Parliamentary questions
Fiona Hyslop
940 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any plans by West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust to address the trusts's financial deficit and whether it intends to assist the trust in addressing this deficit.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust is currently working to a financial recovery plan approved by the Trust Management Board in May 2002. The Trust's financial position remains in line with the recovery plan.<P>The Scottish Executive Health Department has been …
25 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current financial deficit of the West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust is.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: At the end of May, West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust was forecasting a year-end overspend of £561,000. The trust is in on-going discussions with NHS Lothian about achieving financial breakeven.
25 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS patients in the West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust area on the true waiting list for a hip replacement operation (a) waited more than the target 10 months and (b) were seen within that timescale since the target was set and how many patients are currently on the list.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested on performance against local waiting time targets is not collected since it is a matter for local NHS boards and Trusts. Information on performance against the national waiting time target is published quarterly and is available on t…
5 Jun 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the resources set aside for the Motorola Task Force has been spent and what percentage of this has been spent on government departments, agencies or non-departmental public bodies.
Answer · Iain Gray: Expenditure reports from Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians for the financial year 2001-02 show costs of £3.3 million.<P>Staffing costs for Motorola Taskforce activity account for just over £728,000. These costs can be broken down into actual costs of…
8 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-23092, S1W-23093, S1W-23094, S1W-23095 and S1W-23096 by Mr Andy Kerr on 13 March 2002, why the Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services stated on 23 January 2002 that it already receives benefits from Her Majesty's Treasury because the rate …
Answer · Andy Kerr: The statement was not inaccurate. The principle of adjustments is firmly embedded in the Statement of Funding Policy. At the time the Deputy Minister spoke, we had agreed the adjustment figure for 2000-01, and were in the process of agreeing the figure for 20…
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any member of the Audit Scotland inquiry team into deferred waiting lists is based in an NHS Trust hospital with more than 25% of waiting lists operating on a deferred basis.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The audit is being undertaken by staff of Audit Scotland, supported by two staff with a background in medical records seconded from North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust and Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trusts. On 31 December 2001, both trusts had d…
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a list of the Audit Scotland team members conducting the inquiry into deferred waiting lists.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The audit is being undertaken by staff of Audit Scotland supported by two staff with a background in medical records seconded from North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust and Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals Trust.
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether national health priorities can be met, given that a 1% per annum strategic change deduction to be applied by Lothian NHS Board has been agreed by the board's Chief Executive.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is good practice for boards and trusts to identify cash releasing efficiency savings, to enable local/national health priorities to be met.
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the maintenance of a fully-resourced, full-time accident and emergency facility within St. John's Hospital in Livingston.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A Criteria Submission for the refurbishment of the accident and emergency department at St John's Hospital was recently approved by the Scottish Executive Health Department's Capital Investment Group. We look forward to this major step forward in terms of ser…
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the Pan Lothian Review Group's recommendation that consideration should be given to ensuring that there is a "clear split between elective and emergency care on a Lothian wide basis"; whether such a split could be achieved by operating one emergency and complex med…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Decisions arising from the recommendations of the Pan Lothian Review Group's report are, in the first place, the responsibility of NHS Lothian, in discussion with its trusts. In making any decisions, I expect NHS Lothian to be guided by the latest available e…
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the replacement of current arrangements under section 94 controls on local authority capital expenditure with a more flexible system, as outlined in its consultation document Local Government Bill - Outline of Proposals, will have on (a) local authorities, (b) the Scottish Con…
Answer · Andy Kerr: Under the proposed new system, local authorities would determine their own capital spending with reference to locally-set prudential indicators. They will be allowed to borrow for capital spending without the consent of ministers, provided that they can affor…
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what payments will be made in the current and next financial years to fire boards to cater for pension provision; whether any such payments will be hypothecated, and whether any such payments will be based on a needs assessment of each board rather than in line with current grant aided ex…
Answer · Richard Simpson: The Scottish Executive recently agreed to make an additional £5 million available to Fire Authorities in 2002-03 specifically for pension provision. These additional funds are in effect hypothecated and will be paid in 2002-03 on the basis of need. Informatio…
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary question to question S1O-4625 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 February 2002, what the specific remit is of the working group to consider fire brigade pensions, whether the group will be asked to make recommendations on how to address the funding o…
Answer · Richard Simpson: The remit of the short-term working group will be: <P>To examine the current arrangements for the funding of the Firemen's Pension Scheme to determine whether the arrangements might be managed better for the benefit of all brigades. In taking the work forward…
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary question to question S1O-4625 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 February 2002, whether it will direct the working group considering fire brigade pensions to examine the figures for the three-yearly spending review and to report back before the end o…
Answer · Richard Simpson: The working group will look at both the funding pressures on authorities and the current funding arrangements for the Firemen's Pensions Scheme. We have recently obtained pension information from brigades to assist in determining the levels of funding for the…
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements it has made, or will be making, to ensure that front-line fire services are not affected by the requirement placed on fire boards to pay pensions for firefighters out of revenue budgets.
Answer · Richard Simpson: A meeting was held on 7 February with Fire Board conveners to discuss the issue of fire pensions. Since that time we have confirmed that an additional £5 million will be made available to Fire Authorities in 2002-03 to assist in meeting rising pension costs. …
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any monies paid into the Scottish Consolidated Fund as balancing payments, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy, will be used to offset fire boards e…
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23095.
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether monies paid into the Scottish Consolidated Fund as balancing payments, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy, will be earmarked for specific purposes …
Answer · Andy Kerr: No monies have as yet been paid into the Scottish Consolidated Fund and when they are Scottish ministers will decide for what purposes they will be used.
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many payments have been made from the Scottish Consolidated Fund as balancing payments, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy; how much each payment was, …
Answer · Andy Kerr: No payments have as yet been made.
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many payments have been made to the Scottish Consolidated Fund as balancing payments, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy; how much each payment was; wh…
Answer · Andy Kerr: No payments have as yet been made.
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met HM Treasury to discuss balancing payments to the Scottish Consolidated Fund, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy, to redress any imbalance …
Answer · Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive officials have been in correspondence with officials in HM Treasury about the adjustments to the Scottish Assigned Budget that will be necessary in respect of differences in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit costs between Scotland and…
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has given to its staff on the operation of the concordats between it and departments of Her Majesty's Government and on the operation of the Memorandum of Understanding between Her Majesty's Government, Scottish ministers and the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: No specific guidance has been issued to Scottish Executive staff on the operation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the devolved administrations and the concordats between Scottish Executive and UK Government Departments, as the…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the target waiting time is for patients who have been referred to a hospital to receive information regarding their status on the waiting list.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There is no national target waiting time for patients referred to hospital to receive details of their appointment with a consultant. <P>The Electronic Clinical Communications Implementation Programme, which is currently being piloted, will support electronic…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many general dental practitioners in Lothian have closed their patient lists.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally. As independent contractors dentists can choose whether to treat individual patients, and some will only treat adult fee-paying patients privately.
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how may general medical practitioners in Lothian have closed their patient lists.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Nine practices in the area of Lothian NHS Board have indicated that they are not currently accepting new patients.
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21018 by Lewis Macdonald on 3 January 2002, what the eligibility criteria are for the Public Transport Fund.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The eligibility criteria for the Public Transport Fund are set out in circular DD3/2001 inviting bids. Copies are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 18647).
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list bids whose applications for funding to (a) the Public Transport Fund and (b) the Integrated Transport Fund were refused.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The following local authority bids were not awarded funding from Round 4 of the Public Transport Fund:<P>East Renfrewshire Council - A77 Fenwick Road Giffnock Reconfiguration.<P>Renfrewshire Council - Paisley Town Centre Quality Bus project and Paisley Interc…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the administration of its central heating programme will cost in total.
Answer · Iain Gray: The programme is administered by local authorities and housing associations for their own houses as part of the day to day administration of their stock. The amount of fees payable to Eaga for administering the programme in the private sector will depend on t…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16250 by Rhona Brankin on 27 June 2001, whether any sites for the repository of nuclear waste material from decommissioned nuclear submarines have now been selected.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No sites have been selected. I understand that in its announcement on the publication of the final report of the Project ISOLUS Front End Consultation, the Ministry of Defence stated it will not be until industry comes forward with proposals that potential si…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what sites are currently in use, or have been identified for future use, as repositories for nuclear waste and what the source of the nuclear waste was, or will be, for each site.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The latest information on the amount, location and source of radioactive waste presently stored in the UK and predicted to arise in future is contained on the CD-ROM <I>1998 United Kingdom Radioactive Waste Inventory</I>, a copy of which is available in the P…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children left school in the West Lothian area without attaining a standard grade in (a) English, (b) Mathematics and (c) English and Mathematics in each academic year since 1996.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table shows the number and percentage of pupils that left publicly funded schools in the West Lothian education authority in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, without attaining a standard grade in (a) English, (b) Mathematics and (c) English and Mat…