§ Mr. McTaggartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report current and
Project Research Body Grant £ Date commenced Date completed 1. To obtain further information about the incidence of Legionnaire's disease in Scotland University of Glasgow Department of Infectious Diseases, Ruchill Hospital, Glasgow 5,933 1979 1980 2. Investigation into Legionnaire's disease and other infections among package tourists and other travellers (extension of No. 1) As above 5,746 1980 1982 Note: The disease was not recognised as a specific entity until 1977.
The Scottish Home and Health Department is willing to receive applications for funds to support soundly based research proposals through its research grants scheme.
§ Mr. McTaggartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the guidelines sent by his Department (a) to health boards and (b) to local authorities about keeping cooling towers clean.
§ Mr. John MacKayA copy of the guidance relating to Legionnaire's disease and hospital water systems issued to health boards in 1980, and re-issued earlier this year, has been placed in the Library. No guidance on this matter has been issued to local authorities in Scotland.
§ Mr. McTaggartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if any doctors from the communicable disease surveillance centre at Colindale have been asked to help the Greater Glasgow health board with its investigation into the causes of the current outbreak of Legionnaire's disease at Glasgow royal infirmary and elsewhere in Glasgow.
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Deaths in Scotland of persons resident on Greater Glasgow health board area 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 *1985 January — — — — — — — — February — — — — 1 — — — March — — — — — — 1 — April — — — — — — 1 — May — — — — — — — — June — — — 1 — — — — July — — — — 1 — — — August — — — — — — — — September — — — — — — 1 — October — — — — — 1 — — November — — 1 — — — — — December — — — — — 1 — — Deaths in Scotland January — — — — — — — — February — — — — 1 — — — March — — — — — — 1 — April — — — — — — 1 — May 1 — — — — — — — June — — — 1 — — — — July — — — — 1 — 1 — August — — — — — — — — September — — 1 — 1 — 1 — past research projects since 1955 into the causes, means of transmission and treatment of Legionnaire's disease in Scotland.
§ Mr. John MacKayInformation about projects funded by the Scottish Home and Health Department is set out in the table.
§ Mr. John MacKayNo; but I am satisfied that Greater Glasgow health board is well able to conduct these investigations and that it will seek such outside advice as it considers necessary.
§ Mr. McTaggartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the number of deaths from Legionnaire's disease in (a) the Greater Glasgow health board area and (b) Scotland in each of the past 10 years and if he will detail in each year the months in which those deaths occurred.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe term Legionnaire's disease was not used before 1978. The numbers of deaths reported to the Registrar General from 1978 to 1985, in which the underlying cause of death was recorded as Legionnaire's disease, are given in the tables. As is the usual practice in the recording of deaths by the Registrar General the figures relate to the area of residence of the deceased and not to the area where they died. The figures for 1985 are provisional.
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1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 *1985 October — — — — — 2 — — November — — 1 — — — — 3 December — 1 — 1 — 2 — —
§ Mr. McTaggartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will fund a research project into the role played by building design in the spread of Legionnaire's disease in Scotland.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe public health laboratory service was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Security in 1981 to undertake an extensive environmental study into Legionnaire's disease. The Health Departments will consider the need for further research in the light of the report on the study and the results of the public inquiry into the outbreak at Stafford district general hospital.
Health Departments will also take into account the findings of the investigation being undertaken by Greater Glasgow health board.
§ Mr. McTaggartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from residents of the constituency of Glasgow central about deaths resulting from Legionnaire's disease (a) at Glasgow royal infirmary and (b) in housing blocks adjacent to the infirmary.
§ Mr. John MacKayNone.
§ Mr. McTaggartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence his Department has compiled about the relative incidence of Legionnaire's disease among people living (a) in modern buildings with air conditioning and showers and (b) in other buildings.
§ Mr. John MacKayData are not collected centrally about the type of accommodation in which patients live.
Specialists in community medicine at 30 September 1984 Health board NHS full-time NHS part-time Honorary part-time Total numbers Whole-time equivalent Whole-time equivalent per 100,000 population Greater Glasgow 20 — 6 26 23.8 2.4 Argyll and Clyde 10 — — 10 10.0 2.2 Ayrshire and Arran 8 — — 8 8.0 2.1 Borders 3 — — 3 3.0 3.0 Dumfries and Galloway 2 — — 2 2.0 1.4 Fife 8 — — 8 8.0 2.3 Forth Valley 6 — — 6 6.0 2.2 Grampian 11 — 3 14 12.9 2.6 Highland 5 — — 5 5.0 2.5 Lanarkshire 11 — — 11 11.0 1.9 Lothian 17 1 7 25 21.6 2.9 Orkney 1 — — 1 1.0 5.2 Shetland 1 — — 1 1.0 4.3 Tayside 13 — 4 17 15.5 3.9 Western Isles 1 — — 1 1.0 3.2 Scotland 117 1 20 138 129.8 2.7 In addition the Common Services Agency employ 10 full-time specialists in community medicine one of whom is employed in the communicable diseases unit based at Ruchill hospital, Glasgow.