- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scotland's university graduates graduated in science, engineering or related subjects in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answer
The information requested is detailed in the following table:Graduates and diplomates from Higher Education Institutions in Scotland
| 听 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 |
| All Graduates | 37,412 | 37,525 | 40,881 | 38,783 | 42,286 |
| No. Science Related | 10,175 | 9,606 | 9,871 | 9,469 | 9,554 |
| % Science Related* | 27.2% | 25.6% | 24.1% | 24.4% | 22.6% |
Source: HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency)* "Science Related" includes Engineering & Technology, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Maths & Computing
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why Scottish economic growth rates have failed to match UK growth rates in recent years.
Answer
Latest data show that quarterly growth in Scotland is broadly in line with the UK, although year on year growth is slower. Independent forecasters (BSL and Cambridge Econometrics) suggest that growth in Scotland will be slightly below the UK this year. Short-term fluctuations aside, the central issue for policy is how Scotland's trend rate of growth can be increased. The critical element in stimulating sustainable economic growth is the enhancement of productivity throughout all Scottish enterprises. This is achieved through increasing both the quality and quantity of output per worker and through reducing costs. Improved productivity is the key source of international competitive advantage.This is recognised in the Executive's recent Framework for Economic Development in Scotland and the Enterprise Strategy - a Smart, Successful Scotland - which sets out the new international conditions for economic success - growing business, ensuring Scotland is globally connected, lifelong learning and skills development.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many renal consultants were employed by head count and by full-time equivalent in each of the last three years, broken down by health board.
Answer
The latest information available is shown in the table, which should be read in conjunction with the notes following:
| Renal Consultants by Health Board area at 30 September |
| | Headcount | WTE |
| | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
| Scotland | 17 | 21 | 29 | 15.9 | 19.2 | 26.5 |
| Ayrshire & Arran | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Fife | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | 1.0 |
| Grampian | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Greater Glasgow | 8 | 9 | 11 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 |
| Lanarkshire | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | 1.0 |
| Lothian | 4 | 7 | 9 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 6.8 |
| Tayside | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
Note:1. Source: Medical and Dental Manpower Census, ISD Scotland2. Latest information available is as at 30 September 1999. Data from the 2000 census will be available in the next few months.3. Figures given include honorary consultants.4. Health Board areas that did not have consultants working solely in the specialty of renal medicine in any of the years 1997, 1998 or 1999 are not shown.5. It should be noted that in addition to those consultants in the table above, there are also a large number of general physicians with a subspecialty interest in renal medicine working in all areas of Scotland. Subspecialty statistics are not collected centrally, so it is not possible to give an exact figure for these.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for an elderly person to receive a residential care place in each of the last three years for which figures are available, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information requested is not available centrally.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11275 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 January 2001, why the number of excess winter deaths has increased from 2,610 in 1997-98 to 5,190 in 1999-2000.
Answer
Year to year fluctuations in the numbers of "excess winter deaths", however defined, show a close relationship with the occurrence of major influenza outbreaks. Whilst the numbers of deaths where the underlying cause is recorded as being influenza is normally relatively low, even during a relatively severe outbreak, there is invariably a sizeable increase in the numbers of deaths from related causes, notably pneumonia and other respiratory conditions. This was the case during the winter of 1999-2000, and also to a slightly lesser extent during that of 1998-99. Though complete data for the winter of 2000-01 is not yet available, provisional figures suggest that the number of "excess winter deaths" will be in line with that normally observed during a winter when influenza activity is limited, such as 1997-98.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 4 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities exercised their discretionary powers to establish a cash incentive scheme funded through their own resources to enable tenants to purchase a home on the open market in each of the last four financial years and in the current financial year to date.
Answer
Over the last five financial years, the following local authorities notified the Scottish Executive, or previously the Scottish Office, that they were operating cash incentive schemes.
| | 1996/97 | 1997/98 | 1998/99 | 1999/2000 | 2000/01 |
| West Lothian Council | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Aberdeenshire Council | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Highland Council | √ | | √ | √ | |
| Argyll & Bute Council | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Western Isles Council | √ | √ | | | |
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answer expected on 8 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to record centrally, in order to ensure the availability of reliable data on disabled children, all assessments of needs of children affected by disability carried out under section 23 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
Answer
Answer expected on 8 December 2000
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of total UK spending on the NHS spending on the NHSiS represented or is expected to represent in each year from 1994-95 to 2003-04 inclusive.
Answer
On a cash basis, health expenditure as a percentage of the total health expenditure is as follows:
| | Expenditure at 1999-2000 prices 拢000 | Scotland as percentage of UK expenditure | Funding per head3 (拢) |
| | Scotland | UK | | Scotland |
| 1994-95 outturn | 4,539 | 43,419 | 10.5 | 796 |
| 1995-96 outturn | 4,573 | 44,101 | 10.4 | 797 |
| 1996-97 outturn | 4,587 | 44,146 | 10.4 | 826 |
| 1997-98 outturn | 4,584 | 44,942 | 10.2 | 850 |
| 1998-99 outturn | 4,697 | 46,129 | 10.2 | 896 |
| 1999-2000 estimated outturn1 | 4,941 | 49,251 | 10.0 | 966 |
| 2000-01 original plans2 | 5,309 | 53,138 | 10.0 | 1,060 |
| 2001-02 plans | 5,569 | 56,130 | 9.9 | 1,140 |
| 2002-03 plans | 5,824 | 59,222 | 9.8 | 1,222 |
2003-04 plans | 6,094 | 62,557 | 9.7 | 1,311 |
Notes:
1. Final UK outturn figures are not yet available.2. This figure does not take account of in-year changes.
3. In 1999 Scotland's population was 8.64% of the UK population.Last year's spending review, gave the Scottish health budget the same increase per head of population as England, slightly higher than that for the UK as a whole. This translates into a smaller percentage increase since the starting baseline is significantly higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 30 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the time period is for the refurbishment of all transferred council housing in Glasgow should the tenants vote for stock transfer.
Answer
The proposed time period for the refurbishment will be set out in the business plan to be produced by the Glasgow Housing Association. That business plan is currently being prepared.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 23 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money the Coalfields Regeneration Trust has made or will be making available to address the social and economic regeneration needs of coalfield communities in Scotland in each year for which figures are available.
Answer
The Coalfields Regeneration Trust was formally launched in Scotland in March 2000 and is being funded by 拢4.5 million over three years from the Scottish Executive.The Trust reports that, as of the end of January 2001, over 拢3.9 million has been committed to projects in Scotland. To date the Trust has paid out 拢2.3 million in grants.
