Parliamentary questions
Helen Eadie
919 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
2 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it has reduced, in the draft budget for 2011-12, the increase planned for eHealth for 2010-11.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Allocations for 2011-12 for General Medical Services are still to be decided and are subject to UK pay negotiations with the professional groups concerned. We do not disclose figures in advance as it could prejudice these contract negotiations.</p> <p >In 20…
2 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many student nurses have enrolled in each of the last five academic years.
Answer · Michael Russell: Published trend information showing nursing and midwifery student intake is available at: </b></p> <p >http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=Student_intakes_and_students_in_training%202010.xls&pContentDispositionType=attachment.</p>…
2 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, given the increase in the workforce line for health and sport in the draft budget for 2011-12 to £28.5 million in cash terms, what regulatory bodies will receive lower payments.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are no plans at the moment to reduce the amount paid to regulatory bodies as a result of the increase in the workforce budget.</p>
2 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that the amount budgeted for distinction awards in the 2010-11 draft budget is £30 million in cash and £29.6 million in real terms and that this represents a 7.1% and 5.6% increase respectively on the amount budgeted in 2009-10.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I confirm that the draft budget for distinction awards for 2010-11 was £30 million. However, in March 2010, I accepted the recommendation of the Doctors'' and Dentists'' Review Body that there should be no uplift in the value of the existing awards in 2010-11…
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance exists for planning authorities as to whether all elected members serving on planning committees should visit sites of major strategic developments before arriving at a decision.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: None. The issue of site visits in relation to applications for planning permission and who should attend is a matter for the planning authority.</p>
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance exists for planning authorities regarding the status that they should accord to the results of mediation exercises when arriving at a decision.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: None. This would be a matter for the planning authority.</p> <p > </p>
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance exists for planning authorities regarding the status that they should accord to the results of local public engagement exercises when arriving at a decision.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Planning legislation requires planning authorities to make decisions in line with the development plan for the area unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Where the outcome of public engagement is submitted as a representation to the planning auth…
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance exists for planning authorities regarding the status that they should accord to the recommendations of their planning officials when arriving at a decision.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: None. This would be a matter for the planning authority.</p> <p > </p>
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance exists for planning authorities as to how fully they should explain to interested parties their reasons for arriving at a specific decision.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: For decisions on planning applications, legislation requires planning authorities to issue a decision notice and report of handling and specifies the content of these documents. Planning authorities are required to keep copies of these documents on their publ…
13 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether responsibility to provide ambulances to return patients from hospital to their homes lies with the ambulance service nearest to where the hospital is located or where the patient lives.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: While the Scottish Ambulance Service is structured into operating divisions for management purposes it is a national Special Health Board that serves all of Scotland. Where a patient requires transport to return from hospital it can be in a vehicle usually ba…
13 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time taken for the East Central Regional Operational Division of the Scottish Ambulance Service to respond to calls for the latest year was for which figures are available, and what the equivalent figures were for the previous three years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held in the format sought, however I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34252 on 10 June 2010 and to the answer to question S3W-29061 on 1 December 2009 which provide details of average response times broken down b…
13 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost per head of (a) emergency and (b) non-emergency ambulance services in the East Central Regional Operational Division of the Scottish Ambulance Service was in the last year.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held in the format sought, however a range of information relating to the cost of ambulance activity is published annually in the ISD Scotland Cost Book. This information can be found at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.isdscotla…
13 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of attendances was per year in district general hospital accident and emergency departments in (a) Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline (b) Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy and (c) St. Andrews Hospital in each of the last six years.
Answer · Shona Robison: The numbers of accident and emergency attendances (new and return) at Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy and St Andrew''s Memorial Hospital, St Andrews for financial years ending 31 March 2005 to 2010 are presented in the table…
13 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated maximum number of casualties the East Central Regional Operational Division of the Scottish Ambulance Service could cope with in one incident is; what assessment it has made of additional resources that might be required to meet any major incident, and where those resou…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
13 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hoax calls the Scottish Ambulance Service received in the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by Regional Operational Division.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
13 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many 999 calls were made between 20 December 2007 and 1 January 2010 where it was decided that an ambulance was not necessary; and what proportion of calls over this period these represented, broken down by Regional Operational Division.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
13 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executivehow many ambulance staff have been employed by the Scottish Ambulance Service, broken down by grade and Regional Operational Division in each of the last six years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Workforce data is published by National Services Scotland, Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland annually, as at 30 September. Data on ambulance staff in post for 2007-09 can be found at: </p> <p ><a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/Fi…
13 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the vacancy (a) rates and (b) numbers for ambulance staff in the Scottish Ambulance Service, broken down by grade and Regional Operational Division in each of the last six years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to Fife Council using 0845 telephone numbers to generate income in excess of £40,000 per annum.
Answer · John Swinney: This is a matter for Fife Council as an independent corporate body.</p>
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what investigations it has made of the impact on individuals using mobile phones and pay-as-you-go phones of the cost of using 0845 telephone numbers.
Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has not made any investigations into the impact on individuals using mobile phones and pay-as-you-go phones of the cost of using 0845 telephone numbers. We understand, however, that the industry regulator, Ofcom, is currently carrying …
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has conducted to assess the benefits for different income groups of the use of 03 telephone numbers by public bodies.
Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34885 on 15 July 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/…
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issues to its directorates regarding the use of 03 telephone numbers as their main point of contact.
Answer · Jim Mather: Telephony services within the Scottish Government are centrally managed by the Information Services and Information Systems (ISIS) division. ISIS is following the advice of the communications regulator, OFCOM, and is in the process of implementing the use of …
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to (a) local authorities and (b) NHS boards regarding the use of 03 telephone numbers as a main point of contact.
Answer · John Swinney: No guidance has been issued by the Scottish Government to local authorities or NHS boards on the use of 03 telephone numbers as a main point of contact.</p>
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has conducted to assess the impact on different income groups of the use of non-geographic telephone numbers by public bodies.
Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has not conducted any studies to assess the impact on or benefits for different income groups of the use of non-geographic or 03 telephone numbers by public bodies. We understand, however, that the industry regulator, OFCOM, is current…
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to its directorates regarding the use of non-geographic telephone numbers as their main point of contact.
Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government currently uses a non geographic number, 0845 774 1741, as its published central contact number for the Scottish Government and its directorates. Use of this non geographic number ensures that calls from anywhere in the UK, using the sa…
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to (a) local authorities and (b) NHS boards regarding the use of non-geographic telephone numbers as their main point of contact.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We have not issued guidance to local authorities or NHS boards on the use of non-geographic telephone numbers. </p> <p >We understand, however, that the industry regulator, Ofcom, is currently carrying out a review of all non-geographic call services and the…
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to encourage the engagement of (a) fertility experts and (b) patients with NHS boards to discuss current services and potential improvements.
Answer · Shona Robison: The work of the National Infertility Group seeks to address a number of issues concerning infertility services in Scotland. Fertility experts and the patient stakeholder group, Infertility Network Scotland, are core members of the group.</p>
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address the issues identified by the Infertility Network Scotland following its survey of NHS boards on infertility services.
Answer · Shona Robison: The work of the National Infertility Group seeks to address a number of issues concerning infertility services in Scotland. The group will submit its first report to Scottish Government Ministers by the end of 2010.</p>
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the findings of the Infertility Network Scotland following its survey of NHS boards on infertility services.
Answer · Shona Robison: The National Infertility Group discussed the findings of the survey undertaken by Infertility Network Scotland, and many of the issues raised by the survey are being considered by the group. The group will submit its first report to Scottish Government Minist…
25 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that community nurses are trained to (a) identify and (b) treat malnutrition.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the UK nursing and midwifery regulator, sets the standards of education and training that nurses and midwives need to deliver high quality healthcare. The NMC is responsible for approving education programmes in line w…