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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: S3W-03432

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24414 by Tavish Scott on 28 March 2006, how many (a) applications have been received and (b) travel passes issued for companions of older and disabled travellers requiring assistance to travel under the national concessionary fares scheme since April 2006, broken down into (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority area.

Information suppliedto Transport Scotland indicates that since the introduction of theNational Entitlement Card and Scotland-Wide Free Bus Travel for Older and DisabledPeople, 1,064,059 applicationshave been received and processed to date.

The following tableshows the total number of National Entitlement Card holders who qualify for Scotland-WideFree Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People and those who qualify for the companionentitlement as of 21 August 2007.

Figures can only bebroken down by local authority as the facility is unavailable to report by parliamentaryconstituency.

Local Authority	Total Number of Cards Issued	Disabled Plus Companion	Visually Impaired Plus Companion
Aberdeen City	43,652	1,535	748
Aberdeenshire	39,995	1,244	358
Angus	23,028	379	97
Argyll and Bute	20,469	1142	169
City of Edinburgh	88,502	8,514	1,098
Clackmannanshire	9,454	316	41
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	6,046	75	20
Dumfries and Galloway	30,097	836	396
Dundee City	31,816	950	214
East Ayrshire	25,062	2,193	195
East Dunbartonshire	21,631	973	108
East Lothian	20,194	1,669	232
East Renfrewshire	17,172	853	86
Falkirk	29,101	715	241
Fife	79,022	12,463	947
Glasgow	110,475	16,191	1,250
Highland	41,508	1,337	473
Inverclyde	18,306	2,015	184
Midlothian	16,894	1,550	240
Moray	17,257	592	206
North Ayrshire	30,925	2,618	301
North Lanarkshire	58,699	6,207	438
Orkney Islands	4,304	95	13
Perth and Kinross	27,940	567	219
Renfrewshire	36,089	3261	316
Scottish Borders	23,662	652	212
Shetland Islands	4,245	128	11
South Ayrshire	26,924	1,795	221
South Lanarkshire	59,652	5,238	513
Stirling	15,867	386	77
West Dunbartonshire	18,363	2,078	229
West Lothian	27,956	3,060	352
Total	1,024,307	81,627	10,205

Question reference: S3W-03061

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 31 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2027 by Fergus Ewing on 31 July 2007, how many people were (a) charged with and (b) prosecuted for crimes of indecency in each year since 2001, broken down by (i) category of offence, (ii) constabulary and (iii) sheriff court district, also giving figures for the High Court.

Statistics on personscharged by the police are not collected centrally. The available information onpersons proceeded against in court is given in the following tables.

Persons ProceededAgainst for Crimes of Indecency¹, by Police Force area, 2001-02 to 2005-06.

Police Force and Main Offence	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06
Central
Rape	1	4	1	8	9
Indecent assault²	4	4	8	9	8
Lewd and indecent behaviour	20	17	22	24	26
Other crimes of indecency	4	3	12	7	6
Total	29	28	43	48	49
Dumfries and Galloway
Rape	2	1	2	3	3
Indecent assault²	1	2	5	2	6
Lewd and indecent behaviour	18	4	8	6	9
Other crimes of indecency	3	2	1	1	-
Total	24	9	16	12	18
Fife
Rape	8	7	3	11	12
Indecent assault²	13	10	8	8	8
Lewd and indecent behaviour	21	33	25	30	22
Other crimes of indecency	5	10	12	1	8
Total	47	60	48	50	50
Grampian
Rape	4	4	5	6	3
Indecent assault²	5	7	6	11	3
Lewd and indecent behaviour	33	21	30	36	42
Offences related to prostitution	-	4	10	12	13
Other crimes of indecency	11	7	11	15	28
Total	53	43	62	80	89
Lothian and Borders
Rape	19	15	19	20	13
Indecent assault²	15	26	28	33	39
Lewd and indecent behaviour	56	57	60	60	76
Offences related to prostitution	4	6	14	6	6
Other crimes of indecency	19	12	9	31	21
Total	113	116	130	150	155
Northern
Rape	3	5	3	8	6
Indecent assault²	12	6	11	8	10
Lewd and indecent behaviour	23	19	30	37	28
Other crimes of indecency	12	5	18	18	13
Total	50	35	62	71	57
Strathclyde
Rape	24	19	34	30	34
Indecent assault²	35	32	69	65	50
Lewd and indecent behaviour	154	129	132	165	137
Offences related to prostitution	125	93	105	210	255
Other crimes of indecency	41	29	27	41	28
Total	379	302	367	511	504
Tayside
Rape	7	4	12	7	8
Indecent assault²	12	13	10	12	16
Lewd and indecent behaviour	39	33	34	33	38
Offences related to prostitution	4	2	5	6	9
Other crimes of indecency	15	7	15	6	7
Total	77	59	76	64	78
Scotland³
Rape	68	59	80	93	88
Indecent assault²	97	100	145	149	140
Lewd and indecent behaviour	364	313	341	391	378
Offences related to prostitution	133	105	134	234	283
Other crimes of indecency	110	75	105	120	111
Total	772	652	805	987	1,000

PersonsProceeded Against for Crimes of Indecency¹, by Sheriffdom, 2001-02 to2005-06.

Sheriffdom and Main Offence	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06
High Court
Rape	68	59	80	93	88
Indecent Assault²	32	23	45	37	27
Lewd and indecent behaviour	44	45	39	36	23
Other crimes of indecency	33	22	31	37	28
Total	177	149	195	203	166
Glasgow and Strathkelvin
Indecent assault²	8	9	18	23	16
Lewd and indecent behaviour	36	34	48	63	51
Offences related to prostitution	125	93	105	210	255
Other crimes of indecency	17	8	8	5	3
Total	186	144	179	302	325
Grampian, Highland and Islands
Indecent assault²	15	11	11	11	10
Lewd and indecent behaviour	46	35	56	70	67
Offences related to prostitution	-	4	10	12	13
Other crimes of indecency	21	10	25	30	36
Total	82	60	102	123	126
Lothian and Borders
Indecent assault²	4	25	26	27	35
Lewd and indecent behaviour	53	51	54	52	70
Offences related to prostitution	4	6	14	6	6
Other crimes of indecency	12	8	4	15	17
Total	73	90	98	100	128
North Strathclyde
Indecent assault²	10	6	15	17	10
Lewd and indecent behaviour	42	35	40	45	37
Other crimes of indecency	5	5	4	5	2
Total	57	46	59	67	49
South Strathclyde Dumfries and Galloway
Indecent assault²	7	7	14	13	16
Lewd and indecent behaviour	77	42	37	49	49
Other crimes of indecency	9	13	9	18	8
Total	93	62	60	80	73
Tayside, Central and Fife
Indecent assault²	21	19	16	21	25
Lewd and indecent behaviour	66	70	67	76	81
Offences related to prostitution	4	2	5	6	9
Other crimes of indecency	13	9	24	10	17
Total	104	100	113	113	134
Scotland³
Rape	68	59	80	93	88
Indecent assault²	97	100	145	149	140
Lewd and indecent behaviour	364	313	341	391	378
Offences related to prostitution	133	105	134	234	283
Other crimes of indecency	110	75	105	120	111
Total	772	652	805	987	1,000

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. Includes attemptedrape.

3. Scotland totals may include a few cases where police force orsheriffdom is unknown.

Question reference: S3W-03062

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 31 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2028 by Fergus Ewing on 31 July 2007, how many failure to appear warrants were issued in each of the last five years to people who had failed to appear at previous trials, broken down by sheriff court district.

Question reference: S3W-02926

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Stage 2 appeals there have been following a discharge decision and how many were successful in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S3W-02925

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Stage 1 appeals there have been following a discharge decision and how many were successful in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S3W-02924

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review MEL (1996) 22, guidance on NHS responsibility for continuing health care, and, if so, when.

Question reference: S3W-02923

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current guidance is with regard to the continuing care of elderly people; whether it applies uniformly across NHS board areas, and how the application of the guidance is monitored.

Question reference: S3W-02424

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 22 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time has been from authorisation of a fatal accident inquiry to the first court hearing in each year since 1999, broken down by sheriffdom.

Question reference: S3W-02425

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 22 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time has been from authorisation of a fatal accident inquiry to determination in each year since 1999, broken down by sheriffdom.

Question reference: S3W-02426

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 22 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were designated by the Crown Office to administer fatal accident inquiries in each year since 1999, broken down by specific role.

Statistics are notcollated for the number and roles of Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service(COPFS) staff involved in the administration of fatal accident inquiries (FAI).

Experienced legalstaff within COPFS investigate all sudden, suspicious, unexplained, unexpected oraccidental deaths and present evidence at FAIs.

In July 2007 the IndependentInspector of Prosecution published A Thematic Report on Liaison in DeathCases. The Inspector reports, at page 89, that he “found no evidence that thework was treated in a second class or secondary way’ and that ‘it tended to be seniorstaff who dealt with the work.”