Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-28109

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 22 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for patients before entering a methadone maintenance treatment programme in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Average waiting times are notregarded as a particularly effective measure of the availability and efficiencyof drug services. Rather, the information compiled by Alcohol and Drug Action Teams(ADATs) and submitted to Information Services Division specifies the number of peoplewho wait for less than a week, less than two weeks and so forth, for different typesof intervention. Table 1 presents information on the length of time waited, by NHSboard area, for (a) clients who have received prescribed drug intervention (whichincludes methadone maintenance programmes) and (b) clients who are still waitingfor prescribed drug intervention for the period January – March 2006, the most recentperiod for which comprehensive data is available.

Alcohol and Drug Action Teamssend aggregated data to the Information Services Division (ISD) on a quarterly basis.Reports from this data may be viewed on http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/wtpilot/reports.htm.

Table 1a: Prescribed Drug Treatment– Number of Clients Seen, January to March 2006

Time Waited NHS Board	<7 d	8-14d	15-21d	22-28d	5-8 wks	9-12 wks	13-26 wks	27-52 wks	52+ wks	Total
Argyll and Clyde	37	1	2	1	2	1	0	0	0	44
Ayrshire/Arran	34	5	7	0	1	0	0	0	0	47
Borders	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
Dumfries and Galloway	31	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	35
Fife	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	19
Forth Valley
Greater Glasgow	85	13	7	1	6	0	1	0	0	113
Grampian	78	18	7	1	3	0	0	0	0	107
Highland	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11
Lanarkshire	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6
Lothian	63	9	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	74
Orkney	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shetland	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8
Tayside	15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15
Western Isles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Scotland	383	53	24	3	14	2	1	0	0	480

Table 1b: Prescribed Drug Treatment– Number of Clients Waiting at end of Quarter, January to March 2006

Time Waited NHS Board	<7 d	8-14d	15-21d	22-28d	5-8 wks	9-12 wks	13-26 wks	27-52 wks	52+ wks	Total
Argyll and Clyde	2	1	3	2	13	12	22	58	26	139
Ayrshire/Arran	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	4	4	12
Borders	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dumfries and Galloway	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	5
Fife	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	9
Forth Valley
Greater Glasgow	3	3	1	1	3	3	23	36	24	97
Grampian	1	0	0	0	2	0	4	5	0	12
Highland	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2
Lanarkshire	0	1	0	0	1	0	2	9	10	23
Lothian	7	6	2	1	5	4	8	13	7	53
Orkney	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shetland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tayside	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2
Western Isles	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3
Scotland	16	13	6	4	26	19	63	127	83	357

Notes:

1. Prescribed drug treatmentincludes detoxification, maintenance or reduction programmes, and is defined asthe prescribing of a substitute drug, (e.g. methadone, lofexidine, subutex) forfacilitating the complete cessation of the use of illicit drugs, controlling withdrawalsymptoms or reducing illicit drug use. GP prescriptions are not included in thisdata.

2. The waiting time is measuredfrom the date a decision is made regarding what is the appropriate treatment forthe client to the first date offered for beginning the treatment.

3. Information is collected byADAT rather than NHS board area. Lothian, Grampian and Tayside figures are thereforean aggregate of the Local Authority based ADATs in their area. Argyll and ClydeADAT is still in operation; no information is available on the new Greater Glasgowand Clyde NHS Board or Highland and Bute NHS Board.

4. Forth Valley, Midlothian (Lothian)and Perth and Kinross (Tayside) Alcohol and Drug Action Teams were unable to provideinformation for January – March 2006 due to technical problems.

Question reference: S2W-28337

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 22 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many out-patients waited for (a) less than three months, (b) less than six months, (c) less than nine months, (d) less than 12 months and (e) 12 months or more for an NHS appointment in each year since 1998, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S2W-28333

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 22 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patients waited for (a) less than three months, (b) less than six months, (c) less than nine months, (d) less than 12 months and (e) 12 months or more for an NHS appointment in each year since 1998, broken down by speciality.

Question reference: S2W-28334

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 22 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patients waited for (a) less than three months, (b) less than six months, (c) less than nine months, (d) less than 12 months and (e) 12 months or more for an NHS appointment in each year since 1998, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S2W-28246

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 22 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, in terms of the total amount collected via water charges, what the split will be between domestic and non-domestic water charge payers in the each of the next two years and what the equalivalent figures were in each of the last five years.

The historical information soughtmay be found in the annual accounts published by Scottish Water and its predecessororganisations, for each of the financial years in question. Copies of the accounts may be found in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre the relevant Bib. numbers are:

Financial Year	North of Scotland Water Authority	East of Scotland Water Authority	West of Scotland Water Authority
2001-02	24607	24610	24612

Financial Year	Scottish Water
2002-03	28754
2003-04	33541
2004-05	36848
2005-06	39906

Estimates for future years canbe found on page 59 of Scottish Water’s Delivery Plan for 2006-10, which can befound on Scottish Water’s website at: http://www.scottishwater.co.uk.

Question reference: S2W-28212

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) consultant-led and (b) midwife-led maternity units are being considered for closure.

Question reference: S2W-28213

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many paediatric units are (a) being downgraded and (b) having in-patient facilities reduced.

Question reference: S2W-27895

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2006
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 21 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff have been employed by VisitScotland and what its staff costs have been in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) department and (b) salary band.

The number of full timeequivalent staff employed by VisitScotland in each year since 1999 along withtheir associated costs is shown in the following table:

Year	Staff Numbers	Staff Costs (£000)
1999-00	193	4,687
2000-01	199	5,176
2001-02	215	5,666
2002-03	211	5,767
2003-04	197	5,789
2004-05	218	7,078

A breakdown of staff costsby department and salary band would not be consistent over the period as aresult of the restructuring of VisitScotland which took place in 2001-02 whenchanges were made to both the department and salary grading structures of the Scottish Tourist Board.

Figures for 2004-05 includethe staff costs of the transition project to merge VisitScotland with the 14area tourist boards, which was implemented in April 2005. Figures for 2005-06will not be available until VisitScotland publishes its audited accounts laterin the year.

Question reference: S2W-28107

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 20 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many local sport strategies it has promoted in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-28210

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 20 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many companies (a) failed and (b) reduced operations in each of the last five years as a result of problems paying business rates, broken down by local authority area.

Chamber and committees