Parliamentary questions

Irene Oldfather

1,035 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

17 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many teaching graduates have applied for a single primary school vacancy in North Ayrshire in 2008, also expressed as a percentage of all applicants for primary school vacancies during that time period.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requested is not held centrally.

17 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many teaching graduates who have completed their probationary year are currently looking for full time employment in Scotland.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requested is not held centrally. Results from the survey carried out by the General Teaching Council for Scotland on the previous cohort of post probationary teachers suggested that by April 2008, 92.7% had gained employment as a teacher in Sc…

17 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support there is to assist teaching graduates who are unable to find full-time work after completing a probationary year.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The employment of teachers is a matter for local authorities. Teaching posts occur throughout the year.

17 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary school teaching positions there were in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007 and have been in 2008, broken down by subject.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The number of secondary school teachers is published each year in Teachers in Scotland, which is available on the Scottish Government website using the following link: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/03/18093809/42">http…

17 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time primary school teaching vacancies there were in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007 and have been in 2008.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A snap-shot of the number of vacancies is published each year in Teacher Vacancies and Probationer Allocations, which is available on the Scottish Government website using the following link <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/170…

17 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time secondary school teaching vacancies there were in North Ayrshire in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007 and have been in 2008, broken down by subject.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A snap-shot of the number of vacancies, by local authority and subject, is published each year in the appendix of Teacher Vacancies and Probationer Allocations, which is available on the Scottish Government website using the following links: …

17 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time primary school teaching vacancies were in North Ayrshire in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007 and have been in 2008.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A snap-shot of the number of vacancies, by local authority, is published each year in Teacher Vacancies and Probationer Allocations, which is available on the Scottish Government website using the following link: <a href="http://www.scotland.…

5 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what priority it places on ensuring that full-time students receive support for childcare.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: All eligible full-time students can apply for tuition fee support for full-time further and higher education (HE) courses as well as a means tested loan and/or young students'' bursary for HE students and means tested grants for further education (FE) student…

5 Sep 2008 · Written Question

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The further education child care allocations for 2006, 2007 and 2008 are as follows: Academic Year 2006-07 - £6.9 million Academic Year 2007-08 - £7.1 million Academic Year 2008-09 - £8.3 million The higher education (discr…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will consider a review of legislation on park homes.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: We are completing consideration of research which was commissioned to provide an accurate picture of residential park and mobile homes in Scotland. This comprehensive study considered the extent to which any problems identified are addressed by the existing l…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the prescribing of antipsychotic drugs is in keeping with promoting a healthier lifestyle for frail elderly people.

Answer · Shona Robison: Special care is required when antipsychotic medication is used in frail elderly people. Doctors should only be using medication of any type after careful consideration of the risks and benefits for the patient. With regard to antipsychotic medication, the sta…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the recommendations of Always a Last Resort: Inquiry into the Prescription of Antipsychotic Drugs to People with Dementia Living in Care Homes, published by the Westminster All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia, have relevance in Scotland and, if so, what act…

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14094 on 23 June 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The information on student loan entitlement and take up for 2005-06 and 2006-07 can be found in the Student Awards in Scotland 2006-07 Statistics Publication Notice at the following link: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/11/12112…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The information on higher education bursaries for 2005-06 and 2006-07 can be found in the Student Awards in Scotland 2006-07 Statistics Publication Notice at the following link: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/11/12112008/21">ht…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been for illegal snaring in the last year.

Answer · Michael Russell: According to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service''s case management database four charges for snaring offences were prosecuted within the last year.

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many arrests have been made for illegal snaring in the last year.

Answer · Michael Russell: As far as we are aware there have been no arrests made for illegal snaring in the last year. It would be unusual for police to arrest a suspect for such an offence.

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any review of national care standards will be open to public consultation.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16028 on 12 September. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliamanet.uk/webapp…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a review of national care standards will be undertaken.

Answer · Shona Robison: Section 5 of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 requires Scottish ministers to keep the national care standards under review. The National Care Standards Committee made recommendations to ministers on how best to review the national care stan…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Dementia Research Network was launched on 29 August 2008 and has been offered the following allocations by financial year: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=116 valign=top > August 2008-09 </td> <td val…

21 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Medicines Consortium regarding the prescribing of antipsychotic medication to people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has had no discussion with the Scottish Medicines Consortium with regard to the prescribing of antipsychotic medication to people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

21 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Medicines Consortium regarding the prescribing of antipsychotic medication in care homes.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Executive has had no discussion with the Scottish Medicines Consortium with regard to the prescribing of antipsychotic medication in care homes.

14 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of clostridium difficile have been reported by NHS Ayrshire and Arran in each year since 2000.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the question S3W-14993, answered on 11 August 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliamen…

14 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths have occurred as a result of clostridium difficile in NHS Ayrshire and Arran in the last year, broken down by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Ayrshire and Arran have advised that during the period April 2007 to March 2008 there were 14 deaths in NHS Ayrshire and Arran where Clostridium difficile was recorded as a primary cause of death. This is broken down by hospital in the following table:</p…

14 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of clostridium difficile have been reported by NHS Ayrshire and Arran in the last year, broken down by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is set out in the table below, broken down by the hospital in which the patient was being cared for at the time of identification. Data is available from April to March of each year. <div align=center> <table border=1 cellspac…

14 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths occurred as a result of clostridium difficile in the last year, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) month.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) collects information on the number of deaths that have occurred as a result of Clostridium difficile by NHS board on an annual basis. The information for 2007 has not yet been made available. Informati…

14 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of clostridium difficile have been reported by NHS boards in the last year, broken down by month.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Mandatory surveillance on the total number of cases of Clostridium difficile reported by NHS board was introduced in September 2006. This information is collected by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and is published in quarterly reports on their website. …

4 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who have had a free central heating system installed under the central heating programme since its inception would have been excluded from applying as a result of the changes made to the eligibility criteria announced on 22 May 2008.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: All householders who were eligible for the Central Heating Programme before the Cabinet Secretary’s announcement of 22 May remain eligible under the regulations. Prior to the Cabinet Secretary’s announcement of 22 May, householders with a broken syst…

4 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that people who no longer qualify for a free central heating system as a result of the new eligibility criteria announced on 22 May 2008 will be able to apply for a free central heating system.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: All householders who were eligible for the central heating programme before the Cabinet Secretary’s announcement of 22 May remain eligible under the regulations. Amongst new applicants, however, priority for the remainder of 2008-09 is being given to those wi…

4 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues to police forces in Scotland on the maximum area that should be covered by a single community police officer.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: None. Operational policing matters are the responsibility of individual chief constables.

4 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it anticipates a reduction in the number of community police officers between 2008 and 2011.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Our investment of £94 million during the lifetime of the Parliament will deliver a more visible policing presence on Scotland’s streets and make an additional 1,000 officers available in our communities.