Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20532 on 3 March 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20532 on 3 March 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

There have been four deaths in total as detailed below:

NHS Board	No of Isolates	No of Deaths
Ayrshire and Arran	4	1 (Contributory factor)
Fife	2	1 (Contributory factor)
Grampian	1	None
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	4	1 (Contributory factor)
Highland	1	None
Lothian	2	1 (Contributory factor)
Tayside	2	None
Total	16	4

 

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20532 on 3 March 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

This question concerns statistics and government support for the marine industry. This includes such industries as sea fishing, aquaculture, ports, shipping, marine boat and ship building.

Scotland''s Seas: Towards Understanding their State, published in April 2008, contains an analysis of economic activity in the marine environment. Table 5.3 in Chapter 5 (page 117) (Bib. number 45262), on Productive Seas, contains the first overall assessment of the economic value and associated employment of Scotland''s seas and summarises the economic value and employment for a range of marine-related industry. The report highlights that the seas generate around £2.2 billion of marine-industry activity (excluding offshore oil and gas extraction activity) and provide approximately 50,000 jobs in Scotland. The Scottish Government does not have readily available separate figures on leisure, commercial and defence work.

From an alternative source, the number of enterprises in Scotland, following the same categories as table 5.3 in Scotland''s Seas are in the following table:

Number of Enterprises¹ in the Marine-Related Industries in Scotland

Industry	Enterprises
Sea fishing	1,695
Fish farming	160
Service activities incidental to oil and gas extraction	175
Processing and preserving of fish and fish products	150
Building and repairing of ships and boats	160
Construction of water projects	20
Sea and coastal water transport	180
Total	2,545

Source: Scottish Government, Office of National Statistics (Inter Departmental Business Register) published October 2008.

Notes:

Totals may not equal the sum of the constituent parts due to rounding.

1. Excludes central and local government.

Government support, in terms of finance and in providing a framework in which industry can develop, is varied. For example:

1. The Wave and Tidal Energy Scheme (WATES) comprises of £13 million in capital support for the development of marine renewable technologies. Scotland is establishing the precedent of offering higher revenue support for marine renewable technologies through its Renewables Obligation. The £10 million Saltire Prize aims to accelerate the commercial deployment of wave and tidal devices. The Scottish Government has created one of the world''s largest ever innovation prizes to stimulate global innovation in these technologies. Scottish Government is also supporting the growth of the marine renewable industry through FREDS Marine Energy Group (MEG) and the Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group.

2. The principal financial support mechanism for the fishing, processing and aquaculture sectors is provided through the European Fisheries Fund. The current programme allocation administered by Scottish Government between 2007 and 2013 is worth approximately £50 million in capital support. This fund underpins Government support for specific industry strategy and policy initiatives such as the Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture and the strategic direction given to the fishing sector by the Scottish Fisheries Council.

3. Support has been provided by RSA Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and its former Local Enterprise Companies to both naval and civil shipbuilders. Over £8 million worth of grants have been awarded for a variety of initiatives to create and safeguard jobs, to improve the various businesses and to up-skill the workforces. The Scottish Government and its agencies are working actively with the shipbuilding and boat building industry to consolidate and to further develop Scotland''s position in this area. Scottish Enterprise is developing an industry strategy for Aerospace, Defence and Marine which is being led and informed by a newly-formed industry advisory group.

4. This government''s overarching Purpose is to increase sustainable economic growth in Scotland and, through our Government Economic Strategy, we have identified Scotland''s fisheries as a major component of our food and drink sector and as an area where government is focused on creating the right environment for increased competitiveness and growth.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) are now undertaking a study that will confirm the strains of Clostridium difficile that are present across NHSScotland and their associated morbidity and mortality.

The outcomes from this study will be reported in spring 2010.

I refer the member to the answer to S3W-20033 on 29 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions can be found on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

It has also been publicly reported through Health Protection Scotland since December 2007 “ and further information is available on the Health Protection Scotland website by accessing the following link: http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/hai/sshaip/publications/cdad/2007-12-20-ar-cdad.pdf.

In the first instance, this is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It is right that the board consider options to maintain and develop modern, efficient and effective laboratory services in the best interests of patients, and that these options are subject to appropriate engagement with stakeholders.

Any decision to close existing laboratory services at the Vale of Leven Hospital would ultimately be subject to my approval and I would have to be convinced by robust evidence that such a move was in the best interests of patients and local people.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19517 on 19 January 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I expect to publish a composite response to all five of the action groups, including the Accountability and Governance Action Group, shortly.

Patients in care homes are treated by GPs, just as any other member of the public in the community would be, therefore this information is not held centrally. Given the importance of the care home sector, the HAI Task Force is taking forward a specific action to explore surveillance of healthcare associated infection (HAI) with the Independent Care Home Sector and how it can best be applied. To assist care homes in their understanding of HAI, the Scottish Government''s Health Directorates have funded a Nurse Consultant in an HAI post. The post-holder took up post beginning of February.