- 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, what steps it is taking to reduce the number of cases marked "no proceedings" as a result of delay by the procurator fiscal.
Answer
We are implementing the recommendations of the recent management review. Additional prosecutors have been recruited and structural changes are being made to improve the management support given to prosecutors.
- 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, what the reason is for the rise in the number of cases marked "no proceedings" as a result of delay by the procurator fiscal since 1998-99.
Answer
The proportion of these cases is very small, having risen from 205 to 451. There are likely to be a number of factors leading to this, including the need to devote resources to serious cases and other competing pressures on the time of Procurators Fiscal.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 5 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25671 by Cathy Jamieson on 21 May 2002, what the criteria were for accessing the Special Educational Needs Innovation Grants Programme funding and in what ways Independent Special Education Advice failed to meet those criteria.
Answer
The following criteria and priorities were set out in the grant application pack:
- promoting inclusive policies in mainstream and special schools
- approaches to improving links, and sharing skills/expertise between special and mainstream schools
- empowering parents to enable them to participate fully in their children's education
- improving children's participation in decisions which affect them
- promoting integrated and co-ordinated approaches to service delivery (e.g. key worker role)
- offering new approaches to advice and resolution of disagreements between professionals and families
We are writing to those unsuccessful applicants who have requested feedback on their bids. This includes Independent Special Education Advice and a letter outlining the reasons for refusing funding was issued to them on Thursday 30 May.
- 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, what the reason is for the rise in the number of cases marked "no proceedings" as a result of delay by the police and other reporting agencies since 1998-99.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. However, we are addressing the timeliness of reporting with the police and other reporting agencies.
- 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, what steps it is taking to reduce the number of cases marked "no proceedings" as a result of delay by the police and other reporting agencies.
Answer
We are addressing the timeliness of reporting with the police and other reporting agencies.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25236 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, how it reconciles the answer with the evidence given by Michael Crossan, former deputy governor of Low Moss to the Justice 1 Committee on 14 May 2002 (Official Report col. 3544), that Eric Murch had prepared the report Constructing the Future.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The Constructing the Future report bore the name of Eric Murch as he was governor of Low Moss at the time, but as stated by Mike Crossan it was prepared in conjunction with the management team at Low Moss.
- 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 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: 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 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.
