Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
15 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to place automated external defribillators in public places to reduce the number of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We will continue to keep under review the evidence as it emerges on the benefits of siting automated external defibrillators in public places. A recent Scottish study suggests, however, that additional resources for wide-scale coverage of public access defibr…
15 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers of intervention it has and action it will take if a local authority refuses to participate in the direct payments scheme.
Answer · Frank McAveety: The Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 will place a duty on local authorities to offer eligible people direct payments as an alternative to provision of community care services, from 1 June 2003.<P>The Scottish ministers have existing powers under …
15 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to encourage the local authorities that did not operate a direct payments scheme in 2001-02, as shown in table 5 of its statistics release, Financial Provision and Direct Payments, 2002 to now do so.
Answer · Frank McAveety: The Executive is committed to promoting widespread use of direct payments. It has set up Direct Payments Scotland to work closely with local authorities and local support organisations to help them set up direct payments schemes in their area. This work invol…
14 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a detailed breakdown of expenditure on public health advertising in each year since 1997-98.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Media spend by the Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) forms an integral part of the organisation's health education effort which centres on the Big 3, Think About It and child and family health. This has remained stable at around £2 million for the la…
11 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the electronic health record will be available and in use in all NHS board areas.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The <I>National Strategic Programme for Information Management & Technology 2001 - 2005</I> states that we will "establish with active co-operation of patients first versions of electronic health records based on GP summary information. First pilots …
11 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all GP surgeries are linked to acute sector hospitals through the General Practice Administration System for Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: All GP surgeries and NHS hospitals are linked to NHS networks and are able to communicate with each other electronically. Over 80% of GP practices use the General Practice Administration System for Scotland (GPASS); nearly all of the remainder use commercial …
11 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have received a heart transplant in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area in 2002.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Since the beginning of 2002, nine patients have received a heart transplant at the Scottish Heart Transplant Unit in Glasgow.
10 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to study nutritional deficiencies and requirements of children with behavioural problems.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), within the Scottish Executive Health Department has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and care needs in Scotland.<P>The CSO is not currently directly funding any research projects into nutriti…
10 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being used to ensure that children do not become addicted to Ritalin.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The regulation and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA).<P>The MCA has advised that Ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) was assessed for quality, safety and efficacy at the time of licensing. As w…
10 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all children with a mental illness are given adequate psychological treatment to support drug therapy.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Individual care decisions are a matter for clinicians in consultation with the relevant professional staff/multi-disciplinary team and should always be based on individually assessed needs.
10 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are no long-term risks to children from increased prescribing of Ritalin.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As with all medicines, the safety of Ritalin is continually monitored by the Medicines Control Agency and the Committee on Safety of Medicines, an independent expert advisory body.<P>The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 52 on Atten…
10 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make greater use of private optometrists to reduce waiting times for a referral to a consultant for cataract surgery.
Answer · Frank McAveety: NHS boards and trusts may establish co-management schemes, whereby appropriately trained high street optometrists screen patients on behalf of hospital ophthalmology departments and refer the patient on to the department concerned when the patient's condition…
10 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made, or will make, to Her Majesty's Government in relation to general opthalmic service fees for updating reading corrections and annual monitoring of people with glaucoma and diabetes.
Answer · Frank McAveety: I am unsure what the member is referring to by "reading corrections" but assume this may be a reference to the testing of sight. Increases in the NHS sight test fees are negotiated by the Department of Health, on behalf of the other Health Departments, the Op…
10 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available for the provision of computerised screening instruments for optometrists practising in the private sector.
Answer · Frank McAveety: None. It is for optometrists as private business people to make a decision on the purchase of equipment based on the commercial activities they are carrying, or plan to carry, out on members of the public.
9 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding was given to the British Fluoridation Society to promote water fluoridation in each of the last three years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive provides grant support to enable the British Fluoridation Society to continue to provide scientific advice to the Scottish Executive and to NHS Scotland on issues of fluoride. <P>The amounts awarded in the last three years are £8,000 in…
9 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding would be available for the installation of a reverse osmosis system in the homes of people that do not wish to ingest fluoride through the water supply if fluoridation goes ahead.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The consultation document <I>Towards Better Oral Health in Children</I>, published on 24 September, seeks views on a range of possible measures to improve children's oral health, including fluoridation. Issues arising from the consultation will be given due c…
9 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to speed up the installation of showers for elderly people in sheltered housing in The Highland Council area.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-5652 on 26 September 2002, which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/search.htm.
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions could be taken in the event of a patient not complying with a compulsory treatment order under the Mental Health (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are not intended to be sanctions in the sense of any form of punishment for non-compliance with a compulsory treatment order (CTO). If a person is absent without leave from a hospital where they are detained or a place they are required to reside, Part …
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it envisages any police involvement in respect of non-compliance of a compulsory treatment order under the Mental Health (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As can already happen under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 in respect of a person who is absent without leave from detention or fails to return from a period of authorised leave of absence, the police could be involved, for example, in returning a pers…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is given to funeral directors on the cremation of a body where death was due to a notifiable disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30227 on 17 October 2002. 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.u…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all infectious diseases that would be notified by an NHS board to funeral directors in a board's area to ensure they are not at risk of infection.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30227. All answers to written PQs 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">http://www.scottish…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures should be taken by funeral directors and their staff that have been infected by handling bodies where NHS staff have not communicated to them any potential risk of infection.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This issue primarily relates to occupational health and safety, which is a reserved matter.
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the 17% vacancy rate for social work services staff in the Borders, as identified in paragraph 7.3 of Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services, 2001, is affecting service provision.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The effect of any staff shortages on service provision is a matter for the Borders local authority which is required by statute to deploy resources to meet the social work needs of the people in its area. <P>The Scottish Executive is actively addressing the s…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address the increase of 899 between 2000 and 2001 in the number of vacancies in social work services departments, as identified in table 7 of Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services, 2001.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The comparison made is based on less complete information collected in 2000. The Scottish Executive is sponsoring a National Recruitment and Awareness Campaign which will target the areas where there is most difficulty. To inform this activity, local authorit…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies currently exist in each local authority social work services department and how many of such vacancies are for qualified social workers.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The latest Social Work Services Inspectorate Annual Report due to be published in November will provide information on staffing and vacancies at a local authority level.
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals exist to upgrade community hospitals in order to treat patients near their own homes.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have made clear to the health service that local communities should be at the centre of planning and service delivery. That requires the appropriate supporting infrastructures. It is for NHS boards to determine requirements and to agree suitable local arran…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recommend that the Central Legal Office of the Common Services Agency undertake a pilot mediation to resolve clinical claims.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The expert group chaired by Lord Ross, which is currently looking at the compensation system, will provide the core framework for handling the resolution of disputes in the health area in the future. The Scottish Executive will therefore consider this issue t…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has had with other European Union countries on fluoridation of the public water supply and what consideration it has given to the rejection of such fluoridation by Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Holland and France.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has not formally consulted widely outwith Scotland on how best to improve our children's oral health. The Executive will take account of the views expressed by the people of Scotland in response to the consultation document <I>Towards B…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the review by the University of York in 2000 on water fluoridation which showed high levels of fluorosis in people who live in fluoridated water areas.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The University of York review, which was published in 2000, said that an increase in the prevalence of dental fluorosis of aesthetic concern may occur in 12.5% of the population. There is no evidence of any other adverse effects on health, where fluoride is u…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the presence of fluorosis in teeth is associated with bone disease and a higher level of bone fractures.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Some research projects have linked sustained exposure to very high fluoride concentrations with bone disorders and fractures. Such outcomes have been detected in countries where fluoride is present in concentrations far above concentrations recommended for us…