- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many young women offenders are being moved from HMP Cornton Vale to HMP Polmont.
Answer
I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:
“All young women will be relocated to HMYOI Polmont, recently the population has ranged between 15 and 20 young women in custody.”
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are being made to ensure the continuity of programmes and educational study for HMP Cornton Vale prisoners moving to HMP Polmont.
Answer
I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:
“I refer to the response to parliamentary question S4W-29929 on 24 February 2016. Services women would be expected to receive at HMP Cornton Vale will be replicated at HM YOI Polmont.
Where this is not possible in every case, consideration will be given to placing an individual according to where the service is available.
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.”
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether HMP Polmont or HMP Cornton Vale will hold the mother and baby unit after prisoners are moved from HMP Cornton Vale.
Answer
I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:
“Mothers and their babies will continue to be held at HMP & YOI Cornton Vale however it should be noted that HMP Grampian also has mother and baby facilities.”
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to support service providers affected by (a) access issues in relation to mental health services, (b) offender use of new psychoactive substances, (b) access to stable housing for offenders and (c) a lack of information from other agencies, as identified in the report, Community Payback Order: Scottish Government Summary of Local Authority Annual Reports 2014-15.
Answer
It is clear from the Community Payback Order (CPO) annual reports received from local authorities that they are putting considerable effort into delivering robust, effective CPOs which enable payback to communities and help to address the underlying causes of offending behaviour.
These underlying causes can be multiple and complex and we note the points highlighted by some criminal justice social work departments in relation to challenges they have experienced in supporting individuals on CPOs – including access to wider services.
The new model for community justice, which will be introduced by the Community Justice (Scotland) Bill, will support a more holistic and collaborative approach to community justice by placing a duty on statutory community justice partners to co-operate in carrying out planning activities and to deliver and report on outcomes for community justice in their local area.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that community payback orders should be more widely used as an alternative to imprisonment based on the feedback from communities and offenders in the report, Community Payback Order: Scottish Government Summary of Local Authority Annual Reports 2014-15.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to reducing the rate of imprisonment in Scotland – particularly the use of short-term imprisonment. Shifting the emphasis towards greater use of robust community sentences, in particular Community Payback Orders (CPOs), will be critical if we are to achieve that aim.
We are clear that CPOs are a robust and credible community sentence. They deliver tangible benefits to communities by making individuals payback for the damage caused by their crimes by undertaking unpaid work. They also offer real opportunities for rehabilitation by requiring individuals to tackle the underlying causes of their offending behaviour by undertaking offence-focussed work.
The feedback received from both beneficiaries of unpaid work projects and the individuals on CPOs makes clear that these orders are delivering positive outcomes and are helping people to move away from offending behaviour. The evidence supports this, individuals released from a custodial sentence of six months or less are reconvicted more than twice as often as those given a CPO.
That is why this government will continue to promote the use of CPOs and other community sentences. In support of this commitment, we are investing an additional £4 million in community justice in 2016-17.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the suggestion in relation to community payback orders that when a mental health treatment requirement was imposed "the effect was that services were more joined up and communicated more effectively which resulted in a better outcome for the individual involved" and whether it considers that this requirement should be used more widely.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises that the imposition of a mental health treatment requirement under a Community Payback Order (CPO) can assist in supporting multi-agency working.
We also recognise that the mental health treatment requirement is used less often than the other CPO requirements. This does not mean, however, that individuals with mental health problems are not having these needs addressed. For example, local authorities report that mental health support needs are also often addressed under other requirements – supervision, ‘other activity’ and ‘programme’ requirements in particular. This is especially helpful for those individuals who need support but do not meet the specific criteria of the mental health treatment requirement.
Previous reports have also highlighted the innovative practice underway in local authorities to support joint working between mental health and criminal justice social work services. For example, a number of areas have appointed dedicated mental health officers within criminal justice teams and have highlighted the improvements this has made to streamlining access to specialist support and services.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice’s recent report recommending that children should no longer be prosecuted in adult courts.
Answer
Preventing Offending: Getting it right for children and young people is our national youth justice strategy, published in June 2015. Among that strategy’s priorities is supporting timely and effective interventions to minimise the number of children in the criminal justice system and formal processes. There has been a 74% reduction in children appearing in court since 2007, and a 79% increase in diversion from prosecution involving under 18s since 2011. The strategy will build on this progress.
There are no plans for a formal response to the paper itself, but it will be useful in stimulating discussion among national youth justice partners.
A ‘Youth Justice Improvement Board’ has been established which includes senior representation from key partners, including the Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice. That board will drive the implementation of the national strategy and promote a culture of improvement. Their work will include activity to help reduce the number of children prosecuted in adult courts, and the paper’s recommendations will be considered as part of that effort.
There are no plans to legislate to remove the possibility that under 18s can ever be prosecuted in court.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2016
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recent child and adolescent mental health waiting time statistics showing that around half of patients in NHS Grampian waited over 18 weeks before being seen.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2016
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what data protection protocols have been implemented to ensure that the information contained in the Blue Badge holder database is not accessed inappropriately.
Answer
The Blue Badge Improvement Service system is a secure web based database which allows local authorities to access data on the badges that they have issued. Other local authorities and Police Scotland are able to access limited, non-personal data, to help with the enforcement of the scheme.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will (a) publish an analysis of responses to the consultation on proposals to strengthen the presumption against short prison sentences and (b) set out how it plans to proceed, and what discussions it has had on this matter.
Answer
I am grateful to everyone who submitted a response to the consultation on proposals to strengthen the presumption against short sentences. We consulted on these proposals because it is important to have a wide range of views to inform our approach to the issue.
We are now considering the responses before making a decision on how we proceed. We will set out our plans for strengthening the presumption against short sentences, along with an analysis of the responses, in due course.
