Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-17984

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scotland-based health researchers or methodologists the Chief Scientist Office has funded under the same or a similar scheme to the funding of 18 research professorships by the National Institute for Health Research.

Scotland has a Senior Clinical Fellowships scheme open to doctors and dentists. It is funded by the Scottish Funding Council and the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, St Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The level of individuals awarded these fellowships would be broadly equivalent to those funded through the National Institute for Health Research scheme.

In total 18 fellowships have been awarded since 2009 and the chief scientist office provides a start-up grant to successful Fellows to the value of £75,000 to each fellow.

Question reference: S4W-18083

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has commissioned on the cost effectiveness of the shingles vaccine, Zostavax.

The Scottish Government has not commissioned research on the cost effectiveness of the shingles vaccine Zostavax.

The Scottish Government and all other UK Health Departments take advice on immunisation issues from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Prior to the introduction of the shingles vaccination programme, the JCVI reviewed medical, epidemiological and economic evidence as well as vaccine safety and efficacy data relevant to a shingles vaccination programme. This included the following studies specifically relating to cost effectiveness of the vaccination programme:

Gauthier A, Breuer J, Carrington D et al. (2009) Epidemiology and cost of herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia in the United Kingdom. Epidemiol Infect 137(1): 38-47. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/18466661

van Hoek AJ, Gay N, Melegaro A et al. (2009) Estimating the cost-effectiveness of vaccination against herpes zoster in England and Wales. Vaccine 27( 9): 1454-67. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/19135492.

Question reference: S4F-01705

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2013

To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Government will bring forward plans to extend legislation to make wilful neglect of patients a criminal offence.

Question reference: S4O-02605

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to align education and skills provision in the Highlands and Islands with the needs of local employers.

Question reference: S4W-17989

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements have been established at UK level for joint ministerial discussions on the Crown Estate since the publication of the Scottish Affairs Committee report, The Crown Estate in Scotland; whether any meetings have been held, and, if so, what was discussed and what the outcomes were.

The UK Government’s response to the Scottish Affairs Committee’s report on The Crown Estate in Scotland announced a Scottish Inter-Ministerial Strategic Group to meet annually to consider the activities of the Crown Estate. The strategic group was due to have its initial meeting in June and then November this year, but on both occasions was cancelled by the UK Government.

I have written to the new Secretary of State for Scotland to reinforce the Scottish Government’s desire for the full devolution of the Crown Estate and I intend to raise this with him when we meet shortly.

Question reference: S4O-02568

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Highland Council about the infrastructure and capital investment required to meet the needs of communities in the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S4W-18074

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4W-17650

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were diagnosed with a form of dementia in the last year for which information is available, broken down by (a) type of dementia, (b) local authority area and (c) NHS board, and what the projected figures are for 2033.

Information on how many people were diagnosed with a form of dementia as at June 2013 by local authority area and by NHS board is contained in tables (1) and (2).This information is not broken down by type of dementia as this is not held centrally.

Projected figures are approximations based on prevalence modelling only. Using the Eurocode prevalence model, there are approximately 86,000 people with dementia in Scotland and this figure is projected to double by 2033.

TABLE 1: Number of patients on general practice QOF registers for dementia and other QOF-compatible registers for dementia¹, with crude rates per 100 patients by Council

Area²

Council Area	Patients on Register	List Size³	Number of Practices	Raw Prevalence rate (per 100 patients)⁴

Scotland	41,947	5,544,015	981	0.8
Aberdeen City	1,803	249,884	29	0.7
Aberdeenshire	1,792	243,065	36	0.7
Angus	1,133	116,489	17	1.0
Argyll and Bute	771	88,021	30	0.9
Clackmannanshire	386	56,298	7	0.7
Dumfries and Galloway	1,484	154,632	34	1.0
Dundee City	1,388	161,806	24	0.9
East Ayrshire	1,024	132,157	16	0.8
East Dunbartonshire	626	102,372	17	0.6
East Lothian	959	103,629	16	0.9
East Renfrewshire	510	101,396	17	0.5
Edinburgh, City of	3,704	523,451	72	0.7
Eilean Siar	267	27,199	10	1.0
Falkirk	1,214	157,579	27	0.8
Fife	2,692	376,454	58	0.7
Glasgow City	4,742	678,072	150	0.7
Highland	1,877	233,506	66	0.8
Inverclyde	673	83,494	16	0.8
Midlothian	766	87,739	13	0.9
Moray	709	90,199	14	0.8
North Ayrshire	1,040	140,737	19	0.7
North Lanarkshire	2,253	343,711	59	0.7
Orkney Islands	144	20,803	10	0.7
Perth & Kinross	1,435	144,154	26	1.0
Renfrewshire	1,416	177,241	29	0.8
Scottish Borders	943	116,139	23	0.8
Shetland Islands	173	22,780	10	0.8
South Ayrshire	1,156	113,306	20	1.0
South Lanarkshire	2,536	324,472	53	0.8
Stirling	607	96,415	23	0.6
West Dunbartonshire	589	96,555	17	0.6
West Lothian	1,135	180,260	23	0.6

Notes

1. Data source: QOF Calculator, as at 28th June 2013, plus notifications of

adjustments from NHS Boards. Totals may still be subject to further revisions

locally.

2. Dementia figures used for the HEAT standard include data from sources other

than QOF for a small number of practices that do not take part in QOF. They can

also include data from a small number of practices that do not have signed off QOF data,

as these non-signed off data still contribute towards the target.

3. Register and list size by council area need to be treated with caution. This is because

locations of practices and their populations are not related to council area boundaries.

4. The location of practice premises in one council area does not imply that the population

served is in the council area.

5. List size is the total number of patients registered to practices physically located within the council area.

This information is at 1^st January in the given financial year.

Prevalence = number of patients on the specified QOF register, divided by list size, multiplied by100.

TABLE 2: Number of patients on general practice QOF registers for dementia and

other QOF- compatible registers for Dementia, with crude rates per 100 patients by

NHS Board

All practices ¹

Number of

practices

List Size ²

Practices with Dementia register data ³

Number of

practices

List Size ²

Patients on

register

Raw prevalence rate ⁴

(per 100 patients)

NHS Scotland

990

5,550,480

981

5,544,015

41,947

0.8

NHS Ayrshire and Arran

55

386,200

55

386,200

3,220

0.8

NHS Borders

23

116,139

23

116,139

943

0.8

NHS Dumfries and Galloway

34

154,632

34

154,632

1,484

1.0

NHS Fife	58	376,454	58	376,454	2,692	0.7
NHS Forth Valley	57	310,292	57	310,292	2,207	0.7
NHS Grampian	81	586,918	79	583,148	4,304	0.7
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	263	1,317,006	262	1,316,735	9,002	0.7
NHS Highland	100	322,485	96	321,527	2,648	0.8
NHS Lanarkshire	97	591,574	96	590,578	4,343	0.7
NHS Lothian ⁵	125	895,549	124	895,079	6,564	0.7
NHS Orkney	10	20,803	10	20,803	144	0.7
NHS Shetland	10	22,780	10	22,780	173	0.8
NHS Tayside	67	422,449	67	422,449	3,956	0.9
NHS Western Isles	10	27,199	10	27,199	267	1.0

Notes:
1. Data source: QOF Calculator, as at 28th June 2013, plus notifications of adjustments from NHS boards. Totals may still be subject to further revisions locally.
1. The “All practices” figures includes all regular GP surgeries and also a small number of “practices” that provide primary care services to specific groups of 50 or more patients, such as homeless
patients or those in care homes. This is because some of these “practices” participate in the QOF. It excludes “practices” that provide specialist services to groups of fewer than 50 registered
patients.
2. List size is the total number of patients registered to the practice. This information is as at 1st January in the given financial year.
3. Dementia figures used for the HEAT standard include data from sources other than QOF for a small number of practices that do not take part in QOF.
They can also include data from a small number of practices that do not have signed off QOF data, as these non-signed off data still contribute towards the target.
As a result these figures will differ for some NHS board areas from the main QOF prevalence data published elsewhere.
4. Prevalence = number of patients on the specified QOF register, divided by list size, multiplied by 100.
5. One Lothian practice provided partial data only.

Question reference: S4O-02553

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access to public transport for people with mobility issues.

Question reference: S4W-17657

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many and what percentage of the population was of pensionable age in each local authority area in the last year for which figures are available, and what the projected figures are for 2033.

The estimated number and percentage of pensionable age population in each local authority for 2012 and the latest available projected figures for 2033 are shown in the following table.

Number and percentage of pensionable age population for 2012 and 2033

Local Authority Area

2012 estimates

2033 projections¹

All ages

Pensionable age²

Percentage

All ages

Pensionable age³

Percentage

Aberdeen City	224,970	37,704	17	268,012	47,807	18
Aberdeenshire	255,540	49,302	19	295,965	71,922	24
Angus	116,210	27,486	24	115,302	33,492	29
Argyll and Bute	86,900	22,876	26	83,613	25,671	31
Clackmannanshire	51,280	10,117	20	57,257	13,693	24
Dumfries and Galloway	150,830	38,652	26	142,694	45,308	32
Dundee City	147,800	28,400	19	153,247	31,586	21
East Ayrshire	122,720	25,370	21	121,467	31,012	26
East Dunbartonshire	105,880	24,278	23	95,661	29,091	30
East Lothian	100,850	21,095	21	127,056	28,380	22
East Renfrewshire	91,030	19,160	21	89,530	24,041	27
Edinburgh, City of	482,640	80,480	17	603,145	107,495	18
Eilean Siar	27,560	6,961	25	23,623	8,092	34
Falkirk	156,800	30,340	19	167,849	39,006	23
Fife	366,220	76,678	21	398,363	97,989	25
Glasgow City	595,080	93,704	16	656,095	107,574	16
Highland	232,910	51,472	22	253,382	68,148	27
Inverclyde	80,680	17,301	21	67,895	19,314	28
Midlothian	84,240	16,916	20	90,449	21,557	24
Moray	92,910	20,396	22	95,942	25,007	26
North Ayrshire	137,560	30,876	22	129,762	36,007	28
North Lanarkshire	337,870	60,090	18	332,449	74,274	22
Orkney Islands	21,530	5,046	23	21,500	6,314	29
Perth and Kinross	147,740	34,957	24	191,622	44,842	23
Renfrewshire	174,310	34,823	20	169,437	40,400	24
Scottish Borders	113,710	28,276	25	124,306	36,027	29
Shetland Islands	23,210	4,538	20	22,687	6,594	29
South Ayrshire	112,910	28,466	25	108,793	32,211	30
South Lanarkshire	314,360	62,713	20	330,638	80,565	24
Stirling	91,020	18,414	20	103,410	23,717	23
West Dunbartonshire	90,340	17,529	19	85,207	21,023	25
West Lothian	175,990	29,167	17	203,107	42,976	21
Scotland	5,313,600	1,053,583	20	5,729,465	1,321,135	23

Notes:

1. 2010-based projections published in 2011, based on the 2001 Census and do not take account of the 2011 Census results.

2. Pensionable age at 30 June 2012 is defined as men aged 65 and women aged approximately 61 years and 57 days as per the 2011 Pensions Act.

3. Includes the change in women’s state pension age from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2018 and the subsequent changes of both male and female state pension age to 66 by 2033.

Chamber and committees