Seòmar agus comataidhean

The summary of consultation responses was published on the Scottish Executive’s website on 16 November and the summary of the results of the opinion survey on 17 November. Both can be accessed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/smoking. Summaries of the three research reports commissioned in support of the consultation, published on 10 November, can also be accessed there. The full reports of the consultation and the research commissioned, including the University of Aberdeen’s International Review, will be published on the website in December.

Information on persons charged by the police is not held centrally. Information on the numbers proceeded against in Scottish courts is given in the reply to question S2W-12379 answered on 2 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Since migration to Holyroodon 2 August, a total of 23 fire alarm activations resulting in full and partialevacuation have taken place. The majority of these activations were linked toeither dust from contractor works activating smoke detector heads or accidentaloperation of break glass call points. Statistics show that, as contractor workshave reduced, the incidence of fire alarm activations has also decreased. Fumesfrom cooking and steam from cleaners’ cupboards hot water taps have resulted ina very few activations. Additionally, a small number of fire alarms have resultedfrom planned live testing of the Debating Chamber and Committee Rooms, as wellas accidental operation of the fire alarm voice message system.

Since migration, thecontractual and statutory processes relating to fire alarm system commissioningand testing has continued. Testing has been restricted to out of normal workinghours where possible and at other times with the agreement of buildingmanagement. During migration, and for some time post migration, the planned fourminute grace period to allow an investigation to take place was not inoperation. Thus a vital element of the fire alarm system, designed to reducethe incidence of unwanted fire alarm activations, was not available.

The implementation of a“second phase” of the Fire Alert voice message is currently beingprocessed, to increasing the gap between alert messages. This will be moreamenable to occupants, enabling them to carry on working as normally aspossible whilst preparing themselves for a possible fire evacuation.

After every fire alarmactivation, the Fire Safety Manager carries out a Fire Incident Review. Thisprocess identifies root causes, issues, lessons learned and initiates and recordsactions required to minimise as far as is reasonably practicable, the chance ofrecurrence.

There is a downward trend inthe incidence of fire alarm activations, which can be put down to a combinationof reduced contractor works within the campus, bedding in of the fire detectionsystem and continuous improvement through our Fire Incident Review and Permitsto Work procedures.

Information about the number of carers in receipt of direct payments is not held centrally. A breakdown of numbers receiving direct payments by local authority area can be accessed from table number 8 of the statistics release Direct Payments Scotland 2004, available at the following website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00370-00.asp.

The Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 introduced various new legislative rights for carers and new duties upon statutory bodies. In recognition of their lead role in supporting carers and the people they care for, most of these duties apply to local authorities. The Executive is developing with key stakeholders a range of outcome measures and performance indicators that will provide robust data on the impact of our Carers Strategy. A key part of that will be to monitor the impact of these new legislative rights and duties. The first of these indicators will come on stream in 2005.

The available information is given in the table.

Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Perverting the Course of Justice¹, 1998-2002

	1998	1999	2000	2001	20022
Number of persons proceeded against	1,460	1,330	1,207	1,172	1,002

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. Figures may be underestimates due to time taken to record details of some court proceedings.

The available information is given in the table. Figures for 2002 may be underestimates due to time taken to record details of some court proceedings.

Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts, by Police Force Area, 1998-2002

Police Force	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Central	7,281	7,307	7,957	8,703	9,280
Dumfries and Galloway	5,123	6,277	5,280	4,452	4,586
Fife	8,747	8,223	7,741	8,371	8,541
Grampian	16,419	14,046	13,091	12,767	12,874
Lothian and Borders	24,083	20,075	19,160	19,461	20,916
Northern	7,304	6,799	5,977	6,354	7,792
Strathclyde	75,372	70,191	64,374	65,129	57,200
Tayside	14,954	14,045	13,586	14,574	15,201
Total	159,283	146,963	137,168	139,820	136,390

 

I refer the member to the question S2W-11761, answered on 9 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Data held by Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is recorded for Procurator Fiscal offices, as shown in the following table:

No Proceedings - Insufficient Admissible Evidence

PF Office	April 1999 to March 2000	April 2000 to March 2001	April 2001 to March 2002	April 2002 to March 2003	April 2003 to March 2004
Aberdeen	667	398	367	368	219
Airdrie	447	454	284	259	325
Alloa	111	179	190	190	189
Arbroath	186	210	58	111	124
Ayr	542	504	334	348	378
Banff	106	16	40	66	81
Campbeltown	23	19	11	13	10
Cupar	63	76	71	134	111
Dingwall	38	75	43	62	62
Dornoch	23	17	24	21	32
Dumbarton	431	566	559	456	430
Dumfries	186	141	86	83	94
Dundee	623	612	471	453	913
Dunfermline	310	249	244	260	285
Dunoon	34	42	45	35	35
Duns	16	38	22	22	28
Edinburgh	771	895	836	727	819
Elgin	128	96	108	105	114
Falkirk	318	420	481	498	591
Forfar	124	121	103	110	125
Fort William	46	34	32	49	68
Glasgow	3,602	3,432	2,888	2,129	1,836
Greenock	304	305	302	243	349
Haddington	109	57	46	37	91
Hamilton	600	584	424	242	279
Inverness	241	236	233	237	257
Jedburgh	53	38	62	54	76
Kilmarnock	461	335	341	450	525
Kirkcaldy	387	395	388	476	425
Kirkcudbright	51	36	11	17	23
Kirkwall	28	33	14	12	14
Lanark	75	62	48	66	38
Lerwick	32	33	17	11	14
Linlithgow	144	105	99	219	213
Lochmaddy	12	6	6	6	12
Oban	32	23	30	41	37
Paisley	673	627	456	337	196
Peebles	18	9	9	12	10
Perth	170	171	223	191	278
Peterhead	98	86	66	29	63
Portree	9	13	20	7	5
Rothesay	9	13	19	16	24
Selkirk	67	45	45	36	63
Stirling	117	188	214	250	228
Stonehaven	45	52	25	13	17
Stornoway	17	11	19	23	33
Stranraer	150	100	73	51	35
Tain	50	69	102	65	94
Wick	39	31	38	58	62
Total (A): no pro – insufficient admissible evidence	12,786	12,257	10,627	9,698	10,330
Total (B) reports received	285,718	284,633	275,803	308,255	325,461
A as % of B	4.5%	4.3%	3.8%	3.1%	3.2%

 

From January 2005 local authorities are being requested for the first time to report on the number of carers’ assessments being carried out annually, and this will provide a much clearer picture of whether they are meeting legislative requirements. 

Thirty-one local authorities issued direct payments in the year to 31 March 2004. Although there are no performance indicators in place to monitor the uptake of direct payments, consideration is being given to introducing these in 2005-06 through the Joint Performance Information and Assessment Framework.