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: S2W-28983

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people per 100,000 have been on NHS waiting lists in each year since 1997.

Information on the number ofpeople on NHS waiting lists per 100,000 population is shown in the following table.The rate has been calculated using the number of people on a waiting list on 31March of each year from 1997 to 2006 and dividing this by the Scottish population.

Table1: Number of people on NHS waiting lists per 100,000 population, as at 31 March 1997 to 2006

Census Date	In-Patients/Day Cases		New Out-Patients
Census Date	Number with and without an ASC¹	Number without an ASC²	Number with and without an ASC³	Number without an ASC²
31 March 1997	2,050	1,620	n/a	n/a
31 March 1998	2,178	1,706	n/a	n/a
31 March 1999	1,769	1,341	n/a	n/a
31 March 2000	2,062	1,586	n/a	n/a
31 March 2001	2,108	1,559	n/a	n/a
31 March 2002	1,918	1,327	n/a	n/a
31 March 2003	2,120	1,581	n/a	n/a
31 March 2004	2,167	1,597	n/a	n/a
31 March 2005	2,206	1,510	3,972	3,631
31 March 2006	2,116	1,442	3,653	3,237

Notes:

1. This figure is based on thosepatients who were within the scope of the waiting times guarantee when added tothe waiting list. Essentially this is Scottish residents waiting for admission toan acute specialty. This includes patients with an Availability Status Code (ASC).

2. This figure is based on thetotal number of patients on the waiting list with a guarantee (without an ASC).

3. This figure is based on thosepatients who were within the scope of the guarantee when added to the waiting list.Essentially this is Scottish residents referred by a GP/GDP waiting for a new consultantout-patient appointment to an acute specialty. This includes patients with an ASC.

New out-patient waiting listswere not collected centrally until 30 September 2004.

Rates are based on General RegisterOffice for Scotland population estimates and projections.

The figures above should be regardedas indicative due to the characteristics of the data on which they are based:

In-patient/day case and new out-patientfigures are derived from the monthly waiting list censuses (SMR3 and OPWL respectively).

Both data sets have issues ofunder-recording – (a) not all patients waiting on the census date will be recordeddue to delays in placing their details on hospital computer systems, (b) certainconsultant services are not included in waiting lists – for in-patients/day casesthese are generally within the acute medical sector, and for out-patients withinthe psychiatric sector.

An individual patient may appearon any census more than once if he/she is waiting for admission to more than a singleservice.

Question reference: S2W-28978

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the termination costs were (a) before and (b) after the refinancing of PFI/PPP hospitals.

The only health related PFI projectin Scotland to be refinanced is at Hairmyres Hospital in Lanarkshire.

The difference in terminationcosts cannot be expressed in absolute terms as the actual sum paid would be determinedby the date of termination.

The proposals for refinancingwere reviewed by the HM Treasury sponsored Refinancing Taskforce to ensure compliancewith the refinancing code of conduct. The refinancing proposal was also subjectto a Full Business Case process prior to a deal being signed to demonstrate thatvalue for money was secured.

Question reference: S2W-28971

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many death certificates in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005 mentioned clostridium difficile and, of these, how many listed clostridium difficile as the underlying cause of death.

The information requested isgiven in the following table.

Deaths where Clostridiumdifficile¹ was Mentioned on the Death Certificate Scotland,2003-05 (Year)

	2003	2004	2005
Clostridium difficile mentioned (includes underlying cause)	188	239	313
Clostridium difficile selected as underlying cause	73	98	100

Note: 1. Includescases where the infection was recorded as a contributory factor as well as caseswhere the infection was selected as the underlying cause of death.

These data should be treatedwith caution. Recording of HAIs as a cause of death is based on the clinical judgementof individual doctors. Recording of specific causes may be influenced by an increasedpublic and professional awareness of that infection, and increases in reportingmay not reliably indicate true changes in incidence.

The ministerial HAI Task Forcehas developed a raft of measures, based on evidence and best practice, includingsurveillance, professional guidance, education and training programmes, and enhancedreporting and accountability structures. Guidance on theprudent use of antibiotics, which is one of the main factors in controlling Clostridiumdifficile, issued in September 2005.

As part of the work of the ministerialHAI Task Force, we have enhanced monitoring and surveillance measures, and reporting of all cases of Clostridium difficilewas made mandatory for NHS laboratories from September2006.

Question reference: S2W-29194

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what total expenditure was on gene research in respect of mental health projects in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO)within the Scottish Executive Health Department has responsibility for encouragingand supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland.During the period 2003-04 through to 2005-06, the CSO expenditure on research projectson genetics and mental health amounted to £160,423. Expenditure in each of the threeyears was as follows:

2003-04: £25,731

2004-05: £75,934

2005-06: £58,758.

This expenditure relates to threeresearch projects, awarded total funding of £493,546 during the period March 2000through to June 2007. Two of the projects are completed and one is stillon-going.

The CSO would welcome furtherresearch proposals in this area which would be subject to the usual peer and committeereview process.

Question reference: S2W-29204

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 6 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on PFI/PPP projects postponed pending further consideration or stopped in each year since 1999.

The operational PPP projectswhich have been stopped since 1999 are Skye Bridge and Inverness Airport. For the costs associated with the buy-out of the SkyeBridge, I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-14449 on 2 March 2006.All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Inverness Airport was bought out in January 2006 at a cost to the ScottishExecutive of £27 million. In addition, as part of the termination compensation package,a tax liability of £2.857 million has been paid.

A few PFI/PPP projects have beenput to the market for procurement by public sector bodies and then re-started afterre-scoping. I understand that in each case this action will have been to ensurethat the projects provide up-dated specifications and also value for money, forexample, by resulting in increased market competition. The Scottish Executive doesnot hold details of related costs incurred by the public sector bodies in thesecases.

The Scottish Executive has committedinternal resources by way of policy and technical advice on all of these projects,however, detailed costs are not recorded separately.

Question reference: S2W-29202

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 6 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of (a) nurses and (b) doctors was per 100 hospital beds in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S2W-29201

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) average wage was of (i) full-time male, (ii) full-time female, (iii) part-time male and (iv) part-time female employees and (b) average household income was of working age households in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area.

(a) The preferred source forearnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carriedout by the Office for National Statistics. The latest earnings ASHE estimates availableare for April 2006.

I have placed tables from ASHEcontaining the median gross weekly earnings of full-time males, full-time females,part-time males and part-time females by local authority area for 1997-2006 in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 40813).

(b) Table 1 presents the median household income estimatesfor working age adults in Scotland based on the Family Resources Survey. Local authorityincome estimates are not available.

Table 1 Median EquivalisedNet Disposable Household Income for Working Age Adults, Scotland, 1994-95to 2004-05 (2004-05 Prices)

	Working Age Adults Median
	Equivalised Net Disposable Household Income Before Housing Costs (£ Per Week)	Equivalised Net Disposable Household Income After Housing Costs (£ Per Week)
1994-95	319	268
1995-96	307	259
1996-97	326	271
1997-98	332	276
1998-99	329	278
1999-2000	336	286
2000-01	336	285
2001-02	359	316
2002-03	367	320
2003-04	377	336
2004-05	380	341

Source: Households Below AverageIncome, DWP.

Notes:

1. Net disposablehousehold income: Total incomeafter deductions for income tax, National Insurance Contributions, council tax,pension contributions and maintenance payments.

2 Housing costs: Net disposable income but with rent/mortgagepayments, water charges, structural insurance premiums, ground rent and servicecharges deducted.

3. Equivalised netdisposable household income:“Equivalised” Income is used to allow comparisons of living standards between differenthousehold types. Income is adjusted to take into account variations in the sizeand composition of the household. This adjustment reflects the fact that a familyof several people requires a higher income than a single person in order for bothhouseholds to enjoy a comparable standard of living. The key assumption is thatall individuals in the household benefit equally from the combined (equivalised)income of the household. There are distinct equivalence scales used for income beforehousing costs (BHC) and income after housing costs (AHC).

Question reference: S2W-29203

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many motorists have been (a) cautioned, (b) charged and (c) successfully prosecuted for using (i) noisy exhaust systems and (ii) loud stereo systems in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S2W-28939

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by George Reid on 2 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what external validation of the algorithm for computerised ballot of MSPs’ names for oral questions has been carried out and when and by whom this was undertaken.

Question reference: S2W-28938

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by George Reid on 2 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body on how many occasions Stewart Stevenson MSP submitted his name for the computerised ballot for oral questions between 1 July 2005 and 5 October 2006.

During the period between 1 July 2005 and 5 October 2006selections were made, by computerised ballot, for Question Times taken in 42meetings of the Parliament. On each of these occasions three selections ofnames were made: one for General Question Time and two for Themed QuestionTime. On that basis the maximum number of times members could have submittedtheir names for selection was 126 times.

Stewart Stevenson MSPsubmitted his name for 26 of the 42 occasions under inquiry, for selection in48 out of 126 Question Times.