Seòmar agus comataidhean

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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 754 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S3W-03092

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals it estimates are involved in the supply of illegal drugs.

Question reference: S3W-03091

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what quantity of illegal drugs has been seized in each year since 1970, broken down by class and type of substance.

Question reference: S3W-03089

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many heroin addicts there are (a) known and (b) estimated to have been in each year since 1970.

(a) The number ofknown heroin addicts since 1970 is not held centrally.

(b) Estimates of theprevalence of problematic opiate and/or benzodiazepine misuse in Scotland were carried out for 2000 and 2003. Table 1 shows theestimated numbers across Scotland and the 95% confidence interval.

Table 1. EstimatedNumbersof Problem Drug Users (Opiates and/or Benzodiazepines): Scotland2000 and 2003

	2000	2003
Scotland point estimate (95 % confidence range)	55,800 (43,664 – 78,443)	51,582 (51,456 – 56,379)

2000

2003

Scotland point estimate

(95 % confidence range)

55,800

(43,664 – 78,443)

51,582

(51,456 – 56,379)

Source: Estimatingthe National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland, Centre for Drug Misuse Research, Universityof Glasgow Scottish Centre for Infection and EnvironmentalHealth http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/local/prevreport2004.pdf.

Question reference: S3W-03474

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to review any of the orders made by the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board.

Question reference: S3W-03239

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were diagnosed with (a) type 1 and (b) type 2 diabetes in each year since 1990, broken down by NHS board.

Information on theprevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes is available at NHS board level from theannual Scottish Diabetes Survey. The Survey, which was first published in 2001,includes data from primary and secondary care and is currently the most comprehensivesource of information on diabetes in Scotland. The most recentreport (for 2005) is available at:http://www.diabetesinscotland.org/diabetes/MaintainPages/pdfFiles/SDS2005.pdf.

The Scottish PublicHealth Observatory (ScotPHO) website (www.scotpho.org.uk)provides a guide to further sources of information on diabetes in Scotland (under the Health, Wellbeing and Disease tab).

Question reference: S3W-02930

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what provisions it is making to ensure better diagnosis of dyslexia within the education system.

Under the Education(Additional Support for Learning)(Scotland) Act 2004, education authorities havea duty to identify, provide for and keep under review the additional support needsof each pupil for whose education they are responsible. This should ensure thatdyslexia is identified as early possible.

Significant funding is provided to education authoritiesto support the education of children with additional support needs including dyslexia.In 2007-08, this includes, £61.7 million for implementation of the Education (AdditionalSupport for Learning ) (Scotland) Act 2004, the inclusion of pupils with additionalsupport needs in mainstream schools, the training and development of school staffworking with pupils with additional support needs and accessibility to educationfor pupils with disabilities.

In addition, HM Inspectorateof Education is undertaking a specific evaluation of dyslexia over the period2007-08, which will provide a clear picture of identification, provision and practiceacross Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-02993

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority areas have a policy of collecting household waste for recycling.

Question reference: S3W-02988

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 August 2007

The following tablelists the number of student enrolments at Scottish higher education institutionsand further education colleges from 1951-52 to 2005-06.

Students StudyingHigher and Further Education at Scottish Institutions: 1951-52 to 2005-06

Academic Year	HE Students	FE Students
1951-52*	15,010^†	N/A
1961-62*	19,435^†	N/A
1971-72*	37,800^†	N/A
1981-82*	105,765	277,510
1990-91*	137,930	N/A
1991-92*	151,090	N/A
1992-93*	167,185	N/A
1993-94*	179,730	N/A
1994-95	201,880	212,075
1995-96	215,205	260,150
1996-97	238,095	314,530
1997-98	247,655	342,325
1998-99	255,965	350,445
1999-00	259,390	362,425
2000-01	262,915	414,395
2001-02	272,625	450,790
2002-03	267,025	430,055
2003-04	271,865	411,560
2004-05	276,705	398,120
2005-06	285,180	395,660

Sources: Higher EducationStatistics Agency (HESA), Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and Scottish Office statisticalbulletins.

Notes:

†These figures arefor university students only.

Student data priorto academic year 1994-95 is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive.

Some historic figures(shown as N/A) are not held centrally.

Question reference: S3W-02990

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value has been of tuition fees paid to higher education institutions by foreign students in each year since 1990.

The total income ofScottish Higher Education Institutions from fees paid by non EU students was:

1994-95	£46,172,000
1995-96	£50,543,000
1996-97	£53,895,000
1997-98	£56,353,000
1998-99	£57,682,000
1999-2000	£62,868,000
2000-01	£68,502,000
2001-02	£78,420,000
2002-03	£95,443,000
2003-04	£107,829,000
2004-05	£124,774,000
2005-06	£143,896,000

Source: Higher EducationStatistics Agency.

Data for 1990 to 1993are not held centrally.

Question reference: S3W-02989

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many higher education students there have been from (a) England and Wales, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) the rest of the European Union and (d) elsewhere in each year since 1990.

The following tablelists the number of student enrolments at Scottish higher education institutionsand further education colleges from 1994-95 to 2005-06 from outside Scotland.

Data on student numbersby domicile before 1994-95 are not held centrally.

Students StudyingHigher Education at Scottish Institutions by Domicile: 1990-91 to 2005-06

Academic Year	England	Wales	Northern Ireland	EU	Europe	Overseas
1994-95	21,055	665	4,575	4,840	1,305	9,505
1995-96	21,285	670	5,215	5,935	1,240	11,705
1996-97	21,535	670	5,790	7,345	1,540	13,515
1997-98	21,835	645	6,135	8,245	1,520	15,005
1998-99	21,675	675	6,185	8,320	1,695	15,910
1999-2000	19,465	615	5,915	8,550	1,710	13,815
2000-01	20,625	615	5,815	9,070	2,035	17,770
2001-02	21,315	665	4,580	9,385	2,170	21,930
2002-03	20,505	630	5,640	9,995	2,160	24,240
2003-04	20,220	625	5,550	10,585	2,120	26,185
2004-05	20,190	625	5,365	11,695	1,720	30,075
2005-06	21,145	650	5,195	12,745	1,860	36,540

Source: Higher EducationStatistics Agency (HESA), Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

The figures in thistable have been rounded to the nearest 5. 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0.