We recognise the importance of ensuring that retained units are kept up to strength. The Scottish Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council (SCFBAC) will shortly be considering the plans of HM Inspectorate of Fire Services to carry out a thematic review to assist in the development of strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of retained, auxiliary and volunteer firefighters. The improvement of fire services in rural areas is an ongoing process which will be greatly assisted by the increased provision for the fire service announced in the recent financial statement.

Skills for Scotland: A Skills Strategy for a Competitive Scotland, published in March 1999, sought views on a skills strategy for Scotland. A response to that document, setting out a skills action programme for Scotland, is planned for publication in early 2001. In addition, the Oil and Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) is working with Oilcareers, an internet recruitment company, to develop new online careers and training advice, which will highlight the skills and qualifications required by the industry and aims to attract new recruits.

Details of the level of funding for hospital consultants in restorative dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics are not held centrally. Health boards are given a unified budget to meet the health care needs of their resident populations. It is for boards to decide how best to utilise this funding to meet local and national priorities.

Information is not available centrally in the format requested.

Data on landings made in Scotland by non-UK vessels is published annually in Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00022-00.asp). Other import data is collected at UK level and information is not available separately for Scotland.

Provisional Information on staff numbers at 30 September 2000 will not be available until January 2001. The information requested for the years 1997 to 1999, apart from maxillofacial surgeons who are not separately identified, is shown in tables 1 and 2. These tables should be read in conjunction with the notes below.

Consultants in these dental specialties can and do offer services to patients from health board areas other than the one at which they are based. It should therefore be noted that the ratio of consultants to head of population does not necessarily reflect the level of consultant service available in any area.

Table 1 - Consultants in Selected Dental Specialties by Health Board

Headcount at 30 September

	1997			1998			1999
	Restorative Dentistry	Oral Surgery	Orthodontics	Restorative Dentistry	Oral Surgery	Orthodontics	Restorative Dentistry	Oral Surgery	Orthodontics
Scotland	21	22	23	21	25	24	22	27	27
Argyll & Clyde	-	-	2	-	-	2	-	-	2
Ayrshire & Arran	-	2	2	-	2	2	-	2	2
Borders	-	-	1	-	-	1	-	-	1
Dumfries & Galloway	-	1	1	-	1	1	-	1	1
Fife	-	2	1	-	2	1	-	2	1
Forth Valley	-	1	2	-	1	2	-	1	3
Grampian	1	2	1	1	2	1	1	2	1
Greater Glasgow	13	6	5	12	8	4	13	9	6
Highland	-	1	2	-	1	2	-	1	2
Lanarkshire	-	1	2	-	1	3	-	1	3
Lothian	2	2	2	2	3	2	3	4	2
Orkney	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Shetland	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tayside	5	4	2	6	4	3	5	4	3
Western Isles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Table 2 - Consultants in Selected Dental Specialties

Headcount per 1,000,000 population by Health Board

	1997			1998			1999
	Restorative Dentistry	Oral Surgery	Orthodontics	Restorative Dentistry	Oral Surgery	Orthodontics	Restorative Dentistry	Oral Surgery	Orthodontics
Scotland	4.1	4.3	4.5	4.1	4.9	4.7	4.3	5.3	5.3
Argyll & Clyde	-	-	4.7	-	-	4.7	-	-	4.7
Ayrshire & Arran	-	5.3	5.3	-	5.3	5.3	-	5.3	5.3
Borders	-	-	9.4	-	-	9.4	-	-	9.4
Dumfries & Galloway	-	6.8	6.8	-	6.8	6.8	-	6.8	6.8
Fife	-	5.7	2.9	-	5.7	2.9	-	5.7	2.9
Forth Valley	-	3.6	7.2	-	3.6	7.2	-	3.6	10.8
Grampian	1.9	3.8	1.9	1.9	3.8	1.9	1.9	3.8	1.9
Greater Glasgow	14.3	6.6	5.5	13.2	8.8	4.4	14.3	9.9	6.6
Highland	-	4.8	9.6	-	4.8	9.6	-	4.8	9.6
Lanarkshire	-	1.8	3.6	-	1.8	5.3	-	1.8	5.3
Lothian	2.6	2.6	2.6	2.6	3.9	2.6	3.9	5.1	2.6
Orkney	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Shetland	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tayside	12.9	10.3	5.2	15.5	10.3	7.7	12.9	10.3	7.7
Western Isles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Note for Tables 1 and 2:

1. Figures include honorary appointments.

2. Rates per head of population are based on 1999 population estimates as at mid-June.

3. Consultants in these specialties can and do offer services to patients in health board areas other than that in which they are based.

4. Maxillofacial surgery is not separately classified in central data. These surgeons will be classified either as oral surgeons or plastic surgeons.

The median waiting time for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant in restorative dentistry, oral surgery and orthodontics, by health board of residence, for the year to 30 June 2000 is given in table 1.

Most orthodontic and restorative dentistry treatments carried out within the hospital and community health service settings are undertaken on an outpatient basis and information on waiting times for such treatments is not held centrally. The median waiting time for inpatient/day case treatment for oral surgery, by health board of residence, for the year to 30 June 2000 is given in table 2.

Table 1

NHS In Scotland: Median Waiting Time for a First Outpatient Appointment with a Consultant in Oral Surgery, Orthodontics and Restorative Dentistry, following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner/General Dental Practitioner, by Health Board of Residence. Year Ending 30 June 2000.

	Median Waiting Time (Days)
Health Board	Oral Surgery	Orthodontics	Restorative Dentistry
Argyll & Clyde	93	90	144
Ayrshire & Arran	41	40	147
Borders	17	94	81
Dumfries & Galloway	80	78	147
Fife	63	149	72
Forth Valley	50	95	104
Grampian	67	205	105
Greater Glasgow	51	70	133
Highland	31	301	94
Lanarkshire	50	89	136
Lothian	106	47	74
Orkney	36	*	*
Shetland	37	*	*
Tayside	50	113	70
Western Isles	*	235	*
Scotland	56	93	90

Table 2

NHS In Scotland: Median Waiting Time For Inpatient/Day Case¹ Treatment For Oral Surgery, By Health Board Of Residence. Year Ending 30 June 2000.

Health Board	Median Waiting Time (Days)
Argyll & Clyde	35
Ayrshire & Arran	77
Borders	21
Dumfries & Galloway	70
Fife	70
Forth Valley	48
Grampian	19
Greater Glasgow	35
Highland	63
Lanarkshire	34
Lothian	9
Orkney	14
Shetland	7
Tayside	8
Western Isles	10
Scotland	22

Source: ISD, Scotland.

* Not applicable

Notes:

1. Scottish residents routinely admitted from the waiting list. Admissions via transfer are excluded.

Information on the number of consultant posts vacant by health board and specialty at 30 September 2000 is not yet available. The annual survey carried out by ISD is nearing completion and provisional data should be available in January 2001.

The Oil Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO), which is the National Training Organisation (NTO) for the oil and gas industry, recently commissioned from the Robert Gordon University an employment and skills foresight analysis for the industry. The report, published in March, identified current recruitment problems across all sizes of company in the oil and gas sector, particularly for people with technical and managerial experience. Action to address these problems is being taken by OPITO and by the industry itself.

Offshore activity is conventionally allocated to a separate region of the UK known as the Continental Shelf. The following figures exclude information for the Continental Shelf.

The data provided is for group 112 of the 1992 Standard Industrial Classifications - service activities incidental to oil and gas extraction, excluding surveying. Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas is not included. The latest data available are for 1997. Data for Grampian are not available and it is not possible to provide data for parliamentary constituencies.

	Total Employment (000)	Gross Value Added at Basic Prices (£m)
Aberdeen City Unitary Authority	11.7	1,026.8
North East Scotland Parliamentary Region	12.3	1,219.9
Scotland	12.6	1,243.9

Source: Scottish Production Database.