Scottish Executive

Adult Education

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the early intervention strategies outlined in the Curriculum for Excellence tie in with adult education strategies and, if so, how.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has high ambitions for Scotland which show our confidence in the potential of all of Scotland’s people, articulated across our strategic frameworks, including Curriculum for Excellence and Skills for Scotland.

Curriculum for Excellence aims to provide a coherent, more flexible and enriched curriculum from three to 18 and will play a key role in preparing our young people to take their place in a modern society and economy. It provides a framework for all young people in Scotland to gain the knowledge and skills for learning, life and work that they need to flourish.

This supports the aims of Skills for Scotland, our lifelong skills strategy, which sets out a new agenda for skills and learning in Scotland and builds on the inclusive approach to lifelong learning that was first set out in the strategy document, Life through Learning; Learning through Life, published on 2003. Skills for Scotland seeks to build a learning system that works for people of all ages and all walks of life, so that they can access the education and training opportunities that they need to improve their skills and achieve their full potential.

Both strategic frameworks will contribute to success demonstrated against the National Outcomes and Performance Indicators, where we outline our ambition for a Scotland in which:

We are better educated, more skilled and more successful, renowned for our research and innovation.

Our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.

Our children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed.

We live longer, healthier lives.

We have tackled the significant inequalities in Scottish society.

We recognise that education is a process that takes place throughout people’s lives. Our policies to support peoples’ engagement with education – at any stage - do not exist in isolation but act as a continuum for the development of Scotland’s people.

Ambulance Service

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ambulance demand and performance was for (a) Arrochar and (b) Helensburgh for 2007-08 against the national targets for (i) category A, (ii) category B and (iii) urgent calls.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ambulance demand and performance was for the Vale of Leven for 2007-08 against national targets for (a) category A, (b) category B and (c) urgent calls.

Shona Robison: The national response time target for category A calls (life threatening) across mainland Scotland is that, by March 2009, 75% of all incidents should be reached within eight minutes.

The national response time target for category B calls (serious but not life threatening) across mainland Scotland is that, by March 2009, 95% of all incidents should be reached within 14, 19 or 21 minutes depending on population density. For the locations requested, the target is 21 minutes.

The information requested has been provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service for 2007-08 and is set out in the following tables.

Notes:

1. The figures provided are for activity recorded against Arrochar, Helensburgh and Vale of Leven Stations.

2. Urgent performance is measured by the service as the crew being at the patient within 15 minutes of the agreed time in 95% of cases. The time is agreed with the GP or hospital at the time of the call request and is determined by the needs of each patient.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what protocols exist for Scottish Ambulance Service crews when deciding whether to follow or override decisions made by an adult whose thought processes may be impaired by ill health.

Shona Robison: All Scottish Ambulance Service clinicians receive training on the implications of the Adults with Incapacity Act and how to support patients where the individual’s capacity to make decisions may be impaired. This forms part of basic training, is covered in post proficiency training, and is also made available on the SAS internal intranet pages.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Ambulance Service crews make decisions locally and individually when attending to an adult whose thought processes may be impaired by ill health.

Shona Robison: Scottish Ambulance Service clinicians are expected to carry out a thorough assessment of the circumstances for every individual patient. This assessment takes into account the clinical condition of the patient but also includes consideration of a number of other factors such as the social and family situation, potential risks to the patient, the home environment and the geographic location of the patient.

It is part of the crew’s role to outline and make as clear as possible to the patient the implications of any decision made. For example, if a patient refuses to travel to hospital then the crew will very clearly outline the risks that this poses to the patient and make sure that he or she understands the implications of these decisions.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all air ambulance flights undertaken by coastguard or military helicopters involving patients picked up in Orkney, also detailing the (a) helicopter used, (b) patient pick-up point, (c) flight destination and (d) reason for not using a Scottish Air Ambulance Service contracted aircraft, since the start of 2008.

Shona Robison: There have been four occasions where the Scottish Ambulance Service has utilised either the Ministry of Defence or the Coastguard to transport patients in lieu of using a Scottish Ambulance Service resource. This compares to the same number in the same period of last year. In the period from 1 January 2008 to 31 August 2008 the service has undertaken a total of 263 missions from or within Orkney.

The Scottish Ambulance Service have provided the requested information, as set out in the following tables.

Non-Scottish Ambulance Service Resources Used to Transport Patients from/within Orkney – 1 January 2008 to 31 August 2008

Activity from/within Orkney Carried Out by All Aircraft

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will end the single crewing of ambulances in response to 999 calls.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15377 on 11 August 2008. 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/webapp/wa.search.

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-12662 by Shona Robison on 13 May 2008, whether any changes have been made to the mileage rates payable to volunteer drivers who take patients to health-related appointments.

Shona Robison: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. They have been reviewing the rates on a monthly basis since June 2008, most recently in August 2008, and remain satisfied that the current rates cover costs.

Class Sizes

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to amend its guidance on local authority proposals for the school estate to include reference to the commitment in its concordat with local government to reduce class sizes in P1 to P3 to a maximum of 18 as a factor to be taken into account in framing such proposals.

Maureen Watt: No. We re-issued Additional Guidance on Local Authority Proposals for the School Estate, including School Closures on 11 October 2007. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43920). The primary purpose of the guidance is to set out the roles and responsibilities of those involved in considering proposals that may lead to changes in the school estate including the closure of schools. The guidance already makes clear our expectation that, in formulating such proposals, authorities should indeed take account of all factors, in each case.

Data Security

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the laptop computer stolen from the audiology unit at Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary contained patient information and, if so, why it was being stored on a laptop and not retained only on the NHS server, and whether the information was both password protected and encrypted and, if so, what type of password system and what sort of encryption was used.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Forth Valley have advised that the stolen laptop contained names, addresses and audiology details of 89 patients and that the details were held on the laptop for home visit purposes only. The laptop was kept in a locked cupboard behind locked doors and was double password-protected, though not encrypted.

NHS Forth Valley worked closely with Central Scotland Police and undertook a full internal investigation however the laptop has not been recovered. The board has undertaken an information governance overview of patient details to ensure controls are in place and storage, as far as possible, is on the network service.

The Scottish Government are developing an updated mobile data protection standard in conjunction with all NHS boards to improve the security of electronic patient information. When implemented, it will provide increased confidence of the secure storage of patient information including that on USB memory sticks and laptops. Also being developed are NHS Scotland standards for the encryption of mobile devices, including laptops.

Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on plans for the distribution of funds from the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill.

Jim Mather: Following an initial scoping seminar held in Edinburgh, the Scottish Government has held four regional consultation seminars in Paisley, Galashiels, Fort William and Aberdeen. A Scottish Government online consultation exercise has been launched and will run until 8 September 2008. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is running a parallel consultation exercise on its website over the same period, which will complement the Scottish Government process.

A report on the findings of the consultation will form the basis of a draft order which will be debated in the Parliament early in 2009.

The passage of the UK Bill through the UK Parliament has been delayed and is unlikely to be complete before November 2008. A reclaim fund will then be established and it is anticipated that monies will be available to the third sector early in 2010.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the eligibility criteria for an Education Maintenance Allowance.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government keeps matters such as future eligibility for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme under regular consideration in light of the evidence that is collected on the effectiveness of EMA.

Epilepsy

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support the formation of a working group of representatives from the Scottish Ambulance Service, Epilepsy Scotland and related agencies to produce an agreed protocol for dealing with epilepsy cases.

Shona Robison: There already are national guidelines which deal with the treatment of prolonged seizures, including the SIGN Guidelines on epilepsy and the Joint Epilepsy Council’s Guidelines. The Joint Royal Colleges’ Ambulance Liaison Committee has also produced guidelines for the Scottish Ambulance Service on the management of epileptic seizures. The Scottish Paediatric Epilepsy Network has also developed a protocol on medication for children in emergency cases.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland is also working on clinical standards for all neurological conditions, including standards relating specifically to epilepsy. NHS QIS expects the draft standards to be ready for consultation in the autumn of this year, with publication in summer 2009.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it provides for people with uncontrolled epilepsy on what they and those caring for them can do if they are faced with an emergency situation.

Shona Robison: The SIGN Guidelines on both adult and childhood epilepsy highlight the requirement for appropriate advice and information on epilepsy to be made available to people with epilepsy and their carers. NHS boards are expected to implement the guidelines through local protocols.

In conjunction with Epilepsy Scotland, the Scottish Government has encouraged the development of epilepsy Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs), and the provision of information for patients and carers is one of the key functions of the MCNs. The Scottish Paediatric Epilepsy Network and the Epilepsy Networks in the West of Scotland and Tayside and the North of Scotland have developed protocols and made information available for people with epilepsy which includes advice on emergencies.

From financial year 2006-07, the Scottish Government has provided Epilepsy Scotland with a grant of £15,000 a year for three years, to support the provision of a range of literature to inform and educate people with epilepsy, which includes advice for emergencies where appropriate. These factsheets and leaflets are available from the Epilepsy Scotland website: www.epilepsyscotland.org.uk.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether records of people’s epilepsy care plans are held centrally so that call handlers for the emergency services and ambulance control can access this information.

Shona Robison: Epilepsy Care plans are not held centrally, but NHS24 and accident and emergency departments have access, with the person’s permission, to the Emergency Care Summary, which includes a system of special notes containing additional information on any conditions which could lead to out-of-hours contact, such as having epilepsy which is not seizure free.

Access by Scottish Ambulance Service professionals to clinical data held on the Emergency Care Summary (ECS) is currently being considered.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14808 by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 July 2008, what timetable is in place for the transfer of primary health care services from the Scottish Prison Service to the NHS and, specifically, which services will be transferred.

Nicola Sturgeon: In recognition of the significant scope of the work and the need for close partnership working, a national programme board for prisoners’ health care is currently being set up. The early priorities for the programme board will be to define appropriate and sustainable models of care such as GP, pharmacy, nursing, optometry and dental services and from this, identify the detail of the underpinning legislative changes necessary.

The national programme board will also oversee preparatory work in the areas of finance and funding, operations, including staffing and other resources, and governance including organisational, staff, clinical, and other areas central to an effective transfer of services.

Current estimates are that this work and the necessary legislation will take approximately three years prior to any transfer of services taking place.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14337 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2008, what action was taken by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing following interim reports on the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital on 13 and 17 June 2008.

Nicola Sturgeon: Following the interim reports which I received from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on 13 and 17 June 2008, I announced in Parliament on 18 June 2008 an independent review of the Clostridium difficile outbreak in the Vale of Leven Hospital.

I also asked Kevin Woods, Chief Executive of NHS Scotland to ask Health Protection Scotland (HPS) to collate data from NHS boards on whether there were other unidentified outbreaks and excess deaths associated with CDAD (Clostridium difficile Associated Disease).

Both reports were published on 7 August 2008.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on 7 August 2008 of her gratitude to the bereaved families for their open and constructive contribution to the work of the review team, whether she will now ensure that the 21 freedom of information requests relating to the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at Vale of Leven Hospital are fully answered.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act sets out the right of any applicant dissatisfied with a response to a request for information to require an authority to review its response. I suggest therefore that Ms Baillie follows the standard processes as set out in the act.

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing could have instituted a full public inquiry into the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven hospital without affecting any enquiries by the police or the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish ministers do have powers to instigate an inquiry where particular events have caused public concern. However, the Lord Advocate has asked the Area Procurator Fiscal for Argyll and Clyde to make urgent enquires into the circumstances of the deaths at the Vale of Leven and report his findings to Crown Counsel. It will then be a matter for Crown Counsel to consider what further action is required in light of the circumstances which have emerged. Any decision on whether a public inquiry should take place, and the nature of any such inquiry, can only properly be reached once the Procurator Fiscal has had the opportunity to complete his enquiries and report to Crown Counsel.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Quality Improvement Scotland carried out a follow-up inspection after its report in May 2005 showing that NHS Argyll and Clyde had not met approximately 40 of the 69 criteria for hospital-acquired infections.

Nicola Sturgeon : The responsibility for following up on NHS QIS inspections lies within the remit of the relevant NHS board.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review and update all the information on Scottish Government websites to ensure accuracy and consistency about the information available on Clostridium difficile.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government regularly reviews and updates the information that is made available on their website. Information about Clostridium difficile was last reviewed and updated following the publication of the independent review on 7 August 2008.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what new resources will be set aside for NHS boards to deal with Clostridium difficile.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has already announced a record level of investment of £54 million over three years to tackle all healthcare associated infection, including Clostridium difficile.

In addition, all NHS boards have been instructed to ensure that they have an antimicrobial management team in place, and £520,000 has now been released to enable NHS boards to establish antimicrobial pharmacist posts which will support high quality prescribing.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether infection control managers report directly to the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon: All infection control managers report directly to the relevant NHS board Chief Executive.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing referred the independent review report on Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital to the Lord Advocate, given that she has the power as a minister to order a public inquiry.

Nicola Sturgeon: The review report was referred to the Lord Advocate because she is responsible for the investigation of deaths in Scotland. The Procurator Fiscal has a duty, on behalf of the Lord Advocate, to investigate all sudden, suspicious, accidental, unexplained and unexpected deaths, as well as deaths which give rise to serious public concern.

The majority of these deaths were not reported to the Procurator Fiscal at the time but when the full extent of the situation at the Vale of Leven Hospital became known, I ordered a review. In the circumstances, it was appropriate for the Procurator Fiscal to await the outcome of the independent review before considering what further action was necessary. However, the number of deaths at the Vale of Leven hospital has clearly given cause for concern within the community and it is therefore appropriate for the area Procurator Fiscal to conduct an independent inquiry into the circumstances of those deaths in the first instance.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in what circumstances postmortems would be carried out, particularly in relation to those suffering from more than one medical condition, which may include Clostridium difficile.

Nicola Sturgeon: If a medical practitioner knows the cause of death he/she can complete a death certificate. If not, the case should be discussed with the Procurator Fiscal who may decide there is enough information available to sanction the completion of a death certificate, or alternatively instruct further enquiry, which may include a postmortem. The NHS undertakes hospital postmortems with proper authorisation from the deceased person’s relatives, if a clinician wishes to learn more about the cause(s) of death. Postmortems very often reveal that a patient has more than one medical condition, some of which may not have been evident in life. Equally, the cause of death is still on occasion unknown, even following a postmortem. There is no legal requirement for a postmortem in cases of Clostridium difficile, and this condition is diagnosed by microbiological tests on stool samples in life.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all deaths from Clostridium difficile should be reported to the Procurator Fiscal as a matter of routine.

Nicola Sturgeon: This is a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). COPFS has issued guidance to doctors on the categories of death that must be reported to the Procurator Fiscal. This guidance is available on the Crown Office website, www.copfs.gov.uk. Clostridium difficile is not a cause of death which doctors are currently obliged to report in terms of this guidance.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether annual reports from the Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force to the Chief Medical Officer and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing are published.

Nicola Sturgeon: Yes. The summary report on the two previous Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) delivery plans (2002-05 and 2005-08) are available from the HAI Task Force website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/19529/2005.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14362 by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 July 2008, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing will now comment on whether she considers (a) the employment of one infection control nurse covering all infection monitoring at the Vale of Leven Hospital to be sufficient and (b) that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde should increase the number of people in the infection control team based at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: The number of staff employed for the provision of services is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Guidance was issued to NHS boards under cover of HDL(2005)8 asking them to ensure that an appropriate and adequate level of resource for prevention and control of infection control and communicable disease was in place.

A letter reinforcing the accountability of chief executives, for ensuring that all the appropriate policy and procedures in relation to healthcare associated infection were in place, was issued on 28 June 2008.

Housing

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13282 by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 June 2008, whether it will increase the use of short secure tenancies to prevent or stop antisocial behaviour by allowing greater time for evidence of improvement in behaviour before the landlord is obliged to grant a secure tenancy.

Nicola Sturgeon: We currently have no plans to change the length of time a Short Scottish secure tenancy (SSST) can be used before it converts into a full Scottish secure tenancy.

We consider 12 months a reasonable period of time to establish whether there is an improvement in behaviour, and during which the landlord must provide support to enable the tenancy to convert to a full Scottish secure tenancy.

If antisocial behaviour recurs after the 12 month period, social landlords can access the full range of powers at their disposal to address antisocial behaviour by any secure tenant. Other forms of SSST, for example the SSST for persons requiring housing support services, can be appropriate for new tenants who need support and these have no automatic conversion to a full Scottish secure tenancy.

NHS Funding

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much capital funding has been committed to projects by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for (a) 2008-09 and (b) the next three financial years.

Nicola Sturgeon: Capital funding has been set for the current spending review period being 2008-09 and the following two years only. The capital resources available to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in that period are detailed in the following table:

NHS Hospitals

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the weekly cost is of providing out-of-hours anaesthetic cover at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients per week are treated by anaesthetists providing out-of-hours cover at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information about the provision of out-of-hours anaesthetic cover at the Vale of Leven Hospital can be found in the Report of the Independent External Clinical Review of Anaesthetic Services at the Vale of Leven Hospital published on 15 August 2008. The report is available to download at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0064627.pdf.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) new capital funding is available and (b) what capital funding has already been planned for (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11 for the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has almost £1.5 million of capital funds committed in 2008-09 for the Vale of Leven Hospital. This includes a general provision of £1 million which will be used specifically to fund capital schemes aimed at strengthening the hospital’s capacity to control the spread of hospital acquired infection. The remaining £500,000 is earmarked for minor capital schemes of a more routine nature, which are carried out on a year-to-year basis.

Beyond 2008-09, the capital plan includes provision for ongoing investment in minor schemes on a year to year basis. There are proposals for Alexandra Health Centre to be re-provided on the Vale of Leven campus in the next five years, and there is an expectation that a firm timescale for the project would emerge subject to forthcoming public consultation on the wider future of the Vale of Leven Hospital.

The provisional estimate of capital expenditure required in relation to Alexandra Health Centre re-provision is £17 million but the NHS board have still to complete a detailed business case following public consultation which will consider the costs and delivery arrangements for the project.

NHS Staff

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive under what agreement the present rates of meal allowances for NHS staff working away from home were set.

Nicola Sturgeon: Subsistence rates for all non-medical staff are specified within Agenda for Change terms and conditions. Rates for medical staff are covered by the terms and conditions for their particular staff group.

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it is having with NHS employers on reviewing the rates of meal allowances for NHS staff working away from home to reflect rises in the cost of living.

Nicola Sturgeon: Any changes to current terms and conditions for NHS staff, including subsistence rates, would be discussed on a UK-wide basis between health service trades unions and staff representative groups, NHS employers and UK health departments through the relevant negotiating machinery. No such discussions are currently taking place.

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is flexibility within the agreement that established the present rates of meal allowances for NHS staff working away from home to uprate them in line with increases in the cost of living.

Nicola Sturgeon: Standard subsistence rates are specified within NHS staff’s terms and conditions. Employers do have discretion in certain circumstances to reimburse beyond these rates where there are genuine business reasons to do so, i.e. where a meal within the specified rate was not available. However, any general increase to subsistence rates would need to be discussed in partnership between health service trades unions and staff representative groups, NHS employers and UK health departments through the relevant negotiating machinery.

Agenda for Change, the terms and conditions package which covers most non-medical staff, does allow NHS employers to negotiate and agree subsistence arrangements locally and in partnership where such arrangements are more appropriate to local operational circumstances. However, any NHS employer wishing to diverge from the rates agreed at UK level would need to be able to justify why introducing this element of inconsistency was appropriate.

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the rates of meal allowances for NHS staff working away from home apply uniformly to all NHS staff or whether different grades or categories of staff have specific rates of meal allowance.

Nicola Sturgeon: Whilst different staff groups within NHSScotland do work under different terms and conditions, the standard subsistence rates contained within these terms and conditions are currently the same. These rates are uniform and do not change according to the seniority of the claimant within a given staff group.

Prescription Charges

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13235 by Shona Robison on 2 June 2008, whether it is satisfied that the figure provided for those people currently paying prescription charges who would therefore benefit from the abolition of prescription charges is accurate and, if not, how many adults living in families with annual incomes below £16,000 currently paying prescription charges will no longer have to do so.

Shona Robison: The estimated figure given in the reply to S3W-13235 is based on an analysis of the family resources survey data combined with information from various other sources. The estimate assumes that 40% of Scottish adults (1.54 million) live in families with gross annual income below £16,000 and that approximately 40% of people in that group, approximately 600,000, are not exempt from prescription charges on age, medical or income grounds and therefore will benefit from the abolition of prescription charges.

Schools

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the condition of Lasswade High School.

Maureen Watt: In School Estate Statistics 2007 published in July 2007, Lasswade High School was reported by Midlothian Council as being in Condition Category D, namely "economic life expired and/or risk of failure". This publication is available on the Scottish Government website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/03151842/0.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the funding required to replace Lasswade High School.

Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government is aware of the broad range of costs involved in rebuilding all categories of school. The particular specification for and hence the potential costs of individual school replacements, are matters for, in this case, Midlothian Council.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will fund a new school to replace Lasswade High School.

Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government does not allocate funding for specific schools. Midlothian Council has statutory responsibility for the provision and maintenance of school buildings in its area. Questions regarding investment priorities for individual schools are for the council.

Student Finance

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish students studying at universities in England and Wales are entitled to lesser amounts in student loans than their English and Welsh counterparts.

Fiona Hyslop: The amount of support available to students varies depending on individual circumstances. To establish what support is available I refer the member to the information on student loan amounts available from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland for Scottish students (www.saas.gov.uk), Student Finance Direct for English students (www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk) and Student Finance Wales for Welsh students (www.studentfinancewales.co.uk).

Suicide

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people committed suicide in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Scotland in each of the last five years.

Shona Robison: Between 2003 and 2007, the following numbers of suicides were recorded for the City of Edinburgh and for Scotland (see table 1). Suicide numbers were higher in 2007 than in 2006, both in Edinburgh and in Scotland. However, numbers fluctuate from year to year, both locally and nationally, as can be seen from the following table.

Table 1 Suicide Numbers - Edinburgh and Scotland 2003-07

For 2003-07, the standardised mortality ratio for suicides in the City of Edinburgh was significantly lower than for Scotland (see table 2).

Table 2 Suicide SMR - Edinburgh and Scotland

Notes:

Suicide definition: Deaths caused by intentional self harm and events of undetermined intent.

We encourage using a standardised mortality ratio (SMR) to compare and interpret local suicide rates (such as in Edinburgh) with the Scottish rate. The five-year SMR is more robust than yearly numbers.

If the SMR is greater than 1.00 the suicide rate is greater than for Scotland. If the SMR is less than 1.00 then the suicide rate is less than for Scotland.

This data was obtained from the Scottish Public Health Observatory website, and we also encourage using this site to access information on Scottish suicide numbers and national trends:

http://www.scotpho.org.uk/home/Healthwell-beinganddisease/suicide.