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The Scottish Government meets the cost of all HPV vaccine used in Scotland as part of the national programme. The Department of Health currently procures the HPV vaccine on behalf of the UK administrations. NHS boards in Scotland ordered HPV vaccine stock from the central supply procured and held by the Department of Health. The Scottish Government is invoiced for the vaccines orders and reimburses the Department of Health accordingly.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) inspection report on the Queen Margaret Hospital raised some serious issues and also identified some important areas of good practice. NHS Fife accepted the findings of the report and identified a series of actions to be taken which were outlined in its improvement plan, which also detailed timescales for action. Unannounced follow up inspections will ensure improvements are made.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) report on Stirling Royal Infirmary raised some issues for attention and also identified some important areas of good practice. NHS Forth Valley accepted the findings of the report and identified a series of actions to be taken which were outlined in its improvement plan that also detailed timescales for action. Unannounced follow up inspections will ensure improvements are made.

Information on NHS patients awaiting placement in a care home is recorded on the Delayed Discharges censuses. Data from October 2005 to October 2010 is available in the Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre (Bib. number 52135).

Source: ISD Scotland, Delayed Discharges Census, Ref: IR2010-02907.

There is no national recommendation on the number of echocardiogram machines per head of population. NHS boards are expected to deploy the number of machines needed to provide an appropriate level of care within an acceptable time, as part of the 18 week referral to treatment care pathway.

Upgrading the A9 remains a priority for this Government and will be undertaken in the context of overall affordability and our commitments to the Strategic Transport Projects Review recommendations.

Transport Scotland has taken forward detailed planning and design to develop options for dualling the section of the A9 between Birnam and Luncarty and design work on the adjacent northern section between Birnam and the Jubilee Bridge is now also taking place. In addition, a number of improvements have taken place within the current programme at Bankfoot, Carrbridge, Loch Moy and Ralia and work has just started on the 3.2km section dual carriageway extension at Crubenmore.

The number of (a) accidents and (b) fatalities which have occurred on the A9 between (i) Dunblane and Perth, (ii) Perth and Pitlochry, (iii) Pitlochry and Inverness and (iv) Inverness and Thurso in 2009 and 2010 is as shown in the following table:

	Year	Personal Injury Accidents	Fatal Accidents	Fatal Casualties
A9 Dunblane to Perth (Inveralmond Roundabout)	2009	35	0	0
	2010*	15	0	0
A9 Perth (Inveralmond Roundabout) to Pitlochry (Junction with A924)	2009	18	0	0
	2010*	8	2	2
A9 Pitlochry (Junction with A924) to Inverness (Longman Roundabout)	2009	45	3	4
	2010*	21	1	1
A9 Inverness (Longman Roundabout) to Thurso (Scrabster)	2009	68	3	3
	2010*	24	0	0

Note: *1 January 2010 “ 30 June 2010.

The accident rate on the A9 trunk road between Perth and Inverness remains around half the national average.

The figures quoted may differ from those published elsewhere because they were extracted on a different date and the database may have changed between the two dates, e.g. due to late returns, corrections or changes to earlier returns and traffic volumes.

No decision has been taken to introduce generic substitution in NHSScotland. It has long been the Scottish Government''s policy to encourage generic prescribing wherever clinically appropriate. This policy has resulted in a high generic prescribing rate. In 2009-10 in Scotland, 83% of prescription items were prescribed generically in primary care. Maximising the use of generic medicines is an area where there may be further opportunities to make cost savings for the NHS and, at present, officials are in discussion with a number of key stakeholders to examine ways to support the use of generic medicines in Scotland.

Funding for flood risk management is no longer ring-fenced but is included within the overall level of capital support provided to local government. This provides local authorities with the flexibility to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government''s key strategic objectives. In 2010-11 the total capital support from the Scottish Government to Perth and Kinross Council amounted to £17.890 million. The settlement took account of the level of flood risk in the council''s area.

Allocation of capital funding for flood prevention schemes within the overall resources provided to them is therefore rightly a decision for Perth and Kinross Council.

Information on what improvements have been made to railway stations broken down by cost is not held by the Scottish Government.

Investment funding for rail stations has been provided by various organisations including Network Rail, First ScotRail, Scottish Government, UK Government, local authorities and third parties over the past three years.

Amongst the many improvements delivered include car park expansions, new platforms, passenger communication systems, information screens, better accessibility, new passenger waiting facilities, new toilets and CCTV installation.