Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-19763

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 3 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the current value of the drugs trade.

Question reference: S2W-19917

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 3 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered (a) day nurseries, (b) childminders, (c) playgroups and (d) out-of-school clubs there were in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Information about (a) day nurseries, (c) playgroups and (d) out-of-school clubs is available broken down by local authority for 2003-05 inclusive, and nationally for 2001 and 2002. Information about registered childminders is available for years 2003-04 inclusive. This information is presented in the following tables 1 to 4.

Table 1: Number of Day-Nurseries in Scotland by Local Authority, 2001-05

	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Aberdeen City			113	118	114
Aberdeenshire			112	114	119
Angus			70	67	68
Argyll and Bute			68	70	68
Clackmannanshire			28	27	23
Dumfries and Galloway			66	64	70
Dundee City			59	61	57
East Ayrshire			42	41	40
East Dunbartonshire			38	43	43
East Lothian			51	45	47
East Renfrewshire			28	29	26
Edinburgh City			234	246	246
Eilean Siar			8	7	10
Falkirk			59	68	69
Fife			164	149	145
Glasgow City			239	256	257
Highland			178	178	180
Inverclyde			32	38	40
Midlothian			34	38	40
Moray			34	32	41
North Ayrshire			64	64	66
North Lanarkshire			122	139	138
Orkney Islands			19	21	21
Perth and Kinross			76	77	78
Renfrewshire			74	75	77
Scottish Borders			67	68	70
Shetland Islands			23	24	26
South Ayrshire			42	47	49
South Lanarkshire			147	130	129
Stirling			41	46	45
West Dunbartonshire			37	36	37
West Lothian			74	73	75
Unknown					3
Scotland	2,227	2,244	2,443	2,491	2,517

Notes:

2004 information from the 2004 Pre-school and Childcare Census.

2003 information from the 2003 Census of Childrens Daycare and Pre-school Education Centres.

2002 information from the 2002 Census of Childrens Daycare and Pre-school Education Centres.

A small number of services reported may not be registered.

Table 2: Number of Registered Childminders in Scotland by Local Authority, 2003-05.

	2003	2004	2005
Aberdeen City	259	261	221
Aberdeenshire	549	364	423
Angus	235	208	202
Argyll and Bute	108	138	113
Clackmannanshire	62	54	55
Dumfries and Galloway	134	134	139
Dundee City	150	135	146
East Ayrshire	157	185	172
East Dunbartonshire	66	137	144
East Lothian	167	152	135
East Renfrewshire	161	159	151
Edinburgh City	313	294	416
Eilean Siar	50	47	45
Falkirk	104	281	182
Fife	612	535	553
Glasgow City	294	284	223
Highland	515	479	404
Inverclyde	80	78	76
Midlothian	117	104	104
Moray	134	135	161
North Ayrshire	124	132	144
North Lanarkshire	194	193	242
Orkney Islands	31	30	40
Perth and Kinross	182	241	241
Renfrewshire	153	138	123
Scottish Borders	212	189	174
Shetland Islands	58	55	43
South Ayrshire	163	174	154
South Lanarkshire	259	322	273
Stirling	212	192	159
West Dunbartonshire	61	61	56
West Lothian	295	274	260
Unknown			126
Scotland	6,211	6,165	6,100

Notes:

2005 information provided by the Care Commission. Figures relate to 1 February 2005.

2004 information from the 2004 Childminder Survey. Information provided is based on a sample survey.

2003 information from the 2003 Childminder Survey. Information provided is based on a sample survey.

Table 3: Number of Playgroups in Scotland by Local Authority, 2001-05

	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Aberdeen City			50	44	35
Aberdeenshire			102	103	100
Angus			36	28	27
Argyll and Bute			35	39	23
Clackmannanshire			12	13	4
Dumfries and Galloway			44	39	40
Dundee City			14	10	8
East Ayrshire			20	20	18
East Dunbartonshire			17	17	15
East Lothian			23	19	18
East Renfrewshire			20	15	15
Edinburgh City			83	73	59
Eilean Siar			34	33	32
Falkirk			20	18	17
Fife			72	60	50
Glasgow City			68	56	28
Highland			99	91	76
Inverclyde			8	7	7
Midlothian			16	13	13
Moray			56	52	48
North Ayrshire			25	23	19
North Lanarkshire			40	48	18
Orkney Islands			4	4	5
Perth and Kinross			35	34	30
Renfrewshire			19	9	10
Scottish Borders			33	35	33
Shetland Islands			9	10	10
South Ayrshire			20	19	14
South Lanarkshire			66	45	32
Stirling			21	24	21
West Dunbartonshire			9	8	5
West Lothian			35	34	30
Unknown					1
Scotland	1,391	1,198	1,145	1,043	861

Notes:

2004 information from the 2004 Pre-school and Childcare Census.

2003 information from the 2003 Census of Childrens Daycare and Pre-school Education Centres.

2002 information from the 2002 Census of Childrens Daycare and Pre-school Education Centres.

A small number of services reported may not be registered.

Table 4: Number of Out of School Clubs in Scotland by Local Authority, 2001-05

	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Aberdeen City			67	71	54
Aberdeenshire			35	43	45
Angus			16	21	23
Argyll and Bute			17	17	15
Clackmannanshire			13	14	11
Dumfries and Galloway			23	21	25
Dundee City			22	27	27
East Ayrshire			16	13	16
East Dunbartonshire			28	33	32
East Lothian			22	21	23
East Renfrewshire			20	22	26
Edinburgh City			104	117	120
Eilean Siar			8	6	8
Falkirk			20	22	24
Fife			72	60	64
Glasgow City			148	161	148
Highland			32	30	39
Inverclyde			5	18	13
Midlothian			14	16	17
Moray			13	13	13
North Ayrshire			33	36	32
North Lanarkshire			45	46	45
Orkney Islands			2	3	2
Perth and Kinross			25	28	34
Renfrewshire			44	37	38
Scottish Borders			22	27	35
Shetland Islands			10	10	8
South Ayrshire			21	23	23
South Lanarkshire			62	43	49
Stirling			20	22	23
West Dunbartonshire			20	17	23
West Lothian			28	28	23
Unknown					1
Scotland	434	465	1,027	1,066	1,079

Notes:

2004 information from the 2004 Pre-school and Childcare Census.

2003 information from the 2003 Census of Childrens Daycare and Pre-school Education Centres.

2002 information from the 2002 Census of Childrens Daycare and Pre-school Education Centres.

A small number of services reported may not be registered.

Question reference: S2W-19919

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many hip replacement operations were carried out in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of total hip replacement operations carried out in each of the last five years in NHSScotland. Data is presented for both the total number of operations and the number of principal operations.

Number of Total Hip Replacement Operations (Total and Principal) Carried Out in NHSScotland - Years Ending 31 March 2001-05

Year ending 31 March	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Operations performed	5,127	5,067	5,184	5,598	5,681
Principal operations¹	5,013	4,953	5,081	5,484	5,583

Note: Individual patients may have more than one hip replacement procedure recorded during an episode in hospital. For instance, this situation could arise in cases where a patient has both hips replaced during a single episode. This explains why there are small differences in the total and principal operation counts.

Question reference: S2W-19910

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been (a) refused NHS treatment because of residential status and (b) declined such treatment because they were told that there would be a charge under the regulations relating to overseas visitors.

The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Scotland) Regulations 1989, as amended, lay down the grounds under which an overseas visitor will be eligible for NHS care. Any visitor who does not meet one of these grounds must be charged. Since individuals seeking care usually approach GPs, dentists, opticians or hospitals directly the Executive does not hold records of those who have been refused NHS treatment, whether or not they then paid for private treatment.

Question reference: S2W-19760

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 2 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the largest single legal aid payment has been since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-19883

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-17475 by Mr Andy Kerr on 28 July 2005, what the average call back time for NHS 24 has been in each month since May 2005.

At all times, clinically urgent calls are dealt with immediately by NHS 24 nurse advisers. During peak times, less clinically urgent calls are prioritised and the service endeavours to achieve call back by a nurse adviser within specified target times – 60 minutes for Priority 1 calls and 120 minutes for Priority 2 calls. The table shows the average call back time each month from May 2005 until September 2005.

Month	Average Time to Call Back (Minutes)
May 2005	49
June 2005	47
July 2005	52
August 2005	37
September 2005	36

Question reference: S2W-19952

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19656 by Mr Andy Kerr on 20 October 2005, whether it will provide figures for the country of qualification in each year since 1999, broken down by country.

In answer to the question S2W-19656 Mr Stevenson was advised that figures of nurses and midwives recruited to NHSScotland are not held centrally. This information was requested from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) who advised that they are unable to provide numbers based on country of origin. The NMC regard this information as irrelevant as an international nurse either meets the NMC standards or not and there should be no discrimination for selection for an overseas nurses programme (ONP) based upon country of origin.

The table below shows the number of HCHS medical and dental staff by country of qualification at 30 September in each year since 1999. Latest figures are at 30 September 2004.

NHSScotland Workforce Statistics, HCHS Medical and Dental Staff by Country of Qualification, Headcount as at 30 September

	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999
Total	10,608	10,381	10,256	9,646	9,325	9,273
Scotland	7,034	7,004	6,974	6,552	6,343	6,306
Other UK/UK Unspecified	1,530	1,533	1,518	1,486	1,459	1,433
Other EEA Countries¹	394	375	375	371	360	390
Rest of World	1,650	1,469	1,389	1,237	1,163	1,144

Notes:

HCHS refers to the Hospital, Community and Public Health Services of the NHS.

1. European Economic Area (EEA) countries includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Sweden.

It is important to note that this data does not reflect where this group of staff were recruited from, particularly numbers outwith the UK, if indeed they were actively recruited. Inward and outward migration is a global trend and although the Scottish Executive is shortly going to introduce a Code of Practice for international recruitment of healthcare professionals encouraging ethical and efficient recruitment practices, suitably qualified and registered individuals from any country are at liberty to attain a career within NHSScotland and improve their position in society.

Question reference: S2W-19764

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 2 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug traffickers have been (a) caught and (b) convicted since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-19620

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 2 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many female offenders convicted or sentenced in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005 at (i) all sheriff summary courts, (ii) Glasgow Sheriff Summary Court, (iii) Edinburgh Sheriff Summary Court and (iv) Glasgow Stipendiary Court received a (1) resultant custodial sentence, excluding those defaulting on a fine, or (2) fine.

The information currently available for 2003 is given in the table.

Females Given a Custodial Sentence or Fined in Selected Courts, 2003¹

Courts	Main Result of Proceedings
	Custody	Fine
Glasgow Lay District and Stipendiary Magistrates Courts²	65	1,067
Glasgow Sheriff Summary Court	65	331
Edinburgh Sheriff Summary Court	125	607
All Sheriff Summary Courts	945	5,353

Notes:

1. Includes estimated data.

2. Cases in the Glasgow lay district and stipendiary magistrates courts are not generally identifiable separately in the statistics for 2003.

Figures for 2004-05 are not yet available.

Question reference: S2W-19761

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 1 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what quantities of drugs have been recovered since 1999, broken drown by drug type.