Chamber and committees

The Scottish Safety Camera Advisory Board (SAB) has never formally been dissolved. A decision was taken by the Director of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme and the chair of SAB, former Chief Constable of Tayside Police John Vine, that there was no longer a need for the Board. This decision was taken in light of funding and policy changes which had taken place.

One of the primary functions of SAB was to ensure that safety camera partnerships complied with HM Treasury rules concerning the netting off of monies received from speeding fines. This system known as hypothecation ended on 31 March 2007 at which time the Safety Camera Programme became grant funded by the Scottish Government. As HM Treasury rules no longer applied there was no need for SAB to monitor performance in this area.

Another function of SAB was to ensure that the Scottish Safety Camera Programme developed in a consistent manner to schemes operating elsewhere in the UK. Post-hypothecation the Programme in England and Wales was passed to roads authorities. This fundamental change meant that consistency across the UK was no longer possible. As a result there was no longer a need for SAB to monitor performance in this area.

SAB also had responsibility for reviewing proposed changes to the handbook of rules and guidance for the Scottish Safety Camera Programme. Since the last meeting of SAB in June 2008, there have been no significant changes to the handbook. Therefore, there has been no need for SAB to meet to discuss this topic.

Additionally SAB had a remit to monitor partnership performance and progress towards the road safety targets to 2010. The Scottish Government produce a statistical bulletin Key Scottish Safety Camera Programme Statistics which is accessible by organisations previously represented at SAB.

The development of the Road Safety Framework lead to the creation of two groups, one at a strategic level and one at an operational level. It was felt that as the membership of those groups was similar to that of SAB, safety camera related issues should be taken to either the Road Safety Strategic or Operational Group to provide transparency.

The chair of SAB still sits with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland who have never sought to reconvene the group.

Members of the Scottish Safety Camera Advisory Board (SAB) were consulted on the future of the board at a meeting held on 25 September 2007. At this time a proposal was put forward that SAB should be split into two meetings. The first would be a forum with representation from all areas with an interest in safety cameras, including various motoring organisations. The second would be a strategic group with representation from Scottish Government, Crown Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Scottish Court Service.

As the Road Safety Framework developed two groups were formed, a strategic group and an operational group. As representation at these groups reflected that of SAB it was agreed that safety camera related issues could be discussed by those groups, removing the need to call a separate meeting of SAB.

The report Religiously Aggravated Offending in Scotland 2010-11 was published on 18 November 2011 and presented information on the number of religious aggravation charges (from Section 74 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003) that were reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) by the police in 2010-11. This report only presented information about the nature of the religious belief that was targeted through the offensive conduct and not about the religious affiliation of the victims of incidents.

The following table shows religious aggravations charges which were reported to COPFS in 2010-11 for conduct which was derogatory to each religious affiliation, and the number of charges per 1,000 members of each, as recorded in the 2001 census.

Religious aggravation charges derogatory to religion in Scotland in 2010-11 per 1,000 members:

Notes:

1. Information on religious aggravations charges is taken from Religiously Aggravated Offending in Scotland 2010-11, Scottish Government. Available online at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/11/17154035/0.

2. The number of charges refers to the religion that conduct was derogatory towards and not the number of charges where victims had the relevant affiliation. Information about victims’ religious affiliations are not recorded by the police.

3. There were 693 section 74 charges reported to COPFS in 2010-11 but some charges referred to conduct that was derogatory to more than one religious affiliation.

4. Religious group membership information data are taken from the 2001 census. Available online at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/02/20757/53570.

5. There were four charges included in the 657 charge total which referred to conduct which was offensive to Christianity in general and were not directed towards Protestantism or Roman Catholicism.

6. Membership is based on self-reporting in the 2001 census. Christian denominations are presented in the census as “Roman Catholic”, “Church of Scotland” and “other Christian”. For the purpose of this table only “Church of Scotland” membership has been attributed as “Protestant” because “other Christian” may include a mixture of Protestant and non-Protestant denominations. This may lead to an under-reporting of the “charges by 1,000 members” in the protestant category.

NHS Education for Scotland has published the “Basic Sensory Impairment Training for NHSScotland Frontline Staff” training course as an online resource for frontline and other staff across NHSScotland.

NHS Education for Scotland is also publishing a communications tip pocket guide, which will be distributed to staff across the NHS in Scotland later this year. In 2010 NHS Education for Scotland developed a set of tipcards for midwives caring for pregnant women with hearing impairment, which was distributed to all midwives in NHSScotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03749 on 14 November 2011. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

That is a matter for the public body concerned, according to circumstances, including the needs of the person with a hearing impairment and the availability of BSL interpreters locally.

We recognise the need for appropriate communication professionals for deaf service users, and that it would be good practice for public bodies to engage such professionals. We recognise difficulties due to the shortage of interpreters, however, and that this is not always possible. There are many conversations where proficiency at BSL levels are appropriate, and where to require a BSL interpreter registered with the National Registers of Communication Professionals Working with Deaf and Deafblind People will restrict an individual’s choice and freedom to communicate.

The Scottish National Holocaust Memorial Day event will take place in Dundee on 26 January 2012. The event, with the theme “Speak Up, Speak Out” is being developed in partnership between Dundee City Council, the Scottish Government, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and the Scottish Inter Faith Council.

I can confirm that the Health Protection Scotland risk assessment, and its companion paper setting out possible options for reducing measles susceptibility in Scotland, have been placed in SPICe (Bib numbers 53266 and 53267).

In line with the HPS assessment, the Chief Medical Officer has today written to the NHS in Scotland to reiterate the importance of school nurses using the teenage booster point (during S3 in secondary school) to check the MMR vaccination status of children. Those who still require one or two doses of MMR will be offered vaccination, increasing uptake and reducing susceptibility levels. These measures will diminish the current and future risks of measles transmission during adolescence and early adulthood.

To support this reinforcing activity, we have arranged for a software solution linking the child health schools system to the Scottish immunisation recall system to enable school nurses to check the recorded vaccination status of children.

In the same letter the Chief Medical Officer also reiterates the importance of vaccinating NHS staff against measles.