- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service have any policy in regard to the citing of police officers to give evidence at trials, and, if so, whether any such policy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
It is, by statute, one of the duties of a police officer to attend any court of law for the purpose of giving evidence. Procurators Fiscal have been instructed in the following terms: "Procurators Fiscal should take steps to ensure that no more witnesses are cited than are necessary to prove a particular case. Procurators Fiscal are therefore urged to examine carefully the question of who should be cited to attend in a particular case, with the aim of ensuring that unnecessary witnesses are not cited. Police witnesses speaking only to a non-reply to caution and charge or to forms raised by the police in terms of the detention provisions of section 14 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 are unlikely to be necessary witnesses. In summary cases Procurators Fiscal should therefore rely where appropriate on the presumption offered by section 280(A) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 and should take steps to ensure that such witnesses are not normally cited (or, where they have been cited, countermand them once the position becomes clear). Where there is ample other evidence consideration should also be given to the need to cite both police witnesses speaking to an incriminating reply by an accused. For the avoidance of doubt two police witnesses will of course be required to speak to 'special knowledge' replies".
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25069 by Colin Boyd on 29 April 2002, whether it will list for each agency which sends reports to the procurator fiscal (a) the total number of reports sent, (b) the number of cases marked "no proceedings" as a result of delay, (c) the number of cases proceeding to trial and (d) the number of convictions secured in (i) 1998-99, (ii) 1999-00, (iii) 2000-01 and (iv) 2001-02.
Answer
This information is not available.
- 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 Jim Wallace on 5 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what figures are available regarding the number of threats, assaults and other criminal activity involving sub-postmasters.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- 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 Iain Gray on 5 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered, or will consider, making business advisers available to sub-postmasters in rural and deprived urban areas, on a similar basis to the use of the #700,000 spent under the Phoenix Fund for such a scheme in England.
Answer
Responsibility for business support services in Scotland rests largely with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) networks. Access to business advisers for small businesses in Scotland, including sub-postmasters, is already available. It is accessible in the Scottish Enterprise area through the Small Business Gateway and in the HIE area by contacting the Local Enterprise Company (LEC) direct. Dedicated training for subpostmasters on business planning and diversification has been offered in a number of Scottish Enterprise LEC areas, and more is planned in the HIE area.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 29 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22603 by Mr Jim Wallace on 14 February 2002, how many adjournments of a criminal trial on the date of trial were granted on the motion of the procurator fiscal or advocate depute in each of the last four years.
Answer
This information is not available.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 29 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has estimated the costs to it and local government of adjournments of a criminal trial on the date of the trial, including the costs associated with the abstraction from their duties of social workers, fire officers, NHS employees, police officers and civilians.
Answer
We have not attempted to quantify the costs in this manner, as appropriate data is not centrally available. However, we are aware of the disruption and inconvenience caused by adjournments to criminal trials and are keen to see them reduced. We did in fact commission research into the causes of adjournments in sheriff court summary criminal cases in 1999 and the research report was published on 19 July 2001. A summary of the main findings of the research can be found on the Scottish Executive website and the full report on the Scottish Executive Central Research Unit website.The reviews being carried out by Lord Bonomy and Sheriff Principal McInnes, of the High Court and summary justice respectively, are focusing on how the criminal justice process might be made more efficient and effective. Both reviews will be making recommendations to reduce the frequency of unnecessary adjournments.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 29 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to establish in full a scheme in Scotland similar to the Phoenix Fund which operates in England to encourage entrepreneurship in disadvantaged areas.
Answer
We have no plans to do so. The Enterprise Networks already target entrepreneurship in disadvantaged areas through a range of measures - including the holding of Personal Enterprise Shows in such areas. We have also introduced recently a specific Scottish Enterprise Network annual target for the number of business start-up assists from residents in disadvantaged areas.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it forsees for local land fora if the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill is enacted.
Answer
Section 24 (1) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill requires each local authority to establish at least one local access forum in its area. Section 24 (2) sets down the functions of these forums as being "to advise the local authority and any other person or body consulting the forum on matters having to do with the exercise of access rights or the drawing up and adoption of a plan for a system of core paths". It is also intended that forums may assist in the resolution of disputes about the exercise of access rights, the drawing up and adoption of core path plans or the use of core paths.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering providing additional funding for local authorities to establish, and assist in the operation of, local land fora.
Answer
The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill places a number of new duties on local authorities in respect of access, including the establishment of local access forums. The financial implications of these new duties are being considered as part of the current spending review.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 28 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-5174 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 May 2002, whether it will give a breakdown of each targeted resource for children and young people with special educational needs by local authority area in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04.
Answer
The breakdown of the proposed National Priorities Action Fund Inclusion Programme and special educational needs (SEN) Specific Grant for in-service training by local authority area, in both 2002-03 and 2003-04, is provided in the following table:
| Inclusion Funding | In-Service Training Funding |
| Education Authority | Each year in2002-03 and 2003-04 | Each year in 2002-3 and 2003-04 |
| Scotland | £20,000,000 | £6,743,551 |
| Aberdeen City | £789,565 | £243,860.00 |
| Aberdeenshire | £940,276 | £314,316.00 |
| Angus | £423,887 | £133,425.00 |
| Argyll and Bute | £325,925 | £120,118.00 |
| Clackmannanshire | £195,108 | £87,574.00 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | £553,058 | £204,150 |
| Dundee City | £558,378 | £175,170 |
| East Ayrshire | £481,870 | £171,107 |
| East Dunbartonshire | £423,835 | £150,958 |
| East Lothian | £347,795 | £94,421 |
| East Renfrewshire | £355,731 | £119,384 |
| Edinburgh, City of | £1,556,880 | £421,294 |
| Eilean Siar | £108,255 | £79,029 |
| Falkirk | £554,271 | £239,294.00 |
| Fife | £1,395,147 | £460,982.00 |
| Glasgow City | £2,376,008 | £810,632.00 |
| Highland | £830,808 | £263,421.00 |
| Inverclyde | £345,629 | £123,676.00 |
| Midlothian | £320,536 | £93,362.00 |
| Moray | £349,302 | £113,528.00 |
| North Ayrshire | £572,830 | £196,810.00 |
| North Lanarkshire | £1,351,617 | £466,277.00 |
| Orkney Islands | £79,021 | £85,618.00 |
| Perth and Kinross | £507,760 | £152,392.00 |
| Renfrewshire | £706,957 | £240,084.00 |
| Scottish Borders | £390,199 | £98,780.00 |
| Shetland Islands | £99,365 | £65,900.00 |
| South Ayrshire | £430,454 | £144,918.00 |
| South Lanarkshire | £1,246,360 | £420,269.00 |
| Stirling | £336,306 | £134,115.00 |
| West Dunbartonshire | £402,433 | £137,510.00 |
| West Lothian | £644,434 | £181,177.00 |
| Total | £20,000,000 | £6,743,551 |
Note:In addition to the in-service training funding above for teachers and other staff, a further £1,079,450 has been allocated for training for educational psychologists each year. This funding is allocated to local authorities on the basis of trainee placements sponsored.SEN Innovation Grant Programme funding cannot be broken down by local authority area because grants are awarded to voluntary and non-statutory organisations to carry out projects in the field of special educational needs. Some of these projects will be carried out across Scotland on a national basis, whilst others will be carried out in local areas.Funding is allocated directly to the seven grant-aided special schools, and not direct to local authorities, and these schools are open to pupils from across Scotland. £8.8 million has been allocated to these grant-aided special schools for 2002-03.
