Chamber and committees

The following table showsthe amount of patients discharged from psychiatric units who have committedsuicide within one month of release, over the last five years:

Year	General Scottish Suicides	Inquiry Scottish Suicides	Community Scottish Suicides	Died Within 1 Month of Discharge
1997	686	161	149	14
1998	875	202	175	31
1999	873	215	190	27
2000	878	202	176	19
2001	887	214	200	22
2002	899	164	150	17

Source:General Register Office (Scotland). Compiled by the National Confidential Inquiry IntoSuicide and Homicide By People With Mental Illness, (University of Manchester).

Notes:

“Inquiry suicides” are thoseof patients who died within 12 months of contact with mental health services. “CommunitySuicides” are those of patients who were not in-patients at time of death. Thefigures for general Scottish suicides include those for “sequelae” or “lateeffect” and include those under 15 years of age. The remaining figures do notinclude those for “sequelae” or “late effect” or those under 15 years of age.

It is for this reason thatthe Scottish Executive identified people with mental health problems, inparticular those in contact with mental health services as a priority group foraction, as part of the Choose Life national strategy to prevent suicide in Scotland,which I launched in December 2002.

The information requested isnot held centrally.

There is no single knownreason to explain why suicide rates in Scotland are higher than those in England and Wales.However, under the work of the National Programme for Improving Mental Healthand Well-Being, plans are in hand to co-ordinate the available evidencerelating to suicide in Scotland and elsewhere. New research will then becommissioned to cover gaps in information and will focus on factors influencingprevalence.

The information requested isnot available as prescription data available centrally are not patient-specificbut relate to the numbers and cost of prescribed items dispensed in thecommunity by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors.

A clinician may prescribe amedicine outside the terms of its licence where they believe it is justifiedand is a matter for clinical judgment, informed by specialist guidance producedby and available to the profession. A doctor may therefore prescribe a medicinefor a child that is licensed only for adults.

This information is not heldcentrally.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:

The information requested isnot known. Prisoners who are diagnosed as being mentally ill under terms of theMental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 are “sectioned” and transferred fortreatment within NHS premises. While many prisoners suffer from mental healthproblems, very few are diagnosed as being mentally ill.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish PrisonService to respond. His response is as follows:

The following table showsthe number of male self-inflicted deaths in custody in each of the last fiveyears, broken down by age. Year totals are shown on the right hand column.

Year	Age	Total
1998-99	17, 19, 26 x 2, 30 x 2, 37, 41	8
1999-2000	20, 21 x 3, 23, 24, 25 x 2, 26, 27 x 3, 30, 33, 34, 46, 48	17
2000-01	17 x 2, 19, 22 x 3, 24, 30, 32, 35, 45	11
2001-02	19* x 3, 20, 22*, 27*, 30*, 38	8
2002-03	19, 27*, 30, 34, 35*, 45* x 2	7”

*Still subject to FAI determination.

The information requested isnot held centrally. Information onsuicides of young people is published in the Social Justice Annual Report (see Social Justice...a Scotland where everyone matters - Annual Report 2002: contents page),but this does not include information on whether a young person had been incare in the past.

No flight routes have beenestablished, by the Scottish Executive or its agencies, with assistance of sponsorship orany fund other than the interim route development fund in the last three years,other than co-operative promotions and joint marketing activity byVisitScotland and Inverness and Nairn Enterprise. Any assistance given byairports operating in the private sector is a matter for operators themselves.

There currently are 21licensed open cast coal mines operating across 13 sites in Scotland. Thelocation of these sites is provided in the table. The size of individualopencast coal mines is a matter for individual operators in conjunction withthe appropriate planning authority and this information is not held centrally.

Site	Location
Meadowhill Farm	Forest Hill, Nr Alloa, Clackmannanshire
Garleffan	New Cumnock, East Ayrshire
House of Water	Whitehill Farm, Dalleagle, New Cumnock, East Ayrshire
Chalmerston	Dalmellington, East Ayrshire
Rigghead Farm	Boig Road, New Cumnock, East Ayrshire
Skares Road	Skares, Cumnock, East Ayrshire
Spireslack	Muirkirk, Cumnock, East Ayrshire
Begg Farm	Cluny, Kirkcaldy, Fife
Colton Remainder	Colton Farm, Wellwood, Dunfermline, Fife
Greenbank (St Ninians)	Kelty, Fife
Drumshangie	Greengairs Road, Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Broken Cross	Douglas Water, Lanark, South Lanarkshire
Glentaggart	Kennox Cottage, Glespin, Nr Douglas, South Lanarkshire