Parliamentary questions

Mary Scanlon

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

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are currently given access to diamorphine as a treatment for opiate addiction (a) in total and (b) broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Hugh Henry: While diamorphine can be administered by medical practitioners for certain conditions, prescription of the drug to treat opiate addiction requires a Home Office licence. Only one practitioner in Scotland currently holds such a licence, and he has indicated th…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to the Scottish Prison Service's addiction services to bring substance misusing prisoners into an effective treatment process.

Answer · Hugh Henry: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:In line with our drug strategy, we have invested in services designed to bring substance misusing prisoners into an effective treatment process…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is supporting the Scottish Prison Service's addiction services to keep the misuse of illicit substances out of prisons.

Answer · Hugh Henry: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS)to respond. His response is as follows:The SPS drug strategy, available in the Parliament's Reference Centre, sets out a coherent framework for the reduction of in-prison drug m…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether diamorphine prescribed for opiate addiction is more or less effective than methadone treatment.

Answer · Hugh Henry: There have been some trials outwith the UK, focussing upon chronic heroin users, which suggest that diamorphine maintenance may be beneficial for this population of drug users. In practice, it is rare for diamorphine to be prescribed in Scotland for opiate ad…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all prison treatment facilities are audited and, if so, whether information from the audits is made publicly available.

Answer · Hugh Henry: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The SPS accredits intervention programmes and sites where programmes are delivered. The standards are contained within the accreditation …

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what range of treatments is made available to opiate users and whether all such treatments have abstinence as their main goal.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The range of treatments available for opiate misusers includes different forms of prescribing, for example substitute drugs, counselling and other psychosocial interventions, detoxification and alternative therapies. The various treatment options are describe…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland audit and monitor postcode prescribing and what action is taken where NHS trusts refuse to prescribe certain drugs and treatments.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHSScotland is expected to take account of advice and evidence from bodies such as the Health Technology Board and the Scottish Medicines Consortium and ensure that recommended drugs or treatments are made available to meet clinical need. Such advice and evid…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been allocated to alleviate delayed discharge since 1999 and how many patients have been discharged from hospital as a direct result of this expenditure.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Health boards were allocated non-recurring spend of £19 million in 2000-01. Local authorities were allocated £10 million in GAE from 2001-02. New expenditure of £20 million was allocated to local authority and health partnerships from 2002-03 to support the D…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all prisoners have access to dental treatment on a regular basis.

Answer · Hugh Henry: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:All prisoners have access to dental services for both urgent and planned treatment.

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what options for substitute and detoxification prescribing are offered to prisoners that have problems with drug misuse.

Answer · Hugh Henry: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23837 on 20 March 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on …

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the results of the survey on substance misuse by school children aged 12-15 will be available, as referred to on page 75 of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: National key findings from the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey will be published in the week beginning 16 December 2002. A full national report will be published in 2003.Local level information will be made available to local…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the specialist networks to promote training, quality service provision and the exchange of information about good practice, as referred to on page 75 of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Alcohol Focus Scotland and the Health Education Board for Scotland have submitted a proposal to the Executive for a gender issues network on alcohol and this is currently being considered.

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the appointment to the new alcohol liaison post was made, as referred to on page 72 of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems; who the postholder is, and what the remit of the post is.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Mrs Barbara O'Donnell was appointed as National Alcohol Liaison Officer on 1 February 2002. Her remit is to facilitate the sharing of information and good practice between local Alcohol Action Teams and provide a link between national and local alcohol proble…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Alcohol Misuse Co-ordinating Committee now has strategies in place to include voluntary sector, industry, community and service user interests in addressing alcohol problems, as referred to on page 71 of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Guidance was issued to NHS boards and local authorities in March on the interests that Alcohol Action Teams (AATs, formerly Alcohol Misuse Co-ordinating Committees) should bring together. This includes the voluntary sector, alcohol industry, the community and…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which relevant national strategies and plans now ensure that alcohol problems are highlighted and addressed, as referred to on page 70 of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Alcohol problems are highlighted and addressed in the national strategy and action plan to prevent suicide and in forthcoming guidance on working with children and families affected by substance misuse. Alcohol problems also remain an integral part of the Exe…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes were made to the membership of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse to ensure representation of key interests and priorities, as referred to on page 70 of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The review identified gaps in young people, service user and prison interests and we have appointed representatives from Young Scot, Alcoholics Anonymous and the Scottish Prison Service to the committee to fill these gaps.

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what accountability arrangements are in place for local delivery of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems, as referred to on page 70 of the plan.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: In July, the Executive issued a framework for alcohol problems three-year local action plans. This outlines the information that Alcohol Action Teams (AATs) are to include in these plans and will provide the basis for future reporting on progress and accounta…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the expert group to review models and approaches to providing services for people with alcohol-related brain damage will report and when the report will be made publicly available.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The expert group expect to issue a draft report on establishing numbers and characteristics of people with alcohol-related brain damage and good models of service for consultation in April 2003. A final report is due to be submitted to the Executive in May 20…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children currently in care are being prescribed psychiatric drugs.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Prescription data collected centrally are not patient-specific.

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all children are given standard basic medical tests, such as the orthomolecular deficiency test, prior to being prescribed Ritalin.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 52 on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) provides clinicians with advice on the diagnostic criteria and assessments for ADHD. It is for clinicians to determine the most appropriate …

4 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many carers have had an assessment of ability to provide care as defined by the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 provides carers with an independent right to have their needs as carers assessed. This new right took effect from 1 September 2002. We are working with local authorities, COSLA and carers' organisations to dev…

4 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the costs in relation to the Skye Bridge will have been paid in full and whether toll charges on the bridge will continue to be levied after that date.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive estimates that the concessionaire will have recovered all agreed costs some 14 to 18 years after the bridge opened in 1995, that is between 2009 and 2013. The actual date depends on future traffic levels. It is our intention that tolling at the …

4 Dec 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the rising male suicide rate.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: On 2 December 2002, the Scottish Executive launched Choose Life: A National Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent Suicide in Scotland, which aims to tackle the rising rate of suicides in Scotland. It includes a particular focus on a range of vulnerable g…

3 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-31205, S1O-5810 and S1W-28522 by Dr Richard Simpson on 13 November, 7 November and 21 October 2002 respectively, whether the information on the number of people that are prescribed methadone on a regular basis is now available.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The provisional findings of an exercise undertaken by ISD Scotland indicate that approximately 17,000 individuals were in receipt of a prescription for methadone in the months of November and December 2001. Quality checks are still being undertaken, however, …

2 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people on the methadone programme are currently in employment.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information requested is not held centrally.

2 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out a pilot study into the use of buprenorphine for the management of out-patient opiate detoxification.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The guidelines on the clinical management of drug misuse and dependence include advice on the prescribing of buprenorphine. A recent Effective Interventions Unit review of the effectiveness of treatment for opiate dependent drug users recommended that supe…

2 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that all people on the methadone programme are given appropriate advice, support and options for detoxification and rehabilitation.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The personal and clinical circumstances of each patient are different. Treatment programmes must be based on the needs of the individual and clinical judgement. The guidelines on the clinical management of drug misuse and dependence emphasise these points, an…

2 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have progressed through the methadone programme to a drug-free lifestyle since the programme started.

Answer · Hugh Henry: There is no single, centrally-managed methadone programme. The duration of methadone treatment and aftercare arrangements are matters for individual patients, their clinicians and local organisations which provide support. There is no routine central monit…

2 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) specialist rheumatology nurses and (b) consultant rheumatologists currently work in each NHS board area.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Information on the number of specialist rheumatology nurses is not available centrally.Information on the number of consultant rheumatologists working in each NHS board area is available in tables B10 and B11 on the ISD website. The website address is:<…

2 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive from which countries the plasma for fractionation is currently being imported on the basis of lower incidence of variant Creut'feldt-Jakob disease.

Answer · Frank McAveety: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32184 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/sear…