Chamber and committees

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-08150

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 24 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether methadone prescribing is the best option for drug addicts' health.

Drug treatment and rehabilitationprogrammes need to be tailored to the needs and circumstances of individual patients,in discussion with their medical and social care professionals. Different interventions,or combinations of interventions, work for different patients. As indicated in myreply to S2W-8149 on 24 May 2004, the benefits from methadone prescribing are supportedby a robust body of research.

Question reference: S2W-06546

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 14 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it takes when a local authority refuses to fund care in a residential home or in the community.

Question reference: S2W-07501

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been recovered in sei'ed assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in respect of crime relating to (a) drugs, (b) alcohol and (c) cigarettes in each year since the implementation of the Act.

The Criminal Confiscation powersunder the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 came into force on 24 March 2003. The powersunder the Proceeds of Crime Act (Scotland) Act 1995 continue to be used in respect of cases withoffence dates prior to 24 March 2003.

For the financial year to 31 March 2004, 56 orderswere made under the 1995 act. Orders of £1,356,347.45 were in respect of drug relatedcrime and £114,809.46 in respect of other offences, but none relating to alcoholor cigarettes. In the same financial year one order was made under the 2002 actfor £23,208.14, which was in respect of drug related crime.

For the financial year 1 April 2004 to date,one order has been made under the 2002 Act for £8,403.28. This was in respect ofcredit card fraud.

The civil recovery powers underthe Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) came into force on 24 February 2003. Fromthen until 31 March 2003, no civil recovery orders were made. In the year from1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, one civil recovery order was made, in the sum of £23,986.29.This sum was alleged to be the proceeds of drug dealing.

The specific provisions of POCAin relation to cash seizure came into force on 30 December 2002. Between thatdate and 31 March 2003, there were no final orders for forfeitures. In the yearfrom 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 there were 17 orders for the forfeiture of cash, amountingin total to £660,546.66 (excluding interest). All but £71,120 of this figure isbelieved to have come from drugs.

Question reference: S2W-07503

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what the procedure is for drugs projects to bid for monies recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Question reference: S2W-07502

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the assets received under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 have been distributed to projects, detailing how much each project received.

The relevant sections of theProceeds of Crime Act 2002 became effective on various dates, up to 24 March 2003.Since actual sums recovered in one financial year, from the budget for thefollowing financial year, we have yet to allocate assets recovered in 2003-04using the powers provided in the act.

The First Ministerhas announced that future awards from recovered criminal assets will supportcommunities affected by the impact of drugs, rather than projects linked to treatingand rehabilitating people with drug problems. Details of the new scheme will beannounced shortly.

Previous awards, usingpre-POCA powers, were used to support additional addiction services for the Glasgowhomeless (£250,000), and to help establish a new network of family supportgroups who work with the families of drug misusers (£180,000).

Question reference: S2W-07504

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used to disburse funds recovered by the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to local drug initiatives throughout Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-07309

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2004
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken, and what incentives are being offered, to encourage business and domestic water customers to conserve water.

Question reference: S2W-07239

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 March 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional funding will be considered to address accelerated low water corrosion in steel marine structures in harbours.

Question reference: S2W-07650

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what support is being given to complementary medicine.

It is open to NHS boards to providecomplementary medicine through the NHS in Scotland. Decisions on whether to provide any particular formof complementary medicine are for NHS boards to make, based on their assessmentof local needs. Information on the level of provision is not held centrally.

NHS boards will be helped intheir decisions on funding complementary medicine by reliable standards of regulationfor complementary practitioners. The Executive, with the UK Government and the otherdevolved administrations, is currently taking part in a UK-wide consultation onthe statutory regulation of people who practise acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Question reference: S2W-07408

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 5 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) care homes and (b) care home places have been available in each of the last five years for (i) older people, (ii) adults with physical disabilities, (iii) adults with mental health problems, (iv) adults with learning disabilities and (v) adults in other client groups.

Table 1 shows the number of residential care homes and nursing homes and the number of places in these homes for 1999-2002.Note that some homes were dual‑registered and may therefore appear in boththe residential care homes and nursing homes sections.

Table 1

Residential Care Homes for:	Number of Homes				Number of Places
Residential Care Homes for:	1999	2000	2001	2002	1999	2000	2001	2002
Older People	659	631	621	605	16,276	15,814	15,085	14,843
Adults with Physical Disabilities	51	44	57	60	829	868	699	655
Adults with Mental Health Problems	194	186	195	184	1,439	1,344	1,443	1,346
Adults with Learning Disabilities	598	628	624	609	4,527	4,760	4,551	4,357
Adults in other Client Groups	124	116	123	115	1,292	1,259	1,300	1,127
Nursing Homes	556	557	569	558	25,313	25,126	25,550	25,225

Sources: SEHD Community CareStatistics – R1 return, ISD Scotland – ISD(S)34 return.

Table 2 shows the number of carehomes and care home places in 2002-03. Note that the 2002 figures exclude care homeswhich have de‑registered and re‑registered as housing supportservices.

Table 2

Care Homes for:	Number of Homes		Number of places
Care Homes for:	2002 (Adjusted)	2003	2002 (Adjusted)	2003
Older People	1,009	981	37,149	36,829
Adults with Physical Disabilities	52	51	919	861
Adults with Mental Health Problems	126	122	1,339	1,275
Adults with Learning Disabilities	392	376	3,431	3,264
Adults in Other Client Groups	91	86	1,440	1,349

Source: SEHD Community Care Statistics– SCHC return.

The overall number of care homeplaces fell slightly between 2002 and 2003 (by 1.6%). However, over the same timeperiod the number of people receiving care in their own homes increased (by 4 percent) and the number of hours of home care services provided by local authoritiesalso increased (by 11 per cent).

This reflects a continuing shiftin the balance of service provision towards more care at home.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

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