Chamber and committees

Information on recorded crimes in Scotland can be found via the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubRecordedCrime.

The Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: Second Annual Report does not estimate what impact the reduction in sales has had on crime.

The Scottish Government is committed to introducing minimum unit pricing in order to help tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland. A key component of minimum unit pricing is that it targets a reduction in consumption of alcohol which is cheap relative to its strength. This is significant because it is these alcoholic products which are favoured and consumed by hazardous and harmful drinkers. Minimum unit pricing would, therefore, affect hazardous and harmful drinkers more than moderate drinkers, in terms of the amount they drink, how much they spend and how much they benefit from reductions in harm.

The University of Sheffield modelling estimates that a 50 pence minimum unit price will result in a reduction in total crimes of 3,500 per annum. This is allocated differentially over drinker type with total crimes for moderate drinkers estimated to reduce by 800 per annum, for hazardous drinkers by 900 per annum, and for harmful drinkers by 1,700 per annum.

Data is not available estimating the reduction in absenteeism from work as a result of the reported reduction in consumption in the Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: Second Annual Report.

The University of Sheffield modelling estimates that a 50 pence minimum unit price will result in a reduction in absence days of 32,300 per annum. This is allocated differentially over drinker type with absence days for moderate drinkers estimated to reduce by 11,000 per annum, for hazardous drinkers by 8,900 per annum, and for harmful drinkers by 12,200 per annum.

<>Information on total alcohol-related hospital admissions can be found in the following report, Alcohol-related Hospital Statistics Report 2012 which is available on the following link: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Drugs-and-Alcohol-Misuse/Publications/2012-05-29/2012-05-29-alcoholhospitalstats2012-report.pdf.

The Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: second Annual Report does not estimate what impact the reduction in sales has had on harm, and sales data cannot be broken down by drinker type (moderate, hazardous or harmful).

The Scottish Government is committed to introducing minimum unit pricing in order to help tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland. A key component of minimum unit pricing is that it targets a reduction in consumption of alcohol which is cheap relative to its strength. This is significant because it is these alcoholic products which are favoured and consumed by hazardous and harmful drinkers. Minimum unit pricing would, therefore, affect hazardous and harmful drinkers more than moderate drinkers, in terms of the amount they drink, how much they spend and how much they benefit from reductions in harm.

The University of Sheffield modelling estimates that a 50 pence minimum unit price will result in a reduction in hospital admissions of 1,600 in year one, rising to 6,500 per annum in year ten of the policy. This is allocated differentially over drinker type with hospital admissions for moderate drinkers estimated to reduce by 400 in year one, rising to 700 per annum in year ten of the policy; a reduction of 500 in year one for hazardous drinkers, rising to 2,100 per annum in year ten; and a reduction of 700 in year one for harmful drinkers, rising to 3,600 per annum in year ten.

Data is not available estimating the reduction in unemployment as a result of the reported reduction in consumption in the Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: Second Annual Report.

The University of Sheffield modelling estimates that a 50 pence minimum unit price will result in 1,300 fewer unemployed per annum, and this comes solely from the harmful drinker type category.

In terms of recruitment into foundation and front line specialty training programme posts for 2013, we have maintained intake numbers at 2012 levels. While data for recruitment into foundation posts for 2013 will not be available for some time, recruitment into specialty training within the West Deanery, which encompasses NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, shows an overall fill rate of 84%. As normal, unfilled vacancies will be passed back to individual boards to recruit locally.

 It is important to emphasise that in planning their rotas individual boards should take proper account of the need to balance these with a mix of training and service posts to ensure safe and effective care is provided at all times. We have been assured by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that it is pursuing a range of options to avoid repetition of their 2012 difficulties, and I have requested that my officials stay in regular contact with the board as we move towards the August 2013 changeover period.

Proton beam therapy is currently provided by only a small number of treatment centres in the world. Access to high energy proton beam therapy for all appropriate patients in Scotland is managed through an agreed and confirmed referral pathway, through the UK panel on proton beam therapy. 15 patients from across Scotland were referred for proton beam therapy between 2008 and 2012. Due to the small number, data cannot be provided on a board-by-board basis due to patient confidentiality.

<>The Department of Health published proposals in October 2012 for the NHS to invest £250 million in building proton beam therapy facilities at the Christie Hospital in Manchester and University College London Hospital, to develop a UK proton beam therapy service. This summarises the evidence of benefits of proton therapy: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/10/proton-beam-therapy/.

With regard to current patients, due to the small numbers involved arrangements are in place on a UK-wide basis to collect, collate and report on outcomes for all UK patients, including children, who access proton beam therapy. The audit is ongoing, and it is expected that, given the long-term outcomes being measured, meaningful outcomes data will be available in 5 to 10 years.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-11879 on 22 January 2013. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government received the Final Report of the Statutory Evaluation into Health Board Elections and Alternative Pilots on 11 December 2012 from the London School of Economics. On 20 December 2012 the report and its supporting documents were placed in Scottish Parliament Information Centre and published on the Scottish Government website. The web links below will allow access to the documents.

1 Health Board Elections and Alternative Pilots: Final Report of the Statutory Evaluation

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/12/8580

2. Health Board Elections and Alternative Pilots: Research Findings Summary

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/12/1328

3. Health Board Elections and Alternative Pilots: Literature Review

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/12/3926

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-11879 on 22 January 2013. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.