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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-12055

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 April 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many and (b) what proportion of (i) male and (ii) female prisoners in each year since 2002 used Category A drugs in the year before entering prison.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

The Annual Prisoner Survey asks the question did you use illegal drugs in the 12 months before being in prison. The self-reported responses from prisoners regarding the use of Class A drugs during this period are set out in the following table. The question was first used in 2004. Therefore, data for 2002 and 2003 are not available.

	2004	2005	2006	2007
Overall Survey Response Rate (%)	77%	77%	73%	74%
Those answering yes to the question: Did you use illegal drugs in the 12 months before being in prison? (% and n=actual number)	*	67% (n=2780)	67% (n=2830)	69% (n=2844)
Male
Male respondents answering yes to the question: Did you use illegal drugs in the 12 months before being in prison?	79% (n=3007)	67% (n=2541)	67% (n=2449)	68% (n=2374)
Heroin	37% (n=1423)	52% (n=1309)	51% (n=1240)	51% (n=1221)
Cocaine	36% (n=1372)	56% (n=1415)	58% (n=1416)	61% (n=1442)
Ecstasy	31% (n=1166)	43% (n=1100)	42% (n=1020)	46% (n=1088)
Methadone	14% (n=535)	19% (n=477)	20% (n=502)	21% (n=510)
Other Opiates	24% (n=893)	29% (n=731)	27% (n=665)	27% (n=632)
Female
Female respondents answering yes to the question: Did you use illegal drugs in the 12 months before being in prison?	85% (n=208)	70% (n=173)	73% (n=143)	67% (n=137)
Heroin	57% (n=139)	79% (n=137)	72% (n=103)	77% (n=106)
Cocaine	39% (n=94)	51% (n=88)	49% (n=70)	48% (n=66)
Ecstasy	25% (n=61)	31% (n=53)	23% (n=33)	23% (n=31)
Methadone	24% (n=59)	31% (n=54)	29% (n=42)	26% (n=36)
Other Opiates	30% (n=74)	34% (n=59)	28% (n=40)	31% (n=42)

Source: SPS Prisoner Surveys 2004 to 2007.

Note: *In 2004, prisoners were not asked if they used drugs in the 12 months before being in prison, but were asked what drugs they used in the 12 months before being in prison.

Question reference: S3W-11830

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 24 April 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many mature entrants there were to the teaching profession in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

There is no standard definition of a mature entrant to the teaching profession. The following table shows the age and gender of teachers on the probationer induction scheme over the past three years.

	2005		2006		2007
Age	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male
Up to 25	1,110	270	1,409	329	1,785	412
26	99	29	171	60	145	42
27	76	29	114	27	89	38
28	64	21	90	23	85	37
29	48	25	85	42	62	32
30	43	12	46	22	59	23
over 30	438	183	539	266	651	257

Question reference: S3W-12059

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 24 April 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what change has taken place in unemployment, as measured by the claimant count in each month since May 2003, for (a) Scotland and (b) the Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency.

Table 1 shows the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits in each month since May 2003 in Scotland and the Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency.

Information on the claimant count is available free of charge from the National Online Manpower Information System (NOMIS) at the following web address www.nomisweb.co.uk.

Table 1 Claimant Count in Scotland and the Kilmarnock and Loudoun Parliamentary Constituency, May 2003 to March 2008

	Scotland	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
May 2003	102,365	2,345
June 2003	101,730	2,281
July 2003	105,014	2,273
August 2003	104,247	2,316
September 2003	96,990	2,171
October 2003	95,026	2,099
November 2003	95,449	2,093
December 2003	96,166	2,113
January 2004	105,928	2,388
February 2004	106,896	2,263
March 2004	103,519	2,239
April 2004	99,027	2,171
May 2004	94,507	2,068
June 2004	92,406	2,014
July 2004	94,080	2,094
August 2004	94,494	2,132
September 2004	88,401	1,915
October 2004	86,025	1,894
November 2004	86,053	1,851
December 2004	86,043	1,889
January 2005	95,627	2,331
February 2005	96,108	2,162
March 2005	93,577	2,213
April 2005	90,411	2,073
May 2005	88,491	1,981
June 2005	87,044	1,963
July 2005	88,480	2,109
August 2005	89,395	2,157
September 2005	83,782	1,926
October 2005	82,049	1,833
November 2005	82,827	1,816
December 2005	83,628	1,820
January 2006	92,591	2,023
February 2006	95,190	2,048
March 2006	95,361	2,041
April 2006	92,661	1,969
May 2006	90,832	1,929
June 2006	90,091	1,894
July 2006	92,105	1,976
August 2006	92,196	2,017
September 2006	85,861	1,892
October 2006	84,101	1,848
November 2006	83,274	1,813
December 2006	82,818	1,830
January 2007	88,623	1,937
February 2007	89,798	1,966
March 2007	87,397	1,923
April 2007	82,803	1,875
May 2007	79,521	1,738
June 2007	76,393	1,719
July 2007	76,955	1,767
August 2007	77,269	1,711
September 2007	71,504	1,576
October 2007	68,683	1,530
November 2007	68,538	1,536
December 2007	69,165	1,567
January 2008	74,411	1,693
February 2008	76,111	1,689
March 2008	75,249	1,711

Source: Claimant Count, Office for National Statistics.

Notes:

1. Data are not seasonally adjusted.

2. The Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency is based on the 1995 revision definition.

Question reference: S3W-11831

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 23 April 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of entrants to the teaching profession in each of the last three years were mature entrants, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

There is no standard definition of a mature entrant to the teaching profession. The following table shows the percentage distribution by age and gender of teachers on the probationer induction scheme over the past three years.

Percentage	2005 (total = 2,447)		2006 (total = 3,223)		2007 (total = 3,717)
Age	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male
up to 25	45	11	44	10	48	11
26	4	1	5	2	4	1
27	3	1	4	1	2	1
28	3	1	3	1	2	1
29	2	1	3	1	2	1
30	2	-	1	1	2	1
over 30	18	7	17	8	18	7

Question reference: S3W-12060

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 April 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in developing estimates of the exports from Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom.

The Scottish Government attempts to estimate exports from Scotland to rest of UK using its annual global connections survey. The latest available estimates are for 2002 to 2005 and are available using the attached link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy/Exports/RUKExports.

The Scottish Government will publish figures for 2006 in due course. There are no plans to change the current methodology used.

Question reference: S3W-11832

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 21 April 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many newly qualified teachers were granted accelerated progress on the salary scale in accordance with section 14 of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers’ Circular SNCT/35 in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S3W-10454

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what target response time is set by the Scottish Prison Service for sufficient officers to attend a violent incident involving prisoners to enable officers to intervene in (a) its own estate and (b) HM Prison Kilmarnock.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

The SPS operating procedures set out how staff should respond to emergency incidents. They do not include specific target response times. The actual response time will vary depending on where staff are located in relation to the incident.

Procedures in Kilmarnock are set out in the appropriate Directors Rule. These are similar to the SPS procedures and the SPS are satisfied that Kilmarnock followed their standard operating procedures.

Question reference: S3W-10458

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Serco has suffered any penalty as a consequence of the murder of Michael Cameron on 16 June 2006 and, if so, what that penalty was, when it was imposed and in respect of what breach of its obligations it was imposed.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

In line with Schedule F to the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd the following performance points were recorded as pending until the court case was concluded. These were applied to the second quarter of performance year 2006-07 in February 2008.

Prisoner on Prisoner Serious Assault x 2: 100 points

Prisoner on Staff non injury assault: 5 points.

Question reference: S3W-10457

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes have been introduced to the service specifications in the contract in respect of HM Prison Kilmarnock following the murder of Michael Cameron in the prison on 16 June 2006.

Question reference: S3W-10456

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the report by the Scottish Prison Service into the murder of Michael Cameron in HM Prison Kilmarnock on 16 June 2006.