- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 16 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total area of Scotland is in square kilometres, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.
Answer
The total area of Scotland in square kilometres, extrapolated from the World Health Organization’s European Health for All database figure for the UK, is 79,861km2.
- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage unemployment rate was in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.
Answer
The World Health Organization’s European health for all database uses the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of unemployment and calculates the rate as the percentage of the economically active population.
Table 1: ILO Unemployment Rate1 (Seasonally Adjusted), Scotland
| | Unemployment Rate (%) |
| Spring 1999 | 7.4 |
| Spring 2000 | 7.6 |
| Spring 2001 | 5.8 |
| Spring 2002 | 6.9 |
| Spring 2003 | 5.5 |
| Spring 2004 | 6.1 |
Source: Labour Force Survey.
Notes: 1. Aged 16 and over.
- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the gross (a) national and (b) domestic product was in each year since 1999, expressed in US dollars per capita and calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.
Answer
(a) Gross National Product is not available for Scotland.
(b) Gross Domestic Product is not available for Scotland on this basis. However, an approximation can be calculated by applying Scotland’s ratio of UK GVA (Gross Value Added) per head to the figures published by WHO. This gives the following.
| | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| UK GDP per head ($US) | 24,890 | 24,556 | 24,219 | 26,400 |
| Scottish % of UK GVA per head | 95.8 | 95.2 | 94.4 | 94.6 |
| Estimated Scottish GDP per head ($US) | 23,845 | 23,377 | 22,863 | 24,974 |
Source: WHO European health for all database, ONS.
- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the labour force as a percentage of the population was in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.
Answer
The World Health Organization’s European health for all database defines the labour force as those who are economically active. The rate shown below is this total expressed as a percentage of the total population.
Table 1: Labour Force as a Percentage of the Total Population (Seasonally Adjusted), Scotland
| | Labour Force as a Percentage of the Population |
| Spring 1999 | 48.9 |
| Spring 2000 | 49.7 |
| Spring 2001 | 49.8 |
| Spring 2002 | 50.3 |
| Spring 2003 | 50.7 |
| Spring 2004 | 51.3 |
Source: Labour Force Survey Spring Quarter.
- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total fertility rate was in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.
Answer
Information on fertility trends in Scotland is available from the General Register Office for Scotland website. The member should note that this information is not calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.
www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/grosweb/grosweb.nsf/pages/02annual-report-chapter2#fig2.7.
- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 14 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the probability has been of dying between the ages of 15 and 59 years, expressed per 1,000 of the population, in each year since 1997, broken down by gender.
Answer
The information requested is given in the following table:
Deaths Aged 15 to 59, Scotland; Rates Per 1,000 Population
| | Males | Females |
| 1997 | 3.3 | 1.9 |
| 1998 | 3.3 | 1.8 |
| 1999 | 3.4 | 1.8 |
| 2000 | 3.2 | 1.8 |
| 2001 | 3.4 | 1.8 |
| 2002 | 3.4 | 1.8 |
| 2003 | 3.2 | 1.8 |
- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 8 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as part of its anti-poverty policies, it has any role or responsibility in respect of publishing information on reserved matters such as entitlement to benefits and, if so, what that role or responsibility is and, in particular, whether it has any such role or responsibility in respect of people in receipt of health care.
Answer
Benefits are a reserved matter and general responsibility for publishing information on entitlement therefore lies with the UK Government. However, as part of the Executive’s communications with the public on related matters, including health care we alert groups with specific support needs to financial support, including benefits that may be available to them. This is generally done by signposting people to more appropriate sources of advice.
- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 July 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 1 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road traffic fatalities were caused by the use of illegal drugs in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-9617 on 1 September 2004. 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/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 July 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 1 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many road traffic accidents in each of the last five years one of the drivers was under the influence of illegal drugs, broken down by police force area.
Answer
Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the Stats 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured; they do not cover damage only accidents.
The Stats 19 returns do not record the causes of the accidents. Under a pilot scheme, 14 police forces across Great Britain have been voluntarily submitting information on contributory factors to accidents along with their Stats 19 returns. However, it is not possible to use the pilot contributory factor data to provide figures which are representative of accidents in Scotland because only two police forces in Scotland took part in the scheme. I understand that the UK Government is analysing the pilot data and will publish an article later this year.
Starting in January 2005, the pilot scheme will be replaced by a new set of questions on contributory factors, which will form an integral part of the Stats 19 injury road accident reporting system. Information about contributory factors should thereafter be supplied by all police forces for personal injury accidents which are reported either (a) following attendance at the scene by a police officer or (b) by a member of the public to police staff at a police station. There will be a code to identify drivers who were “impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal)”.
UK Government research, published in 2000, into the incidence of drugs in fatal road accident victims, including drivers, riders, passengers and pedestrians, found traces of illegal drugs in 18% of the sample group and traces of medicinal drugs in a further 6%. The research also found traces of alcohol in 32% of the samples (22% of the samples being over the drink drive limit). The research report TRL495 is available on the TRL website at http://www.trl.co.uk/1024/mainpage.asp?page=141.
- Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 July 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 1 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to introduce drug testing kits for drivers.
Answer
Legislation relating to drugs and driving is the responsibility of the UK Government. Section 107 of and Schedule 7 to the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 provide powers for the police to require specimens for roadside screening for the presence of drugs. I understand that a type approval specification for roadside screening devices is currently in preparation.
