- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of prisoners at HM Prison and Young Offenders' Institute Cornton Vale are currently accommodated in shared cells.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Currently about 50%.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how the estimated #2 million cost for a new-build courthouse at Peebles was calculated and whether the estimate includes the cost of any land purchase.
Answer
I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service to respond. His response is as follows:I have been asked by the minister to respond. The estimated new build cost of £2 million is based on current construction industry yardstick costs and on actual building costs obtained from recent Scottish Court Service projects, some of which have included the provision of new courtroom accommodation as part of the refurbishment programme. The estimate does not include the cost of land purchase.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners at HM Prison Young Offenders' Institute Cornton Vale have been (a) on remand and (b) in custody awaiting sentence in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03 to date.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The information is not available in the requested format. Figures are available for average daily population and are listed below.Average Daily Population on Remand in Cornton Vale
| Year | Untried | Convicted | Awaiting Sentence | Total Remand |
| 1999-2000 | 35 | 13 | 18 | 48 |
| 2000-01 | 27 | 13 | 23 | 40 |
| 2001-02 | 38 | | | 55 |
| 2002 (Apr-Jul) | 47 | | | 70 |
Note: Components may not add due to rounding.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Annual Report 2001-02 by the Over 21's Visiting Committee at HM Prison and Young Offenders' Institute Cornton Vale, what steps it is taking in respect of care provision for mentally disordered female offenders in the prison, given that the committee is "extremely concerned" that the needs of such offenders are not adequately met within the current criminal justice system.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Well defined support systems are in existence within the prison to identify and support those with mental health needs. This includes the assessment of all admissions by a Registered Mental Health Nurse and four sessions per week contracted psychiatric provision (supplemented by registrars). Extensive links exist with mental health teams in the community and locally a co-ordinated mental health referral/multidisciplinary team approach is in place.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the comments made in the Annual Report 2001-02 by the Over 21's Visiting Committee at HM Prison and Young Offenders' Institute Cornton Vale that women with serious medical conditions do not have reasonably timely access to toilet facilities.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The increased pressures on Cornton Vale have been caused by numbers rising markedly above the available capacity of the establishment.Procedures are in place which identify women with serious medical conditions and exclude them from cell sharing. Access times to toilet facilities are being monitored during patrol periods and an additional member of staff has recently been allocated to the night shift to cope with increased demand. The SPS have announced the conversion of Darroch Hall at HM Prison Greenock to house women prisoners. This will ease overcrowding at Cornton Vale. This will be in addition to the creation of an open prison facility in the SPS houses adjacent to Cornton Vale which will also help ease pressures.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27254 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 July 2002, how many and what percentage of remand prisoners were held in prisons (a) in total and (b) broken down by prison on (i) 31 January, (ii) 31 March and (iii) 30 June 2002.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The information is given in the table:Number of Remand Prisoners in Penal Establishments, by Establishment (Provisional Figures)
| Establishment | 31 January 2002 | 31 March 2002 | 30 June 2002 |
| Number | Per cent | Number | Per cent | Number | Per cent |
| Barlinnie | 406 | 38.2 | 440 | 39.9 | 497 | 38.9 |
| Aberdeen | 68 | 6.4 | 41 | 3.7 | 89 | 7.0 |
| Cornton Vale | 54 | 5.1 | 60 | 5.4 | 64 | 5.0 |
| Dumfries | 18 | 1.7 | 26 | 2.4 | 30 | 2.3 |
| Edinburgh | 206 | 19.4 | 220 | 20.0 | 248 | 19.4 |
| Greenock | 94 | 8.8 | 90 | 8.2 | 112 | 8.8 |
| Inverness | 39 | 3.7 | 36 | 3.3 | 47 | 3.7 |
| Perth | 102 | 9.6 | 95 | 8.6 | 92 | 7.2 |
| Polmont | 1 | 0.1 | 14 | 1.3 | 23 | 1.8 |
| Kilmarnock | 75 | 7.1 | 80 | 7.3 | 77 | 6.0 |
| Total | 1,063 | 100 | 1,102 | 100 | 1,279 | 100 |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 5 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns that local authorities are not interpreting its guidance on the application of the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 uniformly.
Answer
The Scottish Executive and local authorities worked together to develop the guidance to ensure there was fair and consistent implementation across Scotland. Monitoring arrangements have been established to ensure this is achieved.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 3 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that there is a secure environment for sub-postmasters in deprived urban areas where they are liable to threats and assault.
Answer
Post offices are a reserved issue. However, as part of a broad strategy aimed at providing support for communities in deprived urban areas Scottish ministers are currently considering ways in which post offices located in these areas might be assisted. If financial assistance is offered we will consider whether it could be used to fund improvements to deter violent and other crime. I hope to be able to advise you further on this in due course.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 2 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21782 by Iain Gray on 19 February 2002, how many applications have now been received and approved for free central heating installation in the Scottish Borders area under its central heating installation programme.
Answer
The answer to question S1W-21782 gave information on the total number of applications received as at 31 December. Between 1 January and 2 August 2002, Eaga received a further 113 applications for the central heating programme from households in the Scottish Borders area. One hundred and five of these were subsequently found to be eligible for a grant.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 2 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12399 by Jackie Baillie on 25 January 2001, whether the Central Heating Working Group has published its report.
Answer
The conclusions reached by the Central Heating Working Group were set out in the enclosure to a letter of 23 February 2001, from the then Minister for Social Justice to the Convenor of the Social Justice Committee. It was copied to all MSPs and copies were placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre. It records that priority for free central heating will be given to (a) those aged over 75; (b) the elderly living alone, and (c) the disabled and the long-term ill. These cases are prioritised against other applications received at the same time.
