- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what methods of distribution were used for the summary document of Recording Our Achievements and what the cost of each method was.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's distributors, Task Force, distributed 1,711 copies of
Recording our Achievements: A Summary with the main
Recording our Achievements document and 80,029 copies directly to public libraries, local authorities, NHS GPs, dental, and opticians practices, charities, churches, young people's organisations, older people's organisations, and higher and further education institutions. The costs for this circulation included postage, labour, materials and couriers.A further 5,200 copies were distributed by the task force as inserts to the Friday 31 January 2003 edition (issue 231) of
Third Force News. Task Force also distributed 10,000 copies of
Recording our Achievements: A Summary to Scottish Post Offices; this involved a cost for the rental of Post Office leaflet space. Two thousand, five hundred and seventy-one copies of the summary document have been retained by the Executive for internal distribution and to meet further requests from members of the public for copies.The costs for distributing the main and summary documents can be broken down as follows.
| Distribution of main and summary reports by Task Force - 2nd class | £7,411.95 |
| Labour, materials and couriers | £3,714.23 |
| Distribution as insert to Third Force News | £1,762.50 |
| Rental of Post Office leaflet space | £3,000 |
| Total | £15,888.68 |
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33010 by Mr Jim Wallace on 31 January 2003, why information on the number of sheriff court cases adjourned on the day of commencement is not held centrally, given that the number of summary criminal cases called for trial and the number adjourned to another trial date were given in the answer to S1W-22603 on 14 February 2002.
Answer
The original parliamentary question asked for information on the number of sheriff court cases adjourned on the day of commencement and the reasons for these adjournments. Such information is not held centrally. However, detailed information on summary criminal trials can be determined through analysis of a Scottish Court Service information database.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 10 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32358 by Hugh Henry on 17 January 2003, what the total delegated budget has been for each prison and young offenders institution in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99, (c) 1999-2000, (d) 2000-01, (e) 2001-02 and (f) 2002-03 to date and what the expenditure outturn has been in each case.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The available information is as shown in the following table.
| Establishment | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 |
| Budget (£ million) | Under/(Over) Spend (£ million) | Budget (£ million) | Under/(Over) Spend (£ million) | Budget(£ million) |
| HM Prison Aberdeen | 5.8 | 0.1 | 6.1 | - | 5.9 |
| HM Prison Barlinnie | 24.5 | 0.6 | 24.1 | (0.2) | 24.2 |
| HM Prison Castle Huntly | 3.3 | 0.1 | 3.1 | - | 3.0 |
| HM Prison and YOI Cornton Vale | 8.1 | (0.3) | 8.5 | 0.2 | 9.2 |
| HM Prison and YOI Dumfries | 5.7 | - | 6.0 | 0.1 | 5.3 |
| HM Prison Dungavel | 0.8 | (0.1) | - | - | |
| HM Prison Edinburgh | 18.1 | 0.2 | 18.6 | (0.1) | 18.5 |
| HM Prison and YOI Glenochil | 16.7 | (0.2) | 17.6 | 0.3 | 16.9 |
| HM Prison Greenock | 6.8 | (0.1) | 7.4 | 0.2 | 6.9 |
| HM Prison Inverness | 3.9 | 0.1 | 3.9 | - | 4.1 |
| HM Prison Kilmarnock | 13.0 | 0.4 | 13.2 | 0.6 | 13.2 |
| HM Remand Institution Longriggend | 0.1 | - | - | - | |
| HM Prison Low Moss | 6.5 | 0.1 | 7.0 | 0.1 | 6.8 |
| HM Prison Noranside | 3.1 | (0.1) | 2.8 | - | 2.8 |
| HM Prison Penninghame | 0.3 | - | - | - | |
| HM Prison Perth | 16.9 | 0.4 | 15.5 | 0.2 | 16.5 |
| HM Prison Peterhead | 8.7 | 0.3 | 9.0 | 0.3 | 8.7 |
| HM YOI Polmont | 12.8 | (0.1) | 13.2 | (0.5) | 12.8 |
| HM Prison Shotts | 17.4 | 0.2 | 16.3 | 0.8 | 16.9 |
Notes:1. The table is based on delegated budgets for each of these years.2. Projected spend for 2002-03 is currently in line with budgets allocated.3. Budget details are no longer retained on the financial system for 1999-2000 and prior years.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30674 by Mr Andy Kerr on 13 November 2002, when the review of its planned advertising expenditure from January to March 2003 will be completed and whether it will report its conclusions to the Parliament.
Answer
The review of advertising expenditure started in late August has been completed and the First Minister has decided on a reduction of 25%. This reduction will apply to expenditure planned earlier this financial year for the period January to March 2003. For 2003-04, expenditure will be set at 25% less than the total for 2002-03.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30674 by Mr Andy Kerr on 13 November 2002, what its planned expenditure on advertising is for each month from January to April 2003.
Answer
It is not possible to breakdown total advertising expenditure for each month from January to March because items such as production and printing will, in some cases, have been invoiced and paid for in previous months. While some campaign expenditure has yet to be finalised, currently the committed expenditure on media buying for each month from January to March 2003 is currently:
| January | £978,898 |
| February | £306,835 |
| March | £180,698 |
The final level of expenditure for January to March will be at least 25% less than previously planned.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30372 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 November 2002, how many injuries have occurred in each prison that were reportable to the Health and Safety Executive in 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 available information is as follows:
| Aberdeen | 9 |
| Barlinnie | 36 |
| Castle Huntly | 1 |
| Cornton Vale | 8 |
| Dumfries | 6 |
| Edinburgh | 13 |
| Glenochil | 11 |
| Greenock | 10 |
| Inverness | 2 |
| Low Moss | 8 |
| Noranside | 1 |
| Perth | 5 |
| Peterhead | 2 |
| Polmont | 8 |
| Shotts | 19 |
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-32815 and S1W-32816 by Hugh Henry on 13 January 2003, whether there has been any case where an incident at HM Prison Kilmarnock has been recorded as a serious assault for the purposes of the Scottish Prison Service's key performance indicators, but where performance points have not accrued to the prison because an adjudication or criminal conviction has not been secured.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Yes, for the reasons set out in the question.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-32797 and S1W-32400 by Patricia Ferguson and Mr Jim Wallace on 21 and 20 January 2003 respectively, how the answer to S1W-32400 which states that legal advice was obtained is consistent with the answer to S1W-32797 which states that by long-standing convention its general policy is that it does not disclose whether it has taken legal advice.
Answer
The Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information indicates that certain categories of information are exempt from the commitment to provide information, including internal discussion and advice. By longstanding convention, the general policy of the Scottish Executive is that it does not disclose legal advice or whether legal advice has been or will be obtained.In relation to the answer to question S1W-32400, I was satisfied that it was appropriate on that occasion to disclose that legal advice had been obtained and the reason for doing so.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when the decision on whether to contract out a service in the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) lies with the Chief Executive of the SPS and when it lies with Scottish Ministers.
Answer
As an Executive Agency, the SPS operates under a framework document, the text of which is available on SPS's website at:
www.sps.gov.uk. Paragraph 3.1 of that Document says that "The Chief Executive is responsible and accountable for operational and contractual matters involving the Agency and for its performance. He or she is answerable to the Scottish Ministers." Paragraph 3.2 of the document says that "The Chief Executive may make changes in the organisation and management structure of SPS in pursuit of its aims and objectives." As the framework document makes clear, Scottish ministers expect the Chief Executive to manage SPS consistent with the aims and objectives set by ministers and to obtain the best value for taxpayers' money made available by ministers. Within that policy and resources framework, decisions on contracting out services are therefore for the Chief Executive.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 5 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32863 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 16 January 2003, why information on abortions performed in order to save the life of the woman is only available from 1991, given that recording the grounds on which an abortion is being carried out has been required since the Abortion Act 1967 came into force.
Answer
Until 1990, all emergency abortions were recorded together, making it impossible to distinguish between those carried out to save the lives of the women and those carried out to prevent grave permanent injury to their health. The grounds for legal abortion set out in the Abortion Act 1967 were amended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. This made it necessary to amend the regulations governing the content of the notification form, and a separate category for abortions carried out to save the woman's life was then introduced.
