Parliamentary questions
Irene Oldfather
1,035 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
11 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it places on providing rehabilitation services for female drug users who are pregnant.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22195 on 19 January 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
11 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it places on providing rehabilitation services for female drug users.
Answer · Hugh Henry: We are working towards improvementsin service quality and delivery to ensure that all drug misusers have access toa range of patient-centred services which can be tailored to meet individual needsand circumstances and that support service users to turn away f…
11 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any proposals to establish a national rehabilitation centre for female drug addicts in Scotland.
Answer · Hugh Henry: There are no proposals to establisha national rehabilitation centre for female drug addicts in Scotland.</p>
11 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent in the current financial year on funding rehabilitation treatment for female drug addicts.
Answer · Hugh Henry: It is not possible to disaggregatefunds spent on the basis of gender. However, in 2004-05, the most recent year forwhich figures are available, 33% of new individuals accessing drug treatment werewomen, according to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.</p>
11 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many female drug addicts have been sent from Scotland to (a) England and (b) Wales for rehabilitation treatment.
Answer · Hugh Henry: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
11 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what facilities are available for women’s drug rehabilitation services.
Answer · Hugh Henry: It is for local drug action teamsand partners to design and deliver services for drug misusers, tailored to meetlocal needs and priorities. Information provided by drug action teams through corporateaction plans for 2005-06 shows that there are 65 non-residen…
22 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that all people who are eligible for free travel under the concessionary travel scheme can use their entitlement.
Answer · Tavish Scott: To be eligible for theScotland-wide free bus scheme for older and disabled people, people must applylocally for an entitlement card. We are working with local managers to ensurethat current concessionary card holders do so. In addition, we will shortly belaun…
22 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing exemptions for visually impaired passengers who are eligible for free travel under the concessionary travel scheme to enable them to continue to show their travel cards to the driver and not have to use card swipe machines.
Answer · Tavish Scott: No. The use of smart cardswill lead to greater accuracy in paying operators and will help to combatfraud. These benefits would be lost if exemptions were made.</p><p>The Royal Institute for theBlind is discussing with us how travel cards should be presented …
22 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the RNIB regarding the suitability of travel card swipe machines for visually impaired passengers on public transport.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Royal National Institutefor the Blind was among the consultees for the recent consultation on the termsof the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people. Inaddition, my officials are arranging to discuss with the Institute how trav…
22 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to the needs of visually impaired passengers when introducing travel card swipe machines on public transport as part of the concessionary travel scheme.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The travel cards used in theScotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people will be contactlesssmart cards that can be lightly placed on or above a card reader. </p><p>My officials are arrangingto discuss with the Royal Institute for the Bl…
6 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of paramedics in (a) Scotland and (b) the South West Division have received training in administering thrombolysis.
Answer · Andy Kerr: All state registered paramedics working within the Scottish Ambulance Service have undertaken a cardiac care study course which includes training in the administration of thrombolytic drugs and culminates in written and practical assessments. Thrombolysis tra…
5 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the dispatch of rapid response teams is co-ordinated with the availability of ambulances in the local area.
Answer · Andy Kerr: A rapid response unit (RRU) is one type of resource that could be used by the Scottish Ambulance Service to respond to a 999 life-threatening call. The deployment of RRUs and accident and emergency (A&E) ambulance units is co-ordinated and managed by the …
5 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what flexibility is given to ambulance service management to respond to calls other than emergency calls.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Ambulance Service’s accident and emergency service responds to 999 calls, doctors’ urgent requests (where patients require urgent transport to hospital following a visit from a doctor) and to requests for hospital transfers. 999 calls are priorit…
5 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is given to rapid response units in respect of response times to emergency calls.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21410 on 19 December 2005. 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/web…
5 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how often training is undertaken by paramedics in the administration of morphine.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Scottish Ambulance Service paramedics are trained in the administration of prescription only medicines, including morphine, as part of the paramedic training course. Monitoring of the use of morphine is carried out monthly by local and external clinical audit…
5 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring takes place in respect of the training of paramedics in the administration of morphine.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21407 on 19 December 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament…
5 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether training was offered to paramedics on the introduction of thrombolysis for use in ambulances.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21402 on 19 December 2005. 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/web…
5 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when thrombolysis became available for use by paramedics.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21402 on 19 December 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament…
5 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of ambulance service divisions are using thrombolysis.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21402 on 19 December 2005. 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/web…
5 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what training paramedics are given in administering thrombolysis.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Ambulance Service began trialling the use of paramedic administered thrombolysis in 2000 in Tayside. Following the success of this trial, the practice was rolled out across Scotland and is now used in each of the six divisions of the ambulance se…
25 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the procedures for awarding dependents' grants.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: My officials recently undertooka review of the student support arrangements in Scotland, which was completed inSeptember 2004. A number of areas of student support were identified for immediate,priority or medium-term action. The final report of the Funding f…
25 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Student Awards Agency for Scotland is instructed to calculate the joint income of cohabiting couples who are unmarried when establishing eligibility for a dependents' grant.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: It is a stipulation of the current policy on Adult Dependants’ Grant that a student may only receive an Adult Dependants’ Grant in respect of a partner to whom he or she is legally married. Cohabiting students are not eligible to receive an Adult Dependants’ …
25 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of recipients of a dependents' grant from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland are married.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: All students in receipt of anAdult Dependants’ Grant from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland aremarried. It is a stipulation of the current policy on Adult Dependants’ Grant thata student may only receive an Adult Dependants’ Grant in respect of a partner…
25 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students are in receipt of a dependents' grant for the current academic session.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Figures for the number of studentsin receipt of a Dependants’ Grant in the current academic session are presentlyunavailable. The figures for the current academic session will be published in late2006.</p>
25 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland in relation to the allocation of dependents' grants.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Student Awards Agency forScotland (SAAS) is an executive agency and is therefore part of the Scottish Executive’sEnterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Group. The SAAS acts for ministers, andas such, develops its own operational guidance for the deli…
25 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it offers mature students who have dependents.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: All eligible students studyingat further education level can apply to their college for a discretionary bursaryto help meet the costs of living whilst studying. Eligible students studying atHigher Education level may apply to the Student Awards Agency for Sco…
25 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it places on ensuring access to further and higher education for mature students with children.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is committedto widening access to further and higher Education, and to ensuring that everyonehas the chance to learn, irrespective of their background or personal circumstances.</p><p>Our student support arrangementsare designed to help…
24 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote good oral hygiene amongst children and young people.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: There is an extensive education and training plan for oral hygiene amongst children and young people in Scotland.</p> <p>All parents of children under the age of one year receive an education and information pack, advising on good oral hygiene and oral care. …
24 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it places on ensuring the best possible oral health amongst children.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Scotland has one of the most extensive oral hygiene educationand training plans for children anywhere in Europe. This education and trainingplan is already extensive but will move towards comprehensive coverage of childrenin Scotland by 2008, under the action…
24 Oct 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase access to NHS dentists.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: <i>An Action Plan for ImprovingOral Health and Modernising NHS Dental Services in </i><i>Scotland</i>contains a number of measures aimed at increasing the dental workforce.</p>