To ask the Scottish Government how many accused have been offered alternatives to prosecution for assault in each of the last five years. The following table sets out the number of accused receiving a direct measure as a first substantive marking compared to the total number of accused receiving a first substantive marking (all types including: court, direct measure, no action, no decision) in cases including an assault charge (within the Scottish Government Classification of “Common Assault”): Year 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Direct Measure 3,178 2,717 2,528 2,159 2,500 Total 25,926 25,052 23,409 22,896 23,059 Direct measures include a range of alternatives to prosecution, namely: fiscal fines, compensation orders, combined fiscal fine and compensation orders, fiscal work orders, diversion from prosecution, referral to the Children’s Reporter and warning letters.