- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 25 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33702 by Colin Boyd QC on 17 February 2003, what the (a) costs, (b) benefits and (c) implications of changing practices were found to be for staff, criminal justice partners and individuals affected.
Answer
An examination of the costs,benefits and implications of changing working practices is still on-going andno final decisions have been taken. This is part of the Crown Office andProcurator Fiscal Service’s commitment to review what it does, search forbetter ways of doing it, challenge assumptions and compare itself with others.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 20 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations, and on what issues, the Scottish Executive EU Office has made on behalf of the Scottish Executive to EU institutions.
Answer
Staff in the Scottish Executive EU Office (SEEUO) have a wide range of meetings and contactswith representatives of EU institutions and bodies. These contacts arenumerous, take place at many different levels, are not all recorded and can bein the context of confidential negotiations.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 20 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations, and on what issues, the Scottish Executive EU Office has made to UKRep.
Answer
Staff in the Scottish Executive EU Office (SEEUO) have a wide range of meetings and contactswith staff of the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union (UKRep).These contacts are numerous, take place at many different levels, are not allrecorded and can be in the context of confidential negotiations.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the Scottish Executive EU Office has made representations to the EU institutions without the assistance of UKRep.
Answer
Staff in the Scottish Executive EU Office have a wide range of meetings and contacts withrepresentatives of EU institutions and bodies. These contacts are numerous,take place at many different levels, are not all recorded, and can be in thecontext of confidential negotiations. Some will directly involve UKRep staff;others will not.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual running costs are of the Scottish Executive EU Office, including details of rent paid for accommodation in Scotland House.
Answer
The Scottish Executive EU Office budget for 2003-04 is £820,000, of which £45,000 is for rentof office accommodation in Scotland House.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff it employs in the Scottish Executive EU Office and what their functions and annual costs are.
Answer
There are 12 posts in the Scottish Executive EU Office (SEEUO). Details of the work of the SEEUO can befound in the Scottish Executive Business Directory, which is available to MSPs. TheSEEUO budget for 2003-04 is £820,000.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Executive EU Office has authority to represent the Executive on devolved matters to EU institutions and bodies without permission from UKRep.
Answer
Staff in the Scottish Executive EU Office (SEEUO) have a wide range of meetings and contactswith representatives of EU institutions and bodies. Permission from the UKPermanent Representation to the European Union (UKRep) is not required for suchmeetings and contacts but UKRep is kept actively involved and informed ofSEEUO’s activities to maximise the success of their joint efforts to promoteScottish and wider UK interests in the European Union.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Time Out centre being piloted in Glasgow as an alternative to prison for women was opened; how many (a) residential and (b) day places are available in the centre; how much funding the Executive has allocated to Glasgow City Council to establish this service, and how long the service will run as a pilot before evaluation and possible roll out to other parts of the country.
Answer
The Time Out residentialcentre will open for clients early in December but non-residential elements of the scheme have been running since August. Once fully operational, theresidential unit will have 14 beds and the support programme unit will havecapacity to cater for 75 women a day.
The annual running costs of the centre, which the Executive is meeting in full, are estimated at £1.2 million.The centre will operate as two-year pilot initially and will be evaluatedthroughout.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6241 by Mr Jim Wallace on 19 April 2000, whether the terms of the commencement order and regulations laid before the Parliament on 19 April 2000 in respect of the devolved aspects of the treatment of pensions on divorce provided for in the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 have the effect that sheriffs, when determining divorce settlements, may only consider valuations of pension assets from fund trustees, potentially underestimating the value of a pension and awarding a spouse less than half the actual value; if so, what its position is on this situation; whether it intends to address the situation speedily in order to ensure fair pension sharing, and, if so, whether it will consider retrospective application of any amendment to the commencement order and regulations to restore funds to divorcees from April 2000.
Answer
The scheme for calculatingand verifying the value of pension benefits for the purposes of matrimonialproperty on divorce is set down in the Divorce etc (Pensions) (Scotland)Regulations 2000. These regulations do not restrict sheriffs to consider onlythose actuarial valuations provided by pension fund trustees.
I intend to write to theSheriffs’ Association inviting their views on whether there are difficulties inthe way in which the regulations are operating, and I will consider the matterfurther in light of the response.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were detained in HM Prison Cornton Vale on 29 October 2003 (a) in total and (b) serving (i) custodial sentences for non-payment of fines and (ii) sentences of (1) between seven days and three months, (2) between three and six months, (3) between six months and two years, (4) between two and five years and (5) over five years.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:
| (a) 230 |
| (b) (i) 4 |
| (ii) (1) 7 |
| (2) 14 |
| (3) 47 |
| (4) 43 |
| (5) 51 |
