and in particular, crimes of dishonesty, can be found in the Recorded Crime in Scotland 2007-08 Statistical Bulletin (Bib. number 46684).

Information on recorded crime for specific months is not held centrally, however annual information on recorded crimes of dishonesty for financial year 2007-08 is contained in the following table.

Recorded Crimes of Dishonesty - 2007-08

Police Force	Number
Central	8,179
Dumfries and Galloway	2,961
Fife	11,436
Grampian	17,701
Lothian and Borders	33,975
Northern	5,739
Strathclyde	73,424
Tayside	13,303
All Scotland	166,718

 

The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 puts in place provisions which will prevent licensed premises taking part in irresponsible promotions. Furthermore, Licensing Boards will be able to review the premises licence on any ground relevant to one or more of the licensing objectives. The licensing objectives include preventing public nuisance and protecting and improving public health. We will encourage and support Licensing Boards to use their powers under the 2005 act to crack down on irresponsible practices and irresponsible retailing once the act comes fully into force on 1 September 2009.

The land has been acquired, the necessary site investigations carried out and the design team is working closely with all partners to create a unique and innovative facility.

The project is on course to begin construction work next year, with occupation starting in 2011, subject to contract.

The power to exclude a pupil for any reason, including substance misuse, rests with education authorities. It is, therefore, for education authorities in conjunction with schools to take decisions on exclusions based on the individual circumstances of the case. The Scottish Government is developing new guidance on exclusion to support education authorities in taking these decisions.

The Scottish Government has established an expert steering group on substance misuse education in schools to produce advice, guidance and proposals aimed at helping schools and authorities to achieve the improvements sought through Curriculum for Excellence.

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

Sex Offender Treatment Programmes are currently delivered at four Scottish Prison Service (SPS) sites “ HM Prisons Peterhead, Edinburgh, Barlinnie and HM YOI Polmont. There are no plans at present to roll out the delivery of Sex Offender Treatment Programmes to other prisons.

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

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is in the process of commissioning a new rolling format sex offender programme to meet the needs of a larger proportion of the sex offender population. This will also streamline the selection process for sex offender programmes.

The SPS is reviewing case management procedures for all prisoners to develop a more coherent Integrated Case Management (ICM) process.

These steps will allow for increased for Sex Offender Treatment Programme delivery.

We are currently consulting on a revised set of looked after children regulations, following extensive re-drafting in light of consultation earlier this year. In the consultation document we restate our intention to repeal the existing regulation prohibiting same-sex couples from fostering. We plan to lay the looked after children regulations in March 2009, at the same time as the regulations accompanying the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, for them to come into force in June 2009.

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

Yes.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is currently gathering reoffending information on prisoners who have, and who have not completed the Sex Offender Treatment Programmes. It is anticipated that reconviction data for 2000-04 will be available in early 2009.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17759 on 18 November 2008. 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.