Chamber and committees

There has been a reduction of two permanent full-time equivalent posts as a result of the merger of Deer Commission for Scotland (DCS) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Both posts were within the former DCS. In one case the individual concerned took voluntary retirement and in the other the individual concerned was redeployed to fill a vacant post within SNH.

The report on tail injuries in dogs by the Royal Veterinary College and Bristol University was sent to a number of organisations and individuals who were asked to comment on the findings. The points and comments raised by the respondents are presently being analysed. The report, other evidence which has been submitted and the views of respondents will be carefully considered by the Scottish Government on whether any change to the present ban on the tail docking of working dogs could be justified. 

If such a change in policy were proposed, it would be a requirement to issue a formal consultation, as it would be necessary to amend the Prohibited Procedures on Protected Animals (Exemptions) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 and the amendment would need to be agreed by the Parliament.

It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 deliberately or accidentally to release sika deer or their hybrids into the wild.

Sika deer are sufficiently well established in many parts of Scotland such that their eradication would be virtually impossible and it is likely that hybridisation in these areas has already occurred. Where there is local consensus about the need for control measures in an area where sika are not present or are attempting to colonise, Scottish Natural Heritage will be able to provide information, advice and support to deer managers to help with efforts to slow or halt the spread of sika deer, provided that control measures are carried out within the law.

The Scottish Government does not hold data recording the number of sika or sika hybrids in Scotland.

The most recent studies show little change in the composition of hybridising populations over a 15 year timescale. Ongoing research by the University of Edinburgh, working in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage, will continue to quantify the extent to which hybridisation has taken place.

Scottish Natural Heritage has a duty under Section 1(1)(a)of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996, as amended by the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, to further the conservation, control and sustainable management of deer. The 1996 act applies to red deer, roe deer, fallow deer and sika deer and any hybrids of those species. The Scottish Government recognises that sika are now a well-established species in mainland Scotland and that their eradication is not practicable. Decisions about sika deer management will be taken by local land managers to reflect their particular deer management objectives balanced with other needs, for example in relation to agriculture, forestry and public safety.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35553 on 25 August 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Scottish Government does not hold any comprehensive data on the purpose for which deer are culled. Total numbers of sika deer culled as reported to the Deer Commission for Scotland for the last five years are:

2005-06	5,110
2006-07	5,765
2007-08	5,167
2008-09	5,465
2009-10	5,650

 

NHS boards in Scotland are responsible for the planning and provision of NHS services in accordance with national and local priorities and in line with the health needs of the population. Decisions regarding the care of individual patients are a matter of professional judgement for the clinician responsible for the patient''s care.

The arrangements in place for assessing new drugs and treatments for use in the NHS are through bodies such as the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS). Further information about these processes can be obtained from their websites: www.scottishmedicines.org.uk and www.nhshealthquality.org.

The process for accessing orphan medicines as defined by the European Medicines Agency as a medicine licensed to treat or prevent life-threatening rare diseases affecting fewer than five in 10,000 people in the European Union, is the same as it is for all medicines. However, in addition to the usual assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness, SMC may consider additional factors such as whether the medicine substantially increases life expectancy and/or quality of life; can reverse, rather than stabilise the condition; or bridges a gap to definitive therapy. The list of SMC modifiers has been published on the SMC website.

Where a medicine has been recommended by the SMC, it is expected that NHS Boards will make it or its equivalent available on an equitable basis within NHSScotland.

Comprehensive guidance for NHS boards in the form of CEL 17 (2010) on the introduction and availability of new medicines in the NHS in Scotland was published on 17 May 2010. A link to the guidance is attached http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2010_17.pdf.

It is not possible to generate an estimate of life expectancy for children undergoing conventional treatments for osteosarcoma in Scotland. A measurable indicator of outcome is the percentage of children diagnosed with osteosarcoma who remain alive 10 years after their original diagnosis (10-year survival). For children aged 0-14 years, diagnosed with osteosarcoma while resident in Scotland during 1998-2002 (14 cases), 50% of them survived to at least 10 years after diagnosis.

The Scottish Government has not commissioned any further research into why there are fewer male, compared with female, primary school teachers in Scotland.