Chamber and committees

Information on how many occasions psychoactive medication has been prescribed for dementia in each year since 2009-10 is not collected centrally, as the relevant prescribing database does not contain diagnosis information.

In 2012 we published a report we commissioned into time trends in the prescribing of antipsychotic and other psychotropic medications to older people with dementia between 2001-2011: http://scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00393277.pdf. The report showed that, since 2009, there had been a decline in the initiation of new antipsychotics and a moderately decreasing trend in antipsychotic use. The report showed, further, that in the first quarter of 2011 the rate of older people with dementia being prescribed an antipsychotic was at the lowest level over the 2001-11 period.

The Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland (2011):

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/05/31085414 includes the standard that psychoactive medication should only be used where there is no appropriate alternative and where there is clear benefit to the person receiving the medication.

We will take more steps during the course of the 2013-16 National Dementia Strategy:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Services/Mental-Health/Dementia/DementiaStrategy1316 to reduce further the inappropriate prescribing of psychoactive medication.

The available information for the last three financial years, 2010-11 to 2012-13, is given in the following table.

Information for 2013-14 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2013-14 statistical bulletin. This is due to be published on 16 December 2014.

I will write to the member as soon as the information for 2013-14 is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 56507).

The dates of all Scottish Government official and national statistics publications are pre-announced, and the up to date list of future publications can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/18798

Average (mean) fine (£) for possession of selected drugs^1,2, 2010-11 to 2012-13

1. Where main offence.

2. The Criminal History System (CHS), from which these data are derived, contains an offence modifier code for a crime or offence which provides additional information for the specific incident as opposed to the actual charge. This code has been used here to identify the type of drug involved in drugs possession offences, however it should be noted that only around half the records on the CHS for drugs offences contain details of the drug(s) involved.

The available information for the last two financial years, 2011-12 and 2012-13, is given in the following table.

Information for 2013-14 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2013-14 statistical bulletin. This is due to be published on 16 December 2014.

I will write to the member as soon as the information for 2013-14 is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 56505).

The dates of all Scottish Government official and national statistics publications are pre-announced, and the up to date list of future publications can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/18798

People with a charge proved for possession^1,2 of selected drugs, by result, 2011-12 and 2012-13

1. Where main offence.

2. The Criminal History System (CHS), from which these data are derived, contains an offence modifier code for a crime or offence which provides additional information for the specific incident as opposed to the actual charge. This code has been used here to identify the type of drug involved in drugs possession offences, however it should be noted that only around half the records on the CHS for drugs offences contain details of the drug(s) involved.

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings Database.

Please note that police recorded crime statistics are not directly comparable with statistics on action taken against offenders, as one offence may lead to several persons being charged. Equally, an offender may be charged with several offences. In addition, an offence could be recorded in one financial year, but action could be taken in another.

The offence categories included in these tables all involve cruelty to animals. However, other offence categories exist that will include small proportions of animal cruelty offences.

Information on prosecutions and convictions for 2013-14 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2013-14 statistical bulletin. This is due to be published on 16 December 2014.

I will write to the member as soon as the information for 2013-14 is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 56502).

The dates of all Scottish Government official and national statistics publications are pre-announced, and the up to date list of future publications can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/18798

The following tables provide data on offences of animal cruelty recorded by the police in 2012-13, broken down by police force area and in 2013-14 for Scotland.

1. Following the establishment of Police Scotland on 1 April 2013, figures for 2013-14 are provided for Scotland and not by legacy police force area.

Source: Scottish Government Recorded Crime in Scotland statistical bulletin

1. Following the establishment of Police Scotland on 1 April 2013, figures for 2013-14 are provided for Scotland and not by legacy police force area.

Source: Scottish Government Recorded Crime in Scotland statistical bulletin

1. Following the establishment of Police Scotland on 1 April 2013, figures for 2013-14 are provided for Scotland and not by legacy police force area.

Source: Scottish Government Recorded Crime in Scotland statistical bulletin

1. Following the establishment of Police Scotland on 1 April 2013, figures for 2013-14 are provided for Scotland and not by legacy police force area.

Source: Scottish Government Recorded Crime in Scotland statistical bulletin

The following tables provide data on people prosecuted for offences of cruelty to animals in 2012-13, broken down by police force area.

Information for 2013-14 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2013-14 statistical bulletin. This is due to be published on 16 December 2014.

Cruelty to animals including killing and maiming cattle^1,2

Cruelty to wild animals¹

In 2012-13, Disclosure Scotland received a total of 373 disputes, equivalent to 0.03 per cent of all applications processed. 181 (49 per cent) were upheld. A breakdown of the disputes is shown in the following table:

In 2013-14, Disclosure Scotland received a total of 276 disputes, equivalent to
0.02 per cent of all applications processed. 107 (39 per cent) were upheld. A breakdown of the disputes is shown in the following table:

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

“The following table illustrates the total number of prisoner on prisoner assaults broken down by establishment since the beginning of 2013. Included are serious assaults and minor/non-injury assaults. The data is as of 4 December 2014.”

One person was given a non-court disposal of a fiscal fine in 2012-13 under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 section 113: sale of alcohol to a drunk person.

Information for 2013-14 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2013-14 statistical bulletin. This is due to be published on 16 December 2014.

I will write to the member as soon as the information for 2013-14 is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 56488).

The dates of all Scottish Government official and national statistics publications are pre-announced, and the up to date list of future publications can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/18798

The government has always called for the full enforcement of the law. Enforcement and prosecution remain operational matters for the police and procurator fiscal. As an alternative to prosecution, the Police can report concerns to licensing boards who have powers to take tough action against those who sell alcohol irresponsibly. Sanctions include suspension and even revocation of a licence.

The Scottish Ministers have not had any meetings specifically relating to the establishment of guidance on restorative justice services. However, Scottish Government officials met representatives from Victim Support Scotland, Rape Crisis Scotland, and the Scottish Restorative Justice Forum (including Sacro) on 3 September 2014 to discuss the development of such guidance under section 5 of the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014.

It was agreed that a collaborative approach should be taken in developing guidance, with input from current providers of restorative justice services and organisations representing victims’ interests. Our intention is to begin work on this in early 2015 with a view to publishing guidance later that year.