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-14415

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 April 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11275 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 January 2001, why the number of excess winter deaths has increased from 2,610 in 1997-98 to 5,190 in 1999-2000.

Year to year fluctuations in the numbers of "excess winter deaths", however defined, show a close relationship with the occurrence of major influenza outbreaks. Whilst the numbers of deaths where the underlying cause is recorded as being influenza is normally relatively low, even during a relatively severe outbreak, there is invariably a sizeable increase in the numbers of deaths from related causes, notably pneumonia and other respiratory conditions. This was the case during the winter of 1999-2000, and also to a slightly lesser extent during that of 1998-99. Though complete data for the winter of 2000-01 is not yet available, provisional figures suggest that the number of "excess winter deaths" will be in line with that normally observed during a winter when influenza activity is limited, such as 1997-98.

Question reference: S1W-14388

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 5 April 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to encourage young people to study civil engineering.

In Scotland, the Scottish Education Unit of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the National Training Organisation for the construction sector, is in the lead on promoting this study and career option. The Unit provides a single approach to promoting careers in the construction industry among school pupils in Scotland, with the emphasis on the 14-18 age group. The Unit undertakes two key strands of activity to promote civil engineering. It provides a range of activities, such as work shadowing and building competitions, to promote professional and management careers in the sector and, through the CITB Curriculum Centres Initiative, organises school-based projects, with links to FE colleges. At UK level, the Hawley Group Report, has recommended that the Engineering Council evolves into the Engineering and Technology Board, to meet the needs and aspirations of an increasingly diverse engineering community. Ownership of the process remains with the engineering community itself and the shape and remit of the new Board will be for them to decide.

Question reference: S1W-14390

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 5 April 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scotland's university graduates graduated in science, engineering or related subjects in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

The information requested is detailed in the following table:Graduates and diplomates from Higher Education Institutions in Scotland

	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-00
All Graduates	37,412	37,525	40,881	38,783	42,286
No. Science Related	10,175	9,606	9,871	9,469	9,554
% Science Related*	27.2%	25.6%	24.1%	24.4%	22.6%

Source: HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency)* "Science Related" includes Engineering & Technology, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Maths & Computing

Question reference: S1W-14387

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 5 April 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive why it did not seek to make a statement in the Parliament regarding the launch of the consultation on rates relief for small businesses.

Question reference: S1W-12264

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 4 April 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities exercised their discretionary powers to establish a cash incentive scheme funded through their own resources to enable tenants to purchase a home on the open market in each of the last four financial years and in the current financial year to date.

Question reference: S1W-11540

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2000
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to record centrally, in order to ensure the availability of reliable data on disabled children, all assessments of needs of children affected by disability carried out under section 23 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

Question reference: S1W-13380

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2001
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 30 March 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the time period is for the refurbishment of all transferred council housing in Glasgow should the tenants vote for stock transfer.

Question reference: S1W-12354

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 March 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of total UK spending on the NHS spending on the NHSiS represented or is expected to represent in each year from 1994-95 to 2003-04 inclusive.

On a cash basis, health expenditure as a percentage of the total health expenditure is as follows:

	Expenditure at 1999-2000 prices £000		Scotland as percentage of UK expenditure	Funding per head³ (£)
	Scotland	UK		Scotland
1994-95 outturn	4,539	43,419	10.5	796
1995-96 outturn	4,573	44,101	10.4	797
1996-97 outturn	4,587	44,146	10.4	826
1997-98 outturn	4,584	44,942	10.2	850
1998-99 outturn	4,697	46,129	10.2	896
1999-2000 estimated outturn¹	4,941	49,251	10.0	966
2000-01 original plans²	5,309	53,138	10.0	1,060
2001-02 plans	5,569	56,130	9.9	1,140
2002-03 plans	5,824	59,222	9.8	1,222
2003-04 plans	6,094	62,557	9.7	1,311

Notes:

1. Final UK outturn figures are not yet available.2. This figure does not take account of in-year changes.

3. In 1999 Scotland's population was 8.64% of the UK population.Last year's spending review, gave the Scottish health budget the same increase per head of population as England, slightly higher than that for the UK as a whole. This translates into a smaller percentage increase since the starting baseline is significantly higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S1W-14062

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2001
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 23 March 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money the Coalfields Regeneration Trust has made or will be making available to address the social and economic regeneration needs of coalfield communities in Scotland in each year for which figures are available.

Question reference: S1W-14058

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 March 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women committed suicide in each of the last five years.

The information requested is given in the table. When analysing suicides it is conventional to include deaths due to 'Injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted'. For the sake of clarity, the two categories have also been shown separately in the table.

Suicides in Scotland	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Males
Total	625	620	655	650	663
Suicide	476	435	451	486	500
Undetermined	149	185	204	164	163
Females
Total	211	226	219	228	211
Suicide	147	162	148	163	137
Undetermined	64	64	71	65	74

	1996/97	1997/98	1998/99	1999/2000	2000/01
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