To ask the Scottish Executive how many people over 65 died in hospital in each of the last three years, broken down by health board area and by cause of death, and what the average length of stay in hospital before death was. The latest available information on the number of patients aged 65 and over who died in NHS in Scotland hospitals in 1996-7, 1997-8 and 1998-9, and the mean length of stay in hospital before death, by health board area of residence, is set out in Tables 1-3.