Parliamentary questions

Janis Hughes

122 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

8 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current position is with regard to the supplementary report of the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I announced on 18 December that the pay recommendations of the DDRB were being accepted in full and without staging. The DDRB recommended an overall pay increase of 3.9% for salaried doctors and dentists and general medical and dental practitioners.To enco…

7 Feb 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has to help those who are victims of drug misuse and their families.

Answer · Iain Gray: The victims of drug misuse can range from individuals who misuse drugs, to their families and the wider community. Earlier this month I announced details of how the Executive's £100 million package of additional expenditure on drug misuse over the next three …

18 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on the reports and recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Bodies.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Pay Review Body for Doctors and Dentists (DDRB) has recommended a general pay increase of 3.9% both for salaried doctors and dentists and for pay elements of fees for general medical and dental practitioners. The Pay Review Body has also recommended an in…

2 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Health Technology Board for Scotland to publish its findings regarding the prescription of Beta Interferon for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to answer given to question S1W-9432 on 27 November 2000.

25 Oct 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it expects communities to benefit from the recently announced additional funding for the Council for Voluntary Services network.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The doubling of funding for Councils of Voluntary Service will enable the Scottish Executive to support the network right across Scotland for the first time. The additional funding will enable local Councils for Voluntary Service to:<UL><LI>increase their …

27 Sep 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure high standards in the sewerage system.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The three Scottish water authorities are investing £1.8 billion in Scotland's water and sewerage networks over this and the next two years, to secure a better service for customers. We are also carrying out a quality and standards exercise which will identify…

14 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current situation is regarding the M74 northern extension following the recently published report by the local authorities concerned.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the reference to the M74 in my statement on Transport Spending made to Parliament on 28 September.

7 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Health Technology Board for Scotland to report on its appraisal of beta interferon in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-9432.

26 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether individual health boards can decide whether or not to provide digital hearing aids.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer to the answer given to question S1W-8282.

26 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether digital hearing aids are now widely available in the NHSiS.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Six different types of digital hearing aid are available to the NHS in Scotland as a result of central contracts negotiated by Scottish Healthcare Supplies. Whether an individual patient is prescribed a digital aid is a matter for decision at NHS Trust level …

12 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to provide funding for guide/communicators for deafblind people in areas which do not fund such a service.

Answer · Iain Gray: It is the responsibility of local authorities to assess the needs of deafblind people for services and to make provision for these within their budgets.

12 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities in Scotland do not currently provide guide/communicator support for deafblind people.

Answer · Iain Gray: This information is not held centrally.

12 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it supports the role played by guide/communicators in the day-to-day life of deafblind people.

Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive provides support through grant funding to national voluntary organisations under sections 9 and 10(1) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and section 16B of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 as amended.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY…

24 May 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to local drugs forums to tackle the problem of drugs in Scotland.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive provides over £1 million in total to Drug Action Teams in Scotland, to support implementation of the national strategy Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership. It is for Drug Action Teams to decide how these resources a…

10 May 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to promote a positive approach among children and young people towards public transport.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Safer Routes to School initiative is already doing much to encourage children to walk, cycle or use public transport to get to school. There are currently 89 schemes in Scotland. We intend to develop and extend the initiative further as part of our integr…

3 May 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that the unique nature of paediatric health services is taken into account when it considers the future of child health services in Glasgow and in Scotland as a whole.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive recognises the unique nature of paediatric services. We have demonstrated that through the Chief Medical Officer's Acute Services Review. We expect local health services to act on those principles.Decisions …

13 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, if Glasgow City Council's housing stock is transferred, what long-term guarantees on terms and conditions will be given to staff other than the Transfer of Undertakings (TUPE) Regulations, which apply only at the time of transfer.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Staff transferring under the TUPE regulations will transfer on the same terms and conditions of employment as currently apply. The Executive is committed to the principle of no compulsory redundancies, no deterioration in terms and conditions and guaranteed c…

13 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has had with the trade unions involved in the proposed transfer of Glasgow City Council's housing stock.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: I have had a number of discussions with trade union representatives about the Glasgow housing transfer. The framework document published on 10 April is the starting point for tenants, staff, trade unions and others to be fully involved in developing a transfe…

23 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any reduction in NHS Trust management costs since May 1997.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Management cost percentages for all NHS Trusts for 1997-98 and 1998-99 were given in the answer to question S1W-1457. The management cost returns from NHS Trusts for 1999-2000 are required to be submitted to the Management Executive by 30 June 2000.

3 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to provide extra financial assistance to local authorities to help them deal with pay awards.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The local government settlement for 2000-01 provides for Government Supported Expenditure (GSE) to rise by 3.7% to £6.746 million. Pay is a matter for local authorities themselves to consider when setting their budgets and determining their priorities in the …

1 Mar 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reached any decisions regarding the M74 Northern Extension following the Minister for Transport's meeting with the local authorities involved in December 1999.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: When I announced the outcome of the Strategic Roads Review on 4 November 1999, I noted that responsibility for progressing the M74 proposals would continue to rest with the City of Glasgow and South Lanarkshire Councils. At my meeting in December with represe…

7 Feb 2000 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Executive are taking to promote integrated transport and to promote the use and quality of public transport services.

Answer · Donald Dewar: Our legislative proposals announced by Sarah Boyack earlier today represent a good deal for the public transport user and a good deal for the motorist. Our vision is to deliver a public transport system comparable with the best in Europe, whilst giving fair t…

19 Jan 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what new measures are being taken to address school exclusions.

Answer · Peter Peacock: A wide range of initiatives are being developed by education authorities to tackle exclusion. These developments are supported by funding from the Scottish Executive under the Alternatives to Exclusion initiatives. £5 million was allocated this year rising to…

17 Jan 2000 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Executive will take to address the under representation of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities in public appointments.

Answer · Donald Dewar: The Executive is committed to making public appointments in Scotland more representative of Scottish society as a whole.That is why the forthcoming consultation exercise on modernising the public appointments system, announced by Jack McConnell last month,…

13 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider providing some form of bridging funding for the health service in Glasgow in order to address the special problems it has due to the scale of acute hospital changes and relocation of facilities required to implement the recommendations of the Carter review.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Greater Glasgow Health Board is working closely with its partner Trusts on an ambitious programme to modernise and improve acute health services across the city. The health board will need to demonstrate that the costs of any specific proposals are affordable…

8 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-departmental public bodies there are in Scotland and what is the total sum of money available to them.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive currently has responsibility for a total of 137 Public Bodies (excluding the 51 NHS Bodies), of which 38 are Executive NDPBs. In 1997-98, the Scottish Executive contributed £1,700 million of the Scottish budget to Executive NDPBs in Sco…

28 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has had from the business community in Glasgow Rutherglen constituency regarding the proposed M74 extension.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: None from the business community in the Glasgow Rutherglen constituency. Some representations have however been received from umbrella business groups whose membership may include businesses based in Rutherglen.

27 Oct 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has had from the business community in Glasgow Rutherglen constituency regarding the proposed M74 extension.

9 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on whether it intends to promote its relationship with the voluntary sector in Scotland.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: We will promote this relationship by means of the Scottish Compact which will be brought to the Parliament for endorsement this autumn.

1 Sep 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on whether it intends to promote its relationship with the voluntary sector in Scotland.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: We will promote this relationship by means of the Scottish Compact which will be brought to the Parliament for endorsement this autumn.