Parliamentary questions

Margaret Jamieson

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

11 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to raise awareness among health professionals of the updated British Thoracic Society and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guidelines on asthma care, particularly in light of the recent report, Global Burden of Asthma, commissioned by The Global Initi…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: SIGN guidelines are well-knownto clinicians throughout Scotland and beyond. The guidelines and quick reference guidesare distributed, as a matter of course, to NHSScotland and are also available todownload from the SIGN website (<a href="http://www.sign.ac.uk…

30 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by NHS boards in meeting the duty in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 to provide in-patient services that are age-appropriate to children and young people.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards and local authoritiesare currently preparing joint local implementation plans, setting out how they intendto ensure that services will be ready to meet the requirements of the act, includingservices and accommodation for children and young persons.…

22 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it seeks from NHS boards to assess the impact of the location of GPs on the health needs of the population.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: None. Decisions about the locationof GP premises are devolved to NHS boards. It is for them to develop their own premisesstrategy and identify priorities for new building and development of existing premises.Strategies should however be sufficiently flexible …

22 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider health pathfinder areas to address health inequalities caused by any inappropriate location of GPs and health services.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Tackling inequalities is at theheart of our health improvement policies, the framework for which is laid out inTowards a Healthier Scotland (1999) and Improving Health in Scotland:the Challenge (2003). Recent research has shown thatpeople…

22 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to providing assistance to NHS boards, following the introduction of the general medical services contract, to relocate GP premises to the areas that they serve as a means of addressing health inequalities.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The general medical servicescontract requires that GP premises are suitable for the delivery of services andsufficient to meet the reasonable demands of patients. Decisions about the locationof GP premises are devolved to NHS boards. It is for them to develop…

26 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance will be provided to ensure that Scottish muay thai competitors are able to compete in the 2008 Olympics.

Answer · Frank McAveety: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-6523 on 9 March 2004.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webap…

26 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used by sportscotland to ensure that sports recognised by the International Olympic Committee are supported by it.

Answer · Frank McAveety: In considering the recognitionof sports, sportscotland apply criteria which have been agreed betweenthe four home country sports councils and UK Sport. It is for the InternationalOlympic Committee to determine what criteria it applies in recognising sp…

26 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support will be available to muay thai competitors who will represent Scotland in the World Championships in Thailand later this year.

26 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support muay thai.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Muay Thai is not arecognised sport and therefore receives no support from sportscotland.

11 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a report on the review of the structure and functions of Historic Scotland.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The Scottish Executive has today issued the report of the review of the structure and functions of Historic Scotland. The review report includes 20 recommendations in total. Notably, the review has concluded that all of the functions currentlydelivered by His…

28 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take following the challenge, due to his religion, on Lord Hardie's ability to preside over a recent case in the High Court sitting in Kilmarnock.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: It is for the judge in eachcase to decide the response to a request that jurisdiction should be declined.Ministers cannot intervene in matters which are for the courts to determine.

26 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision there is for spinal cord stimulation treatment for people with refractory angina.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Each of the four neurosurgicalcentres in Scotland provides this service.

7 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to NHS boards on contraceptives recently approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Scottish MedicinesConsortium (SMC) advice is issued direct to NHS boards by the SMC. Informationabout products recommended by the SMC for use within NHSScotland can be foundon their website <a href="http://www.htbs.co.uk/smc">www.htbs.co.uk/smc</a> ,or by con…

7 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the breast screening service to women under 50, in light of recent research findings.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: At present women under 50are not offered routine breast screening due to the density of their breasttissue which makes it difficult to detect small breast cancers by mammography.The findings of a UK trial looking at the benefits of screening womenfrom the age…

7 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact is of refusal of continuing hormone replacement therapy, due to recently published medical research, on the quality of life of women affected.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: For many women, the symptomsthat occur at menopause adversely affect their quality of life. Followingcareful assessment of findings from a number of studies that provide importantinformation on the safety of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the UK Committee…

7 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice is given to women (a) under 50 and (b) over 50 who currently receive hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The UK Committee on Safetyof Medicines (CSM) and its expert working group on hormone replacement therapy(HRT) have kept the safety of HRT under constant review and have providedadvice to health professionals and women in response to important new evidenceas i…

16 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are required at Scottish airports and ports to facilitate the implementation of Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in particular in respect of the travel of dogs for people who are visually impaired.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is a UK reserved matter. It is the duty of the serviceproviders at ports and airports, under Part III of the act which covers goods,facilities and services, to avoid discrimination against disabled people inrespect of ma…

16 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4882 by Ross Finnie on 16 December 2003, when action will be taken by transport providers at ports and airports to operate fully the pet travel scheme on inward journeys from outwith the UK.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Any decision whether or notto operate an authorised PETS route, is a commercial decision which has to bemade by those transport providers who operate into UK ports andairports. The only operator to have expressed any interest in operating a PETSroute into Sco…

16 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was represented at the European Information Society Conference in Aalborg, Denmark, in November 2003.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive was not represented in Aalborg. However, the Executive maintains a number of linkswith European counterparts, allowing us to share experience of deliveringeGovernment services.