Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-22148

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisons have links to drug rehabilitation services for prisoners post-release.

Question reference: S3W-22141

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were given early release in each year since 1999, broken down by type of crime.

Question reference: S3W-22152

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were randomly tested for drugs tested in the last 12 months, broken down by prison, number of positive tests and substances identified.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

Table 1 illustrates the kinds of tests undertaken in the last 12 months. Table 2 illustrates the number of Positive Tests and the drug categories found.

Table 1 All tests

Establishment Code	Frequent Test Programme	On Reception	Reasonable Suspicion	Risk Assessment	Voluntary	Grand Total
Aberdeen				8	1	9
Barlinnie		1	30	1,474	346	=SUM(Left) 1,851
Cornton Vale	124		73	202	1,152	1,551
Dumfries			136	92	1	229
Edinburgh	12		62	911	76	1,061
Glenochil	2	1	219	11	1,784	2,018
Greenock	13	57	49	234		353
Inverness			15	13		28
Kilmarnock			600	158	894	1,652
Open Estate		1	131	6,036	15	6,183
Peterhead	6	1	42	196	240	486
Polmont	5		285	367	122	779
Perth			347	588		935
Shotts			531	1,062	2,072	3,665
Grand Total	162	61	2,520	11,352	6,703	20,800

Table 2 Positive Tests

Aberdeen	Benzodiazepines	1
Barlinnie	Amphetamines	4
	Benzodiazepines	22
	Benzodiazepines Prescribed	2
	Cannabis	38
	Cannabis Positive OPR	1
	Cocaine	6
	Methadone	4
	Methadone Prescribed	14
	NIL FOUND	3
	Opiates	20
	Opiates Prescribed	3
Cornton Vale	Amphetamines	2
	Benzodiazepines	48
	Benzodiazepines Positive OPR	2
	Benzodiazepines Prescribed	2
	Cannabis	23
	Cannabis Positive OPR	3
	Cocaine	5
	Lsd	1
	Methadone	3
	Methadone Prescribed	15
	NIL FOUND	1
	Opiates	83
	Opiates Prescribed	1
	Temgesic	13
Dumfries	Alcohol Dependency	1
	Amphetamines	1
	Amphetamines Positive OPR	1
	Amphetamines Prescribed	1
	Barbiturates	1
	Barbiturates Positive OPR	1
	Barbiturates Prescribed	1
	Benzodiazepines	8
	Benzodiazepines Positive OPR	2
	Benzodiazepines Prescribed	2
	Cannabis	12
	Cannabis Positive OPR	1
	Cocaine	2
	Cocaine Positive OPR	1
	Further Challenge	1
	Liberation-Result Pending	1
	Lsd	1
	LSD Positive OPR	1
	Methadone	1
	Methadone Positive OPR	1
	Methadone Prescribed	5
	NIL FOUND	1
	Opiates	14
	Opiates Positive OPR	1
	Opiates Prescribed	1
	Temgesic	1
	Temgesic Positive OPR	1
	Temgesic Prescribed	1
	Tramadol	1
	Tramadol Opr	1
	Tramadol Prescribed	1
Edinburgh	Amphetamines	8
	Benzodiazepines	25
	Cannabis	43
	Cocaine	2
	Lsd	1
	Methadone	8
	Opiates	108
	Opiates Prescribed	1
	Temgesic	20
	Temgesic Prescribed	1
Glenochil	Amphetamines	11
	Benzodiazepines	29
	Cannabis	19
	Cocaine	1
	Opiates	139
	Temgesic	39
Greenock	Amphetamines	1
	Benzodiazepines	7
	Benzodiazepines Positive OPR	12
	Cannabis	17
	Cannabis Positive OPR	7
	Cocaine Positive OPR	1
	Methadone	1
	Methadone Positive OPR	2
	Opiates	27
	Opiates Positive OPR	8
	Temgesic	3
	Temgesic Positive OPR	2
Inverness	Benzodiazepines	1
	Cannabis	2
	Methadone	2
	Methadone Prescribed	1
	NIL FOUND	1
	Opiates	6
Kilmarnock	Amphetamines	6
	Benzodiazepines	98
	Cannabis	30
	Cocaine	5
	Methadone	33
	Methadone Prescribed	1
	Opiates	166
	Opiates Prescribed	6
	Temgesic	36
Open Estate	Amphetamines	1
	Benzodiazepines	32
	Cannabis	61
	Cocaine	27
	Methadone	2
	Methadone Prescribed	17
	NIL FOUND	5
	Opiates	150
	Opiates Positive OPR	8
	Opiates Prescribed	1
	Temgesic	12
Peterhead	Cannabis	1
	NIL FOUND	1
	Opiates	2
	Opiates Prescribed	2
Polmont	Amphetamines	6
	Benzodiazepines	13
	Benzodiazepines Positive OPR	2
	Benzodiazepines Prescribed	4
	Cannabis	88
	Cannabis Positive OPR	7
	Cocaine	1
	Methadone Prescribed	26
	Opiates	4
	Temgesic	3
Perth	Amphetamines	4
	Benzodiazepines	50
	Benzodiazepines Positive OPR	2
	Benzodiazepines Prescribed	3
	Cannabis	116
	Cannabis Positive OPR	5
	Cocaine	1
	Lsd	1
	Methadone	12
	Methadone Prescribed	24
	Opiates	68
	Opiates Prescribed	1
	Temgesic	10
Shotts	Amphetamines	2
	Barbiturates	6
	Benzodiazepines	83
	Benzodiazepines Positive OPR	1
	Cannabis	166
	Cannabis Positive OPR	1
	Cocaine	8
	Methadone	44
	Methadone Prescribed	2
	Opiates	314
	Temgesic	49
	Temgesic Prescribed	1
Grand Total		2,776

Question reference: S3O-06361

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to support farming in the Scottish Borders.

Question reference: S3W-22143

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, of police officers who have been suspended since 2003, how many have been suspended for (a) less than one month, (b) one to two months, (c) three to six months and (d) more than six months.

Question reference: S3W-22146

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average a police officer is taken off the beat to process an arrest.

Question reference: S3W-22147

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average a police officer is taken off the beat to process an incident.

Question reference: S3W-22144

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have been suspended with pay in each year since 2003.

Question reference: S3W-22150

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug-free wings there are in each prison.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

The only establishment that currently operates a drug free area is HMP Kilmarnock.

The SPS approach is the provision of a range of Addiction Support Services to prisoners, irrespective of their location with an establishment.

Over recent years, SPS has moved from the operation of Drug Free Areas in prisons to integrated treatment care which provides individually structured support for prisoners from admission to liberation, including for those who wish to become drug free.

Question reference: S3W-22151

Asked by: John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many random drug tests have been carried out on prisoners in the last 12 months, broken down by prison.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

The following table illustrates the kinds of tests undertaken in the last 12 months.

Establishment Code	Frequent Test Programme	On Reception	Reasonable Suspicion	Risk Assessment	Voluntary	Grand Total
Aberdeen				8	1	9
Barlinnie		1	30	1,474	346	=SUM(Left) 1,851
Cornton Vale	124		73	202	1,152	1,551
Dumfries			136	92	1	229
Edinburgh	12		62	911	76	1,061
Glenochil	2	1	219	11	1,784	2,018
Greenock	13	57	49	234		353
Inverness			15	13		28
Kilmarnock			600	158	894	1,652
Open Estate		1	131	6,036	15	6,183
Peterhead	6	1	42	196	240	486
Polmont	5		285	367	122	779
Perth			347	588		935
Shotts			531	1,062	2,072	3,665
Grand Total	162	61	2,520	11,352	6,703	20,800