Seòmar agus comataidhean

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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 3525 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S2W-08809

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 18 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received a report from the Scottish Law Commission in respect of proposed legislation on the conversion of long leases.

Question reference: S2W-08831

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many victims of crime have been waiting for (a) less than one year, (b) one to two years, (c) two to three years and (d) more than three years for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to settle their claim, broken down by sheriff court district.

The available information, which relates to Scottish applications for an award, for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, is given in the following table. The information requested is not available by sheriff court district.

Date of Application to Date of Decision

Period	Number	% Within Period
Less than 1 year	6,249	70.24
1 year to less than 2 years	2,109	23.70
2 years to less than 3 years	421	4.73
Over 3 years	118	1.33
Total	8,897	100

Source: Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Question reference: S2W-08361

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many rapes have been reported in each police force area in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03, (e) 2003-04 and (f) 2004-05 to date and, of these, how many have been successfully prosecuted in each year.

The available information on crimes of rape which were recorded by the police, and on persons with a charge proved in court where rape was the main offence, is given in the following tables.

Crimes of Rape Recorded by the Police by Police Force Area, Scotland,1999-2000 to 2002-2003¹

	1999-2000	2000-2001	2001-2002	2002-2003
Central	4	17	37	50
Dumfries and Galloway	39	16	20	16
Fife	43	46	52	73
Grampian	86	55	52	74
Lothian and Borders	91	130	138	173
Northern	38	14	29	30
Strathclyde	222	213	243	244
Tayside	63	58	60	83
Scotland	586	549	631	743

Persons with a Charge Of Rape² Proved in Scottish Courts, byPolice Force Area, 1999-2000 to 2002-2003

	1999-2000	2000-2001	2001-2002	2002-2003⁽³⁾
Central	2	1	0	2
Dumfries and Galloway	1	2	1	1
Fife	1	1	5	5
Grampian	5	1	2	1
Lothian and Borders	7	9	11	4
Northern	3	0	3	4
Strathclyde	8	10	18	12
Tayside	0	3	3	2
Scotland	27	27	43	31

Notes:

1. Please note that the statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim, and a crime may be recorded in one year and proceedings taken in a subsequent year. Charges recorded by the police may also be altered as a result of the judicial process.

2. Where main offence.

3. Provisional data – figures will be underestimates due to late recording of court outcomes on SCRO.

Question reference: S2W-08752

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-2516 by Malcolm Chisholm of 3 June 2004, whether it will commission research into the incidence of road traffic accidents in which sleepiness was a contributory factor.

The Scottish Executive’s transport research programme for 2004-05 does not include research on sleep-related road accidents.

The UK Government has been conducting research into sleep related road accidents for over 10 years and has published reports on a number of studies, including accidents on selected trunk roads and motorways. Current research by the Department for Transport, on sleep related road accidents on different types of road, is due to be published later this year.

Question reference: S2W-08750

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 16 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are statutory limits on the time that children can be away from home in order to attend school.

Question reference: S2W-08751

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 16 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what safety requirements for children are placed on primary schools once the school day ends from when they are waiting for school transport until delivery to agreed pick-up point.

Question reference: S2W-08358

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 10 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1F-1882 by Mr Jack McConnell on 9 May 2002, how often guidance to police forces is updated on (a) any innovations in detection and identification of date rape drugs and (b) best practice in dealing with victims of drug rape in order to maximise the ability to secure convictions.

In 2002 the Association of ChiefPolice Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) issued Drug Assisted Sexual Assault - Guidefor Investigators to Scottish Police Forces. The guide is subject to annual review.In addition, advice on new and emerging trends concerning Drug Assisted Sexual Assault(DASA) is disseminated to forces as and when required by the Scottish Drug EnforcementAgency.

Apresentation on DASA was also delivered a recent ACPOS Drugs Conference in March2004, where delegates heard expert testimony on this subject.

ACPOS recognise the need to standardisethe way forces collect forensic evidence during investigations of DASA and, afterextensive consultation, new forensic evidence sampling kits specifically designedand developed for use in the investigation of such assault are in the final stagesof development.

Question reference: S2W-08362

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 9 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, of the 337 parliamentary questions that have been answered to date where the question addressed a health issue and the answer stated that the information requested was not held centrally, in how many cases the information is now available centrally.

Question reference: S2W-08363

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 9 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, regarding the 2930 parliamentary questions to date that received the answer that the information requested was not held centrally, in how many cases the information requested is now available and what measures are being put in place to hold information sought by MSPs centrally.

When replying to parliamentaryquestions, the Executive strives to provide the member with as much informationas is available at the time. On some occasions the information sought will not beheld centrally and this will be reflected in the answer.

It would be an extensive taskto review each of these questions to assess if the information requested then isnow available. In cases where information is not available centrally but is availableelsewhere, we advise where it can be obtained or we direct to published sources.

Question reference: S2W-08509

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7076 by Nicol Stephen on 2 April 2004, when the consultation paper on concessionary travel, due to be published in April, will be published.