§ Mr. Ernie RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisoners in Scotland were allowed home leave at Christmas; and in which prisons they were serving their sentence.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe answer is 219, as follows:
Establishment Number allowed home leave Aberdeen 4 Castle Huntly 17 Cornton Vale 3 Edinburgh 14 Noranside 104 Penninghame 69 Perth 2 Polmont 6 219
§ Mr. Ernie RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence he has as to the relationship between the likelihood of a person convicted in Scotland receiving a custodial sentence and their social background or income.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonI have no evidence of any such relationship.
§ Mr. Ernie RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of those convicted in Scotland were disposed of by way of a prison sentence in each year from 1985 to 1989 inclusive; and how many were(a) males and (b) females.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe available information is given in the table. The figures for 1989 are not yet available.
§ Mr. LangGrants for training and other purposes are provided under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to voluntary organisations which may be involved in helping adults who have been the victims of sexual abuse as children. Those organisations include Scottish Women's Aid, the Scottish Association of Victim Support, Childline and the National Children's Home which has established a new counselling service for the victims (including adults) of child sexual abuse and their families.
Local authorities may also make grants available to local groups under the 1968 Act.