Chamber and committees

The table below shows the mortality rates for infants born prematurely. Information on morbidity for all pre-term infants is not available from current data sources.

	Pre-term Livebirths1, 2			Pre-term Infant Deaths1, 2			Pre-term Infant Death Rates 1 2 3
Health Board of Residence	1996	1997	1998	1996	1997	1998	1996	1997	1998
Argyll and Clyde	330	338	339	24	16	18	72.7	47.3	53.1
Ayrshire and Arran	292	304	261	13	10	10	44.5	32.9	38.3
Borders	72	74	66	2	3	5	*	*	*
Dumfries and Galloway	107	90	85	8	3	3	*	*	*
Fife	260	256	298	15	10	8	57.7	39.1	*
Forth valley	196	193	208	14	8	13	71.4	*	62.5
Grampian	385	386	433	13	16	25	33.8	41.5	57.7
Greater Glasgow	801	832	815	47	38	34	58.7	45.7	41.7
Highland	128	161	163	7	4	9	*	*	*
Lanarkshire	475	446	446	32	27	15	67.4	60.5	33.6
Lothian	656	646	563	31	21	30	47.3	32.5	53.3
Orkney	8	10	8	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shetland	16	21	18	0	0	1	0	0	*
Tayside	303	307	305	10	6	12	33	*	39.3
Western Isles	10	9	13	0	0	0	0	0	0
Scotland	4,039	4,073	4,021	216	162	183	53.5	39.8	45.5

Notes.

1. Pre-term is defined as less than 37 weeks gestation.

2. Infant deaths are live-born who die within the first year of life.

3. Rate per 1,000 pre-term live births.

* Rates are not shown for less than 10 deaths

Information is collected centrally about neonatal facilities, not specifically about neonatal intensive care units; babies requiring intensive care are normally treated in such facilities. The following table shows the average number of staffed beds in neonatal facilities for each NHS Hospital in Scotland:

	Average available staffed beds
Aberdeen Maternity Hospital	40
Ayrshire Central & Maternity Hospital	25
Bellshill Maternity Hospital	34
Cresswell Maternity Hospital	12
Dr Gray's Hospital	4
Falkirk & District Royal Infirmary	12
Forth Park Hospital	20
Inverclyde Royal Hospital	7
Law Hospital	10
Ninewells Hospital	24
Perth Royal Infirmary	10
Queen Mother's Hospital	29
Raigmore Hospital	20
Royal Alexandra Hospital	12
Royal Maternity Hospital, Glasgow	33
Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion	45
Southern General Hospital	16
St John's Hospital at Howden	14
Stirling Royal Infirmary	5
Vale of Leven District General Hospital	8
Scotland	380

Source: ISD Scotland [Form ISD(S)1].

Notes:

Figures are as at 31 March 2000 and are provisional.

Excludes NHS beds in joint-user and contractual hospitals.

The Public Health White Paper Towards a Healthier Scotland addresses some of the antecedent causes of low birth weight and prematurity including smoking.

The Scottish Executive together with the Scottish Programme for Clinical Effectiveness in Reproductive Health (SPCERH) the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives is taking forward a number of studies into issues around prematurity. These include: the Scottish Still Births and Infant Deaths survey to look at the incidence and any antecedent causes of prematurity and the Confidential Enquiry into Sudden Deaths of Infants study into babies born at 27 and 28 weeks. SPCERH have produced guidelines on the management of pre-term foetus, pre-eclampsia and non-proteinuria hypertension, all of which can be associated with premature delivery.

The Chief Nursing Officer is chairing a Maternity Services Reference Group which is looking at the development of a National Services Framework for the delivery of maternity services in Scotland and this will look at all aspects of maternity care and will report in autumn 2000.

The Scottish Executive is committed to creating a culture of enterprise and a sustainable business environment with higher levels of productivity and employment. Working with our economic development agencies we have a range of policies and measures in place to provide new and existing small businesses with the support they need to develop and grow.

These include the £12 million Business Growth Fund which provides loan funding to businesses unable to access finance from established sources; Business Mentoring Scotland - a new scheme designed to provide firms with growth potential with the benefits of an experienced business mentor; and the Improving Regulation in Scotland Unit established to ensure that the regulatory environment is alert to small firms needs. In addition, our Small Business Consultative Group ensures direct and continuing dialogue between the Scottish Executive and the small business community.

But we want to do more to support the small business community. We are determined to improve the quality and consistency of support to small business by providing easier access to a new, improved and more consistent range of services. I plan to announce details soon.

The Scottish Executive's Scottish corporate sector figures are produced by the Government Statistical Service using data from the Office for National Statistics' Inter Departmental Business Register, the Labour Force Survey and the Inland Revenue's Survey for Personal Income.

Scottish Executive estimates of size of businesses in 1997 and 1998 were published in Scottish Economic Statistics (table 2.1) in January 2000. This publication is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), or from the Scottish Executive website (www.scotland.gov.uk).

For very small companies, the sizebands are given for 0, 1-4 and 5-9 employees. It should be noted that the zero sizeband figures include estimates from the Labour Force Survey and the Inland Revenue's Survey for Personal Income.

No specific assessment has been undertaken. The Homelessness Task Force, which I chair, is taking a wide-ranging look at the underlying nature and causes of homelessness and as part of our programme of work we will be considering youth homelessness and benefit issues. Responsibility for the payment of benefit is a matter for the Department of Social Security, which is represented on the task force.

The Scottish Executive requires that a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is completed before introducing any legislation which will have a significant impact upon business. This document, which must be included in any consultation, addresses the cost to business both in terms of compliance costs and any other costs incurred. The Executive recognises that regulatory burdens can have a disproportionate effect on small businesses. Consequently, the RIA as with all Executive policy begins from the "think small first" position and includes the "small business litmus test" to ensure the particular interests of small businesses are to the fore when developing policy.

The Scottish Executive has committed itself to tackling any unnecessary legislative burden on business. The Improving Regulation in Scotland (IRIS) unit has organised a number of events around Scotland where the business community has the opportunity to raise its regulatory concerns direct with the Executive. This is just one stage in what is a continuing dialogue between the Executive and business. In particular, small businesses and their needs are at the core of all discussions and the Executive will consider any action required in the light of this dialogue.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide range of issues, including the UK patent system. The existing UK patent system already provides for accelerated processing leading to the grant of a patent in as little as 10 months. This service is available for any applicant who requests it and is not limited or focused on SMEs.

The Scottish Executive is committed to reducing the burden on businesses caused by unnecessary legislation. The Improving Regulation in Scotland unit has a continuing dialogue with businesses and pursues any regulatory concerns they raise.