- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to reduce the number of women being imprisoned.
Answer
A ministerial group, which I chair, has been set up to tackle the specific issue of women's offending. It is looking at a range of measures to encourage the appropriate use of alternatives to custody for female offenders. The group is due to complete its work in December and will report shortly thereafter.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what alternatives to imprisonment are (a) in place and (b) planned in order to reduce the number of women imprisoned.
Answer
A broad range of community disposals are available across Scotland for both female and male offenders. These include probation, community service orders and supervised attendance orders for female and male fine defaulters who might otherwise be facing a custodial sentence. Drug Treatment and Testing Orders and Restriction of Liberty Orders are also currently available in a number of courts. We have provided funding for diversion from prosecution schemes to allow all procurators fiscal access to local schemes and made female accused one of the four target groups. We are now moving forward with plans for the national roll-out of Restriction of Liberty Orders by May next year, and I have announced the extension of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders to a further seven sheriff courts. We are also considering funding structured work for deferred sentences and further developments in the use of supervised attendance orders.The Ministerial Group on Women Offenders, which I chair, is looking at a range of measures to encourage the use of alternatives to custody specifically for women offenders.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost implications would be of bringing HM Prison Kilmarnock back into the public sector.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Like all contracts, costs of termination depends on many factors, including the reasons for such a decision and the point of time in the contract. Such costs would require detailed calculation by independent advisers, both financial and legal.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received concerning the first report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales on HM Prison Buckley Hall, Rochdale since it was transferred from the private to the public sector and what lessons it has learned from that report.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The SPS does not normally receive reports on prisons from other jurisdictions and has not received the report referred to.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 2.4 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 that the practice of prisoners eating in cells where there is in-cell sanitation could be successfully challenged under the European Convention on Human Rights and what contingency plans are in place should this occur.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18792.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 2.3 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 regarding the comments by visiting committees about the level of staff morale and that because of staff absences prisoners were locked up for longer periods.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18792.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 2.5 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 regarding the Scottish Prison Service's Estates Review consultation process, who the Prison Service will consult with and how long this consultation process will last.
Answer
Completion of the Estates Review process has taken longer than originally anticipated but it is considered essential that the financial costings are independently evaluated. The findings will be published later this year and a period of consultation will follow.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 2.2 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 regarding lack of appropriate work for prisoner rehabilitation in prisons and, in particular, about numbers of prisoners sitting in sheds with no work to do, workshops closed because staff were required for escort duty and the type of work undertaken in prisons.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:A response to this and the other points made in the association's Annual Report will be sent to the association shortly. A copy will be sent to the member.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 3 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 on raising awareness and what action it is taking to raise public awareness of the existence and functions of prison visiting committees.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18792.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 5 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 on appointments; whether it shares the concern of the association with regard to the process of appointments to visiting committees for young offenders, in particular regarding the role of governors of such institutions in proposing candidates, lack of systematic review of committee member performance and a culture of unchallenged re-appointment, and, if so, what alternative procedure it plans to put in place.
Answer
A response to this and the other points made in the association's Annual Report will be sent to the association shortly. A copy will be sent to the member. Section 19(3) of the Prisons (Scotland) Act 1989 (as amended) provides that the members of visiting committees for young offenders institutions shall be appointed by the Scottish ministers. In making these appointments, account is taken of the views of all relevant interests, including not only the governors of the institutions but the chairperson of each committee. I believe these procedures work well and have no plans to change them.
