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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: S2W-09742

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 12 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were convicted of theft by housebreaking in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

The available information is given in the table.

Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Housebreaking¹, 1998-2002

Police Force Area	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Central	102	139	109	160	154
Dumfries and Galloway	118	105	109	104	97
Fife	297	330	292	334	268
Grampian	469	470	429	415	352
Lothian and Borders	369	331	388	347	416
Northern	106	104	71	102	76
Strathclyde	1,293	1,358	1,096	1,075	1,122
Tayside	223	184	192	174	251
Scotland	2,977	3,021	2,686	2,711	2,736

Note: Where main offence.

Question reference: S2W-09741

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 12 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were convicted of shoplifting in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

The available information is given in the table.

Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Shoplifting¹, 1998–2002

Police Force Area	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Central	257	391	477	641	595
Dumfries and Galloway	109	135	195	176	212
Fife	384	451	480	518	446
Grampian	1,133	803	814	894	969
Lothian and Borders	1,258	1,166	1,194	1,172	1,335
Northern	213	216	163	208	254
Strathclyde	3,586	3,777	3,412	3,728	4,311
Tayside	671	710	684	786	809
Scotland	7,611	7,649	7,419	8,123	8,931

Note: Where main offence.

Question reference: S2W-09743

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 12 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were convicted of theft from a motor vehicle in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

Question reference: S2W-09739

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases under sections 51, 52 and 52A of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 have (a) been received, (b) had court proceedings taken and (c) had a charge proved in each of the last five years.

The available information is given in the tables. Statistics dealing with cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than charge involving more than one report, while a report may be received in one year and proceedings taken in a subsequent year. Charges reported to the Fiscal may also be altered as a result of the judicial process.

Cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal with One or More Charge(s) UnderSections 51, 52 and 52A of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, 2002-03 and2003-04¹

	Financial year of receipt
2002-03	2003-04
Number of reports	145	190
Number of accused	150	194
Number of charges	339	405

Note: Only incomplete information available for previous years.

Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Offences Under Sections 51, 52 and 52A of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982¹, 1998-2002

	Calendar Year of Outcome
1998	1999	2000	2001	2002²
Total	20	13	23	24	29
Number with a charge proved	15	11	17	18	28

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. Recording delays mean that cases where the charges were not proved may be under-stated in the totals for persons proceeded against.

Question reference: S2W-09716

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11226 by Susan Deacon on 30 March 2001, what the numbers of average available staffed beds for neuroscience specialties were for 2001, 2002 and 2003 and are for 2004, broken down by NHS board of treatment.

The average number of available staffed beds for Neurosciences specialties, by NHS board of treatment, for the years 2001 to 2004, are given in the table.

NHSScotland: Average Available Staffed Beds¹ For Neurology And Neurosurgery Specialties; By NHS Board Of Treatment. Years Ending 2001–04

NHS Board	2001	2002	2003	2004^P
Grampian	38	38	38	37
Neurology	10	11	9	10
Neurosurgery	27	27	28	27
Greater Glasgow	116	115	119	121
Neurology	27	27	28	27
Neurosurgery	88	88	91	93
Lothian	67	67	63	57
Neurology	18	20	20	16
Neurosurgery	49	47	43	41
Tayside	36	34	35	34
Neurology	14	12	12	12
Neurosurgery	22	22	23	22
Scotland	257	254	254	248
Neurology	70	69	69	66
Neurosurgery	187	184	185	183

Source: ISD Scotland.

^PProvisional.

Note: Excludes beds in joint-user and contractual hospitals and the Royal Hospitals for Sick Children in Grampian, Greater Glasgow and Lothian.

Question reference: S2W-09715

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1932 by Malcolm Chisholm on 2 September 2003, what the most recent average waiting times are for first out-patient appointment with a neurology consultant following referral by a GP, broken down by NHS board area.

The number of first out-patient neurology appointments and the median waiting time for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant in the specialty of neurology, following referral by a general medical practitioner, by NHS board area of residence, in the year ended 31 March 2004, is given in the table.

As part of the Centre for Change and Innovation Outpatient Programme, I recently announced a £2.95 million neurology initiative aimed at reducing out-patient waiting times. This initiative will support delivery of our national maximum waiting time commitment that no patient will wait more than 26 weeks for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant, following referral by their GP, by the end of 2005.

NHSScotland: Number of First Out-patient Appointments and Median Waiting Times¹ for a First Outpatient Appointment with a Consultant in the Specialty of Neurology, Following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS Board Area of Residence. Year Ended 31 March 2004^P

NHS Board of Residence	Number of Appointments	Median Wait (Days)
Argyll and Clyde	773	76
Ayrshire and Arran	227	48
Borders	239	103
Dumfries and Galloway	38	111*
Fife	1,003	109
Forth Valley	824	60
Grampian	1,984	68
Greater Glasgow	2,641	87
Highland	324	108
Lanarkshire	1,170	132
Lothian	4,236	29
Orkney	14	X
Shetland	25	173*
Tayside	1,045	97
Western Isles	44	81*
Scotland	14,587	70

Source: ISDScotland, SMR00.

X: not shown due to small numbers, less than 15 appointments.

*Figures to be viewed with caution as derived from small numbers (more than 14 but less than 50 appointments ).

^p Provisional.

Note: Excludes patients with an Availability Status Code.

Question reference: S2W-09303

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many problem drug users were registered in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S2W-09291

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many planned admissions for in-patient and day-case treatment have been cancelled in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.

There are many reasons why planned admissions to hospital for inpatient and day case treatment may be cancelled, such as the absence of key staff on sick leave and/or an unexpected short term increase in the number of emergency admissions. When a patient’s admission is cancelled we expect NHSScotland to reschedule their admission as soon as possible, taking into account the clinical needs of the patient.

Information on the number of planned admissions for inpatient and day case treatment (including non-surgical treatment) recorded as cancelled for the years ending 31 March 2000 to 2004 inclusive, by NHS board of residence is given in the table.

NHS boards are expected to adopt best practice in managing admissions to reduce the incidence of cancellations and thus improve patients’ experience of waiting. Best practice advice was included in “Managing Waiting Times: A Good Practice Guide”, issued to the NHS in 2003. In addition, there are concerns about the accuracy and quality of data recorded by hospitals on cancelled admissions. The Executive is working with NHS National Services Scotland to address these concerns through its strategic review of health and care statistics.

NHSScotland – Cancellations Of Planned Admissions For Inpatient Or Day Case Treatment, By NHS Board: Years Ending 31 March 2000 To 2004^P Inclusive

NHS Board	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04^P
Argyll and Clyde	1,042	1,398	1,090	1,480	916
Ayrshire and Arran	461	374	323	276	243
Borders	437	458	348	328	261
Dumfries and Galloway	277	151	98	534	421
Fife	1,472	1,076	975	949	1,188
Forth Valley	446	588	730	604	930
Grampian	1,835	1,963	1,789	1,857	1,902
Greater Glasgow¹	3,210	4,319¹	5,740	4,611¹	3,446
Highland	899	1,081	1,009	884	1,283
Lanarkshire	409	387	468	1,301	1,750
Lothian	2,238	2,575	2,213	2,362	2,409
Orkney	20	14	7	15	15
Shetland	25	17	34	9	2
Tayside	1,455	1,478	1,287	1,300	1,185
Western Isles	6	10	25	36	70
Scotland	14,232	15,889	16,136	16,546	16,021

Source: ISD Scotland (Form ISD (1)).

^PProvisional.

Note:

1. Excludes data from the Southern General Hospital for years ending March 2001 and 2003.

Question reference: S2W-09632

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many towns with populations over 1,000 in each local authority area have prohibited further housing development due to insufficient sewerage capacity.

This information is not held in the format requested.

However, as part of the work on Scottish Water’s investment programme to 2014, all local authorities were asked to predict future development requirements for their areas during that time. This identified a total of about 8,600 development sites, with the capacity to accommodate 230,000 houses, and a further 14,000 hectares for non-residential development across Scotland. Data indicates that approximately half of the sites so identified are currently affected by water or drainage constraints. This matter is addressed in the consultation paper Investing in Water Services 2006-2014 (Bib. number 33325), which wasreleased on 20 July.

Question reference: S2W-09625

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2004
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 August 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many projects that have applied for European funding have seen their application fall due to a lack of match funding from the Executive, broken down by area for each year since 1999.