- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 2 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instigate a commission to investigate the impact on health of cannabis and other drugs.
Answer
The UK Department of Health hascommissioned an evidence based review of research into cannabis and mental healthissues, which is due to be completed in June 2006. The results will be consideredalongside the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, whichpublished it’s own report on cannabis in January.
All the evidence to date suggeststhat learning lessons on a UK-wide basis will continue to deliver the greatest benefitsin identifying the impact of cannabis on health.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 2 March 2006
To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Answer
I hope to meet the Secretaryof State again soon.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many DNA profiles obtained from DNA samples collected by the police in Scotland and exported to the National DNA Database in England in each year since 1995 have been subsequently removed.
Answer
Full statistics are only available for the last seven years and are as follows:
| Year | Number of Profiles |
| 1999 | 5,420 |
| 2000 | 9,185 |
| 2001 | 7,058 |
| 2002 | 20,269 |
| 2003 | 18,075 |
| 2004 | 21,173 |
| 2005 | 29,334 |
Totals shown are for the years commencing 1 January to 31 December.
The Scottish DNA Database exports copies of all DNA profiles it holds to the National DNA Database but does not export the DNA samples. A DNA sample is the sample that contains the individual’s full DNA which is taken from the individual by means such as a mouth swab. A DNA profile is the numerical sequence derived from a DNA sample by a process which destroys the original sample. It is based on a number of markers from the short-tandem repeat (STR) areas of DNA which do not contain genetically significant information but vary markedly between different people, which is why DNA profiles are effective at distinguishing between different people.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many DNA profiles obtained from DNA samples collected by the police in Scotland have been exported to the National DNA Database in England in each year since 1995.
Answer
Full statistics are only available for the last seven years and are as follows:
| Year | Number of Profiles |
| 1999 | 26,487 |
| 2000 | 21,728 |
| 2001 | 18,681 |
| 2002 | 38,930 |
| 2003 | 39,047 |
| 2004 | 42,645 |
| 2005 | 49,641 |
Totals shown are for the years commencing 1 January to 31 December.
The Scottish DNA Database exports copies of all DNA profiles it holds to the National DNA Database but does not export the DNA samples. A DNA sample is the sample that contains the individual’s full DNA which is taken from the individual by means such as a mouth swab. A DNA profile is the numerical sequence derived from a DNA sample by a process which destroys the original sample. It is based on a number of markers from the short-tandem repeat areas of DNA which do not contain genetically significant information but vary markedly between different people, which is why DNA profiles are effective at distinguishing between different people.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many DNA profiles obtained from DNA samples taken from juveniles and collected by the police in Scotland and exported to the National DNA Database in England in each year since 1995 have been subsequently removed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22735 on 9 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many DNA profiles obtained from DNA samples taken from juveniles and collected by the police in Scotland have been exported to the National DNA Database in England in each year since 1995.
Answer
This information is not held.
All DNA profiles taken from persons who are arrested or detained in Scotland are removed from both the Scottish DNA Database and the National DNA Database unless the case for which they were taken result in a court conviction. As well as the DNA profiles, any information relating to the person, such as their age, is also removed from database records. It is therefore not possible to identify the age of the persons concerned. The majority of cases involving juveniles do not result in court proceedings.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instigate a study into the prevalence of haemochromatosis, given the recognition of the condition as a cause for concern.
Answer
The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), within the Scottish Executive Health Department, has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland. It supports research projects of a sufficiently high standard initiated by the research community in Scotland. This role is well known and advertised throughout the healthcare and academic community.
The CSO has no plans to instigate a study on haemochromatosis, but would be pleased to consider research proposals into its prevalence. These would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.
The National Research Register (NRR), a UK wide research database, records two on-going projects and 10 completed projects on the prevalence of haemochromatosis. Details of these projects are available from the NRR, this can be found at the website www.update-software.com/national/.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive which companies, in addition to the Police Forensic Science Laboratories in Dundee and Glasgow, now act as suppliers of DNA profiles from DNA samples taken in Scotland to the National DNA Database.
Answer
There are no companies in Scotland which are accredited as suppliers of Police DNA services to the National DNA Database.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what DNA profiles have been exported to the National DNA Database from Scotland, broken down by ethnic category.
Answer
The Scottish DNA Database does not record the ethnic origin of persons arrested or detained and consequently this information is not held.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 1 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many deaths recorded as being alcohol-related in the last five years haemochromatosis was noted as a possible cause of death.
Answer
In the five years, between 2000 and 2004, there were 15 deaths where the underlying cause of death was alcohol related and haemochromatosis was mentioned on the death certificate. In the same period there were a further 13 deaths where the underlying cause of death was haemochromatosis and alcohol related diseases were mentioned on the death certificate.
