- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre a report regarding the visits undertaken by four of its ministers as part of the Scotland in the Netherlands series of events.
Answer
A full evaluation of the Scotland in the Netherlands events will take place throughout the programme. This will include any ministerial involvement and will be available on the Scottish Executive website and in the Parliament’s Reference Centre in spring 2005.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 16 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to reduce substance misuse amongst offenders.
Answer
The Executive has introduced a range of new initiatives to tackle substance misuse amongst offenders in the community, including roll-out of drug treatment and testing orders, piloting of drug courts and providing extra support to arrest referral schemes. Together with existing provisions such as probation with a condition of drug treatment, these seek to assist offenders to address their drug misuse. There are a range of programmes and approved activities in our prisons which also address alcohol, smoking and drug addiction problems.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of beef imports from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries to Scotland in each of the last five years, showing also percentage changes for each year and what information it has on such imports to the UK in each of the last five years.
Answer
Import statistics are only available at UK level. The following table shows UK beef imports (bovine animal products) for each of the last five years with percentage changes.
| Quantity (millions kilograms) | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| EU-15 countries | 97.4 | 104.3 | 136.1 | 158.2 | 204.1 |
| Non-EU countries | 45.1 | 49.0 | 57.3 | 67.8 | 65.2 |
| % changes | | % change 1999-2000 | % change 2000-01 | % change 2001-02 | % change 2002-03 |
| EU-15 countries | | +7 | +30 | +16 | +29 |
| Non-EU countries | | +9 | +17 | +18 | -4 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 14 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to commemorate next year’s 700th anniversary of the execution of William Wallace.
Answer
The 700th Anniversary of William Wallace’s death will be a significant attraction for visitors to Stirling in particular and Scotland as a whole. We are therefore working with Stirling Council, VisitScotland and Historic Scotland to develop an appropriate programme of educational activities and events for August 2005.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it took to ensure that the report into openness at Scottish Water, commissioned in 2002 and sent to the Executive in November 2003, was placed in the public domain.
Answer
None. That is a matter for those who commissioned the report, the Water Customer Consultation Panels.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of prison officers to inmates has been in each of the last six months at each remand prison.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:
SPS Establishments are complemented according to the security classification of the prisoner population. There are no exclusively remand prisons in Scotland.
There is no pre-determined ratio of allocation for officer to prisoner and residential halls are complemented in relation to design, business need, risk assessment and safe systems of work. Also, there are many support staff, not directly in remand halls, who nonetheless contribute towards their management.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the (a) health centre and (b) visiting facilities at HM Prison Aberdeen are satisfactory and whether there are any plans to upgrade these facilities.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:
Capital investment overall in the SPS is at record levels. Priority is currently being given to upgrading facilities to end slopping out. Aberdeen prison already provides access to night sanitation.
It is recognised that the health centre and visiting facilities at Aberdeen prison are far from ideal. The Minister for Justice has instructed SPS to update the estate development strategy, and future investment plans will be considered in light of this.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the staff turnover was in each of the last three years at HM Prison Aberdeen, broken down by category of employee.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
Information in the form requested is not available.
The turnover in total in the last three years was:
| April 2001 - March 2002 | 15 | 8.9% |
| April 2002 - March 2003 | 10 | 5.9% |
| April 2003 - March 2004 | 13 | 7.7% |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when the development plan for the prison estate at HM Prison Aberdeen was submitted; what response has been made by ministers and Scottish Prison Service management, and whether there are any plans to adopt the plan.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:
There is no development plan for HM Prison Aberdeen. The SPS is currently updating its estate strategy. This exercise will include HM Prison Aberdeen.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Justice has any plans to visit HM Prison Aberdeen and, if so, when.
Answer
I visited HM Prison Aberdeen on Monday 23 August 2004.
