Chamber and committees

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Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

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Question reference: S3W-02876

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 29 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the total value of the housing stock to be, broken down into (a) privately owned homes, (b) council owned homes and (c) housing association homes.

The value of the housingstock varies considerably depending on market conditions. The latest estimates arebased on November 2006 valuations of the sample of 3,090 dwellings in the 2003-04Scottish House Condition Survey for which both a full social interview and a fullphysical survey were obtained. The estimates are shown in the following table.

Category	Tenure	Value (Billions)	Sub Tenure	Value (Billions)
a	Privately owned homes	£255	Owner-occupied stock	£234
a	Privately owned homes	£255	Private rented stock	£21
b	Local authority/other public sector stock	£28
c	Housing association/ housing co-operative stock	£18
Total		£301

The total value ofScotland’s housing stock was estimated, on this basis,to be £301 billion in November 2006.

Question reference: S3W-03482

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 29 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence was of poverty in (a) 1960, (b) 1970, (c) 1980, (d) 1990, (e) 2000 and (f) the most recent year for which figures are available and what comparative information it has for (i) the United Kingdom as a whole, (ii) each EU member state and (iii) each OECD nation.

The incidence of povertyin Scotland each year since 1994-95 is published in Scottish Households BelowAverage Income 2005-06 – Revised (Bib. number 43209). Information onthe incidence of poverty in Scotland prior to 1994-95 is not held centrally.

The incidence of povertyin the UK in 1979, 1981, 1987, 1998-99, 1990-91 – 1995-97 is published in HouseholdsBelow Average Income: An Analysis of the Income Distribution – 2005-06 (Revised)(Bib. number 42543).

Information on theincidence of poverty in each EU member state is included in the EU Survey on Incomeand Living Conditions published by the Central Statistics Office (Bib. number 43453).

Information on theincidence of poverty in each OECD nation is not held centrally, however informationcan be found at the OECD Family Database website:

http://www.oecd.org/document/4/0,3343,en_2649_34819_37836996_1_1_1_1,00.html.

Question reference: S3W-03092

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals it estimates are involved in the supply of illegal drugs.

Question reference: S3W-03091

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what quantity of illegal drugs has been seized in each year since 1970, broken down by class and type of substance.

Question reference: S3W-03089

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many heroin addicts there are (a) known and (b) estimated to have been in each year since 1970.

(a) The number ofknown heroin addicts since 1970 is not held centrally.

(b) Estimates of theprevalence of problematic opiate and/or benzodiazepine misuse in Scotland were carried out for 2000 and 2003. Table 1 shows theestimated numbers across Scotland and the 95% confidence interval.

Table 1. EstimatedNumbersof Problem Drug Users (Opiates and/or Benzodiazepines): Scotland2000 and 2003

	2000	2003
Scotland point estimate (95 % confidence range)	55,800 (43,664 – 78,443)	51,582 (51,456 – 56,379)

2000

2003

Scotland point estimate

(95 % confidence range)

55,800

(43,664 – 78,443)

51,582

(51,456 – 56,379)

Source: Estimatingthe National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland, Centre for Drug Misuse Research, Universityof Glasgow Scottish Centre for Infection and EnvironmentalHealth http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/local/prevreport2004.pdf.

Question reference: S3W-03087

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many alcohol-related deaths there have been in each year since 1970.

The information availableis given in the following table. It uses a definition of alcohol-related deathsagreed with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2006 following wide consultation.Figures only include cases where the selected causes were the main cause of death.

Information prior to 1979 is not available because theagreed definition does not cover the classification of causes of death used before1979.

Alcohol-Related Deaths¹, Scotland, 1979-2006

1979	641	1986	568	1993	633	2000	1,292
1980	595	1987	569	1994	741	2001	1,398
1981	611	1988	627	1995	832	2002	1,487
1982	582	1989	626	1996	983	2003	1,525
1983	574	1990	657	1997	1,061	2004	1,478
1984	572	1991	624	1998	1,127	2005	1,513
1985	600	1992	582	1999	1,249	2006	1,546

Source: General RegisterOffice for Scotland.

Notes:

1. 1979-99: ICD9codes: 291, 303, 305.0, 425.5, 571.0-571.5, 571.8-571.9, E860.

2. 2000-06: ICD10codes: F10, G31.2, G62.1, I42.6, K29.2, K70, K73, K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5),K86.0, X45, X65, Y15.

Question reference: S3W-02994

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage recycling.

We provide supportto local authorities and other delivery bodies through the Strategic Waste Fundto increase recycling rates. Future funding for recycling is being considered aspart of the Spending Review and, in line with the commitment in our Its timeto look forward: The first 100 days of an SNP Government my officials recentlyheld a workshop with local authorities and other delivery partners to discuss futureplans for increasing recycling.

Question reference: S3W-02988

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 August 2007

The following tablelists the number of student enrolments at Scottish higher education institutionsand further education colleges from 1951-52 to 2005-06.

Students StudyingHigher and Further Education at Scottish Institutions: 1951-52 to 2005-06

Academic Year	HE Students	FE Students
1951-52*	15,010^†	N/A
1961-62*	19,435^†	N/A
1971-72*	37,800^†	N/A
1981-82*	105,765	277,510
1990-91*	137,930	N/A
1991-92*	151,090	N/A
1992-93*	167,185	N/A
1993-94*	179,730	N/A
1994-95	201,880	212,075
1995-96	215,205	260,150
1996-97	238,095	314,530
1997-98	247,655	342,325
1998-99	255,965	350,445
1999-00	259,390	362,425
2000-01	262,915	414,395
2001-02	272,625	450,790
2002-03	267,025	430,055
2003-04	271,865	411,560
2004-05	276,705	398,120
2005-06	285,180	395,660

Sources: Higher EducationStatistics Agency (HESA), Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and Scottish Office statisticalbulletins.

Notes:

†These figures arefor university students only.

Student data priorto academic year 1994-95 is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive.

Some historic figures(shown as N/A) are not held centrally.

Question reference: S3W-02992

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has figures available to estimate how many households regularly recycle household waste.

Question reference: S3W-02990

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value has been of tuition fees paid to higher education institutions by foreign students in each year since 1990.

The total income ofScottish Higher Education Institutions from fees paid by non EU students was:

1994-95	£46,172,000
1995-96	£50,543,000
1996-97	£53,895,000
1997-98	£56,353,000
1998-99	£57,682,000
1999-2000	£62,868,000
2000-01	£68,502,000
2001-02	£78,420,000
2002-03	£95,443,000
2003-04	£107,829,000
2004-05	£124,774,000
2005-06	£143,896,000

Source: Higher EducationStatistics Agency.

Data for 1990 to 1993are not held centrally.

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