Parliamentary questions

Gavin Brown

1,064 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

2 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women committed suicide in the Lothians in each of the last five years, broken down into those aged (i) under 18 and (ii) 18 and over and by local authority area.

Answer · Shona Robison: Suicides are defined as deaths due to intentional self-harm and events of undetermined intent. The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) and the Scottish Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO) provide a wide range of statistics on suicides in Scotland, inc…

2 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the suicide rate was in each of the last five years in (a) Scotland and (b) the Lothians, broken down by local authority area.

29 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for the NHS wheelchair service for (a) adults and (b) children in (i) NHS Lothian and (ii) Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. An action from the Wheelchair and Seating Service (WSS) Modernisation Action Plan is to review information management and technology (IM&T) provision within this service. All NHS boards are working towards the natio…

29 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduate teachers there have been in the Lothians region in each of the last three years and how many went on to gain employment in (a) less than six months, (b) six months or more and (c) a year or more, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Keith Brown: All teachers in Scotland are graduates. The number of teachers in each local authority is published each year in Teachers in Scotland, available on the government website using the following link: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/St…

29 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average level of debt held after leaving university by former students from the Lothians region was in each year since 1999.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Data on the average debt held after leaving higher education by former students is held by the Student Loans Company. The table below shows this information for the Lothians region, which comprises of East Lothian, Edinburgh (City of), Midlothian and West Lot…

26 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the non-completion rate was in each university in each of the last three years.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Statistics relating to non-continuation rates at Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The table below contains this data for the three most recent years. Non-Continuation Follow…

26 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of alcohol-related hospital admissions was repeat admissions in the Lothians region in 2008.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Data for calendar year 2008 is not currently available. The latest available information is for year ending 31st March 2008. The number of repeat admissions for patients with an alcohol-related diagnosis treated in NHS Lothian is shown in the follow…

26 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of NHS Lothian patients experiencing strokes was admitted to a specialist unit within 24 hours in 2008.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: These data are not available for 2008. The most recent data for numbers of patients experiencing strokes, admitted to specialist units within NHS Lothian are shown in the following table for 2005-07. Percentage of Patients Admitted to a Stroke Unit …

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of school leavers in the Lothians region entered higher education in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Keith Brown: Statistics on school leaver destinations by local authority area are published on the Scottish Government website at: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/leavedestla">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statis…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average student debt was of a student leaving a higher education institute in Edinburgh in each of the last five years.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Data on the average debt held by former students leaving higher education in Edinburgh is held by the Student Loans Company. This information is provided in the following table. The table includes information on students who participated in higher education a…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of graduates from Scottish higher education institutions gained employment in Scotland as a first destination in each of the last three years, broken down by university.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The following table shows the percentage of graduates from Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) who were in employment in Scotland six months after graduating. The data is shown by institution with the total for all Scottish HEIs given at the top.</p…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) children and (b) older people are in fuel poor households and what percentage of households are fuel-poor in (i) Edinburgh, (ii) each local authority area in the Lothians region and (iii) Scotland.

Answer · Alex Neil: The table below shows the estimated percentage of children, pensioners and households living in fuel poverty for East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian and West Lothian. The estimates come from the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) for October 2004 to Septe…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) start-up and (b) failure rate was of small businesses in (i) Edinburgh and (ii) Scotland in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Jim Mather: Data on the number of VAT registrations are released annually by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (DBIS). These figures are used to monitor the number of business start-ups. The latest available data refers to all VAT registrations taking pla…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the (a) numbers and (b) unemployment rates of claimants in each ward of (i) City of Edinburgh, (ii) East Lothian, (iii) West Lothian and (iv) Midlothian Council in each of the last five years, using claimant count as the basis for such calculations.

Answer · Jim Mather: Data on the number and rates of people claiming an unemployment related benefit by multi-member electoral ward is not held centrally. Data on the number of people who are claimant count unemployed by the old ward boundaries (which existed until the …

16 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to tackle noise pollution caused by aircraft, particularly in residential areas.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government''s view is that the noise impact of airport operations in Scotland is best dealt with locally and it is for the airport to provide adequate facilities for consultation and discussion with users of the airport, local authorities and loc…

16 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to tackle noise pollution.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We are currently implementing the environmental noise action plans produced under the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006. These regulations implement EU Directive 2002/49EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise. We in S…

16 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people had a charge proved in court for supply of drugs offences in the Lothian and Borders police force area in each year since 2003, broken down by type of drug.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The available information is given in the following table. Persons with a charge proved for supply/possession with intent to supply drugs offences1, by drug type in Lothian and Borders police force area, 2003-04 to 2007-08. <table bo…

12 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) consultants and (d) auxiliary staff have been victims of violence in each NHS hospital in the Lothians region in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This is a matter for NHS Lothian. The Scottish Government does not hold detailed information centrally on attacks on NHS staff. The Scottish Government recognises that violence against staff is a major concern and has several initiatives to tackle th…

12 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was due in outstanding fines in each sheriff court in the Lothians region in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Over the five-year period 2004 to 2008, a total of £32.8 million in court fines was registered in the Sheriffdom of Lothian and Borders. For those fines still to be paid £0.7 million (2%) is in the process of being collected through agreed instalments and £2.…

12 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners under the age of 18 there were at HM Prison Edinburgh in each year since 2004.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS does not hold the historical data in the format requested. There are currently 13 young offenders under the age of 18 in cu…

8 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what disposals have been applied to people convicted of carrying a knife or other bladed weapon in the Lothians region in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The available information is given in the following table. Persons in the Lothians region with a charge proved for carrying knives or offensive weapons1 2, by local authority area3, 2003-04 to 2007-08. <table border=1 cel…

8 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the monetary value has been of the assets recovered from drug dealers in the Lothians and Borders police force area in each year since 1999.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The following tables set out the amounts secured by the civil recovery unit in respect of cash forfeiture and asset recovery cases originating in the Lothian and Borders police force area. It is not possible to break down these cases by criminality. The civil…

8 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what quantities of drugs have been recovered in the Lothians and Borders police force area in each year since 1999, broken down by type of drug.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Data on drug seizures for the years 1999 to 2006-07 are given in the following publications list, copies of which are available from the Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre (SPICe). The following table provides details of quantities of drug seizures by …

3 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) under the age of 18 and (b) 18 and over were diagnosed with (i) depression and (ii) anxiety in the Lothians region in each of the three years to March 2009.

Answer · Shona Robison: The requested information is not available.

3 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many under-18s have been diagnosed with eating disorders in the NHS Lothian area in each of the last five years.

Answer · Shona Robison: Information on the total number of people in Scotland aged under 18 diagnosed with an eating disorder (for example, anorexia, bulimia, or other psychological eating disorders) has been presented in S3W-24165, answered on 3 June 2009. All answers to …

3 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the waiting time is to see (a) a physiotherapist, (b) an occupational therapist and (c) a speech and language therapist for assessment in each NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: At present, there is no waiting time data collected nationally for the allied health professions including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. Waiting times are variable across Scotland and it is for individual NHS boards to p…

3 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the role of rehabilitation coordinators is being evaluated locally and nationally and whether the results of any evaluation will be published.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The National Implementation Group for the Delivery Framework for Adult Rehabilitation is overseeing a national implementation plan which includes high impact changes, key actions and deliverables in the way rehabilitation services are delivered throughout NHS…

3 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many occupational therapists are employed by (a) NHS Lothian and (b) NHSScotland, expressed as both headcount and full-time equivalents.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The following table details the number of occupational therapy staff employed by NHS Lothian and NHSScotland expressed as head count and whole-time equivalents, as at 30 September 2008. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td valign=…

3 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) physiotherapists, (b) occupational therapists and (c) speech and language therapists are employed by each NHS board, expressed as both headcount and full-time equivalents.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Taken from nationally published data , the following table provides the number of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy staff employed by each NHS board, expressed in head count and whole-time equivalents, as at 30 September 2008…

3 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of physiotherapists in each NHS board works as neurological physiotherapists.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.