Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-19415

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the collection rate for non-domestic water charges as a percentage of the total amount billed was in each water authority in each year from 1995-96 to 2000-01.

The collection rate for non-domestic water charges as a percentage of the total amount billed is:

	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01
WOSWA	97.7%	97.4%	96.6%	95.2¹%	90.8¹%
ESWA	98.5%	98.1%	97.8%	96.5%¹	92.7%¹
NOSWA	98.9%	99.1%	99.1%	99.3%	98.3%¹

Note:1. These figures are expected to rise to historic levels.Actual provision made for non-domestic bad debt was given in the answer to question S1W-17879 on 27 September 2001.

Question reference: S1W-19781

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 21 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has issued to local authorities on the introduction of EC Regulation 2037/2000 which requires the removal of CFCs prior to the dismantling or disposal of domestic refrigerators and free'ers.

Question reference: S1W-19779

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 21 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to establish a facility to deal with the removal of CFCs from domestic refrigerators and free'ers before they are dismantled or disposed of.

Question reference: S1W-19778

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 21 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding will be made available to local authorities for the storage of domestic refrigerators and free'ers following the introduction of EC Regulation 2037/2000 which requires the removal of CFCs from these appliances before they are dismantled or disposed of.

Question reference: S1W-19785

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any research has been conducted into the costs involved in using isolation wards as a measure to prevent the spread of hospital-acquired infection and, if so, what these costs are.

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research to improve both the health of the people of Scotland and the services provided by the NHS. CSO is not funding any research on the costs of isolation wards. It is, however, funding a number of research projects on drug resistant organisms. Details of these projects are available from the National Research Register, a copy of which is in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17404).

Question reference: S1W-19780

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 21 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial or other assistance will be available to assist commercial industries and local authorities to establish a facility to deal with the removal of CFCs from domestic refrigerators and free'ers before they are dismantled or disposed of.

The Executive does not propose to offer any specific assistance for this purpose. The United Kingdom does not currently have the facilities to remove ozone-depleting substances from insulation foams, from which it follows that there is a gap in the market which industry may be able to exploit. It is up to individual companies to identify and take advantage of a business opportunity which presents itself in this way. Issues of funding for local authorities are currently being considered.

Question reference: S1W-19784

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive which hospitals currently make use of isolation wards as a measure to prevent the spread of hospital-acquired infection; if none do, what plans it has to introduce such wards and, if such wards do exist, what plans it has to increase their number, and what criteria are applied in deciding whether to establish such wards.

These are operational issues for the NHS but hospitals are expected to follow the guidance contained in the Scottish Infection Manual (1998). This makes clear that trusts require to provide suitable accommodation for the clinical care of patients with hospital-acquired infection. The nature and extent of isolation facilities required in a hospital should be assessed as part of a formal risk assessment required by Health and Safety at Work legislation.

Question reference: S1W-19745

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 20 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of injuries caused by fireworks to (a) domestic pets and (b) other animals were reported in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S1W-19740

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents involving injuries sustained from fireworks have occurred (a) prior to 5 November, (b) on 5 November and (c) after 5 November in each of the last five years.

The number of reported injuries prior to, on, and after 5 November, for the past five years is shown in the following table.

Date of Injury	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Before 5 Nov	41	15	13	15	29
On 5 Nov	25	21	34	38	31
After 5 Nov	17	21	13	29	6
Total	83	57	60	82	66

Source: Fireworks Injuries Survey. The annual fireworks injuries survey, carried out by ISD Scotland on behalf of the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), contains information on patients treated at A&E Departments or Burns/Plastic Surgery Units in Scotland during the period mid-October to early November, encompassing 5 November.

Question reference: S1W-19744

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 20 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of damage to property with fireworks occurred (a) prior to 5 November, (b) on 5 November and (c) after 5 November in each of the last five years.