- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 19 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish its comments on the UK Government’s response to Sir David Henshaw’s report, Recovering child support: routes to responsibility, prior to 18 September 2006.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28047 on 19 September 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 19 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether the implementation of the recommendations of Sir David Henshaw’s report, Recovering child support: routes to responsibility, will require separate Scottish legislation and, if so, whether this will be addressed through an Act of the Scottish Parliament or by means of a legislative consent memorandum.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-28047 on 19 September 2006. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 19 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding the recommendations of Sir David Henshaw’s report, Recovering child support: routes to responsibility, and what issues have been identified as having a distinctive Scottish aspect.
Answer
Sir David Henshaw’s report waspublished in July 2006 together with the UK Government’s response,
A fresh start:child support redesign-the Government’s response to Sir David Henshaw. The responsetakes the form of a consultation document, seeking views on the wide range of issuesraised. It acknowledges that any proposed legislative changes within devolved competencewould be for the Scottish Parliament. A white paper will be published in the autumn.
Scottish ministers welcome thefocus in the consultation paper on child welfare and on reducing child poverty.Executive officials are discussing with the Department for Work and Pensions thepossible implications of the redesign of the child support agency for devolved responsibilities,in areas such as child poverty, birth registration policy, the role of the courts,and provision of family support services.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26055 by Cathy Jamieson on 1 June 2006, whether the rate of conviction for rape for cases proceeding to court in 2002-03 was 63.8%, as identified in the answer, or 26%, as identified in Review of the Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Offences in Scotland, published by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in June 2006.
Answer
The two figures referred toare not directly comparable as they are based on different analyses of twodifferent sets of information.
The conviction rate of 26%published in the Review of the Investigation and Prosecution of SexualOffences in Scotland report derives from an analysis of prosecution casepapers carried out by COPFS as part of its review of the way in which serioussexual offences are investigated and prosecuted. The conviction rate of 26% isa percentage of all cases indicted with a charge of rape in the financial year2002-03 which resulted in a conviction. This figure is confined to cases wherethe victim was an adult, in which there is the additional challenge of provingthat the victim did not consent to sexual intercourse.
The conviction rate of 63.8%derived from figures given in reply to S2W-26055 is based on data extractedfrom the Scottish Executive Justice Department court proceedings database. Itexpresses, as a percentage of the total number of proceedings concluded infinancial year 2002-03 with rape as the final main offence recorded, those wherethe charge was proved. Cases initially prosecuted on a charge of rape but whichresult in a conviction for some alternative charge are not included. Unlike thefigures produced as part of the Review of the Investigation and Prosecutionof Sexual Offences in Scotland, the total number of cases used incalculating this percentage does not include cases where it was ruled there wasno case to answer or where the prosecutor withdrew the charges. The courtproceedings statistics for a particular year will exclude the outcome ofproceedings which had not been recorded on the Scottish Criminal Record Office(SCRO) criminal history system at the point at which the analysis file for thatyear was created. Recording delays at SCRO in previous years can mean that somedisposals, particularly in relation to acquittals in the High Court, are missing fromthe court proceedings database.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 August 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) recorded cases of, (b) prosecutions for and (c) convictions for sexual attacks against men there have been in each year since 1996, broken down by offence.
Answer
The information requested isnot available as the statistics collected centrally on recorded crime, prosecutionsand convictions do not identify victim characteristics unless this is implied bythe specific charge involved.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 August 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26055 by Cathy Jamieson on 1 June 2006, how many of the charges proven in cases where rape was the main offence were for rape and not a lesser offence.
Answer
The available information, consistentwith the numbers of convictions for rape given in reply to question S2W-27511 answeredon 18 August 2006, is given in the following table.
Persons with a Charge Provedfor Rape1: Total Number of Charges of Rape which were Proved, byPolice Force Area, 1996-97 to 2004-05
| Police Force Area | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 |
| | Number of Convictions | | | | |
| Central | 2 | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| Fife | 1 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| Grampian | 6 | - | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Lothian and Borders | 4 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Northern | - | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Strathclyde | 17 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 13 |
| Tayside | 4 | 4 | 1 | - | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Scotland | 35 | 30 | 37 | 27 | 28 | 45 | 37 | 36 | 41 |
| | Number of Individual Charges of Rape Proved | | | |
| Central | 2 | - | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - |
| Fife | 1 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 12 |
| Grampian | 6 | - | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Lothian and Borders | 5 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 12 |
| Northern | - | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Strathclyde | 21 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 26 | 17 | 20 | 15 |
| Tayside | 6 | 4 | 1 | - | 4 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Scotland | 42 | 34 | 46 | 36 | 32 | 59 | 45 | 42 | 49 |
Note: 1. Where main offence.
All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 August 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-26055 and S2W-26525 by Cathy Jamieson on 1 and 14 June 2006 respectively, what the reasons are for the discrepancies between the answers in respect of the number of convictions for rape in the last 10 years.
Answer
The figures given in the answer to question S2W-26055 on 1 June 2006, were on the basis of year of conviction or acquittalwhereas those given in the answer to question S2W-26525 on 14 June 2006, were byyear of sentence or acquittal. The small differences in the totals given thereforereflect cases where conviction was in one year but sentence was deferred to a lateryear. A police force area breakdown, consistent with the totals for convictionsgiven in reply to question S2W-26525, is given in the following tables.
Persons Prosecutedfor Rape Offences1, by Police Force Area, 1996-97 to 2004-05
| Police Force Area | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 |
| | Number Proceeded Against | | | | |
| Central | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1 | 1 | - | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Fife | 5 | 6 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| Grampian | 10 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Lothian and Borders | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 18 | 20 |
| Northern | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | - | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Strathclyde | 33 | 26 | 18 | 13 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 34 | 28 |
| Tayside | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 6 |
| Scotland2 | 78 | 61 | 66 | 55 | 52 | 67 | 58 | 78 | 88 |
| | Number with a Charge Proved | | | | |
| Central | 2 | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| Fife | 1 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| Grampian | 6 | - | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Lothian and Borders | 4 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Northern | - | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Strathclyde | 17 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 13 |
| Tayside | 4 | 4 | 1 | - | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Scotland2 | 35 | 30 | 37 | 27 | 28 | 45 | 37 | 36 | 41 |
Persons Prosecutedfor Attempted Rape1, by Police Force Area, 1996-97 to 2004-05
| Police Force Area | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 |
| | Number Proceeded Against | | | | |
| Central | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - |
| Fife | 3 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Grampian | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Lothian and Borders | 5 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Northern | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 3 |
| Strathclyde | 13 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 15 | 6 |
| Tayside | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Scotland2 | 31 | 40 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 21 | 28 | 24 |
| | Number with a Charge Proved | | | | |
| Central | 3 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - |
| Fife | 3 | 5 | - | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Grampian | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Lothian and Borders | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Northern | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 3 |
| Strathclyde | 8 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| Tayside | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Scotland2 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 21 |
Notes:
1. Where main offence.
2. Includes a small number of cases where police force area is unknown.
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.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 4 July 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether the Parliament's internet filter software automatically classifies all websites with metatags relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues as pornography.
Answer
The internet filter softwareutilised by the Scottish Parliament does not automatically classify allwebsites with metatags relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)issues as pornographic. The filtering technology uses several methods of textanalysis, image analysis and linkage analysis to classify websitesautomatically. Even with the sophisticated analysis techniques used, there canbe no guarantee that the filtering software will not wrongly categorise sites. Ifthe member feels that a site has been incorrectly categorised, he is invited tocontact the BIT helpdesk.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 29 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is meeting the needs of gypsy traveller communities, particularly in relation to the provision of caravan sites.
Answer
Scottish Planning Policy threestates that planning authorities should identify suitable locations for Gypsies/Travellerssites where need is identified in the local housing strategy.
In addition, we have made £3million funding available to cover the threeyear period from financial year 2005-06 to year 2007-08, to local authorities to create or improve sites for Gypsies/Travellers.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 22 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures it has in place to enforce the Scottish Ministerial Code.
Answer
Copies of the code areprovided to all ministers. Individual ministers are responsible for ensuringthat they follow the guidance in the code in order to uphold the highest standardsin public life and are ultimately accountable to Parliament.
