- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the proposed changes to Regional Selective Assistance, what steps will be taken to ensure that there is no increased risk to the Grampian area as a result of incentives for inward investors to choose other locations and assistance to businesses to relocate and to locate projects in assisted areas.
Answer
There is no increased risk, as there is never any question of Regional Selective Assistance being used simply to relocate a business.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 27 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff have been seconded to UKRep; which departments have any such staff been seconded from, and how long any such secondment has lasted.
Answer
Mobility between Government Departments is defined as a loan rather than a secondment. The number of Scottish Executive staff who have been on loan to UKRep since 1987 is 13. The duration of each loan and the Scottish Executive Departments such staff have been on loan from are as follows:Total Number of Scottish Executive staff on loan to UKRep: 13Scottish Executive Departments
| Development Department | 4 |
| Environment and Rural Affairs Department | 6 |
| Justice Department | 2 |
| Corporate Services | 1 |
Duration of Loans
| 0-1 year | 1-2 years | 2-3 years | 3+ years |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what response it has given, or plans to give, to the recent draft PricewaterhouseCoopers report which suggests reductions of over #4 million in health spending by Grampian NHS board.
Answer
This is a matter for NHS Grampian. However, I understand that the recommendations in the report are intended to provide non-clinical support services more effectively and to increase spending on direct patient care.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Simpson on 25 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug misusers have been registered in each NHS board area (a) so far this year and (b) in each of the last five years and, in each case, what percentage of such misusers are prescribed (i) methadone and (ii) other drug substitutes.
Answer
There is no longer an index of registered drug addicts. However, the following table shows the number of
new individual patients/clients by NHS board of residence, reported to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database during the five years ending 31 March 2001. This information has already been published in the ISD Scotland publication
Drug Misuse in Scotland 2001 and is available on the national drug misuse website at:
http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org Information on the estimated number of problem drug users at both national and local level is contained in
Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland, published in November 2001, also available on the national drug misuse website.Information on the number of drug users being prescribed methadone or other drug substitutes is not held centrally.New
1 individual patients/clients
2,3 reported to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database by NHS Board of residence:Years ending 31 March
| | Numbers |
| | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 |
| Scotland | 8,652 | 8,846 | 9,280 | 10,608 | 10,591 |
| By NHS Board | | | | | |
| Argyll and Clyde | 957 | 1,365 | 1,459 | 1,228 | 1,330 |
| Ayrshire and Arran4 | 303 | 356 | 141 | 1,182 | 1,239 |
| Borders | 59 | 21 | 79 | 80 | 102 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 149 | 153 | 231 | 200 | 207 |
| Fife | 384 | 362 | 396 | 433 | 598 |
| Forth Valley | 172 | 160 | 334 | 281 | 247 |
| Grampian | 947 | 1,056 | 835 | 712 | 631 |
| Greater Glasgow | 3,224 | 2,833 | 2,871 | 3,306 | 3,290 |
| Highland | 58 | 60 | 74 | 124 | 124 |
| Lanarkshire | 353 | 320 | 427 | 551 | 513 |
| Lothian | 1,886 | 1,789 | 1,876 | 2,000 | 1,947 |
| Tayside | 169 | 357 | 577 | 551 | 405 |
| Island Boards5 | 28 | 46 | 29 | 31 | 24 |
| Outside Scotland | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
Notes:1. It is emphasised the information held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database relates to
new patients/clients. The definition of "new" is (a) the person is attending the particular service for the first time ever, or (b) the person has attended before but not within the previous six months.2. All figures in this table exclude penal establishment inmates and information received from needle exchanges.3. The database collects anonymous information about new problem drug users presenting at a broad range of drug services across, Scotland, including general practices.4. In 1999-2000 information was received for the first time from nine agencies in the Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board area.5. Shetland and Western Isles NHS Boards.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Simpson on 25 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) current average waiting times are and (b) si'e of each waiting list is for prescriptions for (i) methadone and (ii) other drug substitutes in each NHS board and what the equivalent figures were in each of the last five years.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.Waiting time information for drug misuse treatment is not held consistently by drug services across Scotland. We are, however, currently seeking from Drug Action Teams some local information on waiting times for some drug services as part of the annual corporate planning arrangements.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 25 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions for (a) methadone (b) other drug substitutes have been issued (i) so far this year and (ii) in each of the last five years in each NHS board area.
Answer
In the following tables, the number of prescriptions issued for methadone in each of the last five years in each health board area is shown in table 1, and table 2 sets out the number of dispensings carried out in accordance with prescriber's instructions. Current year data are not available.It is not possible to determine the volume of prescribing of drug substitutes, other than methadone because such drugs can also be appropriately prescribed for the treatment of certain medical conditions. These data refer to prescriptions dispensed in the community and do not take into account medicines dispensed by hospitals or hospital based clinics.Table 1: Methadone - Number of Prescribed Items:
| Health Board | Number of Prescribed Items |
| | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 8,167 | 13,780 | 18,451 | 21,749 | 24,319 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 12,789 | 21,649 | 23,751 | 25,209 | 26,576 |
| Borders | 427 | 477 | 473 | 425 | 521 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 6,548 | 6,259 | 7,139 | 6,531 | 7,238 |
| Fife | 5,017 | 6,677 | 7,599 | 9,449 | 11,398 |
| Forth Valley | 2,758 | 2,744 | 2,362 | 2,561 | 3,094 |
| Grampian | 13,396 | 15,006 | 17,924 | 22,863 | 26,931 |
| Greater Glasgow | 69,023 | 75,689 | 80,342 | 87,152 | 98,897 |
| Highland | 1,068 | 1,082 | 1,626 | 2,461 | 2,388 |
| Lanarkshire | 11,034 | 12,552 | 17,847 | 24,929 | 28,940 |
| Lothian | 18,549 | 18,877 | 19,567 | 23,139 | 26,312 |
| Orkney | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 9 |
| Shetland | 153 | 245 | 372 | 353 | 652 |
| Tayside | 13,919 | 14,533 | 15,155 | 15,709 | 17,172 |
| Western Isles | 3 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 3 |
| Total | 162,868 | 189,592 | 212,635 | 242,557 | 274,450 |
Table 2: Methadone - Number of Dispensings:
| Health Board | Number of Dispensed Items |
| | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 72,238 | 133,726 | 201,803 | 243,356 | 314,851 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 58,797 | 103,716 | 113,963 | 125,240 | 155,010 |
| Borders | 2,314 | 2,927 | 2,244 | 2,102 | 3,010 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 14,877 | 15,897 | 28,873 | 35,832 | 40,333 |
| Fife | 29,979 | 42,623 | 64,715 | 85,624 | 117,528 |
| Forth Valley | 23,428 | 31,427 | 32,332 | 39,700 | 52,534 |
| Grampian | 73,782 | 101,494 | 152,075 | 215,705 | 283,015 |
| Greater Glasgow | 619,964 | 740,037 | 830,292 | 914,886 | 1,178,988 |
| Highland | 4,334 | 4,271 | 7,089 | 13,769 | 14,422 |
| Lanarkshire | 30,885 | 43,960 | 80,578 | 141,789 | 205,731 |
| Lothian | 145,827 | 161,738 | 197,206 | 245,302 | 297,526 |
| Orkney | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 9 |
| Shetland | 395 | 493 | 754 | 626 | 2,206 |
| Tayside | 101,094 | 119,445 | 141,752 | 163,207 | 189,665 |
| Western Isles | 9 | 34 | 55 | 57 | 6 |
| Total | 1,177,940 | 1,501,803 | 1,853,748 | 2,227,211 | 2,854,834 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the Scottish Environment Protection Agency monitoring sites located in the proposed Nitrate Vulnerable Zones in the North-east Scotland parliamentary region.
Answer
The locations of Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) monitoring sites in the north-east Scotland parliamentary region, can be found from the SEPA maps entitled SEPA Groundwater Monitoring (Parliament's Reference Centre, Bib. number 20139) and SEPA Surface Water Monitoring (Bib. number 20140). Further locational details of the monitoring sites can be obtained from the local SEPA office in Aberdeen, or from the SEPA Corporate Office in Stirling.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how the success of each prison is measured with regard to rehabilitation.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:It is not possible to measure rehabilitation directly and future behaviour is affected by many factors, many of which occur outwith the prison, but two of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the SPS relate to the work we do to assist prisoner rehabilitation:
Programmes to address offending behaviour; the number of programmes delivered and percentage of those which are fully accredited.Education; the number of learning hours delivered.In addition, the work of SPS in the fields of health, medical, nursing, drugs, work, employability and throughcare, will contribute to rehabilitation by encouraging and helping the prisoner to be more responsible.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive on the basis of how many samples taken in each catchment area in the proposed Strathmore Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, designation of the 'one was proposed.
Answer
Detailed information about sample numbers and distribution can be found in the report Groundwater nitrate vulnerable zones for Scotland (Parliament's Reference Centre, Bib. number 18567), as detailed in the answer to question S1W-23978 today.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive on the basis of how many samples taken in each catchment area in the proposed Aberdeenshire, Banff and Buchan Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, designation of the 'one was proposed.
Answer
The British Geological Survey (BGS) collated nitrate data from 809 sources in the proposed Aberdeenshire, Banff and Buchan NVZ, including private water supplies, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) groundwater monitoring network, public water supply sources and its own boreholes. Information about these sources can be found in table 5.5 of the report Groundwater nitrate vulnerable zones for Scotland (Parliament's Reference Centre Bib. number 18567), prepared by BGS for the Department. The distribution of the sample sources can be found in Fig. 5.16 of the report.Private water supplies are monitored in accordance with the Private Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 1992, which lay down the standards for these supplies and specify the duties of local authorities, in respect of sampling and analysis. Sampling frequency depends on what the supply is used for, how much is used and how many people use it, and can vary between once every five years to four times per year. The SEPA policy is to monitor groundwater sources in its network four times per year. Detailed information about individual sources and sample numbers, can be found on the GIS CD-ROM, which accompanies the BGS report.