Chamber and committees

The SMC will publish advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Ivacaftor (Kalydeco) on 14 January 2013. A link to the forthcoming submissions section of the SMC website is attached:

http://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/SMC_Advice/Forthcoming_Submissions/ivacaftor_Kalydeco

We are aiming to publish the consultation responses early in the New Year. We will outline the next steps around the same time.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-09418 on 20 September 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The number of accident and emergency incidents the Scottish Ambulance Service attended each year was as follows:

This information is published annually in the Information Services Division Scotland Cost Book and can be found at http://www.isdscotland.org/.

Publishing the report on Saturday 24 November allowed the Chief Executive to make himself available to field interviews on the report and as such maximise the opportunity to share an awareness of the progress made by NHSScotland over 2011-12.

This information is not collected centrally.

The UK inventory report describes how GHG emissions are estimated. In the latest UK inventory report:

http://naei.defra.gov.uk/report_link.php?report_id=693 Annex 3 at pages 568-570 describes the method used to estimate GHG emissions from peat extraction for use both as a fuel and for horticulture. Local authorities are required under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 to consider the climate change implications of their decisions, and they must consider whether an Environmental Impact Assessment will be required in connection with any planning application.

The Government wishes to see the extraction of peat for use in horticulture reduced and eventually phased out. We value our peatlands both for biodiversity and for their carbon storage, but we also recognise that there needs to be an adequate supply of suitable alternative products for gardeners and for the industry. The Scottish Government believes that a growth in composting can provide alternatives to the use of peat for horticultural purposes, which accounts for the overwhelming majority of peat extraction.

A Zero Waste Scotland necessitates improved resource efficiency and a greater use of alternatives to peat for horticultural purposes obviously forms part of this solution. Zero waste Scotland has a role in promoting alternatives to peat through the production of compost and digestate made from recycled garden waste and food waste materials.

The Department for Environment Food, and Rural Affairs estimate that products for growing plants (growing media other than soil improvers) used in UK horticulture are now 70% peat, indicating that about 30% has been replaced by peat-free alternatives. There are no separate figures for Scotland.