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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 MSPs 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: S1W-18799

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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.

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.

Question reference: S1W-18792

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
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.

Question reference: S1W-18796

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Point of Concern 2.6 in the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2001 regarding suicide prevention; whether it shares the concerns of visiting committees that the practices of isolation in total silence, deprivation of conversation and companionship, and denial of access to music affect vulnerable prisoners held in anti-ligature cells, and, if so, what action it is taking to change these practices.

Question reference: S1W-18994

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 26 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that young offenders are engaged in purposeful activity and that the provision of such activity is monitored, as identified in the Visiting Committee of Polmont Young Offenders Institution Annual Report 1 April 2000-31 March 2001.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has made at Polmont significant investment to enhance the capabilities of the various workshops by the introduction of new machinery. Additionally, a paint finishing plant is being installed. This investment should provide further workplaces and training opportunities, as well as making work more interesting. Polmont has also introduced two further training areas, an Information Technology and Business Centre and Vocational Training Painting and Decorating. Both these areas will deliver quality and certificated training.

As a result of the new staff attendance work patterns SPS introduced at Polmont on 1 October 2001, and if more contract work can be sourced, we hope to introduce a workshop efficiency scheme similar to those already established in some other SPS establishments, but without restricting numbers or insisting on full attendance throughout the working week. This would ensure that time for education programmes and PE is maintained. Production through each workshop is monitored on a weekly basis and used to compile annual report statistics on value of production. Polmont also intend to carry out daily monitoring of workshop attendance records.

Question reference: S1W-18559

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 22 October 2001

To ask the Presiding Officer when the written answers search engine will again be fully functional.

The written answers database and search engine was added to the redesigned website on 18 June. Towards the end of August, problems were encountered in loading the latest answers into that database. Extensive investigations have shown that this is a complex matter that has needed input from Parliament IT staff and the database product supplier.

The written answers search engine has been fully functional as from 22 October 2001.

Question reference: S1W-17664

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail (a) the training given to newly recruited prison officers and (b) the in-service training given to prison officers at HM Prison Kilmarnock.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

Newly recruited Scottish Prison Service prison officers spend one week at their establishment followed by five weeks at the Scottish Prison Service College. They are then deployed as officers, and are contractually obliged to complete the SVQ in Custodial Care within two years. New recruit and in-service training at HMP Kilmarnock is a matter for Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd.

Question reference: S1W-18587

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many successful appeals regarding Records of Needs there have been in 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000 to date and what this figure is as a percentage of the number received.

Question reference: S1W-18589

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the target timescale is for completion of an appeal regarding a Record of Needs.

Question reference: S1W-18586

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals have been received regarding Records of Needs in 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000 to date.

Question reference: S1W-18585

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time taken to finalise appeals regarding Records of Needs has been for 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000 to date.

The average times are 66 weeks in 1998-99, 74 weeks in 1999-2000 and 39 weeks in 2000-01 for the 13 completed so far. No appeals received in 2001-02 have yet reached decision. The number of appeals received in each year is 24, 32, 31 and 22 to date, respectively.

The process is time consuming and the length of individual cases can be influenced by a variety of factors. Appeals go through the following stages:

checking validity of appeal and gathering relevant documentation from all parties concerned, including, in certain cases, parents' reasons for appealing, and often allowing time for the submission of independent assessments;

assigning appeal to an adviser to the Scottish ministers;

scheduling investigations, usually involving observation of the child in school and meetings with the parents and relevant professionals;

production of a detailed report on the case;

circulation of the report and a period of consultation on it for both parties;

collation of all comments on the report, and

a decision made on the basis of all information available including the report and comments made on it.

Year	Decisions in the parents' favour	As a % of appeals reaching decision
1998-1999	8	40%
1999-2000	16	64%
2000-01	7	54% (excludes 7 still in progress)
2001-02 no appeals yet reached decision