§ Mr. Michael J. MartinTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many people in Scotland have been treated by the national health service for bites by dogs in Scotland in each of the past five years;
95W(2) what was the cost to the national health service in Scotland in each of the past five years for treating people bitten by dogs;
(3) how many children under the age of 16 years have been treated by the national health service for bites by dogs in Scotland in each of the past five years.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe following is the number of in-patient and day-case discharges of patients from NHS hospitals in Scotland with a diagnosis of dog bites:
Year Under-16 discharges Over-16 discharges Total discharges 1986 103 100 203 1987 83 90 175 1988 118 124 242 1989 97 92 189 1990 84 105 189 In addition, cases will also be treated at accident and emergency departments and by GPs, but the numbers are not recorded centrally.
The costs associated with the treatment of dog bites cannot be separately identified.
§ Mr. Michael J. MartinTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many dog owners in Scotland have been fined because their dogs have fouled pavements in each of the past five years.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe information requested is not separately identifiable within the criminal statistics maintained by the Scottish Office Home and Health Department.