Chamber and committees

Data on the percentage of household waste recycled by each local authority from 1999-2000 to 2001-02 are available on page 12 of the Audit Scotland report on Environmental Services available at:

 www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/pi2002/documents/report/servicespdf/EnvSer.pdf.

Data on the percentage of household waste recycled by each authority in 2002-03 are available on page 11 of the Audit Scotland report on Environmental Services available at:

www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/pi2003/documents/2003Report/servicespdf/EnvSer.pdf.

Audit Scotland data for 2003-04 has not yet been published. The Scottish Environment Protection Agenct figures detailing the amount of household waste recycled by each local authority in 2003-04 are available in Part D of the individual Local Authority Summary Reports at:

 www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/local.htm.

Figures for 2004-05 are not yet available.

Data available from the Accounts Commission are:

Total Number of Tonnes of Household Waste Collected

Local Authority	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03
Aberdeen City	124,094.9	102,117.1	93,312.0	106,201.3
Aberdeenshire	104,789.7	107,052.2	105,041.0	129,220.6
Angus	48,126.48	42,363.5	46,553.3	59,309.4
Argyll and Bute	50,331.84	44,249.0	48,907.3	55,473.1
Clackmannanshire	27,126.25	27,300.0	29,843.0	29,264.4
Dumfries and Galloway	68,000.54	69,452.0	*70,885.0	73,111.0
Dundee City	74,397.21	61,043.1	63,596.0	69,356.0
East Ayrshire	50,802.2	49,457.9	50,654.4	53,628.6
East Dunbartonshire	53,270.08	57,290.0	61,376.0	59,408.0
East Lothian	51,399.44	48,525.5	50,168.5	51,779.0
East Renfrewshire	49,133.06	46,524.0	51,599.8	53,714.2
Edinburgh, City of	221,750.8	200,484.0	200,973.0	208,986.2
Eilean Siar	14,866	14,796.7	13,565.2	14,661.3
Falkirk	76,371.05	73,261.0	74,365.0	70,233.0
Fife	167,624.3	168,029.3	199,247.3	210,768.0
Glasgow City	236,012	229,132.4	227,775.0	232,940.3
Highland	101,535.5	102,152.5	90,612.8	101,080.1
Inverclyde	30,394.68	28,643.9	30,090.0	31,002.6
Midlothian	45,052.86	44,888.1	49,728.8	49,358.3
Moray	51,963.6	48,610.9	43,651.8	42,663.0
North Ayrshire	53,729.76	66,717.0	73,827.4	71,485.8
North Lanarkshire	148,961.6	134,255.6	145,158.0	165,658.4
Orkney Islands	10,165.97	9,650.0	7,876.0	8,819.0
Perth and Kinross	57,641.98	77,196.0	79,739.6	80,579.9
Renfrewshire	87,123.6	83,211.5	85,362.0	94,041.6
Scottish Borders	41,515.5	39,495.2	40,372.0	41,812.5
Shetland Islands	12,243	9,613.0	10,388.0	12,066.0
South Ayrshire	58,681.7	53,198.0	56,493.0	51,933.0
South Lanarkshire	131,679.1	128,691.0	129,644.8	167,750.6
Stirling	44,565.44	44,357.3	42,582.0	40,602.9
West Dunbartonshire	34,144.11	30,347.0	34,819.4	32,569.2
West Lothian	73,780.8	73,988.0	80,269.0	91,157.5
Scotland	2,401,275	2,316,092.7	2,317,591.4	2,560,634.8

 

Data for 1999-2000 was not collected directly and has been calculated by multiplying the average amount of waste per household by the number of households in each authority. Consequently there may be inaccuracies in the 1999-2000 figures. The data supplied by Dumfries and Galloway for 2001-02 was unreliable. It has not been included in the all Scotland total for 2001-02.

Audit Scotland data for 2003-04 has not yet been published. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency figures detailing the amount of household waste collected by each local authority in 2003-04 are available at www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/local.htm.

Figures for 2004-05 are not yet available.

The Scottish Executive has not carried out research specifically on pyrolysis or gasification technologies. However, the National Waste Plan 2003 recognises the potential role these technologies could play in delivering diversion from landfill. Information on these technologies, including case studies, can be found at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/wtd.

The Executive is  aware of this important article which provides a combinedanalysis of the data from 13 case-control studies of residential radon and lungcancer in nine European countries. The results of this analysis confirmthat radon gas is an important public health hazard, the second most importantcause of lung cancer so far identified, after smoking and, in particular,estimates that radon in homes currently accounts for about 9% of deaths from lung cancer and hence 2% of all cancer deaths in Europe.

The National Radiological Protection Board will consider the implications of this study on current guidelines for radon preventative and remedial measures and give advice if necessary. A sub-group of the board’s independent advisory group on Ionising Radiation is currently conducting a review of the risks of radon exposure which will include this new study. The board will receive advice from this sub-group and will then consider, consult and issue advice on any changes that should be made to the UK scheme for controlling radon exposures.

In addition, the Executive has commissioned the board to complete its survey of radon, in housing across Scotland, at a cost of £303,000 and to update its advice on the radiological significance of levels of radon in Scotland accordingly. The survey findings will be available later in the year.

Both the existing UK housing stock and new homes are considered in measures to control the radon risk to the population in areas where radon concentrations are likely to be high. The Building Regulations require that in certain parts of the country anti-radon preventative measures must be incorporated into new houses as they are being built. Public and private initiatives have involved testing almost half a million homes in the UK with a recommendation that remedial measures areundertaken if radon levels are found to be above the action level of 200becquerels per cubic metre for radon in homes. Local authorities can assistwith grant, owners who cannot afford to meet the cost of remedial works.

The Executive remains committed to building the capacity of the NHSScotland workforce and is pursuing several initiatives on behalf of the health service which will enable NHS boards to improve their ability to recruit and retain consultant staff for all specialities, including radiologists. These include:

A Partnership Agreement commitment to increase the number of consultants within NHS Scotland;

An action plan to take forward a range of options and measures to improve recruitment and retention in the short and medium term;

An on-line recruitment website for NHSScotland, and

A regional consultant role which is currently being developed.

Also, to assist NHSScotland employers meet local health needs, the department has set up a national planning exercise to address these issues and the impact of staff shortages across the whole of the NHSScotland workforce.

We are looking at a range of options for crossing the River Dee. I expect to invite feedback on the results next month.

A specialist study into potential impacts on the pupils and residents at Camphill has been commissioned. This report will give advice on measures which can be taken to minimise the impact, should the preferred route pass between Camphill and Newton Dee. In addition, physical mitigation measures will be set out in the environmental statement.

Final figures are not yet available.

However, in September 2004, 83% of consultants had reached agreement on the contract and signed off their job plans.

12% of consultants had been offered job plans by their employer but not yet agreed them at the time of the data collection.

2% of consultants had decided not to move to the new contract and 3% of consultants were in mediation about their job plan or had not received an offer of a job plan.

NHS boards have made progress since then and a data collection is currently being undertaken by boards. The final figures are not yet available.

Health Protection Scotland estimates that approximately 50,000 persons in Scotland have been infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) of whom some 20,000 have been diagnosed. The estimate of 50,000 is based on a wide range of HCV prevalence data which were generated through surveys of high and low-riskpopulations during 1996-2004. Numerous surveys of injecting drug users throughoutScotland have been performed and these indicate prevalences of between 30% and 80%. Other populations surveyed include pregnant women, genito-urinary medicine clinic attenders, prisoners, health care workers and blood donors.

The Scottish Executive announced an additional £4 million for smoking cessation services for 2005-06. This more than doubles the funding available for cessation services and will allow smoking cessation programmes to expand to meet the increased demand for services which is likely to stem from the implementation of the ban on smoking in public places.

Data is not available by maxillofacial unit. However, tables 1 and 2 provide figures for consultants in maxillofacial specialties (Surgery and Radiology) by NHS board. These figures are likely to be an undercount of all maxillofacial consultants because maxillofacial consultants working in oral surgery cannot be explicitly identified.

Table 1: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Consultants Employed in NHSScotland by NHS Board (as at 30 September 2003)

	Establishment		Staff in Post		Population	Whole-Time Equivalent Consultants in Post Per 100,000 Population
	Headcount	Whole-Time Equivalent	Headcount	Whole-Time Equivalent
Scotland	10	10.0	7	7.0	5,057,400	0.14
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	2	2.0	2	2.0	367,140	0.54
NHS Forth Valley	2	2.0	2	2.0	279,680	0.72
NHS Grampian	1	1.0	0	0.0	523,390	0.00
NHS Lanarkshire	1	1.0	1	1.0	553,440	0.18
NHS Lothian	4	4.0	2	2.0	780,010	0.26

Source: ISD Scotland.

Table 2: Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology Consultants Employed in NHSScotland by NHS Board (as at 30 September 2003)

	Establishment		Staff in Post		Population	Whole-Time Equivalent Consultants in Post Per 100,000 Population
	Headcount	Whole-Time Equivalent	Headcount	Whole-Time Equivalent
Scotland	2	1.6	2	1.6	5,057,400	0.03
NHS Greater Glasgow	1	0.6	1	0.6	866,370	0.07
NHS Tayside	1	1.0	1	1.0	386,550	0.26

Source: ISD Scotland.

Notes:

1. Staff in post and establishment figures are sourced from the Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

2. Population figures are mid 2003 estimates sourced from the General Register Office for Scotland.