§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people appointed to(a) the Scottish Office and (b) quangos were (i) females, (ii) males, (iii) from ethnic minorities and (iv) registered disabled in (1) 1995–96, (2) 1996–97, (3) January to April 1997 and (4) since 1 May 1997. [41811]
§ Mr. Dewar[holding answer 13 May 1998]: The number of permanent staff appointed to the Scottish Office and Quangos, together with details of sex, ethnicity and disability are shown in the table.
§ Mr. McLeishThis information is not held centrally. Complaints made against chief constables, deputy and assistant chief constables are dealt with by the relevant police authorities.
§ Mr. GorrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how his Department ensures that police boards have an appropriate mechanism for dealing with formal complaints against the chief constable or deputy or assistant chief constables; [42428]
(2) what system each police board has in place to deal with formal complaints against the chief constable or deputy or assistant chief constables. [42427]
§ Mr. McLeishIt is for each police board to decide what system to put in place to discharge its statutory duty to keep itself informed as to the manner in which the 79W Chief Constable handles complaints by members of the public. If it is reasonably believed that a disciplinary offence may have been committed by a senior officer, the police authority must institute procedures set out in the Police (Conduct) (Senior Officers) (Scotland) Regulations 1996. The Secretary of State has no locus to ensure that the police board's mechanism is appropriate.