Chamber and committees

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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

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Question reference: S2W-21892

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21240 by George Lyon on 14 December 2005, how many deaths from cancer there have been within each former European parliamentary constituency in each year since the Chernobyl incident, broken down by NHS board area.

I refer the member to the question S2W-21936 answered on 23 January 2006. 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/webapp/wa.search.

The following tables provide the absolute number of deaths from cancer between 26 April 1986 and 31 December 2004 byformer European parliamentary constituency and NHS board.

Deaths from Cancer¹ Between 26 April 1986 and 31 December 2004, by Former European Parliamentary Constituency and NHS Board

Former European Parliamentary Constituency and NHS Board		1986 (part)	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992
Scotland		9,819	14,650	14,720	14,917	14,957	14,876	15,132
Central Scotland		1,206	1,802	1,797	1,847	1,983	1,898	1,889
	Ayrshire and Arran	147	179	182	226	225	200	214
	Forth Valley	287	407	419	396	410	412	379
	Greater Glasgow	34	48	47	54	58	63	48
	Lanarkshire	738	1,168	1,149	1,171	1,290	1,223	1,248
Glasgow		1,773	2,653	2,513	2,579	2,548	2,493	2,577
	Greater Glasgow	1,773	2,653	2,513	2,579	2,548	2,493	2,577
Highlands and Islands		752	1,117	1,160	1,177	1,199	1,151	1,188
	Argyll and Clyde	133	210	208	220	185	186	208
	Grampian	134	197	216	202	207	203	223
	Highland	342	542	512	575	624	566	551
	Orkney	35	39	64	50	44	43	42
	Shetland	37	44	62	35	55	53	56
	Western Isles	71	85	98	95	84	100	108
Lothians		1,262	1,855	1,926	1,843	1,932	1,894	1,940
	Lothian	1,262	1,855	1,926	1,843	1,932	1,894	1,940
Mid Scotland and Fife		1,165	1,760	1,794	1,789	1,720	1,800	1,823
	Fife	615	905	937	985	921	955	995
	Forth Valley	243	356	380	321	322	349	358
	Tayside	307	499	477	483	477	496	470
North East Scotland		1,246	1,815	1,782	1,862	1,802	1,826	1,840
	Grampian	739	1,104	1,073	1,116	1,064	1,108	1,080
	Tayside	507	711	709	746	738	718	760
South of Scotland		1,201	1,810	1,773	1,840	1,878	1,877	1,909
	Ayrshire and Arran	421	641	566	620	612	624	652
	Borders	213	316	331	338	396	344	347
	Dumfries and Galloway	267	446	442	437	432	453	470
	Lanarkshire	130	176	202	218	191	212	199
	Lothian	170	231	232	227	247	244	241
West of Scotland		1,181	1,767	1,916	1,908	1,819	1,893	1,911
	Argyll and Clyde	688	1,019	1,095	1,107	1,085	1,059	1,121
	Ayrshire and Arran	141	224	231	238	200	245	241
	Greater Glasgow	352	524	590	563	534	589	549
Not known		33	71	59	72	76	44	55

Former European Parliamentary Constituency and NHS Board		1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
Scotland		15,458	15,164	15,224	15,171	14,889	14,752
Central Scotland		2,062	1,970	1,896	1,962	1,993	1,891
	Ayrshire and Arran	235	213	194	230	239	245
	Forth Valley	434	431	386	430	407	390
	Greater Glasgow	65	65	43	50	47	63
	Lanarkshire	1,328	1,261	1,273	1,252	1,300	1,193
Glasgow		2,465	2,418	2,549	2,340	2,308	2,256
	Greater Glasgow	2,465	2,418	2,549	2,340	2,308	2,256
Highlands and Islands		1,220	1,251	1,246	1,189	1,249	1,228
	Argyll and Clyde	214	248	226	210	229	225
	Grampian	224	213	213	209	210	216
	Highland	563	567	591	565	593	602
	Orkney	53	51	52	45	60	51
	Shetland	63	69	58	55	52	49
	Western Isles	103	103	106	105	105	85
Lothians		1,885	1,871	1,821	1,918	1,865	1,858
	Lothian	1,885	1,871	1,821	1,918	1,865	1,858
Mid Scotland and Fife		1,890	1,879	1,830	1,890	1,746	1,856
	Fife	1,021	981	998	1,014	935	1,018
	Forth Valley	363	362	341	367	325	371
	Tayside	506	536	491	509	486	467
North East Scotland		1,957	1,807	1,902	1,931	1,872	1,874
	Grampian	1,244	1,113	1,129	1,155	1,148	1,125
	Tayside	713	694	773	776	724	749
South of Scotland		2,002	1,979	1,975	1,922	1,955	1,900
	Ayrshire and Arran	687	659	694	615	662	640
	Borders	373	345	320	359	345	351
	Dumfries and Galloway	440	493	463	461	454	465
	Lanarkshire	223	190	206	231	228	173
	Lothian	279	292	292	256	266	271
West of Scotland		1,922	1,937	1,959	2,014	1,901	1,887
	Argyll and Clyde	1,149	1,148	1,127	1,180	1,068	1,089
	Ayrshire and Arran	212	235	224	248	213	231
	Greater Glasgow	561	554	608	586	620	567
Not known		55	52	46	5	0	2

Former European Parliamentary Constituency and NHS Board		1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Scotland		14,789	14,958	15,196	15,051	15,116	15,047
Central Scotland		2,007	2,052	2,068	2,101	2,070	2,025
	Ayrshire and Arran	250	224	244	239	256	232
	Forth Valley	429	445	436	460	487	435
	Greater Glasgow	53	54	67	61	44	56
	Lanarkshire	1,275	1,329	1,321	1,341	1,283	1,302
Glasgow		2,252	2,106	2,196	2,186	2,168	2,134
	Greater Glasgow	2,252	2,106	2,196	2,186	2,168	2,134
Highlands and Islands		1,262	1,281	1,289	1,268	1,260	1,276
	Argyll and Clyde	215	233	218	216	203	217
	Grampian	228	241	231	227	210	252
	Highland	611	622	641	622	644	614
	Orkney	45	38	51	45	45	51
	Shetland	56	43	58	48	57	51
	Western Isles	107	104	90	110	101	91
Lothians		1,820	1,826	1,934	1,783	1,823	1,794
	Lothian	1,820	1,826	1,934	1,783	1,823	1,794
Mid Scotland and Fife		1,838	1,833	1,877	1,920	1,906	1,897
	Fife	973	982	1,035	1,036	1,013	1,004
	Forth Valley	367	361	353	357	377	388
	Tayside	498	490	489	527	516	505
North East Scotland		1,815	1,928	1,962	1,842	1,871	1,941
	Grampian	1,114	1,187	1,225	1,147	1,160	1,210
	Tayside	701	741	737	695	711	731
South of Scotland		1,933	2,013	1,951	2,090	2,064	2,049
	Ayrshire and Arran	654	685	630	701	654	697
	Borders	355	343	347	399	354	337
	Dumfries and Galloway	433	487	478	455	536	524
	Lanarkshire	227	209	226	240	241	241
	Lothian	264	289	270	295	279	250
West of Scotland		1,862	1,913	1,918	1,859	1,947	1,926
	Argyll and Clyde	1,089	1,090	1,095	1,070	1,087	1,086
	Ayrshire and Arran	208	227	237	206	222	234
	Greater Glasgow	565	596	586	583	638	606
Not known		0	6	1	2	7	5

Note: 1. InternationalClassification of Diseases (ICD) codes:

1986 - 1999: ICD9, 140 -208.

2000 - 2004: ICD10, C00 toC97.

Question reference: S2W-22097

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional audiologists it estimates will be required to meet any increasing demand following the introduction of a telephone hearing test by the RNID, which has been based on a Dutch model and as a consequence of which it is estimated that two or three out of 10 people taking the test will thereafter contact their GP with regard to their hearing.

The Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) has indicated to the Executive, based on the experience in the Netherlands, that they expect one in 10 people who take the telephone hearing test may then contact their general practitioner to be referred to an audiologist. There may, therefore, be an increase in referrals across NHSScotland. NHS boards currently have the option of using a private sector national contract to meet audiology needs, and this could be used to meet any increase in demand.

Question reference: S2W-22073

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the extent of the litter on the roadside verges of the A1 between Haddington and Newcraighall and, if so, what communications it has had with Amey Highways Ltd in this regard.

Amey Infrastructure Services is required to clear litter from the A1 special road between Old Craighall Roundabout and Haddington in accordance with the standards laid down in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the associated Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. Transport Scotland and the independent Performance Audit Group are not aware of any significant issues regarding litter on this section of the A1 trunk road and no specific communications have been made with Amey on this matter. The Performance Audit Group’s recent inspection on 12 January 2006 did not highlight any accumulations of litter on the section of the A1 under Amey’s control.

The A1 between Old Craighall Roundabout and Newcraighall is not a trunk road and litter clearance is therefore a matter for the local roads authority.

Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

Question reference: S2W-22098

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to encourage individuals to have their hearing tested, given that there is typically a 15-year delay between the onset of hearing loss and seeking help, as compared to a four-year gap between sight deterioration and obtaining spectacles, and that hearing impairment can lead to social isolation.

Question reference: S2W-22094

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10217 by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 September 2004, how the £20 million was allocated to each NHS board; how the allocations were applied, and what impact these had on waiting times for audiology appointments.

The following table details the breakdown of the funds allocated to modernise and improve audiology services:

	2003–04	2004–05	2005-06	Totals
Argyll and Clyde	226,000	587,000	633,000	1,446,000
Ayrshire and Arran	201,000	357,000	324,000	882,000
Borders	39,000	115,000	146,000	300,000
Dumfries and Galloway	80,000	265,000	125,000	470,000
Fife	39,000	147,000	309,000	495,000
Forth Valley	111,000	125,000	234,000	470,000
Grampian	181,000	771,000	458,000	1,410,000
Greater Glasgow	699,000	1,177,000	1,064,000	2,940,000
Highland	108,000	264,000	311,000	683,000
Lanarkshire	336,000	395,000	478,000	1,209,000
Lothian	451,000	329,000	378,000	1,158,000
Orkney	7,000	0	97,000	104,000
Shetland	5,000	0	75,000	80,000
Tayside	246,000	623,000	344,000	1,213,000
Western Isles	38,000	81,000	65,000	184,000
NHS Education for Scotland	100,000	463,000	0	563,000
Totals	2,867,000	5,699,000	5,041,000	13,607,000

The direct allocations to each NHS board area for 2003-06 cover expenditure on accommodation, information technology, digital hearing aids and training of staff to use the modernised patient journey.

In addition there has been expenditure of £1,264,000 on national staff training events and other central staff costs.

Final allocations to boards for 2006-07 have yet to be decided.

Waiting times have been reduced in most NHS boards. An important part of the modernisation agenda is focussed on monitoring and encouraging the reduction in waiting times and providing support to boards where required.

Question reference: S2W-22096

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what support, financial or otherwise, it is giving to the RNID campaign, “Breaking the Sound Barrier”, and, in particular, to the telephone hearing test.

Question reference: S2W-22100

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of self harm there have been in each NHS board area in each year since 1999, broken down by month and into age groupings.

Question reference: S2W-22138

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the fitting of speed governors to vehicles by manufacturers in order to reduce speeding.

Question reference: S2W-22140

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many gifts ministers have received from private sector firms or businesses (a) within and (b) outwith Scotland in each year since 2000, broken down by firm or business.

Question reference: S2W-22093

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the order of strategic priority is of current and proposed rail developments.

Our first priority is to implement the major rail infrastructure projects, as set out in the Partnership Agreement, i.e. the rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh airports, the upgrade at Waverley station, opening the Stirling to Alloa line, the Airdrie to Bathgate line, and the Borders rail link. In addition, we are considering what the rail strategy for the next 15 to 20 years should be. We have consulted on the strategic priorities, commissioned a Scottish Planning Assessment and Network Rail are conducting a Route Utilisation Study. These will provide the building blocks for considering what further rail developments will make the most positive impacts on the economy, society and environment of Scotland in future. We expect to produce the rail strategy in the summer and this will guide the potential investments to be considered for future funding by the Executive in the subsequent Strategic Projects Review. Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area and can be contacted for more information if required.