Parliamentary Questions

Scottish Court Service Responses to Parliamentary Questions (PQs)

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government/Executive or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The text of all Scottish parliamentary questions and answers are available on the Scottish Parliament Website.

Where a Parliamentary Question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court Service Corporate Body, the Scottish Court Service will issue a reply and copies of those are listed below.

Procedures for Parliamentary Questions from 1 April 2010

2011
Date	PQ Ref no	Scottish Court Service Responses to Parliamentary Questions (PQs)
27 January 2012	S4W-04804 S4W-04807 S4W-04808 S4W-04809	Lewis MacDonald (Labour) (North East Scotland) what the real-terms reduction in the Scottish Court Service (a) revenue and (b) capital budget will be in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15. view the document Lewis MacDonald (Labour) (North East Scotland) how many (a) High Court, (b) Sheriff Court and (c) Justice of the Peace Court trials have been delayed in 2011-12 and were delayed in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2008-09, (iv) 2007-08 and (v) 2006-07 view the document Lewis MacDonald (Labour) (North East Scotland) how many defendants have changed their preliminary hearing plea from not guilty to guilty prior to trial in each of the last five years. view the document Lewis MacDonald (Labour) (North East Scotland) how the Scottish Court Service assists (a) witnesses and (b) victims of crime attending trials away from home. view the document
24 January 2012	S4W-04741	John Lamont (Conservative) (Roxburghe and Berwickshire) whether the Scottish Courts Service plans to close (a) Selkirk and (b) Duns sheriff courts. view the document
24 January 2012	S4W-04703 S4W-04704 S4W-04705	Iain Gray (Labour) (East Lothian) whether the Scottish Courts Service plans to close Haddington Sheriff Court. view the document Iain Gray (Labour) (East Lothian) whether the Scottish Courts Service has been asked to draw up plans for saving money by closing sheriff courts. view the document Iain Gray (Labour) (East Lothian) what consideration it gives to the needs of local communities when considering changes to the local court network. view the document
12 December 2011	PQ S4W-04054 PQ S4W-04055 PQ S4W-04056 PQ S4W-04057 PQ S4W-04058	Alison McInnes MSP (Scottish Liberal Democrats) (North East Scotland) : . How many full-time-equivalent staff the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland has employed in each of the last five years? view the document Alison McInnes MSP (Scottish Liberal Democrats) (North East Scotland) : . What the staffing costs of the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland have been in each of the last five years? view the document Alison McInnes MSP (Scottish Liberal Democrats) (North East Scotland) : . What percentage of powers of attorney the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland has registered within 30 days in each of the last four quarters? view the document Alison McInnes MSP (Scottish Liberal Democrats) (North East Scotland) : . What average time the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland has taken to register powers of attorney in each of the last four quarters? view the document Alison McInnes MSP (Scottish Liberal Democrats) (North East Scotland) : . What maximum time the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland has taken to register powers of attorney in each of the last four quarters? view the document
8 November 2011	PQ S4W-02903	Graeme Pearson MSP (Labour) (South Scotland): How many pleadings by video conference took place in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11? view the document
1 July 2011	PQ S4W-01143	Jamie Hepburn (SNP) (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth): How many appeals of a determination by the Pensions Ombudsman have been heard by the Court of Session? view the document
09 Feb 2011	PQ S3W-38875	Mary Scanlon (Conservative) (Highlands & Islands) : Whether the Scottish Executive plans to build a new sheriff court in Inverness. view the document
04 Feb 2011	PQ S3W-39154	Margaret Mitchell (Conservative) (Central Scotland): . How many unpaid fixed penalty notices have been written off in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) sheriff court and (b) offence committed. view the document
21 Jan 2011	PQ S3W-38327 PQ S3W-38328 PQ S3W-38332 PQ S3W-38333	Hugh Henry (Labour) (Paisley South): . How many warrants were issued for those who failed to appear at a fines court in 2009-10. view the document Hugh Henry (Labour) (Paisley South): . How many people have reappeared at a fines court following a failure to fulfill previous requests in each year since 2007 view the document Hugh Henry (Labour) (Paisley South): . How many fiscal fines were not paid in 2009-10. view the document Hugh Henry (Labour) (Paisley South): . How many unpaid fixed penalty notice cases were taken before a fines court in 2009-10. view the document
20 Jan 2011	PQ S3W-38230 PQ S3W-38231	Bill Aitken (Conservative) (Glasgow) . How many cases have been brought before the domestic abuse court in each of the last five years. view the document Bill Aitken (Conservative) (Glasgow) . In how many cases before the domestic abuse court the accused plead at the (a) first appearance and (b) intermediate diet and was found guilty after trial in each of the last five years. view the document
20 Jan 2011	PQ S3W-38322 PQ S3W-38324 PQ S3W-38325 PQ S3W-38326 PQ S3W-38331	Hugh Henry (Labour) (Paisley South) . Whether Justices of the Peace have been instructed not to put people subject to a fixed penalty notice on supervised attendance orders. view the document Hugh Henry (Labour) (Paisley South) . Whether a Justice of the Peace, when presiding in a fines court, is given information relating to the reason for the issue of a fixed penalty notice. view the document Hugh Henry (Labour) (Paisley South) . What disposal is available to a Justice of the Peace when a person appearing for non-payment of a fixed penalty notice is unable to pay. view the document Hugh Henry (Labour) (Paisley South) . What action is taken when a person fails to pay an outstanding fine despite being instructed to do so by a Justice of the Peace. view the document Hugh Henry (Labour) (Paisley South) . What action is taken when a person fails to pay a Fiscal Fine. view the document
5 Jan 2011	PQ S3W-37900 PQ S3W-37901	Robert Brown (Liberal Democrat) (Glasgow) . What the average length of time was for a criminal case to be dealt with by (a) sheriff and (b) district courts in each of the last three years, broken down by police force area. view the document Robert Brown (Liberal Democrat) (Glasgow) . What the maximum length of time was for a criminal case to be dealt with by (a) sheriff and (b) district courts in each of the last three years, broken down by police force area. view the document

2010
Date	PQ Ref no	Scottish Court Service Responses to Parliamentary Questions (PQs)
22 Dec 2010	PQ S3W-38031	Richard Baker (Labour) (North East Scotland) . What consideration it has given to courts opening on Saturdays; what assessment it has made of the potential cost or savings associated with such a proposal, and when could it be implemented. View the document
21 Oct 2010	PQ S3W-36688	Gavin Brown (Con) (Lothians). How many court fines have not been paid and what the total value has been of such fines in each year since 2008 ? Broken down by sheriffdom View the document
12 Oct 2010	S3W-36009	Dr Richard Simpson SMP (Lab) (Mid Scotland and Fife). What the (a) average, (b) median and (c) longest delays are in courts hearing applications for all forms of guardianship under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 in each of the last three year? View the document
12 Aug 2010	S3W-35315 S3W-35318	Richard Baker (Labour) (North East Scotland): How many interpretation assignments have been undertaken by the Scottish Court Service in each month of 2010, broken down by interpreters (a) with and (b) without a Diploma in Public Service Interpreting? View the document Richard Baker (Labour) (North East Scotland): Since the implementation of the framework contract for the provision of interpreting, translation and transcription services, on how many occasions courts have advised the SCS about a case in which an aspect of the performance of the interpretation service has had an effect on proceedings, broken down by month, and how this compares with the situation prior to the introduction of the framework contract. View the document
24 May 2010	S3W -33345 S3W-33346	Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Conservative): To ask the Scottish Court Service how many criminal appeals are outstanding. View the document Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Conservative) To ask the Scottish Court Service how many outstanding criminal appeals there are in relation to cases disposed of by the court of first instance in (a) 2009, (b) 2008 (c) 2007 and (d) prior to 2007 View the document.
20 May 2010	S3W-33691	Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Labour): To ask the Scottish Court Service about the effects of an increase in VAT from 17.5%to 20%