- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 20 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Table 10 of the Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts, 2007/08, what assessment it has made of the finding that 96% of people jailed for shoplifting received custodial sentences of six months or less.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30679 on 20 January 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: Friday, 08 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the new Framework Contract for the Provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription services will save the Scottish Court Service money and, if so, how much.
Answer
The framework contract provides for a more efficient procurement process for all collaborative partners. Requests for interpretation and translation services are demand driven.
Being party to the framework contract ensures that Scottish Court Service benefits from the best commercial rates available through open competition.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many interpretation assignments have been undertaken by the Scottish Court Service in each month of the last two years, broken down by interpreters (a) with and (b) without a Diploma in Public Service Interpreting.
Answer
Information sought relative to the period prior to the inception of the Framework Contract for the Provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription Services is not held centrally.
The information for the period since the Scottish Court Service opted in to the Framework Contract in August 2009 is set out in the following table. The contractors are required to increase the numbers of interpreters with DPSI qualifications year on year, the progress of which will be monitored by government officials.
| 2009 | Assignments | DPSI | Non-DPSI |
| August | 217 | 36 | 181 |
| September | 339 | 75 | 264 |
| October | 660 | 110 | 550 |
| November | 792 | 159 | 533 |
| December | 508 | 114 | 394 |
The final column of the table indicates the number of interpreters attending court in that period who did not hold the DPSI accreditation, but who held equivalent qualifications or experience in the requested language, and which qualifications and experience have been considered satisfactory by the court.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost to provide interpretation by a single interpreter in a court case (a) was prior to and (b) is under the new Framework Contract for the Provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription Services.
Answer
The information sought is not currently available owing to the short time that has elapsed since Scottish Court Service opted in to the framework contract.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the introduction of the new Framework Contract for the Provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription services was motivated by a desire to reduce costs.
Answer
The collaborative procurement was intended to improve the quality of service and deliver improved value for money through reducing duplicated procurement effort on the part of the courts (prior to introduction of the contract each court purchased individually). We are not aware of any evidence to suggest that the new arrangements have adversely affected the quality of interpreting services provided to the Scottish Criminal Justice System. The new contracts are monitored and to date there have been no reports of contractors failing to meet agreed levels of service.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Scottish Court Service has spent on interpretation services in each month of the last three years.
Answer
The monthly costs (in £s) incurred by Scottish Court Service on interpretation services over the past three years are as detailed in the following table.
| | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| January | 73,559 | 77,244 | 52,340 |
| February | 88,136 | 65,446 | 125,563 |
| March | 51,603 | 73,581 | 124,683 |
| April | 36,908 | 53,140 | 53,752 |
| May | 40,342 | 64,484 | 126,908 |
| June | 75,930 | 49,336 | 141,267 |
| July | 93,015 | 29,361 | 148,527 |
| August | 77,136 | 173,470 | 64,443 |
| September | 77,256 | 84,197 | 148,916 |
| October | 73,439 | 85,741 | 25,105 |
| November | 87,610 | 87,794 | 122,658 |
| December | 43,949 | 136,423 | 110,617 |
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what agencies and functions it will locate at the Scottish Crime Campus.
Answer
The Scottish Crime Campus will provide accommodation for the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and its partner agencies involved in tackling serious organised crime in Scotland. These agencies include parts of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and HM Revenue and Customs. The site will also provide a new forensic science laboratory. For operational and security reasons it would not be appropriate to publish details of all of the functions moving to the site.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it anticipates that each agency or function will move to the Scottish Crime Campus.
Answer
Subject to contract the first agency is expected to move into the Scottish Crime Campus by the end of 2012 with full occupation expected by mid-2013. This plan takes account of the demands placed on some of the agencies as a result of their involvement with security for the 2012 Olympics.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be sufficient space for all agencies involved in the Scottish Crime Campus at the Gartcosh site.
Answer
Yes. The building will provide accommodation for over 1,100 staff and the design team has worked closely with all the participating agencies to ensure the new building meets their staffing and operational requirements, including an allowance for some future expansion.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27576 by Kenny MacAskill on 30 September 2009, on what date it expects the Scottish Crime Campus to be fully operational with all functions and staff located at the facility.
Answer
Subject to contract, the crime campus is expected to become fully operational by the middle of 2013.
