Chamber and committees

No such targets are set for local authorities. The provision of Fiscal Work Orders is governed by the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, as amended, which provides that both the decision to send a work offer, and the subsequent decision to impose a work order, is one for Prosecutors to consider on a case by case basis.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Where possible, local Fiscal Work Order (FWO) schemes should harness the potential of local organisations to both provide activities and be involved in carrying them out. Local authorities are required to appoint a supervising officer in relation to each individual made subject to a FWO, and it is the responsibility of the supervising officer to determine the nature of work which that individual is required to perform. As with other community disposals, local authorities may provide and manage the prescribed activities themselves, or contract with another agency or agencies to do so on their behalf.

To date, the Scottish Government has received 27 public representations in support of the application and 245 in opposition.

The consideration that officials and Ministers have been required to give to this proposal has been complex and time consuming. Now that the Public Local Inquiry is complete Scottish Ministers are considering the terms of the report and should be in a position to make a decision in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-01213 on 22 July 2016. We have also legislated, through the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014, to ensure that those who report sexual offences should be able to choose the gender of their police interviewer. Additionally, last year, we awarded just under £2 million to Rape Crisis centres to enhance the support available for survivors of sexual violence (including advocacy), and in June the Equalities Secretary announced £844K of support for Rape Crisis Scotland and local centres.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

 

The training of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland’s policing response is victim focused at all times and every police officer is given 'First Responder Training' during their initial course at the Police College of Scotland, this includes training which highlights the issues a victim faces when reporting sexual crime to the police. Police Scotland also has a cadre of experienced and dedicated Sexual Offences Liaison Officers who are specially trained to interview victims of sexual crime and provide the critical link between the victim and the enquiry team.

 

<>The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment of Police Scotland's estate. Assessment and maintenance of the police service are matters for the Scottish Police Authority.

In June 2015, the Scottish Police Authority approved an estate strategy for Police Scotland, to support improved service delivery by transforming the police estate into one which was modern, flexible and fit for future policing across Scotland.

Work continues to implement this strategy, a key element of which is an evaluation of the current police estate. The evaluation is built upon an assessment of service demand. The supply of premises from the existing estate is considered to assess whether it matches that demand and whether buildings are the right size, in the right place and in the right condition to support the effective and efficient delivery of police services to the communities of Scotland.

The chair of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) published his review of governance in policing on 23 March 2016: http://www.spa.police.uk/about-us/governancereview. The publication included an indicative timescale for delivery. Updates on the review are being presented at SPA public board meetings on a quarterly basis.

Rape is a heinous crime, and the Scottish Government is committed to supporting victims and tackling perpetrators. The police prioritise a strong response to rape; Police Scotland, after its creation in 2013, established the National Rape Task Force and Domestic Abuse Task Force to target the most prolific perpetrators, as well as ensuring there are Divisional Rape Investigation Units in every local policing division in Scotland.

As the First Minister advised in response to your question at FMQs on 2 June 2016, the Scottish Government has prioritised the allocation of resources to review how health boards undertake forensic medical examinations of sexual offence victims. This work will shortly be underway so as to help understand the current provision including in relation to the locations of the examinations in different parts of Scotland and also the gender of the examiner in different parts of Scotland.

Marine Scotland issues a variety of consents, licences and other permissions relating to a wide range of marine activities.

The following table summarises those issued by Marine Scotland Sea Fisheries, Licensing Operations Team , Science and Aquaculture divisions from 2010 to date.

	Total since 2010	(a) were refused	(b) required environmental impact assessment	(c) required appropriate assessment of their effect on European wildlife sites
Sea fisheries licences	0	0	0	0	No new sea fisheries licences have been issued since 1990
Authorisations to fishing vessels to enter Scottish administration	106	0	0	0	From 2013 when the official application process was introduced
Authorizations to fishing vessels to leave Scottish administration	80	4	0	0	From 2013 when the official application process was introduced
Fishing Derogations	192	0	0	0	Derogations are issued for research purposes: Records start September 2010. Derogations are generally issued once an applicant has provided sufficient detail of the proposed trial.
Licences under the Marine Scotland Act (includes FEPA licences issued between 01/01/2010 and 31/01/2011 which are deemed marine licences)	3143	12	30	60	Details are held on the Marine Licence Register
Consents under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989	15	0	15	15
Licences under The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 and the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007	101	0	0	1	Disturbance of marine European Protected Species (EPS)
Consent to introduce Fish, Fry or Ova to Scottish Inland waters	2838	6	0	4
Consent to fish using otherwise illegal methods/during the close season/fishing for eels	887	6	0	9	Licences are issued on an individual basis rather than per application (one application can cover multiple licences)
Fish farms consented through the Audit and Review process since 2010	364	0	4	23	Copies of permissions issued are available on the Audit and Review webpages No farms have been refused permission through this process but 57 applications have been withdrawn or not been progressed
Authorisations of aquaculture production businesses	176	0	0	0	The register of Aquaculture Production and Processing Business in Scotland is available to view on line
Authorisations of processing establishments	2	0	0	0
Permissions to move live or dead fish, personnel and equipment from sites subject to movement restrictions	426	9	0	0
Licences to import from third countries	5	0	0	0	The issue of licences to import ceased during 2010 due to harmonisation of EU legislation
Licences to deposit lobsters	13	0	0	0	Annual licence renewal