Chamber and committees

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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: S2W-17415

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 5 July 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-17137 by Mr Andy Kerr on 15 June 2005, how much compensation the NHS has paid in respect of clinical negligence claims in each year since 1997, broken down by NHS board.

Although the number of clinical negligence awards made each year has not changed significantly over the last five years, the level of awards has risen. This increase is due to larger settlements and the settlement of some large value cases. The information held centrally on claim settlements made after April 2000 does not differentiate between clinical and non-clinical claims. The cost of settlements made in relation to clinical and, where appropriate, non-clinical claims against NHSScotland in each financial year since 1997-98, broken down by NHS board, is detailed in the following tables.

NHS Board	1997-98 (£)	1998-99 (£)	1999-2000 (£)	2000-01 (£)
Argyll and Clyde	681,945	776,317	92,628	91,550
Ayrshire and Arran	25,000	191,630	40,000	158,263
Borders	0	45,000	69,500	12,500
Dumfries and Galloway	63,000	103,622	133,614	407,500
Fife	106,313	71,588	45,900	280,647
Forth Valley	204,750	27,300	27,865	434,007
Grampian	67,400	59,281	405,383	186,061
Greater Glasgow	1,272,360	327,700	498,733	981,944
Highland	415,200	55,500	269,745	40,600
Lanarkshire	78,650	84,300	99,698	746,336
Lothian	337,109	1,412,009	906,627	252,962
Orkney	0	0	0	0
Shetland	57,702	0	2,664	2,550
Tayside	210,770	147,782	251,000	225,552
Western Isles	0	0	30,000	104,990
State Hospitals	1,000	5,600	0	0
Common Services Agency	0	0	82,000	0
Scottish Ambulance Service	0	0	0	0
Totals	3,521,199	3,307,629	2,955,357	3,925,462

NHS Board	2001-02 (£)	2002-03 (£)	2003-04 (£)	2004-05 (£)
Argyll and Clyde	265,519	2,558,831	270,041	1,219,640
Ayrshire and Arran	828,865	671,398	230,560	234,702
Borders	5,000	20,111	13,650	157,580
Dumfries and Galloway	701,116	362,018	219,096	65,927
Fife	51,693	125,346	492,449	320,806
Forth Valley	292,525	112,954	2,518,400	553,359
Grampian	175,375	77,250	199,313	912,877
Greater Glasgow	2,894,856	2,078,799	1,419,508	1,441,834
Highland	220,276	197,581	1,324,739	159,490
Lanarkshire	51,480	406,282	569,846	275,250
Lothian	815,557	1,933,644	879,506	437,323
Orkney	5,500	0	0	29,120
Shetland	7,700	78,345	10,200	2,000
Tayside	138,353	98,150	105,163	2,460,004
Western Isles	5,500	0	0	1,500
State Hospitals	0	0	0	0
Common Services Agency	0	0	55,000	49,000
Scottish Ambulance Service	3,000	0	0	0
Totals	6,462,315	8,720,709	8,307,471	8,320,412

Question reference: S2W-17416

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 5 July 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-17138 by Mr Andy Kerr on 15 June 2005, how much the NHS has paid in respect of legal fees in clinical negligence cases in each year since 1997, broken down by NHS board.

Question S2W-17415 shows that although the number of clinical negligence awards made each year has not changed significantly over the last five years, the level of awards has risen. Accordingly, the level of legal expenses has also risen.

The information held centrally on the payment of legal expenses made after April 2000 does not differentiate between clinical claims and non-clinical claims. Legal expenses cover legal and other associated costs including adverse fees and expenses paid in any one year do not always relate to the awards paid in that year, as in most cases the legal costs are not settled until after the award has been made and therefore may fall into a different financial year.

The cost of legal expenses made in relation to clinical and, where appropriate, non-clinical claims against NHSScotland in each financial year since 1997-98, broken down by NHS board, is detailed in the following tables:

NHS Board	1997-98 (£)	1998-99 (£)	1999-2000 (£)	2000-01 (£)
Argyll and Clyde	59,817	97,794	47,611	52,144
Ayrshire and Arran	105,642	8,328	5,721	74,944
Borders	0	4,502	7,751	2,651
Dumfries and Galloway	22,950	62,921	19,887	3,000
Fife	53,083	14,659	13,075	77,114
Forth Valley	21,837	18,716	5,964	52,259
Grampian	39,560	20,626	8,957	59,074
Greater Glasgow	104,001	206,466	166,494	173,941
Highland	8,564	9,541	25,198	45,328
Lanarkshire	19,725	32,178	20,610	75,765
Lothian	137,802	118,972	204,452	139,109
Orkney	0	0	0	0
Shetland	4,983	0	893	827
Tayside	45,972	53,081	29,165	94,358
Western Isles	0	0	0	28,106
State Hospitals	0	0	0	0
Common Services Agency	0	0	0	12,250
Scottish Ambulance Service	0	0	0	0
Totals	623,936	647,784	555,778	890,870

NHS Board	2001-02 (£)	2002-03 (£)	2003-04 (£)	2004-05 (£)
Argyll and Clyde	36,817	76,727	167,395	93,579
Ayrshire and Arran	118,149	34,802	81,754	161,475
Borders	1,675	2,385	0	7,782
Dumfries and Galloway	51,501	75,778	106,999	161,428
Fife	32,230	21,227	182,985	56,186
Forth Valley	35,264	23,025	108,403	157,245
Grampian	16,581	34,834	45,473	44,854
Greater Glasgow	201,307	229,689	239,478	554,594
Highland	40,414	26,619	82,338	35,368
Lanarkshire	109,479	81,261	222,446	281,760
Lothian	85,534	147,637	300,602	114,258
Orkney	638	0	0	2,617
Shetland	2,279	21,583	3,347	1,328
Tayside	74,854	32,620	22,849	81,931
Western Isles	7,730	0	7,830	441
State Hospitals	0	0	0	0
Common Services Agency	0	0	3,084	13,998
Scottish Ambulance Service	1,082	0	0	0
Totals	815,534	808,187	1,574,983	1,768,844

Question reference: S2W-17574

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 1 July 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of fires were caused by accumulations of litter in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-17449

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 1 July 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it, or its agencies, had with (a) the Scottish Court Service, (b) police forces and (c) local authorities prior to the signing of Contract between Scottish Ministers and Reliance Secure Task Management Ltd for the Provision of Prisoner Escort and Court Custody Services in Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-17446

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 1 July 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, (a) battery-operated and (b) hard-wired smoke alarms were found to be defective in dwelling fires in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Question reference: S2W-17472

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 July 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total financial cost was to NHS boards of pursuing prosecutions on behalf of staff who were victims of alleged assault during their hours of work in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Question reference: S2W-17417

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 30 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13348 by Ms Margaret Curran on 21 February 2005, what the First Minister's official engagements were from 1 January 2005 to the most recent available date; who was present at each engagement; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each engagement, and what issues were discussed.

Arrangements are being put in place to routinely publish retrospective information about recent ministerial engagements through our publication scheme maintained under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The details that you have requested will be published in future in the Scottish ministers’ area of the Scottish Executive website on a regular basis. I will write to the member once this information has been placed on the website http://sh45inta/about/FCSD/Cabsec/00014944/page1425518831.aspx.

Question reference: S2W-17418

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 29 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14140 by Mr Tom McCabe on 28 January 2005, what costs have been incurred by the First Minister in respect of hospitality from 1 January 2005 to the most recent available date.

Question reference: S2W-17476

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) children and (b) adults living in each NHS board area are registered with an NHS dentist and what the figures were in each of the last five years.

Percentage of children and adults living in each NHS board area registered with an NHS dentist¹, at 31 March

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
NHS Board Area	Children						Adults
Scotland	63.4	65.9	64.9	65.2	66.1	65.9	47.6	49.6	49.5	49.2	49.4	48.8
Argyll and Clyde	65.0	66.6	64.9	64.7	65.1	64.2	46.7	48.7	48.7	49.1	49.3	49.9
Ayrshire and Arran	67.8	69.4	67.7	68.1	68.1	68.8	50.0	51.8	52.4	52.7	53.1	52.5
Borders	60.4	63.4	63.0	64.3	64.2	61.1	56.6	59.7	59.3	58.6	57.9	45.5
Dumfries and Galloway	62.6	64.4	62.7	62.8	62.7	63.4	42.2	44.8	45.6	44.4	42.9	40.3
Fife	63.4	65.3	63.5	63.8	64.1	62.1	49.4	51.5	51.0	51.1	51.7	50.9
Forth Valley	64.8	69.2	69.1	69.8	69.4	68.2	47.2	48.8	48.5	48.8	49.7	49.5
Grampian	62.6	64.3	63.1	62.1	62.1	60.0	48.1	49.5	48.1	46.2	42.4	39.7
Greater Glasgow	65.2	67.7	67.0	68.2	70.3	70.5	48.2	50.5	50.4	50.5	52.7	53.1
Highland	58.4	61.3	60.2	59.9	62.0	61.5	38.9	41.2	40.8	35.6	34.4	30.4
Lanarkshire	56.5	59.1	58.2	58.3	59.7	60.7	43.4	45.4	45.3	45.3	46.9	48.3
Lothian	67.0	70.1	69.8	69.6	70.7	70.5	47.2	49.4	50.0	49.7	50.7	50.8
Orkney	15.7	24.9	22.7	18.5	19.6	27.1	46.6	50.7	48.5	47.5	36.0	18.8
Shetland	2.3	1.6	6.8	10.9	33.3	59.3	38.6	41.9	41.5	38.2	46.0	45.3
Tayside	70.4	73.2	72.3	72.7	72.8	73.9	54.2	56.0	56.1	56.7	55.6	56.5
Western Isles	28.7	33.4	31.9	30.4	30.4	29.6	44.4	45.7	46.4	45.0	46.7	44.4

Source: MIDAS (Management Information and Dental Accounting System).

Note: 1. The number of people registered with each NHS general dentist who has a contract with the NHS board, divided by the resident population of the NHS board area.

Question reference: S2W-17477

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive which dentists are accepting new NHS (a) child and (b) adult patients, broken down by NHS board area.