Chamber and committees

The safety of medicinesis reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products RegulatoryAgency (MHRA). Reports of suspectedadverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the MHRA and Commission for HumanMedicines (CHM) through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme.The safety of all marketed drugs is continually monitored by the MHRA and CHM. TheMHRA has provided the following information:

The number of suspectedADR reports received by the MHRA for children aged 0-17 years from 1 July 1963 (when the Yellow Card Scheme was introduced) to 15 June 2007 inclusive for methyphendidate is 588. This figure includesreports received from the whole of the UK.

It is important tonote that the submission of a suspected ADR report does not necessarily mean thatit was caused by the drug. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessingcausal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution ofconcomitant medication and the underlying disease. Additionally, the use of medicinesmay vary between different age groups.

Methylphenidate hydrochloridehas been licensed in the UK as part of a comprehensive treatment programmefor attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in children aged six yearsand older since 1988. Ritalin, a brand nameof the drug substance methylphenidate hydrochloride, was first authorised in the UK on 31 October 1997.

There is a legal obligationfor students who became liable for the Graduate Endowment on or before 1 April 2007 to pay it and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland will continue to pursue those who have not paid.

Scottish Natural Heritage(SNH) and the Forestry Commission Scotland have the lead responsibilities for deliveringmeasures to promote conservation of red squirrel populations in Scotland.

SNH currently employstwo grey squirrel controllers in the affected area in south Scotland. These wereimmediately re-deployed to intensify removal of grey squirrels in and around theaffected location near Lockerbie when the first infected red squirrel was found.

Forestry CommissionScotland (and its agency Forest Enterprise Scotland) is followingan approach which was recommended in the Scottish Red Squirrel Action Plan2006-11.

The plan recommendedthat targeted control of grey squirrels to contain the spread of the squirrelpoxvirus should be carried out by Grey Squirrel Control Officers, undertaking controlon both the national forest estate and private woods. Two such officers are alreadyin place in the area affected by squirrelpox.

The number of apiariesinfected with varroa during the last five years by region is as follows:

Region	Number of Positive Apiaries
	2003	2004	2005	2006
Highland	27	6	32	26
Strathclyde (including Islay)	18	21	14	24
Lothian	10	16	20	15
Borders	12	11	18	17
Dumfries and Galloway	37	17	12	11
Grampian	14	16	11	7
Tayside	29	24	12	6
Central	2	1	5	6
Fife	15	7	4	4
Orkney	0	0	0	0
Total	164	119	128	116

 

In 2007, up to 8 June,there have been 44 apiaries diagnosed with varroa. Unfortunately this informationhas not yet been broken down by region. All figures may include an element of doublecounting as a number of beekeepers submit samples on a regular basis, some of whichmay have already been diagnosed earlier in the year or in a previous year.

Varroa is now endemicin Scotland. Beekeepers, as with all other keepers oflivestock, have a duty of care to treat their hives should they discover varroainfestation. Scottish Government funds the Scottish Agricultural Science Agencyto provide a free diagnostic service to beekeepers and the Scottish Agriculture College to provide free advice, training and education to beekeepers throughoutScotland on all aspects of integrated pest managementand good bee husbandry in the control of varroa.

We are committed to planningfor the dualling of the A9. Options will emerge from the Strategic Transport ProjectsReview, which is due to report next summer. We will consider these options and takean informed decision on all the evidence including costs and benefits. More detailedplanning would follow that decision-making process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-399 on 13 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-399 on 13 June 2007. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.