Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26834.

Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured: they do not cover damage only accidents.The table gives the numbers of road accidents which were identified in the STATS 19 returns as occurring on (a) the A725 and (b) the A71 in the specified years, and the associated fatalities and serious casualties. The information is broken down by local authority area.It should be noted that the statistics given in the table are based upon the data which are held in the central statistical database and which were collected by the police at the time of the accident and subsequently reported to the Executive. They may differ from any figures which the local authorities would provide now, because they do not take account of any subsequent changes or corrections that local authorities may have made to the statistical information, for use at local level, about the location of each accident, based upon their knowledge of the roads and areas concerned.(a) Injury road accidents occurring on the A725, and the associated numbers of fatalities and seriously-injured casualties, as reported in the "STATS 19" statistical returns.

Local Authority	Year	Injury road accidents	Fatalities	Seriously-injured casualties
North Lanarkshire	2000	41	0	15
	2001	43	1	6
South Lanarkshire	2000	58	0	17
	2001	44	0	5
of which: on that part of the A725 which is a trunk road -
North Lanarkshire	2000	8	0	8
	2001	2	1	1
South Lanarkshire	2000	58	0	17
	2001	44	0	5

(b) Injury road accidents occurring on the A71, and the associated numbers of fatalities and seriously-injured casualties, as reported in the STATS 19 statistical returns.

Local Authority	Year	Injury road accidents	Fatalities	Seriously-injured casualties
Edinburgh	2000	62	1	12
	2001	43	0	5
West Lothian	2000	20	0	5
	2001	30	1	2
North Lanarkshire	2000	14	1	4
	2001	24	0	4
South Lanarkshire	2000	31	2	9
	2001	20	1	3
East Ayrshire	2000	30	1	7
	2001	33	3	11
North Ayrshire	2000	6	0	3
	2001	2	0	0

The percentages of special constables from ethnic minority groups in each police force at 31 March 2002 are shown in the following table.

Force	Percentage of Special Constables from Ethnic Minority Groups
Central	0%
Dumfries & Galloway	2%
Fife	2%
Grampian	1%
Lothian & Borders	2%
Northern	0%
Strathclyde	3%
Tayside	0%
Total	1.3%

The Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill proposes that, in certain circumstances, there should be a change in entitlement to housing benefit, which is a reserved matter. The Department for Work and Pensions is currently considering the amendments it wishes to propose to the bill and I and my officials are in active discussion with the department with the aim of ensuring that the bill in its final form will be consistent with the approach in Scotland on any devolved matters which may be affected by the implementation of the bill.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26834.

The median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in ophthalmology, following referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS board of residence, in the year ended 31 December 2001, is given in the following table. The target waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a Consultant, following referral by a General Medical Practitioner or General Dental Practitioner, is nine weeks.NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times for a First Out-patient Appointment with a Consultant in Ophthalmology, Following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS Board of Residence. Year Ending 31 December 2001^P.

NHS Board	Median WaitP
Argyll and Clyde	55 days
Ayrshire and Arran	58 days
Borders	45 days
Dumfries and Galloway	71 days
Fife	67 days
Forth Valley	62 days
Grampian	89 days
Greater Glasgow	102 days
Highland	77 days
Lanarkshire	87 days
Lothian	47 days
Orkney	86 days
Shetland	22 days
Tayside	39 days
Western Isles	95 days
Scotland	66 days

Source: ISD Scotland, SMR00.^PProvisional.

The information requested is shown in the following table. There were no female chief constables. The Scottish Crime Squad was replaced by the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) on 1 April 2001.Percentage of Female Strength by Rank at 31 March 2002

Force	Assistant Chief Constable	Superintendent	Chief Inspector	Inspector
Central	-	-	6.7%	4.8%
Dumfries and Galloway	-	-	-	8.7%
Fife	-	-	7.1%	2.7%
Grampian	-	5.6%	-	3.4%
Lothian and Borders	-	9.4%	6.8%	6.3%
Northern	-	-	-	3.1%
Strathclyde	16.7%	4.9%	8.5%	5.7%
Tayside	-	8.3%	11.8%	3.8%
Total	5.3%	5.2%	7.2%	5.5%
Secondment to SDEA	-	-	-	-

Force	Sergeant	Constable
Central	7.8%	17.1%
Dumfries and Galloway	6.8%	23.7%
Fife	3.3%	21.2%
Grampian	10.9%	22.1%
Lothian and Borders	8.4%	20.1%
Northern	6.6%	20.6%
Strathclyde	8.2%	17.8%
Tayside	23.9%	20.4%
Total	8.7%	26.4%
Secondment to SDEA	8.3%	13.4%

From April 2001 to March 2002 there were nine officers in total from ethnic minority groups recruited to Scottish police forces - three to Lothian and Borders and six to Strathclyde. Information by rank is not held centrally.The Scottish Crime Squad was replaced by the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) on 1 April 2001. Officers are not recruited directly to the SDEA but are seconded from forces. No secondments of officers from ethnic minority groups took place between April 2001 and March 2002.

The information requested is shown in the following table. There were no officers from ethnic minority groups above Chief Inspector. The Scottish Crime Squad was replaced by the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) on 1 April 2001.Percentage of Officers from Ethnic Minority Groups by Rank

	Chief Inspector	Inspector	Sergeant	Constable
Central	-	-	0.9%	0.2%
Dumfries and Galloway	-	-	-	0.3%
Fife	-	-	-	0.4%
Grampian	-	-	-	0.5%
Lothian and Borders	2.3%	0.7%	0.3%	0.9%
Northern	-	-	-	0.4%
Strathclyde	-	-	0.2%	0.9%
Tayside	-	-	-	0.4%
Total	0.4%	0.1%	0.2%	0.7%
Secondment to SDEA	-	-	-	1.0%

The number of female officers recruited to each police force from April 2001 to March 2002 is shown in the following table. Information by rank is not held centrally.

Force	Number of Female Officers Recruited
Central	3
Dumfries and Galloway	3
Fife	24
Grampian	12
Lothian and Borders	42
Northern	8
Strathclyde	95
Tayside	25
Total	212

The Scottish Crime Squad was replaced by the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) on 1 April 2001. Officers are not recruited directly to the SDEA but are seconded from forces. Between April 2001 to March 2002, nine secondments of female officers took place - one sergeant from Grampian, four constables from Strathclyde, two constables from Grampian and one constable each from Fife and Lothian and Borders.