Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-16172

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 24 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive which airport operators ministers have met since May 2007; when these meetings took place; who was present, and what issues were discussed at each meeting.

Ministers have met airport operators on 10 occasions since May 2007 and were accompanied by a senior official from the Scottish Government at each meeting. The information is set out in the following table:

Minister	Date	Airport Operator	Reason for Visit/Meeting and Issues Discussed
First Minister	22 June 2007	BAA Aberdeen	Attendance at redevelopment of Aberdeen Airport''s terminal building
Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change	26 September 2007	Glasgow Prestwick Airport	Surface access Freight International links
Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change	2 October 2007	BAA	Competition Commission Surface access Environmental issues Investment Programme, including Master Plans
Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change	6 November 2007	Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL)	Briefing and dinner for Stewart Stevenson and MSPs
Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change	29 November 2007	HIAL	Dundee Airport Inverness terminal Policy and Financial Management Review Air links
First Minister	11 March 2008	Glasgow Prestwick Airport	Surface access Freight Master Plan
Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change	24 April 2008	HIAL	Dinner with HIAL Board
John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth	7 May 2008	BAA	Air links Surface access Competition Commission Master Plans Strategic Transport Projects Review
Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change	14 August 2008	Argyll and Bute Council	Oban Airport opening
John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth	11 September 2008	BAA	Environmental issues Competition Commission Master Plans

Question reference: S3W-16008

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 17 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges brought under section 13(9) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 have been (a) reported to procurators fiscal by police and (b) prosecuted in each year since 2003-04.

Question reference: S3W-16006

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 17 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges brought under sections 18 to 23 of the Public Order Act 1986 have been (a) reported to procurators fiscal by police, (b) prosecuted, (c) marked for no proceedings and (d) disposed of in other ways in each year since 2003-04.

The following table shows the number of charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service under Sections 18, 19 and 23 of the Public Order Act 1986, and how these charges were dealt with.

Charges: Public Order Act 1986, Sections 18, 19 and 23^1,2,4

Public Order Act Offences	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
a. Total Charges Reported	4	8	6	4	2
b. Court Proceedings	2	1	3	3	-
c. No Action	-	1	1	-	1
d. Direct Measures	-	1	-	-	-
e. Not a separate charge ³	2	5	2	1	1

Notes:

1. The information in this table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service''s Case Management Database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency the database will record details only of the amended charge.

2. The database is charge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges rather than the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave rise to such charges.

3. The charges referred to at (e) were not included as separate charges in any court proceedings or other action, but action was taken in relation to other charges against the accused.

4. The table reflects the position at 9 September 2008.

Question reference: S3W-15893

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with the Registrar General for Scotland regarding the replacement of the Census with an identity register.

The Registrar General for Scotland and the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism have discussed informally the scope for providing improved census-type information, for instance through some form of register covering the whole population. But, as I said in reply to answer to question S3W-15894 on 3 September 2008, there are no plans to replace the census.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Question reference: S3W-16004

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 17 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges brought under section 50A of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 have been (a) reported to procurators fiscal by police, (b) prosecuted, (c) marked for no proceedings and (d) disposed of in other ways in each year since 2003-04.

The following table shows the number of charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service under Section 50A of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, and how these charges were dealt with.

Charges: Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, Section 50A^{1, 2, 4}

Statutory Racial Charges	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
a. Total Charges Reported	2,323	2,598	2,761	2,766	2,698
b. Court Proceedings	1,846	1,967	2,143	2,185	2,164
c. No Action	135	162	138	121	140
d. Direct Measures	222	260	271	231	203
e. Not a Separate Charge³	120	209	209	229	191

Notes:

1. The information in this table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service''s case management database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency the database will record details only of the amended charge.

2. . The database is charge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges rather than the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave rise to such charges.

3.The charges referred to at (e) were not included as separate charges in any court proceedings or other action, but action was taken in relation to other charges against the accused.

4. The table reflects the position at 9 September 2008.

Question reference: S3W-16005

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 17 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges recorded as racially aggravated under section 96 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have been (a) reported to procurators fiscal by police, (b) prosecuted, (c) marked for no proceedings and (d) disposed of in other ways in each year since 2003-04.

The following table shows the number of charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service with a racial aggravation recorded and how these charges were dealt with.

Charge Aggravations: Racial^1,2,4

Non-Racial Charges with a Racial Aggravation Recorded	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
a. Total Charges Reported	984	1,394	1,492	1,580	1,635
b. Court Proceedings	749	1,089	1,208	1,287	1,352
c. No Action	43	70	71	49	64
d. Direct Measures	85	92	98	87	87
e. Not a separate charge³	107	143	115	157	150

Notes:

1. The information in this table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service''s Case Management Database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency the database will record details only of the amended charge.

2. The database is charge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges rather than the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave rise to such charges.

3. The charges referred to at (e) were not included as separate charges in any court proceedings or other action, but action was taken in relation to other charges against the accused.

4. The table reflects the position at 9 September 2008.

Question reference: S3W-16007

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 17 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges recorded as aggravated by religious prejudice under section 74 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 have been (a) reported to procurators fiscal by police, (b) prosecuted, (c) marked for no proceedings and (d) disposed of in other ways in each year since 2003-04.

The following table shows the number of charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service with a religious aggravation recorded and how these charges were dealt with.

Charge Aggravations: Religious^1,2,5

Charges with a Religious Aggravation	2003-04⁴	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
a. Total Charges Reported	271	479	704	693	610
b. Court Proceedings	240	425	625	601	529
c. No Action	12	11	26	11	16
d. Direct Measures	11	22	26	22	32
e. Not a separate charge³	8	21	27	59	33

Notes:

1. The information in this table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service''s Case Management Database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency the database will record details only of the amended charge.

2. The database is charge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges rather than the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave rise to such charges.

3. The charges referred to at (e) were not included as separate charges in any court proceedings or other action, but action was taken in relation to other charges against the accused.

4. The use of religious aggravations commenced on 27 June 2003, part way through the 2003-04 financial year.

5. The table reflects the position at 9 September 2008.

Question reference: S3W-15317

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are able to introduce 20mph speed limits on traffic distributor roads.

Question reference: S3W-15894

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to replace the Census with an alternative method of gathering information and, if so, what alternatives it has considered.

Question reference: S3W-15318

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 28 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to conduct further research into the improvements in road safety that can be made through the introduction of 20mph speed limits.

Seòmar agus comataidhean