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Police Scotland do not currently hold this information centrally. However the Solicitor Access Recording Form is provided to every individual detained under section 14 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, or is arrested but not charged with an offence, and being detained in custody (i.e. held in custody, not detained under section 14) at a police station for the purposes of being questioned in connection with an offence.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02299 on 14 September 2016 for more detail about the national custody system. 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

The information requested is an operational policing matter for the British Transport Police. I have alerted the Chief Constable to your questions and I have requested that he writes to you.

The information requested is an operational policing matter for the British Transport Police. I have alerted the Chief Constable to your questions and I have requested that he writes to you.

The information requested is an operational policing matter for the British Transport Police. I have alerted the Chief Constable to your questions and I have requested that he writes to you.

The information requested is an operational policing matter for the British Transport Police. I have alerted the Chief Constable to your questions and I have requested that he writes to you.

Police Scotland do not currently hold this information centrally. However, in June 2013 Police Scotland completed a custody data exercise which captured the solicitor access waiver percentage over a one month period. They were then able to extrapolate for a 12 month period, and concluded that 75% of all persons brought into police custody who had the right of access to a solicitor waived their rights. The final report of Lord Bonomy’s Post Corroboration Additional Safeguards review also refers to analysis of 1000 interviews by Police Scotland in October and November 2014 which showed 71% of those in custody did not seek a consultation with a solicitor.

Police Scotland are currently developing a national custody system and it is intended that the system will record the number of people who are informed of their rights, including those of intimation to a solicitor, consultation and for solicitor to be present during interview. It will also record the acceptance and waiving of the right, and any reason given for the waiver. The national custody system is expected to be in use across Police Scotland by summer 2017, in conjunction with the implementation of Part 1 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016.

The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 extends the rights of those in police custody. It provides that all persons held in police custody have the right to speak to a solicitor, regardless of whether they are going to be interviewed by the police or not. It also introduces a statutory requirement on the police to give everyone who is arrested specific information on their rights, including the right to speak to a solicitor. Suspects receive a letter of rights explaining this, which has been translated into 35 languages and is available in an easy read version.

The Solicitor Access Recording Form has not been recently revised, but the process is currently under review and will continue until Part one of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 is commenced in summer 2017. The Solicitor Access Recording Form will not be necessary once the National Custody System has been introduced on commencement of Part one of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02299 on 14 September 2016 for more detail about the national custody system. 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

Information on number of people charged is not held centrally.

For information on number of people charged, I would refer the member to contact The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The available information is shown in the following table.

Persons prosecuted and convicted in Scottish courts for drugs trafficking¹, 2010-11 to 2014-15.

	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Not Guilty	557	577	542	538	430
Guilty	2,384	2,373	2,292	2,132	1,890
Total Prosecutions	2,941	2,950	2,834	2,670	2,320

1 - Where main charge.

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database

All official Ministerial visits are published at:

http://www.gov.scot/About/People/14944/Events-Engagements/MinisterialEngagements/MinisterialEngagements

Visits from May 2016 onwards will be published shortly on: https://beta.gov.scot/

The information requested is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority. I have alerted the Chief Executive to your question and I have asked him to write to you.