Chamber and committees

Information collatedcentrally by NHS National Services Scotland on prescribed doses of drugs is measuredusing the average maintenance dose of a drug as used in adults. This unit of measurementis based on advice from the World Health Organization. It is not possible to extractfrom that data the number of doses of Ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) prescribedexclusively for children.NHS National Services Scotland website carries generalinformation about drugs used in the treatment of Attention Deficit HyperactivityDisorder (ADHD). This information can be found at www.isdscotland.org.

More generally, inrelation to the management of ADHD, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland is currentlyundertaking a national audit of the care and treatment provided throughout Scotland for children with ADHD, including the use of drug therapy.The report of this exercise is due to be published in March 2008.

The safety of medicinesis reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products RegulatoryAgency (MHRA). Reports of suspectedadverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the MHRA and Commission for HumanMedicines (CHM) through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme.The safety of all marketed drugs is continually monitored by the MHRA and CHM. TheMHRA has provided the following information:

The number of suspectedADR reports received by the MHRA for children aged 0-17 years from 1 July 1963 (when the Yellow Card Scheme was introduced) to 15 June 2007 inclusive for methyphendidate is 588. This figure includesreports received from the whole of the UK.

It is important tonote that the submission of a suspected ADR report does not necessarily mean thatit was caused by the drug. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessingcausal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution ofconcomitant medication and the underlying disease. Additionally, the use of medicinesmay vary between different age groups.

It is not possibleto extract from prescription data collated centrally by NHS National Services Scotlandthe number of doses of Risperdal (risperidone) prescribed exclusively for children.

Methylphenidate hydrochloridehas been licensed in the UK as part of a comprehensive treatment programmefor attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in children aged six yearsand older since 1988. Ritalin, a brand nameof the drug substance methylphenidate hydrochloride, was first authorised in the UK on 31 October 1997.

Risperdal is not licensedfor use in children. However, clinicians can use drugs off-license i.e. outsidetheir licensed indications, if they consider that treatment to be the most appropriatefor an individual patient. In these circumstances the clinician takes personal responsibilityfor the use of the drug.

There is a legal obligationfor students who became liable for the Graduate Endowment on or before 1 April 2007 to pay it and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland will continue to pursue those who have not paid.

Forestry CommissionScotland (and its agency Forest Enterprise Scotland) is followingan approach which was recommended in the Scottish Red Squirrel Action Plan2006-11.

The plan recommendedthat targeted control of grey squirrels to contain the spread of the squirrelpoxvirus should be carried out by Grey Squirrel Control Officers, undertaking controlon both the national forest estate and private woods. Two such officers are alreadyin place in the area affected by squirrelpox.

Varroa is now endemicin Scotland. Beekeepers, as with all other keepers oflivestock, have a duty of care to treat their hives should they discover varroainfestation. Scottish Government funds the Scottish Agricultural Science Agencyto provide a free diagnostic service to beekeepers and the Scottish Agriculture College to provide free advice, training and education to beekeepers throughoutScotland on all aspects of integrated pest managementand good bee husbandry in the control of varroa.

The number of apiariesinfected with varroa during the last five years by region is as follows:

Region	Number of Positive Apiaries
	2003	2004	2005	2006
Highland	27	6	32	26
Strathclyde (including Islay)	18	21	14	24
Lothian	10	16	20	15
Borders	12	11	18	17
Dumfries and Galloway	37	17	12	11
Grampian	14	16	11	7
Tayside	29	24	12	6
Central	2	1	5	6
Fife	15	7	4	4
Orkney	0	0	0	0
Total	164	119	128	116

 

In 2007, up to 8 June,there have been 44 apiaries diagnosed with varroa. Unfortunately this informationhas not yet been broken down by region. All figures may include an element of doublecounting as a number of beekeepers submit samples on a regular basis, some of whichmay have already been diagnosed earlier in the year or in a previous year.

Scottish Natural Heritage(SNH) and the Forestry Commission Scotland have the lead responsibilities for deliveringmeasures to promote conservation of red squirrel populations in Scotland.

SNH currently employstwo grey squirrel controllers in the affected area in south Scotland. These wereimmediately re-deployed to intensify removal of grey squirrels in and around theaffected location near Lockerbie when the first infected red squirrel was found.