- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many racist incidents were recorded in each local authority area in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09, broken down by ethnic origin of the victim.
Answer
The information requested is given in tables 1 and 2 of Racist incidents by ethnic group of victim, 2007-08 and 2008-09 published by the Scottish Government in 2010, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib number 50919).
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 27 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates that an increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% would cost the Scottish Prison Service in one year.
Answer
I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:
The actual increase in cost will depend on the value of qualifying expenditure incurred by SPS in any one year. However, based on the expenditure profile incurred during 2009-10, it is estimated that an increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% would have cost the Scottish Prison Service an additional £4 million.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates that an increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% would cost the Scottish Police Services Authority in one year.
Answer
Increasing VAT from 17.5% to 20% would cost the Scottish Police Services Authority an estimated additional £722,000 per annum.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates that an increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% would cost the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency in one year.
Answer
Increasing VAT from 17.5% to 20% would cost the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency an estimated additional £74,000 per annum.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 20 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates that an increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% would cost the Scottish Court Service in one year.
Answer
This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court Service (SCS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCS who will reply in writing.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 20 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-32937 by Kenny MacAskill on 20 April 2010, on what date it plans to publish Audit of Community Service in Scotland: Comparative Study and what plans it has to publish further audits of the operation of community service.
Answer
The
Audit of Community Service in Scotland “ Comparative Study will be published on 20 May and a copy placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 49886). The audit findings will also be accessible on the Scottish Government website.
We are working with partners who provide front-line community justice services to review the scope and collection of future criminal justice social work statistics.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 April 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 11 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the chamber on 25 March 2010 (Official Report c. 25109) that “there are significant problems [with knife crime] in some areas of Edinburgh”, how many offences of handling an offensive weapon were recorded in each police beat in the Lothian and Borders police force area in the last year.
Answer
Offences of handling an offensive weapon
1 recorded by Lothian and Borders Police
2 2008-09:
| Local Authority | Possession of an Offensive Weapon | Restriction of Offensive Weapon | Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point | Total |
| East Lothian | 65 | 0 | 13 | 78 |
| Edinburgh City | 428 | 1 | 270 | 699 |
| Midlothian | 65 | 0 | 29 | 94 |
| West Lothian | 120 | 0 | 81 | 201 |
| Scottish Borders | 78 | 0 | 43 | 121 |
| Lothian and Borders | 756 | 1 | 436 | 1,193 |
Notes:
1. The three categories of crime listed include knives, but could refer to other weapons.
2. The information held centrally cannot be broken down further than local authority area.
Furthermore, I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-32120 on 15 March 2010 which gives the number crimes of handling an offensive weapon recorded by the eight police forces in Scotland, in each of the last five years. This shows that since 2006-07 the number of such crimes recorded has fallen by 11% across Scotland, and by 15.5% in the Lothian and Borders police force area.
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
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 April 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 11 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people convicted of handling an offensive weapon in each of the last 10 years were (a) male and (b) female.
Answer
The available information is given in the following table.
Persons Convicted of Handling an Offensive Weapon1, 1999-2000 to 2008-09
| | Female | Male | All |
| 1999-2000 | 96 | 2,022 | 2,118 |
| 2000-01 | 117 | 2,223 | 2,340 |
| 2001-02 | 121 | 2,512 | 2,633 |
| 2002-03 | 128 | 2,643 | 2,771 |
| 2003-04 | 138 | 2,737 | 2,875 |
| 2004-05 | 179 | 3,268 | 3,447 |
| 2005-06 | 201 | 3,299 | 3,500 |
| 2006-07 | 191 | 3,359 | 3,550 |
| 2007-08 | 207 | 3,215 | 3,422 |
| 2008-09 | 243 | 3,286 | 3,529 |
Note: 1. Where main offence. Handling an offensive weapon covers the crime categories: possession of an offensive weapon, restriction of an offensive weapon and having in a public place an article with a blade or point.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 April 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 11 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people convicted of handling an offensive weapon in each of the last 10 years were on bail at the time of offence.
Answer
Handling an offensive weapon covers the crime categories possession of an offensive weapon, restriction of an offensive weapon and having in a public place an article with a blade or point.
Persons Convicted for Handling an Offensive Weapon1 where a Bail Aggravator2,3 has been Recorded Against the Offence in 2004-05 to 2008-09
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
| 647 | 650 | 711 | 696 | 683 |
Notes:
1. Where main offence.
2. Indicating that the offence was committed while the offender was on bail.
3. The recording of aggravators has improved over time therefore caution is needed when comparing changes over time. 2004-05 is the first year where it has been considered that the use and recording of bail aggravator codes from the Scottish Government Court Proceedings Database has been of sufficient coverage to be used.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 April 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 11 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-28445 by Fergus Ewing on 5 November 2009, how many people convicted of handling an offensive weapon in 2008-09 were aged (a) under 16, (b) 16 to 21, (c) 22 to 30 and (d) over 30 at the time of the offence.
Answer
The available information is given in the following table.
Persons Convicted of Handling an Offensive Weapon1 by age, 2008-09
| Age2,3 | 2008-09 |
| Under 16 | 3 |
| 16-20 | 1,168 |
| 21-30 | 1,296 |
| Over 30 | 1,062 |
| Total | 3,529 |
Notes:
1. Where main offence.
2. Age at date of sentence.
3. The age groups given here are broken down as tables 6(a) and 6(b) of the Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts, 2008-09 statistical bulletin.
