Written Answers
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Tuesday 24 January 2012 SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE Governance and Communities Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive how changes in policy since the publication of the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 will be considered at any public inquiry associated with the decision-making process for applications for new electricity generation stations that are also national developments. (S4W-04948) Derek Mackay: This will be a decision for the Inquiry Reporter. Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive whether inclusion of a project as a national development in the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 establishes the need for that development where the primary project consent required is not a planning consent and what the reasons are for its position on this matter. (S4W-04949) Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal mechanisms would establish the need for a project listed in the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 where the primary project consent required is not a planning consent. (S4W-04950) Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the need for a project listed in the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 can be established where the primary consent for a project is made under legislation that is reserved and what the reasons are for its position on this matter. (S4W-04952) Derek Mackay: Section 3A of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 makes provision for ministers to designate certain developments as “national developments” in the National Planning Framework. If the National Planning Framework contains such a designation, it must contain a statement by Scottish Ministers of their reasons for considering that there is a need for the development in question. Section 25 of the 1997 act makes provision as to how such statements are to be applied when determining a planning application. In relation to other consent procedures there is no similar statutory provision, however, ministers’ reasons for considering that there is a need for a development should be given equivalent status in reaching a decision. Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances consideration of need could be excluded from the remit of a public local inquiry into a proposed project where the primary project consent is not a planning consent. (S4W-04951) Derek Mackay: Once a development is designated as a national development in the National Planning Framework, the policy setting out the “need” for it will not normally be a matter for further consideration in any inquiry associated with an application for consent. John Scott (Ayr) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to abolish the Home Report system. (S4W-04972) Keith Brown: There are no plans to abolish the Home Report system. The Scottish Government believes that the benefits of Home Reports remain valid, particularly in encouraging buyers to make confident decisions in a difficult market. Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent in each year since 1999 on (a) security and (b) rent for properties not in use. (S4W-04976) John Swinney: The Scottish Ministers have no property not in use from 1999 to 2004. Jeanfield House, Perth was vacated by the Scottish Ministers in 2004. There have been no rental payments made on Jeanfield House. Security costs are as follows: Year Cost 2004 4,537.50 2005 4,262.50 2006 4,425.20 2007 3,199.65 2008 4,802.90 2009 4,999.00 2010 5,603.10 2011 5,656.90 Total 37,486.75 Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects to deliver its commitment that all unintentionally homeless people will have the right to settled accommodation by 2012. (S4W-05015) Keith Brown: The Scottish Government at its parties remain committed and are on course to achieve the 2012 homelessness commitment. Current statistics show that 88% of applications are being accorded priority need by local authorities, representing steady progress towards the target. The next statistical bulletin is due to be published on 14 February 2012. Health and Social Care Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive whether and, if so, when it will match in Scotland the publication in England of prescription data by GP practice, which is available to download via the NHS Information Centre. Holding answer issued: 16 January 2012 (S4W-04631) Nicola Sturgeon: In Scotland national prescribing data is collated and published by the Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland. ISD already provide more detailed prescribing information on a monthly basis to NHS boards, Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) and GP practices via an NHS web-based system. This is further supplemented by NHS boards who analyse the data, identify prescribing trends and variations and provide GPs practices with tailored data and support in order to ensure cost effective prescribing. More detailed prescribing data by GP practice is also available from ISD on request via the Information Request Service. In addition, ISD publishes detailed prescription cost analysis data for the whole of Scotland annually together with higher level summaries on a quarterly basis. The prescription data currently published in England consists of a data file containing a list of medicines and costs per GP practice and requires specialist data-handling software to allow it to be interpreted. It is part of the UK Government’s wide ranging commitment to publish key data on health, schools, criminal courts and transport. In Scotland, our approach to publication of information is to ensure that this is done in a way which is sensitive to both patient and prescriber confidentiality and is useful and informative to users. ISD have a NHS data warehouse which supports systems to record, validate and report prescribing data to the NHS. In addition, the Chief Scientist Office is working to create a world leading system of data linkage in order to evaluate healthcare interventions and services, provide drug safety surveillance, advance research and to drive economic growth. Siobhan McMahon (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive how many inpatient beds there were in NHS Lanarkshire in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011 and how many there are now, broken down by (i) specialism and (ii) hospital. (S4W-04966) Nicola Sturgeon: Average available staffed beds in NHS Lanarkshire by specialty and location for the quarters ending 31 March 2010 to 30 September 2011 are provided in the following table. Table 1 - Average Available Staffed Beds1 in NHS Lanarkshire by specialty: Quarters Ending 31 March 2010 to 30 September 2011 Quarter Ending: Specialtiy Mar-10 Jun-10 Sep-10 Dec-10 Mar-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 All specialties 2,477 2,450 2,445 2,448 2,385 2,304 2,288 Accident and Emergency 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 Anaesthetics 31 31 32 32 30 29 28 Cardiology 31 31 31 33 33 32 31 Communicable Diseases 17 16 17 17 15 15 15 Dermatology 13 16 11 9 10 9 9 Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) 18 20 18 22 20 20 20 Forensic Psychiatry 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 General Medicine 432 404 413 418 430 401 397 General Psychiatry 201 201 200 200 203 196 196 General Surgery 214 219 213 207 195 188 186 Geriatric Medicine 680 671 680 661 620 595 589 GP Other than Obstetrics 95 94 94 99 95 90 90 Gynaecology 13 12 13 13 10 10 10 Haematology 13 15 16 16 23 18 18 Learning Disability 9 9 9 9 9 9 12 Medical Oncology 1 1 0 - - - - Medical Paediatrics 68 68 67 68 66 63 62 Nephrology 15 14 14 16 13 11 11 Obstetrics 72 79 76 74 71 69 68 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 8 10 8 6 4 4 4 Orthopaedics 146 146 142 136 128 125 124 Palliative Medicine 30 30 30 48 48 48 47 Psychiatry of Old Age 317 316 315 315 318 328 326 Rheumatology 2 3 3 2 3 4 4 Urology 36 30 29 36 26 25 25 Table 2 - Average Available Staffed Beds1 in NHS Lanarkshire; by location: Quarters Ending 31 March 2010 to 30 September 2011 Quarter Ending: Specialty Mar-10 Jun-10 Sep-10 Dec-10 Mar-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 All locations 2,477 2,450 2,445 2,448 2,385 2,304 2,288 Airbles Road Centre 27 27 26 26 27 27 26 Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 Caird House 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Carrickstone House and Day Hospital 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 Quarter Ending: Specialty Mar-10 Jun-10 Sep-10 Dec-10 Mar-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 Cleland Hospital 31 31 30 30 31 31 30 Coathill Hospital 45 45 45 45 44 43 43 Cumbernauld Nursing Home 52 52 52 52 52 52 51 Hairmyres Hospital 503 491 497 481 468 444 441 Hartwoodhill Hospital 73 73 72 72 73 73 72 Hatton Lea Nursing Home 90 90 90 90 91 90 89 Kello Hospital 22 22 24 25 23 22 22 Kirklands Hospital 9 9 9 9 9 9 12 Lady Home Cottage Hospital 25 25 24 25 23 22 22 Lockhart Hospital 31 30 30 32 33 30 30 Monklands District General Hospital 533 523 514 533 525 498 494 Parksprings Care Centre 49 50 50 52 34 33 33 Roadmeetings Hospital 34 34 34 34 33 31 31 St Andrew's Hospice 36 36 36 32 32 32 32 Stonehouse Hospital 40 40 40 40 39 37 37 Udston Hospital 108 108 108 108 106 115 115 Victoria Memorial Cottage Hospital 17 17 17 17 17 16 16 Wester Moffat Hospital 57 51 58 58 56 53 53 Wishaw General Hospital 628 631 623 621 604 579 573 Source: ISD Scotland, ISD(S)1.