Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-14566

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-584 by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 March 2003, how many people have been admitted to hospital as a result of (a) alcohol misuse, (b) tobacco consumption, (c) obesity and (d) misuse of illegal drugs in each year since 2002, broken down by NHS board area.

Information on all admissions to general acute and psychiatric hospitals, showing episodes of in-patient or day case care with an explicit diagnosis of alcohol-related conditions, drug misuse and obesity during 2001-02 is shown in table 1.

Complete data on psychiatric admissions is unavailable for 2002-03 and 2003-04. Table 2 shows the information requested for admissions to general acute hospitals only.

Estimates of the number of people admitted to hospital as a result of tobacco consumption are not available.

Table 1 Scottish Hospital^1,2 Discharge Records With an Explicit Diagnosis of Alcohol-related Conditions, Drug Misuse or Obesity; 2001-02

Area of Residence	Diagnosis³
Area of Residence	Alcohol-related Conditions	Drug Misuse	Obesity
Scotland	45,964	6,334	4,462
Argyll and Clyde	4,556	623	359
Ayrshire and Arran	4,018	800	449
Borders	729	70	147
Dumfries and Galloway	1,257	196	237
Fife	2,504	305	422
Forth Valley	1,572	187	181
Grampian	3,284	491	304
Greater Glasgow	10,947	2,208	689
Highland	2,790	104	439
Lanark	4,221	448	315
Lothian	6,615	705	738
Tayside	2,796	174	126
Islands⁴	675	23	56
Other	808	224	28

Source: SMR01 & SMR04(valid records only).

Date: 2 March 2005.

Ref: 20050514.

Notes:

1. Includes acute hospitals,mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units (excludes maternity hospitals).

2. Information on hospital dischargesrelates to episodes of in-patient or day case care rather than individual patients.The same patient may account for several hospital admissions during the course ofa year (or across years) and will be counted each time in the attached table. Transfercases have been included.

3. Diagnostic information isdefined by using the World Health Organisation’s International Classification ofDiseases 10th Revision (ICD10). Alcohol-relatedconditions: F10, R780, Y90, Y91, Z637, Z811, Z864, Z714, Z502, T506, Y573, T510,T519, X45, X65, Y15, O354, Q860, P043, Z721, Z133, G621, G721, K860, I426, K70,K292, G312, E52. Drug Misuse : F11,F12, F13, F14, F15, F16, F18, F19. Obesity : E66.

4 Orkney, Shetland and WesternIsles.

Table 2 Scottish General AcuteHospital^1,2 Discharge Records with an Explicit Diagnosis of Alcohol-relatedConditions, Drug Misuse or Obesity; 2002-03 to 2003-04^Ñ

Area of Residence	Discharge Period Diagnosis³
	2002-03			2003-04
	Alcohol-related Conditions	Drug Misuse	Obesity	Alcohol-related Conditions	Drug Misuse	Obesity
Scotland	44,669	5,084	5,150	46,206	5,152	5,595
Argyll and Clyde	4,253	485	381	4,037	464	421
Ayrshire and Arran	4,129	585	442	4,150	642	461
Borders	688	56	128	652	43	99
Dumfries and Galloway	1,140	124	266	1,083	90	206
Fife	2,166	268	494	2,098	317	490
Forth Valley	1,660	162	251	1,624	145	212
Grampian	3,376	450	387	4,285	524	626
Greater Glasgow	10,876	1,853	859	10,969	1,666	1,036
Highland	2,753	60	489	2,846	67	406
Lanark	4,364	268	292	4,755	257	384
Lothian	6,109	561	906	6,339	751	932
Tayside	2,349	194	188	2,510	160	247
Islands⁴	806	18	67	858	26	75
Other	663	165	48	598	81	45

Source: SMR01 (valid recordsonly).

Date: 2 March 2005.

Ref: 20050514.

^PProvisional.

Notes:

1. Includes acute hospitals (excludesmaternity hospitals, mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units).

2. Information on hospital dischargesrelates to episodes of in-patient or day case care rather than individual patients.The same patient may account for several hospital admissions during the course ofa year (or across years) and will be counted each time in the attached table. Transfercases have been included.

3. Diagnostic information isdefined by using the World Health Organisation’s International Classification ofDiseases 10th Revision (ICD10). Alcohol-relatedconditions: F10, R780, Y90, Y91, Z637, Z811, Z864, Z714, Z502, T506, Y573, T510,T519, X45, X65, Y15, O354, Q860, P043, Z721, Z133, G621, G721, K860, I426, K70,K292, G312, E52. Drug Misuse : F11,F12, F13, F14, F15, F16, F18, F19. Obesity : E66. Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles.

Question reference: S2W-15075

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 16 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30485 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 29 October 2002, whether it now has information on how many vulnerable adults are currently awaiting referral to a social worker, broken down by local authority.

There is no statutory or operational requirement for the Executive to collect such information, and we have no plans to seek it from local authorities.

However, in light of the findings of the SWSI and Mental Welfare Commission investigations into the care and treatment of individuals with learning disabilities by Scottish Borders Council and NHS Borders, and more generally about the need to improve protections for vulnerable adults, the Executive is pursuing a range of policy initiatives which, collectively, will lead to improved care practice and data sharing for vulnerable adults.

Question reference: S2W-15074

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 16 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what data collection procedures it has in place to track the number of assaults on vulnerable adults.

Question reference: S2W-15045

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 16 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14474 by Cathy Jamieson on 1 March 2005, what representations it has received regarding policing events attended by the royal family; from whom such representations were received, and what its response was.

Representations were received in September and October 2002 from a member of the public about parking restrictions imposed at a Hospital during a visit in September 2002 by a member of the Royal Family. The response given at that time noted that the restrictions had been put in place by the local police for the day of the visit, that the individual concerned had taken the matter up with the chiefconstable of that force, and that he had received a reply from the force.

In addition to question S2W-14474, answered on 1 March 2005. I have answered parliamentary questions in connection with the Royal Family from the following members during Session 2 of the Parliament:

S2W-9199 on 13 July 2004;

S2W-9200 on 13 July 2004;

S2W-10023 on 14 September 2004;

S2W-10025 on 14 September 2004;

S2W-10026 on 16 September 2004, and

S2W-11447 on 10 November 2004.

All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search.

Question reference: S2W-15049

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the introduction of a tenancy deposit scheme to provide protection to tenants from landlords where there is a dispute, giving both parties access to redress to ensure that tenants of private landlords are able to retrieve deposits without recourse to court action.

Question reference: S2W-14475

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it spent on events and functions attended by members of the royal family in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004, broken down by (i) local authority area and (ii) police force area.

Question reference: S2W-14476

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost to government bodies, agencies and other public bodies involved in royal visits was in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004, broken down into (i) direct expenditure and (ii) cost of time spent in administering and overseeing such visits.

The Scottish Executive does not hold the information for agencies or other public bodies. A proportionof Scottish Executive staff time is spent in administering visits by membersof the Royal Family but we cannot provide yearly breakdowns as records of this typeare not held. We estimate that, for 2004, the cost of staff time was approximately£2000 to £2500.

The Executive also runs and paysfor a small number of events most years where members of the Royal Family are inattendance. The information we hold on cost and location is set out below.

Year	Cost £000	Location
1999	2	Stirling
2000	1	Edinburgh
2002	0
2003	33	Edinburgh
2004	1	Edinburgh

The 2003 figure of £33,000 relatesto the Union of the Crowns Dinner, attended by The Queen, the Dukeof Edinburgh and the Duke of York and hosted by the First Minister.

Question reference: S2W-15073

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what extra-parliamentary representations it has received regarding progress on a Vulnerable Adults Bill.

Question reference: S2W-15072

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29715 by Mr Jim Wallace on 2 October 2002, whether it now collates cases of elder abuse centrally and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

There is no precise legal definition in Scots law on what constitutes elder abuse, nor is there a statutory or operational requirement for the Executive to collect such information.

In developing our proposals for additional protections for vulnerable adults, however, we will continue to work with a broad range of stakeholders like Age Concern Scotland and Help the Aged to ensure these measures are as comprehensive and inclusive as possible.

Question reference: S2W-14824

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was to environmental health departments of administering burials in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004, broken down by local authority.

Chamber and committees