- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 27 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been consulted on any proposal by the Home Secretary to withdraw from individual tenants the automatic right to be granted housing benefit and the impact of such a policy on its social justice policy.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will continue to liaise with UK Government on any proposals to make changes to the housing benefit and to advise on the implications for its devolved responsibilities.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 27 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings ministers plan to hold with UK ministers in April 2003; how many such meetings will take place in Scotland; when each meeting will take place, and which Scottish and UK ministers will attend each meeting.
Answer
Scottish Executive ministers will continue to be in contact with UK ministers as appropriate during April 2003.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 27 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were marked "no proceedings" due to delay in reporting to the procurators fiscal in April to December 2002, broken down by police force area.
Answer
The information is not available by police force area. Information by procurator fiscal office is as follows:
| PF Office | Number of Cases Marked "No Proceedings" Due to Delay in Reporting to Procurators Fiscal |
| Aberdeen | 144 |
| Airdrie | 1,591 |
| Alloa | 9 |
| Arbroath | 2 |
| Ayr | 227 |
| Banff | 24 |
| Campbeltown | 1 |
| Cupar | 40 |
| Dingwall | 2 |
| Dornoch | - |
| Dumbarton | 43 |
| Dumfries | 27 |
| Dundee | 85 |
| Dunfermline | 36 |
| Dunoon | 13 |
| Duns | 8 |
| Edinburgh | 988 |
| Elgin | 40 |
| Falkirk | 59 |
| Forfar | 4 |
| Fort William | - |
| Glasgow | 5,842 |
| Greenock | 48 |
| Haddington | 13 |
| Hamilton | 743 |
| Inverness | 78 |
| Jedburgh | 5 |
| Kilmarnock | 453 |
| Kirkcaldy | 115 |
| Kirkcudbright | 5 |
| Kirkwall | 4 |
| Lanark | 12 |
| Lerwick | 9 |
| Linlithgow | 217 |
| Lochmaddy | - |
| Oban | 14 |
| Paisley | 494 |
| Peebles | 11 |
| Perth | 30 |
| Peterhead | 4 |
| Portree | 1 |
| Rothesay | - |
| Selkirk | 20 |
| Stirling | 41 |
| Stonehaven | 8 |
| Stornoway | 2 |
| Stranraer | 16 |
| Tain | 4 |
| Wick | 1 |
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 27 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33923 by Mrs Elish Angiolini on 10 March 2003, how many cases from April to December 2002 have been marked "no proceedings" because there has been a non-court disposal, broken down by warnings, conditional offers, fiscal fines and diversions from prosecution.
Answer
Cases in which there has been a non-court disposal are not marked "no proceedings" and do not form part of the no proceedings data provided in the answer given to question S1W-33923. The number of cases in which there were non-court disposals in the categories listed, broken down as requested, for the period April to December 2002 are as follows:
| Total Reports Received | Cases Closed as Warnings | Cases Closed as Conditional Offers | Cases Closed as Fiscal Fines | Cases Closed as Diversions from Prosecution |
| 224,779 | 11,169 | 4,557 | 17,305 | 801 |
| As % of Total Reports | 5% | 2% | 7% | 0.3% |
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what ministerial announcements are planned for April 2003.
Answer
No ministerial announcements on policy or spending issues are planned for April, but there may be a need for ministers to respond to external events or issues of immediate importance, for example relating to any EU business which might take place during the month.Routine factual news releases, such as statistical figures published on a monthly or regular basis, will be issued during April, as stated in The Scottish Parliament Election Guidance 2003.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been referred to the Children's Reporter on offence grounds in each of the last four years broken down in respect of (a) one, (b) two to three offences, (c) four to six offences, (d) seven to nine offences and (e) 10 or more offences, broken down by reporter area.
Answer
This is a matter for the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration. I have asked the Principal Reporter to write to you with this data.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive to how many written parliamentary questions in each year since May 1999 it has given an answer that states that the information sought in the question cannot be provided, either in part or in whole, for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. However, all answers to written parliamentary questions are published on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33813 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 March 2003, what changes the investigation by the director of HM Prison Kilmarnock has concluded need to be made to improve procedures for suicide prevention at the prison.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The director has indicated that some further work is being undertaken which will not be completed until the end of March, at which point he will consider whether any procedural changes are required.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33813 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 March 2003, whether the investigation by the director of HM Prison Kilmarnock has concluded that there were any shortcomings in the procedures for suicide prevention at the prison.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The director has indicated that some further work is being undertaken which will not be completed until the end of March. It is therefore too early to say what conclusions he will reach.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 25 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is consistent with the Sewel Convention for the Parliament to be asked to agree that the Sexual Offences Bill be considered by the UK Parliament after the principles of that bill, including that the bill apply to Scotland, have been agreed in the UK Parliament.
Answer
Yes. The Sewel Convention, which provides that the UK Parliament will not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters in Scotland without the consent of the Scottish Parliament, has always been observed. The convention does not prescribe the precise stage at which consent should be sought, though the Scottish Executive has undertaken normally to seek the Scottish Parliament's consent before the UK Bill is given its Second Reading in the House of the UK Parliament in which it is introduced. It is recognised, however, that adherence to this timetable is not always feasible and can, in any event, put considerable demands on the Scottish Parliament. It is anticipated that improvements will be effected through the introduction of the revised process proposed by the Scottish Executive to the Scottish Parliament's Procedures Committee.
