Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-02109

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 September 2016

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To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of people in young offender institutions in each of the last 12 months was (a) on remand and (b) awaiting sentencing.

Question reference: S5W-02112

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many young people convicted of an offence in each of the last five years stated that (a) alcohol and (b) substance misuse was as a cause of their offending behaviour.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: There is no data held by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) which can categorically attribute alcohol or substance misuse as a cause of offending behaviour in young people 21 years of age or under held in custody. SPS does collect general data on alcohol and substance misuse among young people (16 to 21) held in custodial care, gathered every second year through self-report in the Prisoner Survey Series. Through self-report, young people do admit that they have been either drunk or under the influence of drugs at the time they committed the offence. SPS does not hold any information on the use of alcohol or drugs by young people 21 years of age or under who have been given community disposals by the Scottish courts.

Information over the last five years indicates that alcohol use at the time of the commissioning of the offence has been declining from 78% in 2011 to 68% in 2013 to 60% in 2015. The overall comparator for the rest of the SPS estate (adults over 21) has also declined from 50% in 2011 to 45% in 2013 to 41% in 2015.

Substance misuse at the time of the commissioning of the offence has, by and large, remained static at 54% in 2011 to 49% in 2013 to 55% in 2015. The overall comparator for the rest of the SPS estate (adults over 21) has also remained static at 44% in 2011 to 39% in 2013 to 40% in 2015.

Table 1

“I was drunk at the time of my offence”

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2015

2013

2011

Young people

(21 or under in custody)

Overall comparator (adults over 21)

Table 2

“I was under the influence of drugs at time of my offence”

��

2015

��

2013

2011

Young people

(21 or under in custody)

Overall comparator (adults over 21)

Source: SPS Prisoner Surveys 2015; 2013; 2011

Question reference: S5W-02110

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many people leaving each young offender institution in each of the last five years moved on to positive destinations, broken down by the nature of the positive destination.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: Comprehensive records of positive destinations of young people leaving young offenders’ institutions are not held by Scottish Prison Service (SPS) or other agencies.

SPS is giving high priority to improving the life chances of young people in its care. Working with partner organisations, SPS is implementing its Vision for Young People in Custody, which aims ‘to use the time a young person spends in custody to enable them to prepare for a positive future’ and so achieve a positive destination.

Question reference: S5W-02113

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in young offender Institutions have children.

Question reference: S5W-01976

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the responsible ownership of (a) quad bikes and (b) other similar single-person operated vehicles.

The legislation governing the usage of quad bikes on our roads has not been devolved to Scottish Ministers and remains reserved to the UK Government.

Police Scotland uses this UK Government legislation along with the additional powers available through the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 to deal with the irresponsible use of quad bikes or similar vehicles. Through engagement with communities and partner organisations at a local level Police Scotland seek to educate and encourage the responsible ownership and usage of this type of vehicle.

Question reference: S5W-01977

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the responsible selling of (a) quad bikes and (b) other similar single-person operated vehicles.

Question reference: S5W-01830

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any (a) within-year payments, (b) loans or (c) grants to Police Scotland in the last two years and, if so, when and what for.

Question reference: S5W-01484

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many Fiscal Works Order (a) referrals, (b) placement starts, (c) completions and (d) hours there have been, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) offence type since rollout in April 2015.

This information is not currently available.

Detailed statistics for Fiscal Works Orders (FWOs) will be included in the annual Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics in Scotland bulletins from 2015-16 onwards. This will include data on the number of assessments undertaken by local authorities; the number of orders commenced; the number of orders completed/terminated; and the number of orders commenced broken down by the number of hours involved. This data will be available at a local authority level, and the Scottish Government currently anticipates that the 2015-16 statistics will be published in February or March of 2017.

The Criminal Proceedings in Scotland bulletin will also include data on FWOs from 2015-16, including information on the offence types for which FWOs have been imposed. We currently anticipate that the data for 2015-16 will be published in December 2016.

Question reference: S5W-01489

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many offenders who have completed Fiscal Work Orders have moved into work as a result of their placement since rollout in April 2015, broken down by local authority area.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Local authorities are encouraged to develop programmes which will reduce the likelihood of individuals engaging in future offending behaviour. For example, programmes which increase the individual's awareness of the impacts of their offending; challenge antisocial attitudes or assumptions; and encourage personal and social responsibilities and self respect, and/or the development of life skills and problem solving.

Furthermore, while it is generally intended that unpaid work activities should constitute the bulk of the time an individual spends on a Fiscal Work Order, up to 10% of the order (where appropriate) may be used for educational activities. This can include activities which would encourage development of employability skills.

Question reference: S5W-01482

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) assessment it has made of and (b) discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding the impact of Fiscal Work Orders on the requirements of (i) out-of-work and (ii) means tested social security benefits.

The Scottish Government’s assessment is that the imposition of a Fiscal Work Order (FWO) should not adversely impact an individual’s ability to meet the requirements of either (i) out-of-work or (ii) means tested social security benefits. As such, we have not had specific discussions with Department for Work and Pensions in relation to FWOs.

An individual made subject to a FWO is given six months in which to complete their order which can carry a maximum of 50 hours. The National Guidelines on Fiscal Work Orders, which were issued to all local authorities in advance of the national rollout, make it clear that prescribed activities should take into account any outstanding obligations, including those relating to employment, education or domestic circumstances, which the individual made subject to the order may have. This includes the provision of activities at various times throughout the week (including evenings and weekends) and throughout the geographical area covered by the scheme.