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-22085

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 20 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) maximum, (b) average and (c) target waiting times were for (i) in-patient and (ii) first out-patient appointments for each NHS board in each quarter of the last eight years.

Almost 54% of patients treated in NHSScotland hospitals are admitted immediately and never join a waiting list. Of those who do wait, over 40% are admitted within one month and almost 70% within three months.

For those who have to wait longer, the maximum waiting time guarantee was reduced from 12 months to nine months at the end of 2003 with a further reduction to six months from 31 December 2005. On 30 September 2005, 1,249 patients with a guarantee had waited more than six months for in-patient and day case treatment - a reduction of 6,263 since 30 September 2004. This guaranteed waiting time will be further reduced to 18 weeks by the end of 2007.

With regard to first out-patient waiting times, over 54% of patients are seen within nine weeks of referral and 66% within 13 weeks. For those who have to wait longer, we have set a national maximum waiting time target of 26 weeks from referral to consultation, from 31 December 2005. On 30 September 2005, 11,854 patients to whom the target applied had waited more than 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment – a reduction of 41,725 since 30 September 2004. The target will be reduced to 18 weeks from the end of 2007

The NHS in Scotland has delivered a high standard of performance against the maximum waiting times commitments so far and is on track to meet the challenging waiting times we have set for the future.

Information on waiting times for a first out-patient consultation and for in-patient and day case treatment for each quarter since 31 December 1997 is set out in the table. I have arranged for the information requested for NHS boards to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38641) as it runs to 30 pages. Waiting times information for 31 December 2005 will be published by NHS National Services Scotland on their website on 23 February 2006.

Question reference: S2W-19957

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 20 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of children have lived in households with two adults, neither of whom were in work, in each year since 1990.

The information requested is given in the following table. These statistics are only available, on a consistent basis, back to 1997.

Proportion¹ of Children² Living in Households with Two Adults, Neither of Whom are in Work

Year
1997	5.9
1998	5.8
1999	4.9
2000	5.9
2001	4.7
2002	4.3
2003	4.1
2004	5.5
2005	4.5

Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarter.

Notes:

1. The numerator for this proportion is children living in households with two adults neither of whom are in work and the denominator is the total number of children.

2. Children here are defined as all dependent children aged under 19.

3. These estimates are taken from a sample therefore they are subject to sampling error. The margin of error for these estimates is on average + or – 0.6 percentage points.

Question reference: S2W-22149

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to ensure that each police force uses a standard system to record crime.

Question reference: S2W-22150

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the way in which police accidents are recorded.

Question reference: S2W-22022

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 19 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital admissions there have been in the last five years as a result of the use of (a) pharmaceutical drugs, (b) heroin, (c) cocaine, (d) cannabis, (e) alcohol, (f) nicotine and (g) magic mushrooms, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S2W-22084

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 18 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average patients who have had a heart attack have waited for cardiac rehabilitation services in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S2W-22089

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 18 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time for obese patients to receive treatment at a weight management clinic was in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-22090

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 18 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what comparative information it has on how many weight management clinics there were in England in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S2W-22087

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the most common forms of crime committed against young people of school age were in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S2W-21882

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 18 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the salaries have been of the chief executives or their equivalents of each Scottish Executive agency and non-departmental public body in each year since 1999.

Salary information for executive agencies is published as part of each agency’s annual report and accounts. Copies of these documents can be obtained directly from individual organisations or from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Non-departmental public bodies chief executive’s salaries are published in the Directory of Scottish Public Bodies as part of the Public Bodies and Appointment pages of the Scottish Executive website.

The site is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/introduction. Prior to the site’s establishment, generic information was published in the Cabinet Office document Public Bodies. Relevant versions are available from:

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/the_future_of_the_civil_service/agencies_and_public_bodies/index.asp.