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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-10729

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 11 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent any link has been established between the building of additional roads and bridges and increased car use.

Question reference: S2W-10816

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 8 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9485 by Hugh Henry on 28 July 2004, how many drug-related deaths there were in 2003 (a) broken down by NHS board area and (b) in total.

There were 317 drug related deaths in 2003, compared to 382 in 2002. A breakdown by NHS board is as follows:

NHS Board Area	Number
Argyll and Clyde	27
Ayrshire and Arran	19
Borders	2
Dumfries and Galloway	9
Fife	12
Forth Valley	12
Grampian	37
Greater Glasgow	107
Highland	7
Lanarkshire	25
Lothian	40
Tayside	19
Western Isles	1
Orkney	0
Shetland	0
Scotland Total	317

Question reference: S2W-10808

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2004
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners in (a) each local authority and (b) total were defined as living in poverty in each of the last five years, expressed also as a percentage of the pensioner population and giving the percentage change on a year-on-year basis.

The table presents the number and proportions of persons living in low-income in Scotland in each of the last five years. Estimates are available at Scotland levelonly, not by local authority area.

Proportion and Number of Pensioners in Low-Income Households, Below 60% of GB Median Income, Scotland (Thousands)

Year	Absolute	Relative
Before Housing	After Housing	Before Housing	After Housing
Costs	Costs	Costs	Costs
%	Numbers	%	Numbers	%	Numbers	%	Numbers
1998-99	17	150	23	200	21	180	26	230
1999-2000	18	160	21	180	22	200	26	230
2000-01	14	120	14	130	20	180	24	210
2001-02	10	90	9	80	18	160	20	170
2002-03	10	90	8	80	20	180	21	190

The key low-income results, above, are for 60% of both the relative and absolute median thresholds. Estimates on the full range of income thresholds and explanation of how these estimates are calculated are published in Households Below Average Income, 1994/95 – 2002/03, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 32212).

The relative low-income measure compares against the median in the same year. The absolute measure compares against the median in the baseline year of 1996-97. Both areas are uprated to remove the effects of inflation.

The figures are estimates based on a sample survey and are therefore subject to sampling variation. As such, small percentage changes are not significant when considered on a year-on-year basis; identification of trends should be based on several years of data.

Question reference: S2W-10797

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 7 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths as a result of cold temperatures there were in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area and giving the percentage change on a year-on-year basis.

The information requested onnumbers of deaths is given in the following table. Because of the small numbersinvolved, year-on-year percentage changes have not been presented.

Deaths Resulting fromLow Temperatures¹

Health Board Area	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Scotland	31	28	34	33	23
Argyll and Clyde	5	-	4	1	2
Ayrshire and Arran	-	3	-	3	-
Borders	1	-	-	-	-
Dumfries and Galloway	1	2	-	-	1
Fife	-	-	1	2	-
Forth Valley	1	1	1	1	-
Grampian	2	-	3	3	2
Greater Glasgow	9	7	16	13	8
Highland	-	-	-	2	-
Lanarkshire	5	-	2	2	2
Lothian	4	9	3	4	6
Orkney	-	-	-	-	-
Shetland	-	-	-	-	-
Tayside	1	5	3	2	1
Western Isles	2	1	1	-	1

Note:

1. 1999: International Classification ofDiseases, 9th Revision, code E901, deaths from excessive cold (excl. E901.1,excessive cold of manmade origin).

2. 000-03:International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, code X31, exposure toexcessive natural cold.

Question reference: S2W-10183

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 August 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 5 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what the prison officer to inmate ratio has been in each prison in each of the last six months, taking account of vacancies and sickness levels.

Question reference: S2W-09986

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 August 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 5 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of investment there was in each prison in each of the last five years.

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

The investment levels are recorded in the SPS Annual Report and Accounts whichprovide the following breakdown by type of expenditure. Disaggregating that expenditureby individual establishment could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

	Land & Building (£m)	Motor Vehicles (£m)	Plant & Equip (£m)	Comp Equip (£m)	Fixtures & Fittings (£m)	Assets under Construction (£m)	Intangible Assets (£m)	Total (£m)
1999-2000	12	0	2	3	0	10	0	27
2000-01	13	0	2	1	0	8	0	24
2001-02	7	0	2	0	0	15	0	24
2002-03	19	0	1	0	0	15	0	36
2003-04	14	0	1	0	0	19	0	34

Investments during this periodincluded:

HMP Barlinnie: Upgrade of prisoneraccommodation

HMP Edinburgh: Newprisoner accommodation

HM YOI Polmont: New prisoneraccommodation

HMP Peterhead: Upgrade of prisoneraccommodation.

Question reference: S2W-10799

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 5 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its response to the review of drug rehabilitation services.

Question reference: S2W-10871

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2004
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will support Seafood Scotland’s activities in the coming year and what support it has provided to Seafood Scotland in each of the last three years.

In 2002, the Scottish Executive awarded a grant of £145,000 to Seafood Scotland in support of theorganisation’s activities. Applications from Seafood Scotland forthe next round of FinancialInstrument for the Fisheries Guidance (FIFG)awards have just been received and are currently under consideration.

Scottish Enterprise has alsofunded Seafood Scotland activities on a project basis. Seafood Scotlandreceived funding for some of the projects under the 2001 Scottish fish processorsaction plan. Scottish Enterprise Grampian have provided £216,960 support in2002-03, £198,651 in 2003-04 and £26,077 in 2004-05. Support for other projectsare planned for the future.

In addition to the financialsupport awarded on a project basis, the Scottish Executive supports the excellent workof Seafood Scotland in a variety of non-financial ways, for example,through regular attendance at the Seafood Scotland board meetings.

Question reference: S2W-10882

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the increase in business research and development expenditure and overall level of research and development expenditure referred to in its report, Business Enterprise Research and Development in Scotland 2002, related to (a) environment technologies and (b) general energy research.

Research and Development statistics for environmental technologies and general energy research for Scotland are not available from this survey. Table 2 of the report Business Enterprise Research and Development in Scotland 2002 contains the most detailed breakdown of expenditure available. The data can be accessed on the Scottish Executive website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/enterprise/berd02-14.asp.

Question reference: S2W-10819

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 4 October 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many grams of fat are recommended to be eaten by the average child daily.

The dietary reference value (DRV) for total dietary fat intake is expressed as a percentage of dietary energy and not directly as grams, and is set at 35% of food energy.

Using estimated average energy requirements the DRV can be converted to grams of total fat per day. For example, for a four to six-year-old girl, with an average energy requirement of 6.46MJ/day this equates to 58 g total fat per day. For a 15 to 18-year-old boy with an average energy requirement of 11.51MJ/day this equates to 103g total fat per day.