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For those who wait longer, the current national maximum waiting time is nine months. This guaranteed waiting time will be reduced to six months from the end of 2005 and to 18 weeks from the end of 2007. On 30 June 2005, no NHSScotland patient with a guarantee had waited more than nine months for in-patient and day case treatment.

The deferred waiting list was abolished on 1 April 2003. Prior to that date patients admitted for treatment from the deferred list were excluded from any analysis of published retrospective waiting time data. Consequently, as the data prior to 1 April would not be directly comparable with later years, information has only been provided for 2003-04 and 2004-05. Median waiting times are derived from information on patients treated during the year and includes patients who will have had an Availability Status Code (ASC) applied, for example because they were medically unfit or asked for their admission to be deferred for personal reasons. The table shows the median waiting time for a hernia operation for the years 2003-04 and 2004-05 by NHS board of residence.

Median Waiting Time for a Hernia¹ Operation by NHS Board of Residence for the Years Ending 31 March 2004 And 2005^P

^PProvisional.

Notes:

1. Hernia operations are defined as all OPCS4 procedures “T19” to “T27” inclusive.

*Figures should be treated with caution as they are derived from a possibly unrepresentative small number of discharges (less than 50).

Ministers thereafter announced on 9 February 2005 that a new water charges reduction (of up to 25%) for households with two or more adults and which are in receipt of council tax benefit would take effect from 1 April 2006.

Figures for the number of pensioner households and the number of households which include a disabled person in receipt of council tax benefit are not available at local authority level.

Summary of Reported Amounts of Community Charge Arrears^1,2,3

Source: Statistical return 'Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates and Community Charge Receipts' (CTRR).

Notes:

1. All figures are net of discounts, exemptions and surcharges (although not all councils can exclude surcharges).

The figures are before any amounts written off for bad or doubtful debt.

2. Excludes community charge benefit.

3. Figures for amounts billed and collected include Community Water Charges.

4. Figures for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 exclude Dumfries and Galloway. The council did not submit returns for this period.

5. City of Edinburgh's 2004-05 figure includes surcharges. The council has excluded surcharges for all other years.

The police may issue written warnings to the parents of children who have been involved in non-serious incidents. It is for the police to make professional judgements, based on individual circumstances, as to how serious an incident may be. Any serious crime would be reported to the Procurator Fiscal. Less serious crimes may be referred to both the Procurator Fiscal and the to the reporter for a decision on the best way forward.