Chamber and committees

During the period between 1992 and 1998 there have been two prosecutions in Scottish courts where the main offence was under the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991. Data for 1999 are not yet available.

The information requested is not available centrally.

When the Authority was set up in 1996, it inherited a range of water and wastewater charges from the various councils. It has gradually moved to harmonise charges throughout its area. With the new charges for 2000-01, this process is now complete for domestic customers. In addition there has been some rebalancing of charges from non-domestic to domestic customers to reflect actual costs. Taken together, these factors have meant that charges for some groups of customers have risen by more than 35% to bring them into line with the rest of the area. Charges for some other groups have risen by less than 35%.

This approach is entirely consistent with a requirement for a total revenue increase from all customers of no more than 35%, needed to meet very significant investment needs of the Authority.

The Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee (SMASAC) Working Group on the Recruitment, Training and Retention of Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers expects to report to SMASAC towards the end of the year. SMASAC felt that the importance of this professional grouping justified examining the issues in depth, even though that meant taking more time than originally intended.

The information requested is not held centrally. However, it is estimated that around 18,000 people in Scotland were seen by General Practitioners in respect of osteoporosis in 1999.

The Executive does not hold details of measures in place at Health Board level to collect information on osteoporosis.

Information is gathered centrally from those General Practitioner practices participating in Continuous Morbidity Recording (CMR). The Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR) series record inpatient and day case discharges, including those for osteoporosis. Hospitalisations will be recorded on the acute hospital data set (SMR01).

The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report was issued to Health Boards on the basis that it provided valuable advice and evidence relevant to the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis. It is the responsibility of individual Health Boards to decide what action is required in their area, taking into account all available advice on the subject of osteoporosis and the needs of the local population.

There are no formal structures at the national level to monitor and evaluate programmes to reduce the incidence of falls amongst those with low bone density. There are, however, a number of local projects aimed at reducing falls amongst those most at risk. Responsibility for monitoring and evaluating such projects rests at the local level.

The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report was issued to Health Boards on the basis that it provided valuable advice and evidence relevant to the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis. It is the responsibility of individual Health Boards to decide what action is required in their area, taking into account all available advice on the subject of osteoporosis and the needs of the local population.

The development of local forensic psychiatric units and associated services is being advanced by Health Boards and local authorities in response to the national strategy for this care group.

The first of these facilities to provide forensic services for South East Scotland, based in the grounds of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, is due to open in November this year.

Health boards and local authorities throughout Scotland are working with others to determine how existing patterns of service can be utilised or adjusted to better reflect the national strategy aims and provide the safest and most appropriate configuration of services and accommodation for this care group.

Progress is monitored but given the different starting points, full implementation will vary from area to area.

I refer Mary Scanlon to the answer I gave to question S1W-8874.