- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 2 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest figures are on smoking prevalence, broken down by (a) age group and (b) NHS board.
Answer
The information requested is shown in the following tables.
Table A. Smoking Prevalence by Age Group - 2007
| Age group | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60-74 | 75+ | All ages |
| Percentage | 29.8 | 29.4 | 27.1 | 27.7 | 20.2 | 11.6 | 24.7 |
| Bases (sample questioned) | 1,031 | 1,404 | 1,902 | 2,639 | 2,218 | 1,045 | 10,239 |
Source: Scottish Household Survey.
Table B. Smoking Prevalence - by NHS Board1 - 16+ Years
| 2 year sample | 2006-07 | Bases (Sample Questioned) |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 23.6 | 726 |
| Borders | 20.5 | 209 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 29.0 | 297 |
| Fife | 25.1 | 721 |
| Forth Valley | 27.4 | 550 |
| Grampian | 21.0 | 1,071 |
| Greater Glasgow and Clyde | 27.0 | 2,344 |
| Highland new | 21.3 | 613 |
| Lanarkshire | 30.0 | 1,131 |
| Lothian | 21.5 | 1,635 |
| Orkney | 17.2 | 39 |
| Shetland | 14.9 | 43 |
| Tayside | 24.2 | 793 |
| Western Isles | 21.3 | 54 |
Source: Scottish Household Survey
Notes:
These figures should be interpreted with caution.
1. The Scottish Household Survey is not designed to be representative at NHS board level and two year data (2006-07) is shown because of small sample size at NHS board level.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11929 by Shona Robison on 29 April 2008, how many students entered the graduate diploma in audiology course delivered by Queen Margaret University in the final September 2008 intake.
Answer
Eleven students commenced the Graduate Diploma in September 2008 as the final intake.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified audiologists it estimates will be available to the NHS in Scotland by 2012 via the graduate diploma in audiology course delivered by Queen Margaret University.
Answer
Queen Margaret University estimate that approximately 40 graduate diploma students will take up employment in the NHS by 2012.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11928 by Shona Robison on 29 April 2008, how many of the assistant audiologists have now completed all of the components of Queen Margaret University’s graduate diploma in audiology course and have successfully entered employment with the NHS in Scotland as audiologists.
Answer
All three audiology assistants from the first cohort of the graduate diploma in audiology at Queen Margaret University are working in the NHS as audiologists.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 20 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-2233 by Linda Fabiani on 7 February 2008 (Official Report c. 5994) whether it will reconsider the decision to remove £500,000 of funding for Expo 2010 in Shanghai, in light of Lord Steel’s comments reported in The Scotsman and The Herald newspapers on 4 November 2008 and the Scottish Executive’s stated desire to protect the economy from the worsening effects of recession.
Answer
It is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office''s (FCO) role to represent Scotland at the Expo, along with the other countries of the UK, and to do so not only if the Scottish Government provides earmarked funds. Scotland already pays its share of the FCO''s budget and of the other UK-wide bodies at the UK pavilion and we expect that Scotland will be appropriately represented.
I discussed this point with Ian McCartney, UK Commissioner for the Expo when I met him in June when I offered to discuss with the FCO the possibility of funding from the Scottish Government for specific events to showcase Scotland.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much Housing Association Grant has been allocated to South Lanarkshire Council in each year since 1999-2000.
Answer
The grant allocation at the beginning of each financial year is a single figure which includes provision for all relevant elements of the Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP). In addition to Housing Association Grant, this includes grant mechanisms such as Rural Home Ownership Grant, Rural Empty Property grants, Grant for the Physical and Social Environment and Special Needs Capital grants. Housing Association Grant allocation is not recorded separately.
The amount of AHIP funding allocated to South Lanarkshire Council at the beginning of each year from 2002-03 onwards is set out in the table below. Records are not held prior to 2002-03 in the manner requested.
| Year | AHIP Allocation (£ million) |
| 2002-03 | 8.995 |
| 2003-04 | 10.136 |
| 2004-05 | 11.852 |
| 2005-06 | 12.250 |
| 2006-07 | 16.380 |
| 2007-08 | 19.284 |
| 2008-09 | 15.300 |
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making with regard to improving the Raith interchange.
Answer
The draft Compulsory Purchase Order for Raith Junction was published on 1 April 2008. We received one statutory objection which we are endeavouring to resolve without the need for a Public Local Inquiry.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to resolve the recent instability and uncertainty at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD).
Answer
Higher education institutions in Scotland are autonomous bodies, responsible for managing their own affairs. I have remained in contact with the situation at RSAMD and met John Wallace, the Principal of RSAMD on 22 May 2008. I received an assurance from him that the Academy is in a stable financial position and that remains the case today.
The Scottish Funding Council is presently reviewing the levels at which drama is funded across Scotland. I fully support that work, which is being carried out in partnership with RSAMD, Queen Margaret University and other institutions which provide drama in Scotland. That review process will conclude in the autumn.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11928 by Shona Robison on 29 April 2008, how many students of the graduate diploma in audiology course at Queen Margaret University are currently employed by the NHS in Scotland as assistant audiologists while they wait to complete all of the components of their training programme.
Answer
NHS National Education for Scotland has confirmed that there are three students employed in the NHS as audiology assistants while they wait to successfully complete all components of their programme. These students are from the 1st cohort of the graduate diploma course.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-11928 and S3W-11929 by Shona Robison on 29 April 2008, what action it is taking to encourage graduates to enrol in September 2008 for the final intake of the graduate diploma in audiology course delivered by Queen Margaret University in order to ensure that the course meets its target of Delivering 43 graduates to work in the NHS by 2012.
Answer
NHS National Education for Scotland has confirmed that Queen Margaret University will be advertising places on the graduate diploma course across Scotland during the summer months in order to increase applicants to the programme. Applications will be taken up to two weeks after the start of the programme.
