Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-14071

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13366 by Malcolm Chisholm on 21 January 2005, what percentage of people in Scotland lived in overcrowded housing, broken down by local authority area, in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03 and (e) 2003-04.

The information requested is in table 1. As the information is only available at local authority level for 1999 and 2000 and 2001 and 2002, additional information is contained in table 2.

Table 1: Percentage of People in Scotland who Live in Overcrowded Households, by Local Authority

	1999 and 2000		2001 and 2002
	%	Base	%	Base
Aberdeen City	6	2,662	6	2,680
Aberdeenshire	4	3,071	4	3,149
Angus	4	1,508	4	1,520
Argyll and Bute	8	1,356	4	1,289
Clackmannanshire	5	1,408	5	1,265
Dumfries and Galloway	5	2,085	6	1,925
Dundee City	6	1,648	8	1,842
East Ayrshire	6	1,558	5	1,667
East Dunbartonshire	3	1,535	4	1,579
East Lothian	6	1,390	3	1,432
East Renfrewshire	3	1,278	4	1,321
Edinburgh City	6	5,422	5	5,025
Eilean Siar	6	1,552	5	1,371
Falkirk	6	1,966	4	1,867
Fife	4	4,485	4	4,472
Glasgow City	11	6,661	10	6,777
Highland	3	2,656	4	2,822
Inverclyde	12	1,242	8	1,219
Midlothian	8	1,530	7	1,588
Moray	3	1,519	3	1,490
North Ayrshire	6	1,930	5	1,727
North Lanarkshire	9	4,002	9	4,128
Orkney	3	1,301	2	1,457
Perth and Kinross	4	1,766	3	1,682
Renfrewshire	8	2,144	8	2,154
Scottish Borders	4	1,434	4	1,472
Shetland	5	1,506	4	1,570
South Ayrshire	4	1,594	6	1,571
South Lanarkshire	8	3,871	7	3,860
Stirling	4	1,511	3	1,404
West Dunbartonshire	8	1,238	7	1,170
West Lothian	4	2,055	4	1,958
Scotland	6	70,884	6	70,453

Table 2: Percentage of People in Scotland who Live in Overcrowded Households, by Local Authority Grouping

	1999		2000		2001		2002		2003
	%	Base	%	Base	%	Base	%	Base	%	Base
Edinburgh	7	2,625	5	2,797	5	2,621	5	2,404	5	2,549
Glasgow	12	2,896	11	3,765	9	3,559	10	3,218	10	3,241
Fife	5	2,272	4	2,213	4	2,044	4	2,428	4	2,293
North Lanarkshire	9	2,022	9	1,980	7	2,086	11	2,042	9	2,051
South Lanarkshire	7	1,928	9	1,943	6	1,994	8	1,866	6	1,901
Highlands and Islands	5	4,892	4	4,998	4	5,057	4	4,942	3	4,765
Grampian	5	2,813	5	2,920	5	2,931	5	2,898	3	2,795
Tayside	4	2,441	5	2,481	6	2,435	5	2,609	5	2,276
Central	5	2,351	5	2,534	4	2,304	3	2,232	3	2,214
Dunbartonshire	6	1,350	5	1,423	7	1,422	5	1,327	6	1,210
Renfrewshire and Inverclyde	8	2,148	7	2,516	7	2,474	7	2,220	5	2,406
Ayrshire	6	2,503	5	2,579	6	2,614	4	2,351	4	2,168
Lothians	8	2,643	3	2,332	5	2,607	4	2,371	5	2,321
Southern Scotland	5	1,824	4	1,695	5	1,706	5	1,691	4	1,658
Scotland	7	34,708	6	36,176	6	35,854	6	34,599	5	33,848

Source: The Scottish Household Survey (SHS), 1999-2003.

Notes:

1. Figures for 2004 have not yet been published.

2. Comparisons between years and areas should be treated with caution as the statistics may differ due to, for example, sampling variability.

3. For the purposes of this PQ, ‘overcrowded households’ are defined as being households which are below the bedroom standard. The calculation of the number of bedrooms required is based on the assumption that a separate bedroom is required for:

- each cohabiting couple;

- any other person aged 21years or over;

- each pair of young persons of the same sex aged 10-20 years; and

- each pair of children under 10 years (regardless of sex).

Unpaired young persons aged 10-20 are paired with a child under 10 of the same sex if possible or allocated a separate bedroom. Any unpaired children under 10 are also allocated a separate bedroom.

4. The results are given for calendar years as the survey is not designed to be representative for any council area for a financial year.

5. Table 1 gives figures for two-year periods, as the SHS is not designed to be representative for all councils over a one-year period.

6. Table 2 gives figures for each calendar year for local authority groupings. For further information on these groups, please refer to the SHS publications:

(www.scotland.gov.uk/shs).

7. The base numbers show the size of the population sub-group questioned in the survey (i.e. people examined in each area) but cannot be used to calculate how many respondents gave a certain answer.

Question reference: S2W-14070

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 14 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13365 by Peter Peacock on 21 January 2005, what percentage of young people left school at 16, broken down by local authority area, in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004.

Question reference: S2W-13833

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of paraphernalia has been distributed in needle and syringe exchanges following amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and whether any financial restrictions have had an impact on the amount of additional paraphernalia that needle exchange programmes can distribute as a preventative measure against blood-borne viruses.

This information is not currently available. The Executive is currently in the process of commissioning research, jointly with the National Treatment Agency in England, to undertake a national survey of needle exchange services in Scotland and England. The findings will give a clear indication of the extent and nature of paraphernalia distribution by needle exchanges, including pharmacy schemes.

In addition to specific allocations for Blood Borne Viruses and drug treatment, health boards are given a unified budget to meet the health care needs of their resident population. It is for boards to decide how best to utilise this funding to meet local and national priorities.

Question reference: S2W-13824

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a review of substitution treatment and the dosage supplied in order to develop its effectiveness in addressing injecting drug misuse and in reducing the transmission of hepatitis C.

Question reference: S2W-13823

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider increasing substitution treatment as an alternative to needle exchange in respect of tackling hepatitis C in prisons.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

The Scottish Prison Service is steadily increasing its commitment to substitution treatment. While such treatment reduces the demand for injecting drugs, it does not remove the risk of spread of blood borne infection from sharing needles. International experience is that operating needle exchange schemes can be an effective additional measure to protect the population, rather than as a replacement for substitution. The Scottish Prison Service is currently considering its approach to measures such as making needle exchanges available to prisoners. It has not reached a decision.

Question reference: S2W-13832

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many needles and syringes were distributed to illicit drug injectors last year and how it will address any shortfall in the number of needles and syringes being provided.

Information provided by drug and alcohol action teams in the annual Corporate Action Plans indicates that 3,937,553 needles and syringes were distributed across Scotland in 2003-04.

The Lord Advocate’s guidance on needle exchange was changed in December 2002 to allow needle exchange facilities to give out a greater number of needles and syringes, per individual per transaction. The impact of this change is currently being evaluated by the Executive under the Scottish Drug Misuse Research Programme. The final report of the study will be made available later this year.

Question reference: S2W-13831

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it has made in respect of the numbers of sterile injecting equipment required for each episode of illicit drug injecting in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Executive has published research which estimates that the numbers of injecting drug users in Scotland in 2000 and 2003 were 22,805 and 18,737 respectively. The frequency of injecting by any drug user will vary considerably. However, by assuming that the number of injecting episodes varies between one and three per day, the estimated numbers of sterile injecting equipment required per year were 8 to 25 million in 2000 and 7 to 20.5 million in 2003.

The reports of the National Prevalence Studies in 2000 and 2003 can be viewed at:

http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/prevalence.htm

http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/prevalence3.htm.

Question reference: S2W-13825

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that pharmacies, drug misuse and harm-reduction services are not punitive in their outlook when working with those involved in drug misuse.

Staff attitudes are central to effective engagement with drug users and it is recognised that punitive and/or judgemental attitudes are counterproductive. The Scottish Executive has published research which describes good practice in prescribing, and clearly explains the risk to public health of re-using and sharing injecting equipment. A range of training programmes delivered by Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol addresses attitudes towards drug use and drug users.

The Right Medicine - A Strategy for Pharmaceutical Care in Scotland acknowledges the contribution that pharmacists can play in delivering services to drug misusers in Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-13934

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13368 by Malcolm Chisholm on 21 January 2005, what percentage of children in Scotland lived in non-working families, broken down by local authority area, in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03 and (e) 2003-04.

The information requested is in table 1 below. As the information is only available at local authority level for 1999-2000 and 2001-02, additional information is contained in table 2.

Table 1: Percentage of Children in Scotland who live in Households with no Adults in Paid Employment, by Local Authority

	1999 and 2000		2001 and 2002
	%	Base	%	Base
Aberdeen City	20	477	17	454
Aberdeenshire	9	741	7	704
Angus	13	325	15	310
Argyll and Bute	13	280	16	269
Clackmannanshire	23	317	23	266
Dumfries and Galloway	11	417	17	406
Dundee City	24	295	31	355
East Ayrshire	25	325	23	350
East Dunbartonshire	7	315	10	322
East Lothian	14	292	13	313
East Renfrewshire	10	302	7	285
Edinburgh City	16	992	23	906
Eilean Siar	8	295	20	267
Falkirk	16	433	13	395
Fife	21	940	19	930
Glasgow City	38	1,415	37	1,336
Highland	20	568	18	593
Inverclyde	21	268	24	241
Midlothian	20	349	10	362
Moray	15	310	11	329
North Ayrshire	26	406	24	356
North Lanarkshire	22	933	19	945
Orkney	5	261	11	269
Perth and Kinross	12	345	8	325
Renfrewshire	21	445	19	409
Scottish Borders	8	296	10	278
Shetland	5	380	10	372
South Ayrshire	15	331	24	309
South Lanarkshire	14	792	18	821
Stirling	20	295	9	275
West Dunbartonshire	26	252	24	207
West Lothian	16	470	17	478
Scotland	20	14,862	19	14,437

Table 2: Percentage of Children in Scotland who Live in Households with no Adults in Paid Employment, by Local Authority Grouping

	1999		2000		2001		2002		2003
	%	Base	%	Base	%	Base	%	Base	%	Base
Edinburgh	18	521	15	471	22	481	25	425	17	477
Glasgow	43	617	34	798	37	712	38	624	35	604
Fife	22	472	19	468	20	401	18	529	21	478
North Lanarkshire	24	481	21	452	22	487	17	458	23	409
South Lanarkshire	15	380	12	412	17	411	18	410	22	406
Highlands and Islands	16	1,051	14	1,043	15	1,050	16	1,049	11	986
Grampian	18	616	9	602	11	594	11	564	12	540
Tayside	13	486	20	479	20	473	17	517	16	378
Central	20	456	17	589	15	511	12	425	16	471
Dunbartonshire	19	284	13	283	20	298	12	231	15	273
Renfrewshire and Inverclyde	18	502	19	513	18	484	16	451	16	501
Ayrshire	23	532	22	530	22	532	25	483	22	408
Lothians	19	623	13	488	10	612	19	541	12	506
Southern Scotland	8	378	11	335	16	348	13	336	14	314
Scotland	21	7,399	18	7,463	19	7,394	20	7,043	18	6,751

Notes:

1. Source: The Scottish HouseholdSurvey (SHS), 1999-2003.

2. Figures for 2004 have notyet been published.

3. Comparisons between years and areas should be treated with caution as the statistics may differ due to, for example, sampling variability.

4. For the purposes of this parliamentary question, “adults in paid employment” are defined as being people aged 16 or over who are in full- or part-time employment, or who are self-employed.

5. Children are defined here as being people aged less than 16 years.

6. The results are given for calendar years as the survey is not designed to be representative for any council area for a financial year.

7. Table 1 gives figures for two-year periods, as the SHS is not designed to be representative for all councils over a one-year period.

8. Table 2 gives figures for each calendar year for local authority groupings. For further information on these groups, please refer to the SHS publications (www.scotland.gov.uk/shs).

9. The base numbers show the size of the population sub-group questioned in the survey (i.e. children examined in each area) but cannot be used to calculate how many respondents gave a certain answer.

Question reference: S2W-13820

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are sufficient resources available to ensure that people with hepatitis C are treated and counselled (a) inside and (b) outside hospital.

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