Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-07960

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were diagnosed with vertebral compression fractures in each NHS board area in the last year for which information is available, broken down by gender.

It is not possible to answer the question fully from central records. It is likely that patients will receive treatment for this condition in a range of clinical settings (primary care, accident and emergency and hospital) but currently only hospital admission data provides information to identify it specifically.

The number of patients admitted to a Scottish NHS hospital with a specific diagnosis of vertebral compression fracture in the financial year ending 31 March 2011 is shown in the following table.

Number of Patients¹ Treated in Scottish NHS Hospitals with a Specific Diagnosis of Vertebral Compression Fracture. Financial Year Ending 31 March 2011

NHS Board of Residence	Male	Female	Total
All Scottish residents	140	336	476
NHS Ayrshire and Arran^P	14	27	41
NHS Borders	1	5	6
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	4	13	17
NHS Fife	8	28	36
NHS Forth Valley	3	7	10
NHS Grampian^P	3	17	20
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	34	81	115
NHS Highland	7	15	22
NHS Lanarkshire^p	7	26	33
NHS Lothian	43	90	133
NHS Orkney Islands	1	2	3
NHS Shetland Islands	-	1	1
NHS Tayside	13	23	36
NHS Western Isles	2	1	3
Non Scottish residents/ unknown	1	1	2

^PProvisional - Due to the implementation of new patient management systems by some NHS boards there is known data incompleteness for NHS Grampian, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Ayrshire and Arran. Figures may increase in future revisions.

- denotes zero (0).Source: ISD SMR01.

Note: 1. patients may have more than one episode in a given year.

Question reference: S4W-08031

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what systems are in place to ensure that pupils removed from school in one area have their school records transferred to their new education authority when they move.

Question reference: S4W-07961

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many balloon kyphoplasty operations were carried out in each NHS board area in the last year for which information is available.

The number of balloon kyphoplasty operations carried out by the NHS in Scotland in the financial year ending 31 March 2011 is shown in the following table.

Number of Balloon Kyphoplasty Operations Carried Out by NHS Boards in Scotland. Financial Year Ending 31 March 2011.

NHS Board of treatment	No. of Operations
All NHS Boards	5
NHS Ayrshire and Arran^P	-
NHS Borders	-
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	-
NHS Fife	-
NHS Forth Valley	1
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	-
Golden Jubilee National Hospital	-
NHS Grampian^P	2
NHS Highland	-
NHS Lanarkshire^P	-
NHS Lothian	-
NHS Orkney	-
NHS Shetland	-
NHS Tayside	2
NHS Western Isles	-

^PProvisional - Due to the implementation of new patient management systems by some NHS boards there is known data incompleteness for NHS Grampian, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Ayrshire and Arran. Figures may increase in future revisions.

Source: ISD SMR01.

Note: -Denotes zero (0).

Question reference: S4W-08005

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its recent exercise to recruit volunteers to the Children's Hearings System attracted the requisite number of responses from male candidates.

Yes. The 2011-12 Children's Hearings recruitment campaign was the most successful to date, delivering a greater number of responses overall, including a 30% increase in male respondents, realising improved cost efficiencies for a sixth year in a row and representing excellent value for money.

Last month the campaign received a Gold Award at the Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards in the “charity and cause related” category. This was recognition, from industry peers, that the campaign represented the highest standards of excellence in creativity, cost effectiveness and planning.

Question reference: S4W-08104

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in each NHS board area were diagnosed with wet macular degeneration in the last year for which information is available.

Question reference: S4W-08026

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it has given to Veterans Scotland in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S4W-08024

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the action plans that are in place for specific diseases.

All of our disease specific Action Plans can be found on the publications page of the Scottish Government website which can be accessed at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent.

Currently we have the following live action plans which are disease specific:

The Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan.

The Diabetes Action Plan.

Better Cancer Care.

Scotland’s Dementia Strategy.

Tuberculosis Action Plan.

HIV Action Plan.

All of our disease specific Action Plans are fully aligned to our Quality Strategy to ensure that they deliver safe, effective and truly person centred care for people living with these conditions in Scotland. Information on the Quality Strategy can be accessed via the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/NHSQuality

Question reference: S4W-08027

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive which projects have received funding and how much money each has received from the Scottish Veterans Fund in each of the last five years.

Organisations that have received Scottish Government grant funding from the Scottish Veterans Fund since its introduction in 2007-08 are as follows:-

Financial Year

Organisation

Project

Award

2008 - 09

Veterans Scotland	Funding for Veterans Awareness Day	£2200
Veterans Scotland	To organise a Thanksgiving Service for the lives of Service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan	£5500
Freight Agency	Commission a book aimed at school children and young people to communicate the experiences of veterans returning from conflict	£7800
Erskine	Research into the needs of Service personnel returning from active service	£8000
Poppy Scotland/Scottish Association for Mental Health	Commission a report to gain better understanding of alcohol dependency issues as they relate to veterans	£9000
Scottish Association for Mental Health/Combat Stress	To provide a practical veterans guide to those agencies working with mental health difficulties	£9500
Scottish Poverty Information Unit	Commission a report to collect baseline information on the financial situation and wellbeing of veterans in Scotland	£9500
Lady Haig Poppy Factory	Ventilation system for the factory	£9500
Scottish Veterans Residences	To build a new website with a focus on housing for Service leavers	£9500
First Base Agency	Pilot project of improvement for Service personnel with drug dependency as a result of being unable to cope with civilian life	£9500

2009 - 10

Gardening Leave	To train a fully qualified horticultural therapist	£3000
Gordon Highlanders Museum	To hold workshops to give children a better understanding of veterans affairs	£4500
Officers Association Scotland	To run a pilot scheme for a bespoke service assisting transition to civvy street	£4500
Poppy Scotland/Blake Stevenson	For research into employment needs of disabled veterans	£5750
Veterans Scotland	Bi-annual newsletter and directory for veterans	£9000
Cadet Training Centre Inverness	Trip to Normandy for 12 cadets and 4 veterans carrying the baton of Remembrance to celebrate the D-Day landings with presentations on return	£2500
Poppy Scotland	A 3 year educational programme for children 3 - 18yrs on the importance of remembrance and the main issues facing veterans today	£10000
Erskine	Development of web-based CMS system	£9000
Holybush House	To set up and support a carers support website	£3500
Combat Stress	A one year fixed-term contract Assistant Psychologist	£10000
Officers Association Scotland	To gain accreditation in coaching	£4500
Scottish Veterans Residences	To covert the games room at Whiteford House into a resource and IT centre for use by veterans	£7500
Erskine	Start up costs fro Pathfinder initiative	£4750
Combat Stress	To fund the 90th anniversary service at St Giles Cathedral on 14 May 2009	£1500

2010 - 11

Veterans Scotland	Complete the Veterans Scotland e-Hub following update work carried out on member sites	£9000
Poppy Scotland/ Citizens Advice Scotland ASAP Project	To develop a booklet which will complement the e-learning tool being developed for advisers working in Citizens Advice Bureaus	£6150
Lady Haig Poppy Factory	To support the interactive mobile museum used to educate school children on remembrance and ongoing problems affecting veterans	£7000
Poppy Scotland	Conference to highlight the problems of employment facing disabled and vulnerable veterans	£7950
Poppy Scotland	Sowing the Seed Phase 3 educational pack for school teachers on the subject of remembrance	£10000
Scottish Veterans Residences	Remembrance service to celebrate 125 years of service to veterans	£1250
Mark Wright Project	Funding for the physical activity outdoor programme designed to help veterans in accessing healthy outdoor activities	£9900
Thistle Foundation	Funding for veterans lifestyle management courses to improve the health and wellbeing of veterans through participation	£10000
Erskine	Funding to support a pilot scheme offering supported transition for Service leavers utilising 5 new properties at Erskine	£10000
Royal British Legion Scotland	Project and competition for schools centred around war memorials	£7250
Royal British Legion Scotland	Funding to publicise a scheme to fund travel and subsistence costs of non-next of kin to visit seriously wounded Servicemen/women being treated in MDHU England	£1500

2011 - 12

Firm Base Agency	The carnsallaoch walled garden	£8160
Stirling University/Erskine	Dementia research to improve the quality of care for veterans in Scotland	£10000
Scottish Society For The Employment of Ex-Regular Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen	Training provision specifically aimed at vulnerable early Service leavers life skills awareness	£1000
Scottish Society For The Employment of Ex-Regular Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen /Borders New Way Partnership	Handbook to support veterans and families in the Borders	£4400
Glasgow Help For Heroes	Provision of services for veterans and their families not currently funded by local authorities or MOD	£10000
Mark Wright Project	Support training and employability for ex-services recruitment	£5000
Synergy Training	Funding for pilot employability programme for vulnerable veterans	£5000
Thistle Foundation	Veterans programme	£5000
Scottish Society For The Employment of Ex-Regular Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen /South Ayrshire Council	Veterans First Point South Ayrshire Phase 1 to cover areas which fall within the remit of the SVF	£6000
SSAFA Forces Help	Improved support to Scottish veterans through better training SSAFA case workers	£6000
Horseback UK	Veterans courses	£6000
Scottish Veterans Residences	Alcohol support pilot aimed at reducing the number of failed tenancies due to alcohol addiction and behavioural problems at SVR properties	£8000
Royal British Legion Scotland	Support for standard bearers and bands taking part in the Armed Forces Day national event 2011	£5440

2012 - 13

Tayforth Veterans Project Dundee	Assistance with set up costs for veterans drop in centre	£6000
First Base Agency	Assistance with costs associated with the provision of psychotherapy/counselling/acupuncture services in conjunction with local NHS	£6000
Officers Association Scotland	Funding for pilot scheme offering enhanced support to veterans finding it difficult to transit to civilian life	£6120
Gardening Leave	Funding for the provision of equipment to set up a new facility at SVR in Dundee	£2499
Thistle Foundation	Part funding for lifestyle management courses	£10000
Health in Mind	Assistance in providing hardware in support of additional facilities to help those with combat stress disorder to cope with their disability	£4400
Health in Mind	To provide training aids and support to children and families of those veterans affected by mental illness to better understand the condition	£10000
Apex	Funding for costs associated with setting up and running a facility for veterans leaving custody within the SPS	£9891
SSAFA Forces Help	To assist with costs associated with a conference to bring together SSAFA volunteers from across Scotland to advance their training and awareness of available services	£9359
Veterans Scotland	Housing research for forward planning of housing needs for veterans	£10000
Glasgow’s' Helping Heroes	Training veterans in accessing the job market	£5732

Question reference: S4W-08028

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many and (b) what percentage of (i) primary and (ii) secondary school pupils have had unauthorised absences in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S4W-07954

Asked by: Stewart Maxwell, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many under 16-year-olds have been prescribed Ritalin in each year since 2007, broken down by NHS board.

Chamber and committees