Parliamentary questions

Elaine Smith

1,153 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

10 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many army personnel were involved in assisting with the severe weather conditions between 29 November and 8 December 2010

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. It is a matter for the UK Government.

10 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many army personnel were involved in assisting motorists stranded on the (a) M8, (b) M73 and (c) M80 on 6 December 2010

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The armed forces have made a valuable contribution to Scotland''s winter resilience, assisting a number of Scottish communities during the recent period of severe weather. Whilst the Scottish Government assisted responder organisations by providing them with …

10 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the army was first called in to deal with the consequences of the recent poor weather conditions

9 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37186 by Alex Neil on the 8 November 2010, whether it will provide an estimated cost for collecting information and statistics regarding the coverage of residual current devices in domestic properties throughout Scotland.

Answer · Alex Neil: The most appropriate way to collect this information would be through the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS). The costs relating to adding a question on residual current devices into the SHCS would relate to the preparation, piloting and training…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultants specialising in thyroid conditions there are in each NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally as data on consultants specialising in thyroid conditions is not captured separately in the workforce statistics. Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland publish data annually as at 30 September 2010 and in…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much the NHS spends annually on drugs to treat a thyroid condition.

Answer · Shona Robison: Latest official statistics on the gross ingredient cost of medicines dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors can be found at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/2241.html">www.isdscotland.org/isd/2241.html</a>. Data are available for fin…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it provides to GPs in relation to considering a potential thyroid patient’s blood test results.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The development of clinical guidelines in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). We understand it has no current plans to develop a guideline on thyroid conditions. Guidelines on the diagnosis and ma…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has of the benefits of the combined use of triiodothyronine and thyroxine compared with patients receiving only thyroxine.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has no evidence of the benefits of the combined use of triiodothyronine and levothyroxine compared with patients receiving only thyroxine. Clinicians are expected to follow agreed national clinical guidelines when diagnosing a…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people diagnosed with thyroid conditions is prescribed a combined course of triiodothyronine and thyroxine and what information it has on how this compares with the situation worldwide.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not available. Prescription data collected centrally do not relate to the number of patients receiving treatment but to numbers and costs of prescribed items dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors.

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has guidelines on the combined use of triiodothyronine and levothyroxine in patients with hypothyroidism.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not have guidelines on the combined use of triiodothyronine and levothyroxine in patients with hypothyroidism. Clinicians are expected to follow agreed national clinical guidelines when diagnosing and managing conditions …

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provides to charities that aim to assist people with thyroid conditions.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not currently provide any funding to charities that aim to assist people living with thyroid conditions. We are not aware of any such charity having applied for funding.

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of the British Thyroid Association.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has not met representatives of the British Thyroid Association, but would be willing to consider a meeting should the Association request one.

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients on branded forms of thyroxine have a more positive outcome than those on generic forms.

Answer · Shona Robison: Licensing and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA has provided the following information. Eltroxin is the only branded form of Levothyroxine Tablets tha…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure stability in the strength of drugs for thyroid patients.

Answer · Shona Robison: The regulation and control of medicines are reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA''s primary aim is the protection of public health that includes assessment of medicinal products to ensu…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it gives pharmacies and GPs to ensure that the same strength of drugs is provided to thyroid patients.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not provide advice on the clinical management of individual patients. The management of a patient is an agreement between the clinicians involved and the patient and their carers, following an assessment of the patient''s conditio…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it provides to pharmacies regarding prescriptions for generic drugs for thyroid patients.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not provide guidelines to pharmacies regarding prescriptions for generic drugs for thyroid patients. Medicines legislation requires pharmacists to dispense medicines in accordance with a prescription. This means that medi…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has of any complications arising from the use of generic rather than branded forms of thyroxine.

Answer · Shona Robison: The safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the MHRA and the Commission for Human Medicines (CHM) t…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many generic prescriptions the NHS has issued to people with a thyroid condition in each year since 2000.

Answer · Shona Robison: Information on prescriptions issued to people is not collected. The following table shows the number of generic prescriptions dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors for drugs defined in section 6.2 of the British National F…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many generic prescriptions the NHS has issued in each year since 2000.

Answer · Shona Robison: Information on prescriptions issued to people is not collected. The following table shows the number of generic prescriptions dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors for financial years ending 31 March 2000 to 2010 inclusive…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information is given to thyroid patients to help them manage their condition.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We would expect people with a thyroid condition to be given appropriate information by their GP or other healthcare professionals, based on relevant clinical guidelines. The following general information is available from the NHS Inform website:…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has on links between thyroid disorders and breast cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We are aware of a number of published studies suggesting links between thyroid diseases and breast cancer, however, evidence of an association is inconclusive and the issue continues to be the subject of debate. If individuals have any concerns, they should d…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients diagnosed with myalgic encephalopathy (ME) have existing thyroid conditions.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally.

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information NHSScotland provides to the general public regarding thyroid conditions.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon : NHS inform, the national health information service for Scotland, provides people with a wide range of quality-assured health information. This information can be accessed online at www.nhsinform.co.uk, or by calling 0800 22 44 88. Details of the inf…

7 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what education is provided to GPs regarding the treatment of thyroid conditions.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The treatment of thyroid conditions is covered by the curriculum for specialty training for general practice and is included in the assessment process. Both the curriculum and the assessment process are set by the Royal College of General Practitioners, and a…

26 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many exceptional cases for assisted conception services have been funded in each year from 2000, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.

26 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues to NHS boards on exceptional cases for the funding of assisted conception services.

Answer · Shona Robison: The decision to provide NHS assisted conception treatment resides with individual NHS boards and will be informed by local protocols and other guidelines. It is the prerogative of NHS boards to use discretionary powers where deemed appropriate in exceptional …

21 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35775 by Stewart Stevenson on 13 September 2010, whether it will specify which European legislation prevents Transport Scotland from directly and permanently operating ScotRail services once the current franchise expires.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000179 EndHTML:0000006948 StartFragment:0000003110 EndFragment:0000006908 SourceURL:file:///\\cc02fd\writtenanswers$\To_Be_Processed\S3W-37014.doc <html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsof…

21 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35775 by Stewart Stevenson on 13 September 2010, whether it will specify which clauses of the Railways Act 1993 prevent Transport Scotland from directly and permanently operating ScotRail services once the current franchise expires.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Section 25 of the Railways Act 1993 prevents a range of public bodies, including Scottish Ministers and their executive agency, Transport Scotland, from being the franchisee of the Scotrail services, which are services designated unde…

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there would be greater equality of access to infertility services if they were centrally funded.

Answer · Shona Robison: Central funding for infertility services is not currently being considered by the National Infertility Group.

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what instructions it gives to NHS boards regarding the funding of assisted conception services.

Answer · Shona Robison: No specific funding is made available for assisted conception services in NHSScotland. NHS boards receive an allocation to meet the health care needs of their resident population. It is for boards to decide how best to utilise this funding to meet national an…