Chamber and committees

The amount spent on bank and agency nurses in 2000-01 was £24,953,662 and £19,028,372 respectively. To place this in perspective, the combined cost of bank and agency nurses represents just under 3.5% of the nursing and midwifery pay bill.

NHSScotland employers are expected to employ staff on a permanent basis. Where the use of bank and agency nurses is necessary, employers are to apply the criteria in the Accounts Commission for Scotland Report Temporary Measures which was published in February 2000. The criteria are:flexible rota management;asking part-time staff to work extra hours;sharing staff across wards or departments;appointing a bank nurse;offering overtime to existing staff;appointing an agency nurse.It is also recognised that action must be taken to provide nurses and midwives with career appointments in Scotland. With this in mind, Facing the Future, the Report of the Convention on Recruitment and Retention in Nursing and Midwifery, has recognised a need for; an increase in employment opportunities in Scotland; greater commitment to meeting continuing professional development needs; and innovative schemes to provide flexibility, choice and options in working practices. The network of Workforce Centres announced at the conference will help develop the current and future shape of the nursing workforce on the basis of sound principles and research. To boost the pool of nurses the Scottish Executive is funding a recruitment campaign to reach the care workforce at regional and national level. In addition, guidance on family friendly policies was issued to NHSScotland in January to help employers in their efforts to encourage new recruits and to retain staff who wish the opportunity to balance work with family commitments.

The information you have asked for has been provided for 2000-01 for Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust of which Ninewells hospital forms a part. Information on individual hospitals use of bank and agency nurses is not available centrally but may be available directly from the trust.

	Number (Average Whole Time Equivalent)	Cost
Bank Nurses	32.31	£634,139
Agency Nurses	18.41	£782,114

Source: ERBOD (via the Scottish Standard Payroll System), ISD Scotland.Note: 1. On any given day an average of 32.3 bank nurses and 18.4 agency nurses were employed by the trust.

My reply to question S1O-4233 on 6 December 2001, confirmed that the Executive will provide additional funding to Scottish local authorities for the remainder of this financial year and that I would announce the allocations once firmer costs had been identified. That is still the position, but I hope to have more information shortly.

I confirmed on 6 December in response to question S1O-4233 on 6 December 2001, that financial assistance would be available for local authorities. With a view to ensuring that our estimates of their needs are as accurate as possible we wrote to them on the same day asking them for feedback on the prices they have been quoted. We are also taking cognisance of prices being quoted by the waste management industry.

The Waste Summit was convened to discuss waste management in England. The Executive was invited to send a representative on 21 November as an observer (as were the other devolved administrations). The Head of the Recycling and Waste Team, Environment and Rural Development Department attended.

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Executive Health Department has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health services and patient care within the NHS in Scotland. The National Research Register (NRR) records that there are over 300 research projects in the UK into thrombolytic or clot busting drugs. Of these, 14 are in Scotland, five of which are on-going and are being funded or supported by CSO. Details of these projects are available from the NRR, a copy of which is in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17404).

I refer the member to the answer given to S1W-19635 on 16 November 2001.

Detailed information about the use of antibiotics in hospitals is not held centrally.The Executive has issued guidance to NHSScotland on the systems and processes, including monitoring, required to support the safe and effective use of antibiotics in primary and secondary care.

The collection rate for non-domestic water charges as a percentage of the total amount billed is:

	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01
WOSWA	97.7%	97.4%	96.6%	95.21%	90.81%
ESWA	98.5%	98.1%	97.8%	96.5%1	92.7%1
NOSWA	98.9%	99.1%	99.1%	99.3%	98.3%1

Note:1. These figures are expected to rise to historic levels.Actual provision made for non-domestic bad debt was given in the answer to question S1W-17879 on 27 September 2001.