Parliamentary questions

Dorothy-Grace Elder

645 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

3 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-2385 and S1W-2386 by Susan Deacon on 13 January 2000 and 30 November 1999, whether it will specify the total annual cost of providing beta interferon treatment to the 163 people who received this treatment in the year to 30 November 1999.

Answer · Susan Deacon: It is not possible to specify the total annual cost of providing beta interferon treatment. Data collected centrally relates to prescribed items dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors. The cost of drug treatments given in hospital is not av…

3 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3393 by Susan Deacon on 16 February 2000, what plans it has to ensure that individual health boards are following the Scottish Medical Advisory Committee's guidance about new drugs for multiple sclerosis and clinical advice, issued to all health boar…

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Medical Advisory Committee's guidance about new drugs for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis continues to apply. The implementation of that guidance is a matter for each health board.

3 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1852 on 11 February 2000 by Susan Deacon, why it has not taken any steps to gather information on, and compile a national register of, multiple sclerosis sufferers who may benefit from beta interferon treatment.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) has established a working group to assess the total needs of people with multiple sclerosis. The group is expected to report in May and their report will include a chapter on epidemiology.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=…

3 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1852 on 11 February 2000 by Susan Deacon, to provide a list of the local drugs and therapeutic committees who are informing and advising clinicians as to whether patients with multiple sclerosis would benefit from beta interferon treatment.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Clinicians in each health board area have access to advice from drug and therapeutic committees. Information about the drug treatments considered by the individual committees is not made available centrally.

3 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3392 on 2 February 2000 by Susan Deacon, when the Special Needs Assessment Programme working group will conclude its report assessing the total health needs of people suffering from multiple sclerosis and when it will be made available to the Parliam…

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) working group have prepared a draft report on the health needs of people suffering from multiple sclerosis, with input from the Multiple Sclerosis Society. The report is being checked prior to further editing and…

1 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it regards taxis and private hire cars as methods of public transport for the purposes of its transport strategy.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive recognises that hackney cabs and private hire vehicles (PHVs) have a role to play in public transport provision. While not operating to specific timetables, they can provide a convenient alternative means of transport to the public. The…

1 Mar 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether, if the Holyrood Project is cancelled, alternative sites outside Edinburgh, in particular in Glasgow, will be considered as the location of a new Scottish Parliament building.

Answer · David Steel: I advise members to await publication of Mr Spencely's report which will enable such details to be set in context.

29 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of Glasgow Zoo's current financial situation, whether it intends to provide any financial aid to the 'oo to alleviate this situation and what alternative arrangements it intends to make to replace the educational and volunteering opportunities which the 'oo provides in…

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive has no plans to provide financial aid to Glasgow Zoo. The future of educational and volunteering initiatives at the zoo are a matter for its owners.

29 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of those arrested during the protest at Faslane Nuclear Base on 14 February 2000 were detained in police cells, how many protesters were held in each cell and how many female protesters were released from police custody after public transport had ceased operating for the evening.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Of the 182 persons arrested, 178 were detained in police cells in several police offices in the Strathclyde Police area (104 cells held one individual, 19 cells held three, three cells held four and one cell held five), one individual was held in a detention …

29 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were arrested during the protest at Faslane Nuclear Base on 14 February 2000, what offences those arrested were believed to have committed and how many of those arrested were subsequently charged.

Answer · Jim Wallace: 179 persons were arrested by Strathclyde Police and a further three by Ministry of Defence Police. Of those arrested by Strathclyde Police, 133 were charged with Breach of the Peace, 44 with Breach of the Peace and resisting arrest, and two with Obstruction. …

28 Feb 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the full cost is of the Parliament's temporary accommodation from first hiring to date and what the cost will be of the temporary move to Glasgow, including travel expenses.

Answer · David Steel: The Parliament's running costs on accommodation to date (i.e. rent, rates, utilities etc) amount to £4.1 million.The cost of running meetings of Parliament in Glasgow - including accommodation, IT facilities and broadcasting - is …

23 Feb 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers were on duty during the protest at the Faslane Nuclear Base on 14 February 2000 and how much this police presence cost.

Answer · Jim Wallace: During the protest 174 police officers were deployed. The operation was policed by officers rostered to be on duty and the costs were met from the Chief Constable's operational budget.

8 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide funding for the extension of the competency-based preceptorship programme at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in order to improve patient care and nurse development and decrease nursing turnover rates and what plans it has to recognise the efforts of the nursing staff at Gl…

Answer · Susan Deacon: I expect all NHS Trusts in Scotland to provide a period of preceptorship for newly qualified nurses and I am delighted that Glasgow Royal Infirmary has taken a structured approach to this.The National Board for Nursing Midwifery and Health …

8 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of vacant nursing posts in the period September 1999 to January 2000, broken down by (a) individual hospital trusts; (b) grades and (c) speciality.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally. The latest available information is at 30 April 1999. Table 1 shows the total number of nursing vacancies in the NHS in Scotland split by provider and qualification. Table 2 shows a speciality breakdown.<P…

8 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost, in terms of advertising, recruiting and training a new member of staff, is of filling a vacant nursing post.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally. Health boards and NHS Trusts in Scotland are directly responsible for the recruitment of new staff.

8 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to address the rate of staff turnover in relation to nurses in specialist high dependency and intensive care units in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Local staffing arrangements are principally a matter for NHS Trusts. However, the Chief Medical Officer will shortly be leading a study of the capacity and flexibility of high dependency and intensive care provision in Scotland, which will focus on nursing st…

8 Feb 2000 · Written Question

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally.However, for directly and permanently employed nurses leaving the NHS in Scotland in the last three years, please refer to question S1W-4053.

8 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its target is for increasing the number of registered nurses in Scotland in 2000-01.

Answer · Susan Deacon: We are committed to recruiting more nurses to the NHS in Scotland by building incrementally on the numbers entering training, and by encouraging nurses back to work through more family-friendly policies. Nursing and midwifery student intakes will increase by …

8 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether positive proof of qualifications in intensive care nursing are always provided by agency nurses assigned to intensive care units and, if not, what steps it proposes to take to ensure that agency nurses working in intensive care units are qualified in that speciality.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Nursing Agencies are licensed by health boards who should ensure that agencies provide appropriately qualified nurses but it is also for NHS Trusts to satisfy themselves that all their staff, including those provided by a nursing agency, are appropriately qua…

8 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reduce the #25 million spent on temporary agency nurses in the NHS in Scotland and whether these plans include permanent employment of nurses.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I am determined that there be a further reduction in the use of bank and agency nurses. Those Trusts responsible for the heaviest use of bank and agency nurses are already in the process of introducing new practices to rectify the situation. In the months ahe…

4 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to aid the police and Women's Aid in combating domestic violence following the statement from Strathclyde Police that reported violent attacks on partners have increased by 75% in the past year.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: We are working to improve service provision for victims of domestic abuse throughout Scotland through the Scottish Partnership on Domestic Abuse and the Domestic Abuse Service Development fund.

1 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an estimate of how many intravenous drug users among prostitutes in Glasgow are HIV positive.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Estimates, based on work undertaken by the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health, suggest that in 1999 the prevalence of HIV infection among prostitutes in Glasgow who inject drugs would be no greater than 1% or 10 cases.

1 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will increase funding for organisations which help heroin addicted prostitutes in Glasgow and whether it will give an estimate of the ages of prostitutes in Glasgow.

Answer · Iain Gray: Scottish Executive funding for the Routes Out Social Inclusion Partnership is set to increase over each of the next two years - indicative levels are £256,000 for 2000-01 and £263,000 for 2001-02. Information concerning the average age of prostitutes in Glasg…

1 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an estimate of the ages of prostitutes in Glasgow who are intravenous drug users.

Answer · Iain Gray: This information is not collected or held centrally. Information from the Glasgow drop in centre for prostitutes, Base 75, indicates that 56% of the 1,109 women registered on its database have injected drugs. The average age of the 99 women who completed a qu…

1 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what help it currently offers to prostitutes who are intravenous drug users.

Answer · Iain Gray: In A Programme for Government, the Scottish Executive has made a commitment to expanding treatment and rehabilitation facilities for drug, alcohol and substance abuse. An action priority in Scotland's drug strategy is to provide a range of services to …

1 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give an assurance that no further operations will take place privately or otherwise in NHS hospitals involving removing healthy limbs or other body parts from patients suffering from mental health problems, including body dysmorphic disorder.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to my answer to S1W-4086.

26 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) angiogrammes and (b) angioplasties have been cancelled due to shortage of beds at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in each quarter from January 2000.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not available.

26 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) angiogrammes and (b) angioplasties have been performed at Glasgow Royal Infirmary during January 2000.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is available on request from North Glasgow University NHS Trust.

26 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) angiogrammes and (b) angioplasties were cancelled due to shortage of beds at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in each quarter from January 1998 to December 1999.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is available on request from the GRI.

26 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) angiogrammes and (b) angioplasties were performed at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in each quarter from January 1998 to December 1999.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is available on request from North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust.