Seòmar agus comataidhean

This information is not held by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government does not routinely release minutes of private meetings.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02403 on 22 September 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

We have just concluded an initial engagement process facilitated through the industry leadership body, Scotland Food and Drink, to garner views on options for taking forward this commitment. We will now analyse their comments and consider the next steps, ensuring that our future approach is fully informed by the views of the industry.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government. The management of the interim Vulnerable Persons Database is a matter for Police Scotland.

The number of premises liquor licence applications received, by local authority area, in each of the years 2010-11 to 2014-15, can be found at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubLiquor.

The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 came fully into force in September 2009 and 2010-11 was the first full year of operation under these new licensing arrangements. Figures from these new arrangements cannot be compared to earlier years' figures due to changes in the way licences are now being administered (for instance, single licences for premises which were previously subject to multiple licences, and registered clubs coming under the responsibility of licensing boards rather than sheriff courts).

On 7 October 2016, the figures at Scotland and local authority level for 2015-16 will be published on the Scottish Government website.

At Scotland level, the number of premises licence applications refused under section 23 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 during the years 2010-11 to 2014-15 is in the following table.

The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 came fully into force in September 2009 and 2010-11 was the first full year of operation under these new licensing arrangements. Figures from these new arrangements cannot be compared to earlier years' figures due to changes in the way licences are now being administered (for instance, single licences for premises which were previously subject to multiple licences, and registered clubs coming under the responsibility of licensing boards rather than sheriff courts).

Figures for years 2010-11 to 2014-15 at local authority level can be obtained from http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubLiquor but numbers by SIMD decile are not collected centrally. On 7 October 2016, the figures at Scotland and local authority level for 2015-16 will be published on the Scottish Government website.

Number and proportion of premise licence applications refused under section 23

of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, 2010-11 to 2014-15

Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime which causes devastating effects on victims and their families. The Scottish Government recognises that ensuring that women are able to access appropriate and timely legal advice to safeguard their interests and apply for protection of the civil law where necessary is vital. That is why we continue to invest in the Scottish Women’s Right Centre, which included £215,000 for the funding period 1 March 2015 – 30 September 2016, to ensure that women in Scotland affected by gender based violence have timely access to legal advice and representation in ways best suited to their circumstances.

Following the judgement in WF v Scottish Ministers [2016] CSOH 27, the Scottish Government has made a determination so that non-means tested legal aid is available to any person, including complainers in domestic abuse cases, whose sensitive records are potentially going to be disclosed in a criminal case. This is to ensure access to justice as the court considers whether disclosure is necessary.

It is the case that the introduction of non-means tested legal support has been considered previously by Parliament. This was in the context of consideration of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill in 2011. This Member’s Bill included at introduction provision for non-means tested legal aid for people seeking a civil protection order to protect against domestic abuse. Parliament took the view that such an approach did not represent the best use of scarce public resources. In particular, it was noted that such an approach would give rise to an inequality of arms argument which meant that non-means tested legal aid would likely also have to be granted to those defending an action. There was also questions raised about the domestic abuse cases being treated differently from other cases within the legal aid system and about how the proposal would work when a court action covers a domestic abuse civil protection order and other matters such as divorce, or contact and residence orders. In light of these concerns, Parliament decided to remove the relevant provisions at Stage two of the Bill process.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the experience of children and young people who come into contact with Scotland’s justice system.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service’s Evidence and Procedure Review made a compelling case for reform, particularly in relation to how child and vulnerable witnesses give evidence in criminal cases. As noted in our Programme for Government, the Scottish Government is working with key stakeholders across the justice system to examine and progress the necessary steps to enable the greater use of pre-recorded evidence, which has the potential to help children and other vulnerable witnesses to avoid the stress and anxiety of appearing in court.