- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the comments of the chief constable of Grampian Police reported in The Herald on 18 May 2010 that chief constables have been forced into an impossible situation with regard to maintaining police numbers, given that police officers cannot be laid off under law, meaning that civilian cutbacks are the only option available to forces.
Answer
Providing a visible police presence on Scotland''s streets is a priority for the Scottish Government. We are therefore committed to a well resourced police service. Police funding is at a record level in 2010-11 but decisions on future levels of funding can only be taken when the size of the Scottish budget is known.
It is more important than ever that all opportunities for making efficiency savings are taken and that any waste or duplication is removed. The Scottish Government is working closely with the police to ensure that resources for frontline policing are maximised.
Chief constables are responsible for managing police budgets and decisions on the composition of the workforce in each force is a matter for them.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it (a) was aware of senior civil servants advising or (b) instructed senior civil servants to advise chief constables not to reduce police numbers until autumn 2010, when a decrease could be blamed on UK Government spending cuts, and what action it plans to take.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33743 on 1 June 2010. 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: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the 1,000 extra police officers put in place will still be in place on 4 May 2011.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33743 on 1 June 2010. 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: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what role civil servants play in the tripartite arrangement between ministers, chief constables and local police boards.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33743 on 1 June 2010. 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: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police forces it expects to experience budget deficits before the end of the current parliamentary session, broken down by (a) police force and (b) estimated scale of the deficit.
Answer
None. Police funding is at a record level of £1.4 billion in 2010-11. Additional calls for funding have been met, including fully funding the new pension arrangements meaning police forces no longer have to meet the costs of pensions from their running costs. The management of police budgets is a matter for chief constables and police authorities.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the comments by the chief constable of Grampian Police reported in The Herald on 18 May 2010 that he and other chief constables are increasingly concerned by civil servants driving their own agenda and that “The civil servants are now more and more running policing. Five or six years ago, they used to be hard taskmasters but they would still respect and listen to chief constables but now they have grasped the policing agenda as their cause celebre.”
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33743 on 1 June 2010. 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: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the comments by the chief constable of Grampian Police reported in The Herald on 18 May 2010 that “It is meant to be a tripartite arrangement between ministers, chief constables and local police boards. For civil servants to be taking over is extremely concerning.”
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33743 on 1 June 2010. 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: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of statements by chief constables reported in The Herald on 18 May 2010 that senior civil servants from the Directorate General for Justice and Communities are “driving their own agenda by ignoring looming budget deficits” and encouraging chief constables to delay reducing police numbers until autumn 2010 so that a decrease could be blamed on UK Government spending cuts.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33743 on 1 June 2010. 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: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is committed to maintaining funding for 1,000 extra police officers for the duration of the current parliamentary session.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33743 on 1 June 2010. 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: Wednesday, 19 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has instructed chief constables to start cutting back the number of (a) police officers and (b) civilian staff and, if so, when and by how many.
Answer
No such instruction has been issued. It is a matter for chief constables to decide on the composition of the workforce within each force.
