Parliamentary questions
Stewart Stevenson
2,358 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations have been performed in each hospital in each year since 1997.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Operations are carried out within NHSScotland in a wide range of settings dependent on a number of factors including the complexity of the operation and the clinical and personal needs of the patient.</p> <p>The information requested is given in the table <i>…
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 1999, broken down by project.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The information in the form requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p>
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people registered unemployed were (a) 25 and under, (b) 26 to 35, (c) 36 to 45, (d) 46 to 55 and (e) over 55 in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The source of registered unemploymentis the claimant count, which is the number of people claiming unemployment benefits.Unfortunately, this data is not available by the age bands requested, however, itis available by alternative age bands (24 and under, 25 t…
25 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions for domestic violence there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The latest available information on incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police is included in the statistical bulletin <i>Domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland, 1 January-31 December 2004</i> published by the Scottish Executive in Septembe…
25 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people stayed in hospital overnight on Christmas Day in each NHS board area in each year since 1999.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The numbers of patients admitted to non-obstetric/non-psychiatric acute specialties on or prior to Christmas Day and discharged on or after Boxing Day are presented in the table. The data are broken down by health board of treatment and shown by year, 1999 to…
25 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were admitted to hospital on Christmas Day in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) reason for admittance.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested is given in the table <i>Christmas Day Admissions to Hospital by Health Board 1999 to 2004</i>. A copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38278).</p> <p>The table shows numbers of admi…
25 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average body mass index was in each NHS board area in each year since 1999.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive figures showing average body mass index in NHS board areas are derived from the Scottish Health Survey as the most reliable and accurate source of this information. Scottish Health Surveys have taken place in 1995, 1998 and 2003 and so …
25 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospitals are in debt, showing the amount in each case.
Answer · Andy Kerr: We do not hold information on the financial position of individual hospitals, only boards.</p>
25 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the rates of (a) overweight and (b) obesity have been amongst (i) children under 11 years, (ii) children aged between 11 and 18 and (iii) adults in each year since 1997.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive does not collect information on obesity and overweight in the age bands specified. Information on rates of overweight and obesity amongst children is collected through the Child Health Surveillance Programmes for school-aged and pre-sch…
24 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths have been caused by fire in buildings since 1999 and in how many instances (a) no smoke alarm being fitted and (b) a faulty or non-working smoke alarm was a contributory factor.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Information requested isgiven in table 9 of the <i>Statistical Bulletin Criminal Justice Series Fire StatisticsScotland </i>published by the Scottish Executive in March 2005. A Copy is availablein the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 3…
24 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many mobile phones were used by (a) ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in each of its departments in each year since 1999; how much each mobile phone cost, and how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive has purchased 1,447 mobile phones over the past seven years for use by Ministers, special advisors and officials. The mobiles are purchased using a central government contract for the supply of mobile phones at a total cost of £58,714, …
24 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has cost to maintain ministerial cars since 1999.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The cost of maintaining Government Car Service vehicles since 1999 is shown in the following table.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> <p align=center>Year (April – March)</p></td> <td> <p align=center>1999-00</p></td> <t…
24 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ministerial cars have been purchased since 1999 and how much each cost.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Government Car Service supports ministers in their official duties across Scotland. The number of cars that have been purchased since 1999, and the cost of each car is shown in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead…
24 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ministerial cars have been sold since 1999 and for how much each was sold.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Government Car Service supports ministers in their official duties across Scotland. The number of Government Car Service vehicles that have been sold since 1999 and the cost each was sold for is shown in the following table.</p> <table border=1 cellspacin…
23 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women have been prosecuted for domestic violence in each year since 1997, broken down by police force area.
Answer · Colin Boyd: There is no statutory or common law offence of domestic violence but the term is commonly understood to refer to offences such as assault or breach of the peace. In November 2004, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) agreed with the Associat…
23 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost of providing private patients with care in NHS hospitals has been in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The total cost to the NHS ofproviding private patients with care in NHS hospitals is recharged to these patientsby the hospitals responsible. The income recorded by NHS Scotland bodies from privatepatients in each of the last 10 years is as follows.</p><table…
23 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average pay of (a) primary and (b) secondary teachers holding a (i) degree, (ii) master’s degree and (iii) doctorate was in 2004-05.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Information linking the salary of teachers and qualifications is not held centrally.</p>
23 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) children and (b) adults died of pneumococcal meningitis in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · George Lyon: The information requested is given in the following table.</p> <p>Deaths in Scotland from Pneumococcal Meningitis<sup>1</sup></p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p align=right> </p></td> <td> <p align=righ…
23 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many women (a) were diagnosed with and (b) died from breast cancer in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) NHS board and (ii) parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Data shows that despite rising breast cancer incidence survival is improving with 80% of women now alive more than five years after diagnosis, up from 60% in 1981.</p> <p>Data on newly diagnosed cancers in Scotland are recorded on the Scottish Cancer Registry…
22 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences have been committed by offenders released on home detention curfew, broken down by (a) offence and (b) police force area.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Home Detention Curfew is not yet available in Scotland. The Home Detention Curfew provisions in the Management of Offenders etc. (Scotland) Bill, passed by the Parliament on 3 November 2005, are not expected to come into force until next year.</p>
22 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many assaults there have been on (a) police officers and (b) probation officers in each year since 1995, broken down by police force area.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The available information is shown in the following table. In Scotland, the equivalent of probation officers are criminal justice social workers, who are employed by individual local authorities. There are no statistics held centrally about attacks on these e…
22 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost increase to the NHS has been between 1999-2000 and 2004-05 in respect of (a) medical secretaries, (b) record keepers, (c) health educators, (d) IT technicians, (e) financial managers, (f) caterers, (g) launderers, (h) cleaners and (i) all other staff and what proportion of t…
Answer · Andy Kerr: The NHS is a team operation. Staff such as those listed in your question, play a vital role in keeping a hospital running smoothly. Behind every nurse or doctor there is someone making sure their equipment works, that test results are processed accurately, th…
22 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital mergers have taken place in the last five years; what the projected effects of each merger were on costs, and what actual savings have been achieved in each case in the last relevant financial year.
Answer · Andy Kerr: There have been no hospital mergers, although services originally provided in some hospitals have been re-provided elsewhere as part of the continual process of modernising and improving the whole range of services that the NHS provides. Where a board propose…
22 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for (a) an urgent and (b) a non-urgent scan in each NHS (i) hospital and (ii) board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested is not available.</p> <p>In June this year, I announced a maximum nine-weeks waiting time for eight key diagnostic tests, including MRI, CT, ultrasound and barium scans, from the end of 2007. These standards apply to patients requiri…
22 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses have been working in the NHS in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Information on doctors and nurses working in the NHS broken by parliamentary constituency is not available centrally.</p> <p>Information on staff in post by NHS board in NHS Scotland is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Stati…
22 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many deaths it estimates obesity will be a contributory factor over the next 10 years.
Answer · George Lyon: No such estimate has been made.</p>
22 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many deaths obesity was a contributory factor in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
Answer · George Lyon: The information available is given in the following table.</p> <p>Deaths in Scotland Where Obesity<sup>1</sup> was Mentioned on The Death Certificate, 1995–2004</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>1995</p></td> …
21 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18168 by Mr Tom McCabe on 25 August 2005, in what public sector projects, where it is possible to identify a computerisation or IT element of a value greater than £50,000, this element has exceeded its original estimated cost by over 50% in each year…
Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested onprojects with a computerisation or IT element meeting the criteria set out inthe question would be held by individual authorities and public sector bodiesand there is no central record of computerisation or IT projects across thepu…
14 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to the (a) European Commission and (b) UK Government to ensure that figures for Scotland in respect of devolved matters are shown separately in EU publications so that information published reflects accurately the United Kingdom’s constitutional arr…
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive has not made formal representation to the European Commission or the UK Government to ensure that figures for Scotland, in respect of devolved matters, are shown separately for Scotland in EU publications.</p> <p>Most EU statistics pub…
10 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2357 by Mr Tom McCabe on 17 September 2003, how many dental practices have now received “Golden Hello” payments, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Question S2W-2357, answered on 17 September 2003 referred to question S1W-26819, answered on 1 July 2002 which referred to the grants of up to £10,000 which are available as part of the “Golden Hello” package to dentists establishing new vocational training p…