Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-07576

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 December 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on prescription charges and how many prescription prepayment certificates have been issued in each year since May 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Information on revenuefrom prescription charges and the number of Prescription Pre-payment Certificatesis not available in the form requested.

Table 1 shows thetotal prescription charge revenue collected from community pharmacists, dispensingdoctors, appliance suppliers and from the sale of prescription pre-paymentcertificates by NHS boards from the financial year ending 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2007. Figures for earlieryears are not available.

Table 1, Financial Year Ending 31 March

NHS Board	2001 (£)	2002 (£)	2003 (£)	2004 (£)	2005 (£)	2006 (£)	2007 (£)
Argyll and Clyde	3,697,780	3,928,514	3,883,056	3,821,970	3,707,315	3,841,922	3,815,203
Ayrshire and Arran	3,108,771	3,251,942	3,272,420	3,237,562	3,174,040	3,307,247	3,303,662
Borders	935,565	998,448	1,033,403	1,024,119	981,681	1,050,237	1,101,524
Dumfries and Galloway	1,404,330	1,498,885	1,497,731	1,467,126	1,408,478	1,495,837	1,499,486
Fife	3,093,922	3,331,168	3,327,437	3,220,971	3,180,565	3,355,065	3,318,625
Forth Valley	2,616,131	2,812,279	2,826,548	2,792,513	2,743,895	2,866,163	2,844,453
Grampian	4,941,904	5,238,553	5,256,308	5,241,881	5,044,730	5,430,908	5,536,993
Greater Glasgow	6,300,823	6,606,784	6,686,743	6,415,225	6,184,607	6,535,015	6,605,049
Highland	1,805,601	1,954,248	2,022,192	1,940,261	1,788,703	2,201,573	2,190,434
Lanarkshire	4,791,954	5,165,210	5,227,234	5,193,207	5,054,628	5,206,378	5,344,135
Lothian	6,446,938	6,840,697	6,980,084	6,821,444	6,704,864	6,948,815	7,041,274
Orkney	170,628	176,876	181,252	185,025	184,258	189,987	194,896
Shetland	240,585	257,300	251,383	253,406	254,195	256,094	277,819
Tayside	3,327,776	3,536,845	3,579,375	3,570,025	3,516,289	3,579,141	3,530,944
Western Isles	236,017	240,950	253,602	257,909	280,007	270,966	288,694
Scotland	43,118,727	45,838,699	46,278,767	45,442,643	44,208,257	46,535,348	46,893,192

From the beginningof 2006 financial year Argyll and Clyde Health Board merged, with NHS Greater Glasgowand NHS Highland. For the purposes of continuity the figures above have been includedseparately under Argyll and Clyde. The split of the fees between NHS Greater Glasgowand NHS Highland for the financial year ending 31 March 2007 are as follows:

Greater Glasgow and Clyde	3,042,522
Highland	772,681

Table 2 shows thenumber of prescription pre-payment certificates sold to patients by NHS board fromthe financial year ending 31 March 2004 to 31 March 2007. Figuresfor earlier years are not available.

Table 2, FinancialYear Ending 31 March

NHS Board	2004	2005	2006	2007
Argyll and Clyde	15,697	16,617	17,525	17,944
Ayrshire and Arran	14,590	15,082	15,478	15,845
Borders	3,123	3,901	4,077	4,385
Dumfries and Galloway	5,455	5,689	5,945	6,152
Fife	10,268	11,402	11,978	12,500
Forth Valley	10,044	10,858	11,724	12,269
Grampian	14,861	16,880	18,390	18,839
Greater Glasgow	19,248	20,724	22,479	23,757
Highland	6,000	6,958	7,797	8,269
Lanarkshire	19,294	20,625	21,768	22,448
Lothian	18,369	20,474	21,994	23,561
Orkney	676	704	735	756
Shetland	1,170	1,299	1,287	1,269
Tayside	10,865	12,137	12,667	13,328
Western Isles	1,234	1,409	1,465	1,552
Scotland	150,893	164,759	175,310	182,874

Question reference: S3W-07171

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 December 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in the Perth parliamentary constituency will benefit from the proposed cut in business rates.

Information on smallbusinesses in the form requested is not held centrally. However, information onthe number and rateable value of non-domestic properties which may be eligible forrelief under the Small Business Bonus scheme is available for the local authorityarea concerned on the Scottish Assessors Portal (www.saa.gov.uk). This information is shown asfollows:

Number of Properties	Rateable Value of Property
Number of Properties	Up to £8,000	£8,001-£10,000	£10,001-£15,000	Total up to £15,000
Perth and Kinross	5,135	378	528	6,041

Notes:

(i)The rateable value ranges shown in the table correspond to those on page 12 of the Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007.

(ii)The table shows the number of non-domestic properties (excluding zero-rated subjects)with rateable values of up to £15,000 in all of Perth and Kinross, which is the local authorityarea in which the Perthparliamentary constituency is situated.

(iii)The number of eligible businesses will be lower than the number of non-domesticproperties in each area, because some businesses have more than one property. Thismay affect eligibility for relief under the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which willdepend on:

thecombined rateable value of all properties in Scotland which a business owns, leases or isotherwise entitled to occupy;

whetherthe property is eligible for one of the existing rates relief schemes, and

thelevel of other public sector assistance received by the business.

Question reference: S3O-01239

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 15 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what direction is being given to Scottish Water regarding water rates and the application of rateable values.

The introduction ofmeasured charges for non-domestic water customers rather than charges related torateable values is being phased in over four years. To allow this, a programme ofmeter installation is underway for all currently un-metered non-household premiseswhere it is practicable to do so. The majority of meters should be installed byApril 2008, with the programme finally complete by April 2009.

Question reference: S3W-01184

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS workers were waiting for their new salary bandings to be applied under Agenda for Change, broken down by health profession and NHS board in each year since 2004 and how many are currently waiting.

Implementation of Agenda for Change began in December 2004, with the assimilation of staff to the new pay bands commencing in February 2006.

Information on progress with assimilation was collected from health boards from March 2006 onwards. The following table shows the rate of progress in March and December 2006 and May 2007, broken down by health board. Data on the breakdown by health profession is not held centrally.

Progress with Assimilation to the Agenda for Change pay bands by Health Board

Heath Board	March 2006	December 2006	May 2007
Heath Board	(% of Total Workforce)	(% of Total Workforce)	(% of Total Workforce)
Argyll and Clyde*	1,574 (15%)	5,384 (51%)
Ayrshire and Arran	142 (2%)	5,547 (51%)	8,050 (89%)
Borders	84 (2%)	2,639 (65%)	2,879 (97%)
Dumfries and Galloway	938 (21%)	3,646 (82%)	4,430 (100%)
Fife	1,013 (12%)	7,956 (91%)	8,790 (100%)
Forth Valley	1,045 (15%)	3,874 (57%)	5,075 (87%)
Greater Glasgow and Clyde**	1,931 (7%)	15,874 (55%)	28,510 (85%)
Golden Jubilee National Hospital	0	517 (76%)	683 (100%)
Grampian	304 (2%)	7,111 (49%)	11,863 (97%)
Highland	880 (14%)	3,579 (57%)	6,256 (100%)
Lanarkshire	1,968 (20%)	8,688 (87%)	9,966 (100%)
Lothian	443 (2%)	12,475 (62%)	19,613 (97%)
Orkney	15 (3%)	423 (74%)	568 (100%)
Scottish Ambulance Service	0	3,901 (99%)	3,930 (100%)
State Hospital	0	347 (54%)	416 (78%)
Shetland	0	356 (39%)	488 (97%)
Tayside	0	7,140 (54%)	8,863 (81%)
Western Isles	305 (21%)	714 (59%)	872 (90%)
Special Health Boards***	480 (9%)	2,102 (40%)	3,129 (60%)
Scotland	11,122 (8%)	92,273 (70%)	124,381 (94%)

Notes:

*Argyll and Clyde Health Board was dissolved in 1 April 2006

**Became Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board on the dissolving of Argyll and Clyde Health Board.

***The record for Special Health Boards covers NHS Education Scotland, NHS 24, NHS Health Scotland, National Services Scotland and Quality Improvement Scotland.

The following is the original answer (published on 2 July 2007); see below.

Implementation of Agenda for Change began in December 2004, with the assimilation of staff to the new pay bands commencing in February 2006.

Information on progress with assimilation was collected from health boards from March 2006 onwards. The following table shows the rate of progress in March and December 2006 and May 2007, broken down by health board. Data on the breakdown by health profession is not held centrally.

Progress with Assimilation to the Agenda for Change Pay Bands by Health Board

Heath Board	March 2006	December 2006	May 2007
Heath Board	(% of Total Workforce)	(% of Total Workforce)	(% of Total Workforce)
Argyll and Clyde*	1,574 (15%)	5,384 (51%)
Ayrshire and Arran	142 (2%)	5,547 (51%)	8,050 (89%)
Borders	84 (2%)	2,639 (65%)	2,879 (97%)
Dumfries and Galloway	938 (21%)	3,646 (82%)	4,430 (100%)
Fife	1,013 (12%)	7,956 (91%)	8,790 (100%)
Forth Valley	1,045 (15%)	3,874 (57%)	5,075 (87%)
Greater Glasgow and Clyde**	1,931 (7%)	15,874 (55%)	28,510 (85%)
Golden Jubilee National Hospital	0	517 (76%)	683 (100%)
Grampian	304 (2%)	7,111 (49%)	11,863 (97%)
Highland	880 (14%)	3,579 (57%)	6,256 (100%)
Lanarkshire	1,968 (20%)	8,688 (87%)	9,966 (100%)
Lothian	443 (2%)	12,475 (62%)	19,613 (97%)
Orkney	15 (3%)	423 (74%)	568 (100%)
Scottish Ambulance Service	0	3,901 (99%)	3,930 (100%)
State Hospital	0	347 (54%)	416 (78%)
Shetland	0	356 (39%)	488 (97%)
Tayside	0	7,140 (54%)	8,863 (81%)
Western Isles	305 (21%)	714 (59%)	872 (90%)
Special Health Boards***	480 (9%)	2,102 (40%)	3,129 (60%)
Scotland	11,122 (8%)	92,273 (70%)	124,381 (94%)

Notes:

*Argyll and Clyde Health Board was dissolved in 1 April 2006.

**Became Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board on the dissolving of Argyll and Clyde Health Board.

***The record for special health boards covers NHS Education Scotland, NHS 24, NHS Health Scotland, National Services Scotland and Quality Improvement Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-01185

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated outstanding amount to be paid to NHS workers is as a result of salary bandings following Agenda for Change.

Health boards havetaken different approaches to the assimilation of staff to the new Agenda for Changepay bands and the subsequent assessment and payment of any arrears of pay that aredue. While in general terms the health boards are nearing completion of the process,they are at different stages. We are therefore unable to assess on a pan Scotlandbasis the level of payments still to be made to staff.

Question reference: S3W-01186

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS workers who have received their new salary bandings under Agenda for Change have been made financially worse off as a result, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of NHS staff who have been regraded and broken down by health profession and NHS board in each year since 2004.

Question reference: S2W-32398

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the clinical algorithms used by the Scottish Ambulance Service to prioritise 999 calls allow sufficient flexibility to judge a patient’s condition accurately.

The Scottish Ambulance Servicerolled out priority based dispatch across mainland Scotland between 2002 and2004. This system prioritises 999 emergency calls to ensure that patients whoare at the most immediate risk receive the fastest response. The ambulanceservice’s call handlers identify the patients presenting conditions by askingset questions based on medically proven algorithms. Regular audits are carriedout to ensure that call handlers are using key words when asking the callerthese questions. This ensures that the seriousness of the situation is capturedaccurately. The computer system is configured to be risk averse so that, as arule, the outcome errs on the side of caution.

The algorithms are based onpresenting conditions which might be life-threatening, for example chest pains,breathing problems, unconsciousness and haemorrhaging, some of which might besymptomatic of cancer. Whilst there is no clinical algorithm specifically foroncology patients, doctors can request that a flag be placed on a patientsrecord to provide the ambulance service’s call handler with additionalinformation about that patients condition.

The ambulance service’s non-emergency patient transportservice places patients who have a clinical need for transport into prioritycategories based on the treatment being undertaken at clinics. The ambulanceservice focuses resources on delivering services to patients with medicalconditions such as oncology, renal dialysis, cardiac and mental illness.

Question reference: S2W-32399

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the clinical algorithms used by the Scottish Ambulance Service to prioritise 999 calls include one for oncology patients and, if not, whether one will be added.

Question reference: S2W-32453

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take action to identify the demand for speech and language therapy among young people in secondary schools and in the justice system.

Question reference: S2W-32455

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will develop and implement a strategy aimed at meeting the needs of young people with communication support needs in secondary schools and in the justice system, including adequate provision of speech and language therapy.

Chamber and committees