Parliamentary questions

Mary Scanlon

4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is that consumers of vitamin and mineral supplements are currently inadequately protected by food safety legislation.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that the independent expert group (the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals, EVM) was set up to examine the available evidence and advise on controls for ensuring the safety of vitamin and mineral supplements …

11 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many elderly people in each NHS trust are on the waiting list for a placement in a care home.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Information on the total number of patients aged over 65 in NHS hospitals awaiting placement in a care home is shown in table 1. The figures relate to 15 October 2002, the latest date for which information is centrally available.Table 1: Patients Ready for…

11 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all female frontline NHS, local authority and care home staff that were, or may have been, pregnant were warned against any potentially harmful effects of flu vaccines containing thimerosal.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.Not all influenza vaccines used in the UK contain thiomersal (also referred to as thimerosal) in the final product. With the exception of hypersensitivity reactions, there is no evidence that exposure to leve…

7 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it now holds on the average waiting time for drug treatment in each NHS board area.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Waiting time information for drug treatment is not held consistently by NHS boards. Information obtained from Drug Action Team (DAT) Corporate Action Plans on the maximum waiting times for individual care and treatment agencies in each DAT area in 2001-02 is …

4 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the waiting times are in each NHS trust for an appointment with a consultant neurologist for an assessment to identify whether a multiple sclerosis patient would benefit from beta interferon treatment.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on waiting times for out-patient appointments with a consultant is collected centrally at specialty level only.

4 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that all multiple sclerosis patients are assessed at the earliest possible stage to identify whether they would benefit from beta interferon treatment.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Only certain patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are likely to benefit from beta interferon treatment and patients' eligibility for this treatment depends on the clinical judgement of the specialist concerned. Health Department Letter (HDL) (2002)…

4 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action will be taken to address the length of waiting times in accident and emergency departments.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A number of actions are being taken to improve waiting times in accident and emergency departments. Since 1999, an additional £12 million has been invested in new and refurbished units. In addition, a number of areas have plans for new minor injuries units, s…

3 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether disabled people will be involved in the monitoring process of the implementation by the NHS of provisions under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Patients and members of the public are involved at every stage of the development and monitoring of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland's generic clinical governance standards, which include issues relating to access to services by those with special requirement…

3 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is monitoring compliance by NHS trusts with provisions under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Quality Improvement Scotland is currently completing a second round of visits to NHS trusts in connection with the generic clinical governance standards, which include issues relating to access to services by those with special requirements. It will short…

3 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will measure the effectiveness of joint working arrangements between the NHS and social work departments on the delivery of care for the elderly.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The effectiveness of joint working arrangements will be measured in a number of ways. At a strategic level, local partners will report progress through their local Health Plans and Community Care Plans. In terms of the Joint Future agenda, whose initial fo…

3 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17762 by Mr Jim Wallace on 20 September 2001, how land and property owners under the Udal law system have been, and will be affected, by legislation passed by the Parliament before the end of March 2003.

Answer · Jim Wallace: There will be no changes for land and property owners under the Udal law system other than those outlined in the answer given to question S1W-18739 on 30 October 2001. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, t…

3 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all owners of Udal land and property will require a written title deed prior to the Land Register becoming operational on 1 April 2003.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Anyone acquiring Udal land after the commencement date of the Land Register in Orkney and Shetland on 1 April 2003 will only be able to obtain a real right in the land by registration in the Land Register. However, existing proprietors' rights will not be aff…

3 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19713 by Iain Gray on 26 November 2001, what evidence is required for the registration of Udal land.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-19713. 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/search_wa">…

30 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33420 by Mr Frank McAveety on 29 January 2003, what action will be taken in respect of individual local authorities that do not achieve the targets set in local joint action plans to reduce delayed discharge and, in particular, what action will be ta…

Answer · Frank McAveety: All local authority and NHS Partnerships are implementing their Local Joint Action Plans to reach their targeted reductions by 15 April, the final measuring point for 2002-03. Any failure to meet these targets will be reviewed with the partnership concerned b…

30 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the 10 basic rights outlined in The Patients Charter - A Charter for Health, published in 1991.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Following a consultation exercise, carried out by the Scottish Association of Health Councils, we concluded that the national Patient's Charter, introduced in 1991, should be updated. We asked the Scottish Consumer Council, with the support of an advisory …

29 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support is being given to assist in the setting up, and expansion of, direct payment services for disabled people.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The Executive has set up Direct Payments Scotland (DPS) to work closely with local authorities and local support organisations to help them set up direct payment schemes in their areas. This work involves increasing local awareness of direct payments and prov…

24 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS trusts have (a) in-house and (b) private contracts for cleaning services.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The current pattern of provision is shown in the table.Cleaning Services<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=609><TR><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIGN="TOP">Trust</TD><TD WIDTH="34%" VALIGN="TOP">Service PatternIn House (I/H) or Contracted Out (C/…

24 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to fine local authorities that fail to provide sufficient long-term care for elderly patients.

Answer · Frank McAveety: We have no such plans. The Executive provided £20 million in 2002-03 for local authority and NHS partnerships to implement Local Joint Action Plans to meet specific targets for reducing delayed discharge. Latest figures for delayed discharge are the lowest si…

24 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether thimerosal in vaccines can damage the nervous system, kidneys, joints and general development of children.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Committee on Safety of Medicines has advised that, with the exception of hypersensitivity reactions, which typically include skin rashes or local swelling at the site of the injection, there is no evidence of harm from the levels of thiomersal contained i…

23 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address hospital accommodation for doctors, in the light of the recent Hospital Doctor survey reporting that 76% of doctors believe that their living arrangements are "poor" or "very poor".

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The New Deal for Junior Doctors in Scotland sets out standards on living and working conditions for hospital doctors in training. The Scottish Executive issued guidance to trusts on implementing this guidance in June 2001 in HDL(2001)50. It is the responsi…

22 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in the light of the study by Al'heimer Scotland that stated that people that look after dementia sufferers are more likely to take prescribed medication and suffer from stress than other carers.

Answer · Frank McAveety: I welcome the report by Alzheimer Scotland, which arose from a three-year project, funded by the Executive, into the support needs of carers of people with dementia. We are working hard to support all carers, particularly those with heavy caring responsibilit…

21 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the classification of NHS beds has changed to include other items, such as trolleys, reclining chairs and couches, as has been reported in respect of the NHS in England.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: National definitions are provided by the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) in the Definitions and Codes for the NHS Scotland (6th Update April 2002) Manual. The manual is available at:<A HREF="www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/isd_services/NHSiS_serv…

21 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action will be taken following any findings by its expert panel on school meals that fi''y soft drinks, which are often available from vending machines in schools, may pose a threat to learning.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: An interim report of the expert panel on school meals, Hungry for Success was published in November 2002. In setting nutrient standards for school lunches, the interim report explains that a diet based on bread, cereals and other starchy foods, frui…

20 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of whole-time equivalent consultant rheumatologists per head of population is in line with the recommended level set by its Health Department, the British Society for Rheumatology, the Royal College of Physicians and the World Health Organisation.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: There were 22.8 whole-time equivalent (WTE) rheumatology consultants employed in NHS Scotland as at 30 September 2001. The Scotland mid-year population estimate is 5,064,200 as at 30 June 2001. This equates to one WTE consultant per 222,114 population, or 0.4…

16 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why introduction of the new GP contract has been delayed until 21 February 2003 and when the contract will be fully implemented.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The negotiating timetable for the new general medical services (GMS) contract was extended to 21 February to allow sufficient time for negotiations to take place. Ministers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are fully committed to the new GMS co…

15 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32836 by Malcolm Chisholm on 13 January 2003, whether practitioners will be encouraged to prescribe homeopathic medicines, given the cost of branded prescriptions, and what action is being taken to measure clinical effectiveness of homeopathy practic…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As with all medicines, the decision on whether to prescribe a treatment for an individual patient depends on the clinical judgement of the clinician concerned, in consultation with the patient and bearing in mind the risks and benefits of the treatment.The…

14 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable for action will be following the consultation period on fluoridation of the public water supply.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-33180 today. 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/searc…

14 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek a debate and a vote in the Parliament on fluoridation of the public water supply.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The consultation document Towards Better Oral Health in Children, published on 28 September 2002, seeks views on a range of possible measures to improve children's oral health, including fluoridation. The outcome of the consultation, which is due to en…

10 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are in place to carry out drugs testing at accident and emergency departments and police stations.

Answer · Hugh Henry: There are no plans to introduce routine drug testing in accident and emergency departments. Accident and emergency staff are trained in the recognition of substance abuse. They are aware that it may be a causal factor in a patient's attendance at the departme…

10 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how drug treatment for individuals is accessed and how families affected by a person with a drug habit can access appropriate support and advice.

Answer · Hugh Henry: There are many different approaches to treating drug misusers, and a wide range of statutory, non-statutory and voluntary organisations are involved in the provision of services. Thus, there are several routes through which drug misusers can receive treatment…