Chamber and committees

European Directive 98/70/EC sets limits for the content of aromatics and benzene in petrol. The Directive is regularly reviewed, most recently in 2007, and any amendments take account of the most up to date advice from health professionals and other relevant stakeholders.

Air quality objectives set by the Scottish Government are derived from air quality standards which are based on the best available medical and scientific understanding of the effect of individual pollutants on public health and the environment.

Benzene is a known carcinogen and for this reason the concentration of benzene in ambient air is included in Scottish and European air quality legislation. In their 1994 report, Expert Panel on Air quality Standards considered the advice of the Committee of Carcinogenicity, that exposure to benzene should be kept as low as practicable, and recommended a target of 3.25ug/m3 for benzene. The Scottish Government has set an objective to meet this concentration by the end of 2010 and monitoring has shown that this objective is already being met across Scotland. A number of policy measures already in place or planned for future years will contribute to a continued reduction in concentrations of benzene in ambient air.

Regulations were introduced in December 2008 which require petrol vapour recovery equipment (stage II controls) to be fitted at petrol pumps at all large petrol stations across Scotland by 2012. These controls were introduced following consultation with vehicle fuel vendors and other stakeholders.

Please note that cancers of the head and neck are not separated for Information Services Division (ISD) statistics.

Data on the number of people diagnosed with head and neck cancers is available for Scotland by NHS Region and NHS board and years (1985 to 2006) on the Information Services Division website at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1446.html and is summarised in the following table:

Year	Incidences	Year	Incidences
1985	753	1996	1,049
1986	734	1997	937
1987	714	1998	1,008
1988	759	1999	1,058
1989	798	2000	965
1990	825	2001	1,021
1991	830	2002	1,011
1992	839	2003	1,035
1993	867	2004	1,029
1994	889	2005	995
1995	935	2006	1,065

 

Data on the number of people diagnosed with brain and Central Nervous System (CNS) cancers are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board and years (1985 to 2006) on the Information Services Division website at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1395.html and is summarised below:

Year	Incidences	Year	Incidences
1985	334	1996	391
1986	283	1997	359
1987	303	1998	357
1988	320	1999	392
1989	283	2000	429
1990	368	2001	403
1991	353	2002	387
1992	371	2003	374
1993	391	2004	399
1994	373	2005	355
1995	349	2006	380

 

The latest year for which cancer registration data is complete is 2006.

The following table represents the current position on falls prevention and bone health strategies for all community health partnership areas.

Health Boards	Position as at 11 May 2009
Ayrshire and Arran (3)	Yes. For all 3 CHPs
Borders (1)	Yes
Dumfries and Galloway (1)	Yes
Fife (3)	Yes. For all 3 CHPs
Forth Valley (3)	No. However the strategy is expected to be ratified by the Adult Strategic Planning Group on 21 May 2009 and then rolled out to the 3 CHPs.
Grampian (3)	No. There is an agreed strategy which will be rolled out to the 3 CHPs when a Falls lead official is appointed.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde (10)	Yes. For all 10 CHPs
Highland (4)	No. There is an agreed strategy which is under review due to recent guidance received from NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.
Lanarkshire (2)	No. Strategy has been developed. Working to develop the implementation plan and identify funding.
Lothian (4)	No. Currently developing a strategy
Orkney (1)	No. Currently developing a strategy
Shetland (1)	No. Currently developing a strategy
Tayside (3)	No. Currently developing a strategy
Western Isles (1)	No.

Note: ( ) The figures denotes the number of community health partnerships in each Health Board area.

The NHS in Scotland and in the rest of the UK have worked closely together on flu pandemic planning. From the outset of the emergence of the Influenza A H1N1 strain, Health Protection Scotland has proactively linked with the Health Protection Agency in England to jointly develop and agree guidance to the service and agree case management strategies which have subsequently been shared with NHS boards in Scotland.

An enhanced surveillance system and information exchange is in place and Scotland also receives considerable support from the UK reference laboratory in Colindale. Contact takes place daily across the UK to highlight issues and raise matters of concern which require a co-ordinated response.

I have today published on the Scottish Government''s website our response to the recommendations made by all five scrutiny improvement action groups. Those who contributed to the action groups and our delivery partners have also been informed directly. Together, we will deliver a more proportionate system of scrutiny which gives more trust and responsibility to service delivery bodies to deliver and improve services. It will also maintain the assurance that independent assessment of key services provides. The response demonstrates our commitment to better align public services, to eradicate duplication of effort and make services more accessible to the people who benefit from them.

Copies of the Scottish Government response will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47846)

The B758 is classed as a localroad and is, therefore, the responsibility of those local authorities through whichthe route runs.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32663 on 29 March 2007. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

No information is held currentlyon traffic flows on the B758.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32663 on 29 March 2007. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.