- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 8 September 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided for initiatives to divert young people from crime, in each year since 1999.
Answer
Diversionary activitiesincludes a wide variety of services, ranging from early intervention and positivealternatives for young people, to more intensive services aimed at tacklingyoung people's offending. Since 1999, allocations given as part of the LocalGovernment Finance settlement to local authorities for social work andcommunity education, to provide these services has totalled £312.5 million in1999-2000, £317.1 million in 2000-01, £331.1 million in 2001-02, £342.6 millionin 2002-03 and £360.1 million in 2003-04. Elements of local authority fundingfor health and leisure and the quality of life funding have also had a role toplay.
In addition, the Executivehas provided direct funding for these services to local authorities and thevoluntary sector through initiatives like the Changing Children's ServicesFund, the Youth Crime Prevention Fund and the Partnership Drugs Initiative. In1999-2000 there was no direct funding. Since then funding has totalled £0.9million in 2000-01, £7.5 million in 2001-02, £25.2 million in 2002-03 and £22.7million in 2003-04. £1 million was allocated for the summer 2003 initiative, toincrease access to leisure and sporting facilities for 12- to 16-year olds.
There will be continuedinvestment in these and other initiatives to take forward our commitment totackling crime and anti-social behaviour amongst young people.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 27 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-34889 and S2W-111 by Mrs Elish Angiolini on 31 March and 21 July 2003 respectively, which sheriff court districts were not included in the data provided in the answer to question S1W-34889 because of the upgrading of the computer system in Glasgow.
Answer
The data for the Sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin was not included in thedata provided in the answer to question S1W-34889. Glasgow Sheriff Court is the only sheriff court within this jurisdiction.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when work on the new search engine for the Scottish Executive website (a) started and (b) will be complete and what features the search engine will have once complete.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has procured a new search engine for deployment on the Scottish Executive website. The simple search component was introduced to the website on 12 February 2003. We are currently working with the solution provider to develop and test the advanced search functionality. The advanced version will be made available on the website as soon as we are satisfied that it meets requirements. The advanced search will provide concept, boolean and pattern searching along with the ability to search some other public sector websites. The Scottish Executive's own website will also be searchable by metadata.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce legislation to increase the age limit for possessing or using an airgun from 14 to 17 and ban some types completely.
Answer
Firearms legislation is reserved. The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, currently before the UK Parliament, introduces a number of changes to the Firearms Act 1968 which are intended to deal with the misuse of air weapons and to provide for stricter control over air weapons that are especially dangerous. These include raising the age limit at which a young person may own an air weapon from 14 to 17 and a ban on certain types of air weapon.The Executive welcomes these proposals and will continue to work with the UK Government to prevent the escalation of gun culture.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29433 by Mr Jim Wallace on 1 October 2002, when it will next attend a meeting of the reconstituted Firearms Consultative Committee and whether the Executive will make any representations to the committee and, if so, on what areas of concern.
Answer
The next meeting of the Firearms Consultative Committee is planned for mid September. A Scottish Executive official is a member of the Committee and is due to attend that meeting. The committee does not disclose details of the business it carries out at individual meetings. Instead, as required by Section 22 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988, it prepares an annual report on its work which is submitted to the Home Secretary. That report is then published, usually around the end of each year.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-942 by Mr Andy Kerr on 14 July 2003, why information on the number of expert groups it has set up since 1999 is not held centrally.
Answer
There is no requirement and no perceived benefit in allocating resources for collecting and holding this information centrally.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on resourcing expert groups in each year since 1999.
Answer
The definition of an expert group is vague, potentially covering a wide range of bodies including non-departmental public bodies, working parties and advisory groups. Information on the establishment and resourcing of all such bodies is not registered and held centrally.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 12 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports procurators fiscal received from each reporting agency and, of these, how many proceeded to trial in 2002-03.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 12 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons were for each report received by procurators fiscal from each reporting agency that did not proceed to trial in 2002-03.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) minimum, (b) maximum and (c) average length of time taken to deal with cases referred to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) was, in each year since 1999.
Answer
The information you requested has been provided by SCCRC in the following table. Information is also provided about the numbers of cases received and concluded by the SCCRC each year.
| Year Cases Concluded | Total Number of Cases Received | Total Number of Cases Concluded | MinimumTime | MaximumTime | AverageTime |
| 1999-2000 | 130 | 14 | 4.9 months | 11.5 months | 6.8 months |
| 2000-01 | 89 | 62 | 1.2 months | 22.5 months | 16.6 months |
| 2001-02 | 88 | 87 | 3 months | 38.3 months | 19.7 months |
| 2002-03 | 95 | 117 | 2.1 months | 46.2 months | 21.4 months |
The average time has been increasing because of a number of complex cases including those transferred to the Commission when it was set up on 1 April 1999. The Commission is currently working to conclude all cases received prior to 30 September 2002 by 31 March 2004. Thereafter, the Commission will aim to reduce the review period for all cases, from date of acceptance, to 12 months by 2006.
