- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 27 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of imprisoning individuals serving custodial sentences for non-payment of fines and what the average level of unpaid fine is in such instances.
Answer
I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:
The SPS does not keepcost data specific to fine defaulters.
In 2006-07, therewas an average daily population of 46 fine defaulters and the average annual costper prisoner place was £30,989. So an estimated cost of imprisoning people for non-paymentof fines in 2006-07 would be around £1.4 million.
In 2006-07, therewere 5,963 fine default receptions and the average fine outstanding per receptionwas £277.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 27 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) Central Scotland parliamentary region, (b) each parliamentary constituency in Central Scotland parliamentary region, (c) North Lanarkshire local authority area, (d) South Lanarkshire local authority area and (e) Falkirk local authority area will benefit from the proposal to introduce the small business bonus package, as outlined in the Scottish Budget Spending Review 2007.
Answer
Information on smalland medium-sized enterprises in the form requested is not held centrally. However,information on the number and rateable value of non-domestic properties which maybe eligible for relief under the Small Business Bonus scheme is available for eachof the local authority areas concerned on the Scottish Assessors Portal (
www.saa.gov.uk). This information is shown asfollows: | Number of Properties by Local Authority Area | Rateable Value of Property |
| Up to £8,000 | £8,001-£10,000 | £10,001-£15,000 | Total up to £15,000 |
| East Ayrshire | 2,573 | 230 | 351 | 3,154 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 1,146 | 197 | 260 | 1,603 |
| Falkirk | 2,816 | 281 | 406 | 3,503 |
| North Lanarkshire | 4,531 | 626 | 881 | 6,038 |
| South Lanarkshire | 4,968 | 626 | 905 | 6,499 |
Notes:
(i) The rateable valueranges shown in the table correspond to those on page 12 of the Scottish Budget:Spending Review 2007.
(ii) The table showsthe number of non-domestic properties with rateable values of up to £15,000 in North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Falkirk. Information is also given for all of East Ayrshire andEast Dunbartonshire, as parts of these local authority areas alsofall within the Central Scotland parliamentary region.
(iii) The number ofeligible businesses will be lower than the number of non-domestic properties ineach area, because some businesses have more than one property. This may affecteligibility for relief under the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which will dependon:
- the combined rateable valueof all properties in Scotland which a business owns, leases or is otherwiseentitled to occupy;
- whether the property iseligible for one of the existing rates relief schemes, and
the level of otherpublic sector assistance received by the business.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 22 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will be involved in the joint bid by North and South Lanarkshire councils to host the 2011 International Children’s Games.
Answer
I visited New LanarkshireLimited on 27 August 2007 and discussed their plans to bid for the 2011International Children’s Games. I have also met with the International Children’sGames Executive Committee.
EventScotland, thenational events agency, is in discussion with the councils involved in the bid andhas agreed to meet with them to discuss the application.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 22 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children will benefit from the extension of free school meals to all primary 1 to primary 3 pupils in 2010, as set out in Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007, in (a) Central Scotland parliamentary region, (b) each Scottish parliamentary constituency in the Central Scotland region and (c) each local authority area.
Answer
Predictednational school rolls bystage for 2010 are available on the Scottish Executivewebsite at
www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/11/19125551/16.We do not have information on predicted school rolls by area.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 15 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many deaths influenza was identified as a cause in (a) 1950, (b) 1960, (c) 1970 and (d) 1980 and how many such deaths there have been in each year since 1990.
Answer
Deaths toinfluenza are likely to be under reported when simply looking at the number ofcases where “influenza” is recorded on death certificates as more people willnormally die from complications arising as a result of influenza rather thansimply flu itself. However, information recorded by the General Register Officefor Scotland where cause of death was recorded as “Influenza”is detailed in the following table.
Deaths in Scotland: Influenza as the Underlying Cause of Death
| Year | Deaths |
| 1950 | 386 |
| 1960 | 104 |
| 1970 | 733 |
| 1980 | 117 |
| 1990 | 126 |
| 1991 | 28 |
| 1992 | 29 |
| 1993 | 127 |
| 1994 | 11 |
| 1995 | 33 |
| 1996 | 45 |
| 1997 | 83 |
| 1998 | 12 |
| 1999 | 62 |
| 2000 | 131 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2003 | 15 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 11 |
| 2006 | 2 |
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many influenza vaccinations have been administered in each year since 1980, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) age group.
Answer
This information isavailable broken down by those aged 65 and over and those under the age of 65.
For those aged 65and over figures are available from the year 2000. Information for the years 2000-05is given in the table Flu Vaccination Uptake for the period 2000-05, a copyof which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib.number 37783). Information for years 2005-06 and 2006-07 can be found in the followingtables.
| NHS Board | 2005-06 Vaccinations | 2006-07 Vaccinations |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 51,695 | 51,049 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 52,185 | n/a |
| Borders | 15,750 | 15,174 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 23,125 | 22,611 |
| Fife | 42,274 | 40,786 |
| Forth Valley | 34,747 | 34,394 |
| Greater Glasgow | 101,222 | 135,979 |
| Grampian | 54,212 | 52,357 |
| Highland | 27,958 | 33,495 |
| Lanarkshire | 59,718 | 58,336 |
| Lothian | 71,804 | 69,082 |
| Orkney | 1,382 | 1,385 |
| Shetland | 171 | 171 |
| Tayside | 56,392 | 53,386 |
| Western Isles | 3,508 | 3,365 |
| Scotland | 596,143 | 571,570 |
Note: Figures takenfrom the Practitioner Services Division claims for payment for vaccinating 65s andover under the GMS contract. Figures do not include a small number of Section 17cand salaried GP practices.
Estimates on flu vaccineuptake for the under 65s is available for the last two years and is detailed inthe following table:
| NHS Board | 2005-06 Uptake1 | 2006-07 Uptake2 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 8,157 | 14,597 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 10,414 | n/a |
| Borders | 3,159 | 2,869 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 2,202 | 5,004 |
| Fife | 8,030 | 12,585 |
| Forth Valley | 5,920 | 8,928 |
| Greater Glasgow | 19,649 | 40,870 |
| Grampian | 12,481 | 14,979 |
| Highland | 4,842 | 9,049 |
| Lanarkshire | 9,618 | 14,406 |
| Lothian | 15,333 | 21,266 |
| Orkney | 525 | 589 |
| Shetland | 272 | 541 |
| Tayside | 6,613 | 9,141 |
| Western Isles | 778 | 1,142 |
| Scotland | 107,993 | 155,966 |
Notes:
Figures taken fromreturns made to Health Protection Scotland by approximately 60% of GP practices.
1. Information receivedfrom 401 practices.
2. Information receivedfrom 676 practices.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners on remand in each year since 1980 did not subsequently serve custodial sentences for the offences for which they were remanded.
Answer
I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response isas follows:
The information requestedis not available. However, research carried out in 1997 suggests that around 50%of remand prisoners go on to receive a custodial disposal.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners on remand in each year since 1980 were not subsequently convicted of the offences for which they were remanded.
Answer
I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
The informationis not available from Prison Service records.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the alternative route for non-motorway traffic will be once the online upgrade of the A80 to motorway status is complete and whether this will be the alternative route in the event of the closure of the upgraded A80/M80 route as a consequence of accidents.
Answer
Once the online upgradeof the A80 is complete, the surrounding road network will accommodate non motorwayand diverted traffic. The upgrade will see the addition of hard shoulders whichwill help to keep traffic moving at times of accident. We expect closure incidentsto be minimised as a result.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 12 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were diagnosed with influenza in (a) 1950, (b) 1960, (c) 1970 and (d) 1980 and how many have been diagnosed with it in each year since 1990, broken down by (i) NHS board area and (ii) age group.
Answer
The NHS Health ProtectionScotland Flu Spotter scheme has been collating incidence reports of flu-like illnessduring the winter flu season (October to May) in Scotland for 30 years. Information is collected from around 90 volunteer GeneralPractitioners who report to health boards on a weekly basis on the number of peopleconsulting for influenza like illness. This information is then collated by NHSHealth Protection Scotland.
This data is weeklyincidence data and does not provide the total numbers of influenza consultations.As it is collected only over the flu season it does not provide incidence for thefull year. This data therefore can only ever provide an estimate of the burden ofinfluenza in Scotland.
The figures availablefrom the Flu Spotter scheme are as follows:
| Year | Peak Incidence Rate Per 100,000 Population1 |
| 1971-722 | 1,467 |
| 1980-81 | 416 |
| 1990-91 | 137 |
| 1991-92 | 399 |
| 1992-93 | 421 |
| 1993-94 | 883 |
| 1994-95 | 94 |
| 1995-96 | 390 |
| 1996-97 | 758 |
| 1997-98 | 118 |
| 1998-99 | 309 |
| 1999-2000 | 839 |
| 2000-01 | 62 |
| 2001-02 | 41 |
| 2002-03 | 42 |
| 2003-04 | 138 |
| 2004-05 | 43 |
| 2005-06 | 33 |
| 2006-07 | 158 |
Notes:
1. Where incidence of50-600 is average seasonal influence; 600-1,000 is higher than average, and greaterthan 1,000 is exceptional incidence.
2. Information not availablefor 1970-71.
