Parliamentary questions

Adam Ingram

1,244 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

29 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether research has been carried out into any links between nutritional deficiencies and mental health illness.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Scientist Office,(CSO), within the Scottish Executive health department, has responsibility forencouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland.CSO is largely a response mode funder of research and this role is well …

22 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which drugs unlicensed for use by under-18s are prescribed to under-18s, giving the illnesses in respect of which they are prescribed.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot available as prescription data available centrally are not patient-specificbut relate to the numbers and cost of prescribed items dispensed in thecommunity by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors.A clinician may …

16 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which drugs have been withdrawn from use for the treatment of people under 18 in each of the last three years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The safety of medicines is areserved matter and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare ProductsRegulatory Agency.The agency has advised that theCommittee on Safety of Medicines recently issued advice that the antidepressantdrugs paroxeti…

16 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on psychological intervention, or other non-drug therapies, in respect of (a) severe and enduring mental illness, (b) attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder, (c) depression and (d) dementia, in each of the last three years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally.

16 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on (a) atypical antipsychotic drugs, (b) antipsychotic drugs, (c) antidementia drugs and (d) Ritalin, in each of the last three years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is given in the following tables. The data provided in respect of (d) is given for methylphenidate hydrochloride, which is available in a number of proprietary forms i.e. Ritalin, Equasym, Tranquilynand ConcertaXL. The cost given is …

16 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much the NHS drugs bill has been in each of the last three years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The NHS drugs bill in eachof the last three years is given in the following table.<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> Financial Year </td> <td> Drugs Bill Cost </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 2000-01 </…

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many flight routes have been established with the assistance of sponsorship or any fund other than route development funds in the last three years.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: No flight routes have beenestablished, by the Scottish Executive or its agencies, with assistance of sponsorship orany fund other than the interim route development fund in the last three years,other than co-operative promotions and joint marketing activity b…

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place to review and bring forward plans to upgrade Scotland's motorway and A' road networks.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: We regularly monitorprogress on motorway and trunk road schemes and assess the emerging demands andpressures for improvement across the network.

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of overseas air travellers have been routed through English airports in each of the last three years.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The percentage of overseasair travellers to Scotland in 2002 arriving in the United Kingdomthrough airports in England is as follows:Scheduled businesspassengers: 49%Scheduled leisure passengers:51%The figures are given in theCivil Aviati…

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many flight routes have been established with the assistance of route development funds since June 2003.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Since June 2003, 7 routeshave started following offers made under the Interim Route Development Fund.Other routes will start in 2004.

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many direct flights from Scotland to (a) European and (b) non-European destinations have been made in each of the last three years broken down by (i) route, (ii) airport and (iii) carrier.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Information as at March 2001,March 2002 and March 2003 showing the direct flights from Scotland to European Unionand other international destinations, and broken down by (i) route, (ii)airport and (iii) carrier, has been compiled from various sources by the C…

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Environment and Rural Affairs Department's research organisation assessment exercise has been completed and when reports of its findings and conclusions will be published.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3149 on 30 October 2003.All answers to written parliamentary questions available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…

8 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to reduce the amount of coal produced from opencast mines.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Coal Industry policy is areserved matter. While the extraction ofcoal in Scotland is regulated by the land use planning system, whichis devolved to the Scottish Executive, this does not seek to predetermine the appropriatelevels of coal to be produced by open…

8 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether research has been commissioned into the health implications of opencast mine developments.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3288 on 3 November 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the research facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk…

8 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reviewed National Planning Policy Guideline 16; if so, whether results of the review will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, and if not, whether there are plans to carry out such a review and when this will take place.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Research is under way on theoperation and effectiveness of NPPG 16. This is expected to report veryshortly. A decision will be taken on whether the guidance should be reviewedwhen the research findings are known.

8 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is regarding any correlation between the level of diagnosis of (a) cancer and (b) asthma and communities' proximity to opencast coal mines and whether there are plans to instigate research into any such correlation.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In relation to asthma andrespiratory health more generally, I refer the member to the answer given toquestion S2W-3288 on 3 November 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the research facility for which…

8 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether research has been completed, or is in the process of being conducted, into the levels of respiratory diseases in the local communities living in close proximity to open-cast coal mines, and whether the results of any such research will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Informat…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Committee onthe Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has considered reports on two separatestudies on The Acute Effects of Air Pollution on the Respiratory Health ofChildren in West Glamorgan (1997) and on Do particulates from opencast coal mining …

8 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether an assessment has been conducted on the health of communities living in close proximity to opencast coal mines and, if not, whether an assessment is planned.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer themember to the answer given to question S2W-3288 on 3 November 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available onthe Parliament’s website, the research facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/w…

8 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many operating opencast coal mines there are; where they are located, and what si'e they are.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: There currently are 21licensed open cast coal mines operating across 13 sites in Scotland. Thelocation of these sites is provided in the table. The size of individualopencast coal mines is a matter for individual operators in conjunction withthe appropriate p…

7 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to change the way in which research conducted by the CHARIS Food Research Division of the Hannah Research Institute is funded and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3150 on 30 October 2003.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:<ahref="http://www.scottish.parliamen…

7 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what levels of mercury emissions would be defined as being dangerous to health and what the current levels are broken down by local authority area

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The risks to public healthposed by mercury emissions depend on the resulting public exposures. Because of the diversity of emissions (for example, to water or air) and the complexity of the exposure pathways by which environmental mercury in its various forms…

3 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether an assessment has been made of the performance of the CHARIS Food Research Division of the Hannah Research Institute and, if so, whether the report of the assessment will be made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Answer · Ross Finnie: SEERADis carrying out a periodic peer review (Research Organisation AssessmentExercise) of the research carried out at the agricultural and biologicalresearch institutes that it sponsors including the Hannah Research Institute.The review process is not yet co…

3 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be allocated to the CHARIS Food Research Division of the Hannah Research Institute over the next two years.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3150 on 30 october 2003.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/we…

3 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department to the CHARIS Food Research Division of the Hannah Research Institute since the inception of the division.

3 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding from its Environment and Rural Affairs Department to the CHARIS Food Research Division of the Hannah Research Institute has been reduced and, if so, what the reasons were.

Answer · Ross Finnie: CHARIS is a joint initiativeby the Hannah Research Institute and the Scottish Agricultural College, set up with funding support from the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise to deliver research, technology and advisoryservices for the Scottish food indu…

3 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the report on the review of the Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes will be published.

Answer · Ross Finnie: SEERAD is carrying out aperiodic peer review (Research Organisation Assessment Exercise) of the Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes it sponsors. Thisreview process is still in progress but a summary of the outcome is expected tobe issued …

2 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients under 18 are currently being prescribed anti-depressants, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Prescription data availablecentrally are not patient-specific, but relate to the numbers and cost ofprescribed items dispensed in the community by community pharmacists anddispensing doctors.

2 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes are in place to make young people aware of mental illness and how these programmes are evaluated to assess their effectiveness.

Answer · Tom McCabe: There is a range of work inhand to make young people aware of mental illness.Improving the mental healthof children and young people is one of the priority areas for the NationalProgramme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being.The national p…

2 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many suicides have been recorded in the last three years, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The following table presentsinformation on deaths from intentional self-harm and, separately, deaths frominjury or poisoning where the intent was undetermined. Both categories arerelevant because, other than for young children, it is believed that themajority…

2 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths in the last three years were the result of a mental illness, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Deaths in Scotland arecoded using the Tenth Revision of the World Health Organisation’s InternationalClassification of Diseases (ICD10). Some 98% of deaths coded to the “Mental andBehavioural Disorders” chapter of ICD10 are due to vascular or unspecifieddemen…