- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction involving people aged (i) under 16 and (ii) 16 to 18 have been recorded in (1) total and (2) each NHS board area in each of the last five years, showing year-on-year percentage changes and expressed also as a percentage of the population within that age bracket.
Answer
Information showing the number of new individuals coming into contactwith drug treatment services aged under 16, and between 16 and 18, for theyears 2000-01 to 2004-05 has been placedin the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38667).
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road traffic (a) fatalities and (b) injuries there were in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) police force area and (ii) parliamentary region, expressed also as a percentage of all road traffic accidents and showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental practices have ceased providing NHS dental services in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board and showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
In the requested period 133 practicesceased and 137 practices began providing NHS general dental services.
The information requested forthe financial years 1999-2000 to 2004-05 is detailed in the tables: Number of DentalPractices that Ceased Providing NHS General Dental Services. For comparison detailsof the number of dental practices in Scotland that have commenced providing NHS general dental servicesover the same period are also provided in tables: Number of dental practicesthat began providing NHS general dental services. Copies of these tables havebeen placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers: 38690 and38691).
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 13 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any sections of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route will be constructed as single carriageway and, if so, which sections will be single carriageway; approximately what distance such sections will cover, and whether any of these sections will be reconsidered before construction to ensure that the effectiveness of the route is not undermined.
Answer
At present we believe that nosections of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route will be single carriageway, but thata wide single carriageway with overtaking sections would be sufficient for the trafficpredicted to use the 13km Stonehaven to Milltimber spur. The final solution willdepend on the detailed traffic modelling and design work currently being undertaken.We will also be discussing this with our project partners.
Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police stations were closed in each police force area in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, and (d) 2003 to 2005, also stating what percentage of the total number of police stations in each force area the figures represented.
Answer
The information requested isnot held in the format requested or for all of the time periods stipulated. I referthe member to the answers to questions, S2W-9973 and S2W-10733 on 9 and 29 September2004 respectively. 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.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve the resilience of homes and the built environment in respect of the impacts of climate change.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:
The Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbooks include reference to The Design Guidance on Flood Damage to Dwellings and Preparing for Floods. Both documents describe the likely effects of flooding on materials and elements of the building and assess various forms of construction and measures to reduce the risk of flood damage in dwellings.
The resilience of buildings at risk of flooding is addressed in Scottish Planning Policy 7 – Planning and Flooding, which says that water resistant materials and forms of construction should be used as appropriate and conditions may be attached to planning permissions.
Planning Advice Note 69: Planning and Building Standards Advice on Flooding, published by the Scottish Executive in 2004, includes advice on flood resistant and resilient materials, and construction techniques. It has been referenced in replacement pages for the technical handbooks, due to be issued in February 2006. Additionally, the SBSA has also contributed to research presently being carried out by the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) on Improving the Flood Resistance of Buildings Through Improved Materials, Methods and Details.
New guidance will be issued by the SBSA on 1 February on greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting to reduce dependence on mains water. Guidance on sustainable urban drainage systems has been included in building regulations for several years. The agency also is soon to go to consultation on proposals to revise the guidance to the building regulations to take account of increased incidence of driving rain and wind loading and changed snow loadings.
Together with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the other devolved administrations, the Scottish Executive is consulting on a National Adaptation Policy Framework that will develop a strategic approach to climate change adaptation and assist in identifying key risks and opportunities from the impacts of climate change.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road deaths have been caused by drug driving in each of the last five years, including 2006, broken down by police force area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
The information requested is not available.
Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the Stats 19 statistical report form. Prior to 2005, these returns did not record any information about the causes of the accidents. However, limited information for 2005 and later years will become available in due course, as a new set of questions about the factors which may have contributed to the occurrence of accidents has been added to the Stats 19 returns.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students sat exams at (a) standard, (b) higher and (c) advanced higher grade in (i) biology, (ii) chemistry, (iii) physics, (iv) French, (v) German and (vi) Spanish in each local authority area in each of the last six years, showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
A table showing the number of entries and year-on-year percentage change for National Qualifications courses in biology, chemistry, physics, French, German and Spanish in each local authority area from 2000-05 has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38630).
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions for anti-depressants have been dispensed in each NHS board area in each of the last five years, showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
The information requested is provided in the following tables. The data given refer to prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors, but do not take into account medicines dispensed by hospitals and hospital-based clinics.
Antidepressants Prescribed in Scotland - Financial Years 2000-01 to 2004-05
Number of Prescribed Items and Percentage Change (Year-on-Year)
| NHS Board | 2000-01 | 2000-01* | 2001-02 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2002-03 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 221,504 | 7.14% | 243,336 | 9.86% | 257,624 | 5.87% |
| Borders | 53,443 | 11.15% | 60,232 | 12.70% | 65,614 | 8.94% |
| Argyll and Clyde | 271,526 | 8.56% | 298,310 | 9.86% | 322,404 | 8.08% |
| Fife | 188,377 | 10.92% | 206,229 | 9.48% | 221,354 | 7.33% |
| Greater Glasgow | 539,972 | 9.34% | 589,782 | 9.22% | 639,060 | 8.36% |
| Highland | 101,523 | 10.20% | 110,881 | 9.22% | 117,976 | 6.40% |
| Lanarkshire | 322,447 | 9.75% | 355,414 | 10.22% | 387,851 | 9.13% |
| Grampian | 218,036 | 7.05% | 236,928 | 8.66% | 251,199 | 6.02% |
| Orkney | 8,362 | 5.98% | 9,031 | 8.00% | 9,780 | 8.29% |
| Lothian | 353,180 | 8.82% | 383,564 | 8.60% | 409,371 | 6.73% |
| Tayside | 209,570 | 9.04% | 227,574 | 8.59% | 239,351 | 5.18% |
| Forth Valley | 159,954 | 8.29% | 176,243 | 10.18% | 190,525 | 8.10% |
| Western Isles | 13,221 | 6.47% | 13,921 | 5.29% | 14,739 | 5.88% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 93,064 | 12.55% | 104,406 | 12.19% | 110,857 | 6.18% |
| Shetland | 11,085 | 3.37% | 11,050 | -0.32% | 11,178 | 1.16% |
| Scotland | 2,765,264 | 9.02% | 3,026,901 | 9.46% | 3,248,883 | 7.33% |
Notes: *Change from 1999-2000.
| NHS Board | 2003-04 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2004-05 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 270,635 | 5.05% | 273,690 | 1.13% |
| Borders | 71,920 | 9.61% | 77,163 | 7.29% |
| Argyll and Clyde | 335,175 | 3.96% | 344,166 | 2.68% |
| Fife | 226,317 | 2.24% | 229,122 | 1.24% |
| Greater Glasgow | 672,772 | 5.28% | 684,455 | 1.74% |
| Highland | 124,837 | 5.82% | 129,138 | 3.45% |
| Lanarkshire | 407,986 | 5.19% | 416,223 | 2.02% |
| Grampian | 267,534 | 6.50% | 277,851 | 3.86% |
| Orkney | 10,610 | 8.49% | 10,920 | 2.92% |
| Lothian | 423,442 | 3.44% | 428,340 | 1.16% |
| Tayside | 251,243 | 4.97% | 258,496 | 2.89% |
| Forth Valley | 197,125 | 3.46% | 201,302 | 2.12% |
| Western Isles | 15,658 | 6.24% | 16,512 | 5.45% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 115,347 | 4.05% | 117,937 | 2.25% |
| Shetland | 11,344 | 1.49% | 12,050 | 6.22% |
| Scotland | 3,401,945 | 4.71% | 3,477,365 | 2.22% |
Source: ISD.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister or Deputy Minister for Education and Young People has any plans to visit schools in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire and, if so, whether it will give details of the schools to be visited and the reasons for each visit.
Answer
The Minister and Deputy Minister for Education and Young People have no immediate plans to visit schools in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire. As recently as 20 January 2006, the Deputy Minister paid a general visit to St Machar Primary in Aberdeen.
