Parliamentary questions

Mary Scanlon

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

8 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the fluoride that would be used in public water supplies if fluoridation goes ahead would contain arsenic, lead, beryllium, cadmium, vanadium, mercury, silica or radionuclides and, if so, what the public health risk will be.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The consultation document Towards Better Oral Health in Children, published on 24 September, seeks views on a range of possible measures to improve children's oral health, including fluoridation. Questions relating to implementation of any particular o…

4 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to tackle the rise in obesity in the Highlands, given the lifestyle survey conducted by Highland NHS Board which stated that 52% of adults fell into the obese/overweight category, an increase of 6% since 1996 and 11% since 1991.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Two of the key contributors to obesity are poor diet and lack of physical activity. This year Highland NHS Board launched an initiative called Eating Well, Stay Well which aims to address some of the issues of food access and availability and specifically …

4 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its #1.5 million campaign to tackle drinking and smoking has been a success, given the 35% rise in binge drinking in the 16-24 age group in the Highlands identified in the lifestyle survey conducted by Highland NHS Board.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The How Much is Too Much? campaign targets male and female binge drinkers. Campaigns tackling smoking are undertaken by the Health Education Board for Scotland. Evaluation of the national How Much is Too Much? advertising found that it was relevant, distincti…

4 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether fluorosilicic acid and sodium silicofluoride will be used to fluoridate the water supply if fluoridation goes ahead and what advice it has received from the Committee on Safety of Medicines about those chemicals.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The consultation document, Towards Better Oral Health in Children, published on 24 September, seeks views on a range of possible measures to improve children's oral health, including fluoridation. Questions relating to the implementation of any …

3 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27235 by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 July 2002, what the timetable is for the research into autism being conducted by the Medical Research Council; what input it has into this research, and how it will consult on the research findings.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is currently funding eight research projects on autism at a cost of over £5 million. These projects vary in length with completion dates ranging from September 2002 to May 2005. A steering group has been set up by the MRC to…

3 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any guidance will be issued to NHS boards about notifying funeral directors of all potential risks of infection in order to enable them to take any necessary precautions to protect their staff.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This issue primarily relates to occupational health and safety, which is a reserved matter. The Health Services Advisory Committee, which reports to the Health and Safety Commission, is currently updating its guidance Safe Working and the Prevention of Inf…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any evidence is available showing the effects of fluoridation of the water supply on the immune system.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30193 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search.wa.

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address the estimated 28% increase in breast cancer in the next 10 years as reported in The Scotsman on 25 September 2002.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Cancer in Scotland: Action for change sets out a variety of measures aimed at improving prevention, earlier detection and treatment for all cancers including breast. Investment plans for 2001-02 and 2002-03 include details of additional investment targ…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice on hormone replacement therapy and any link with an increase in breast cancer is currently available to NHS boards.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards have access to various sources of advice on any link between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and an increased risk of breast cancer, including the product information for HRT and the British National Formulary.Importantly, the Medicines Contro…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can give assurances that fluoridation of the water supply will not have an adverse effect on people's health.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30193 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any evidence is available to link fluoridation of the water supply to cancer, brittle bone disease and Al'heimer's disease.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As described in the consultation document Towards Better Oral Health in Children, issued on 24 September 2002, an expert scientific review, published in 2000, concluded that, aside from a possible increase in the prevalence of dental fluorosis of aesth…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that nurses are appropriately graded to reflect any additional duties and responsibilities which they undertake.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Grading for nurses is currently determined according to the guidance laid down in the Nurses and Midwifery Staffs Negotiating Council's Handbook.However, grading is one of the issues being addressed in the national negotiations on Agenda for Chan…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been any increase in the number of people and, in particular, children being prescribed Ritalin or other drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; if so, whether it has any plans to reduce such prescription; what assessment it has made of research on this issue…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Figures are not held centrally on the number of people, including children, who have been prescribed methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin) or other drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Data collected centrally relate to the number of p…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the procedure is for dealing with anti-social behaviour in under 16- year-olds.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Anti-social behaviour among young people requires a range of responses and co-ordinated effort at a local and national level. In addition to local action, there are a number of national initiatives that will reduce such behaviour, for example, implementation …

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current target (a) average waiting time is for an appointment with a consultant and (b) target waiting time is following a referral from a general practitioner, giving separate figures for heart disease, cancer and any other diseases for which separate figures are available.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The national target in relation to out-patient waiting, set out in Building a Better Scotland, published on 12 September 2002, is that, by 2006, no patient should wait more than six months for a first out-patient appointment. Information on out-pati…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are advised of the side effects of stimulant medication before they are prescribed any such medication.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Decisions regarding the use of stimulant medication in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are a matter of clinical judgement taking into account the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or th…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is not available centrally. However, information from a sample of GP records in practices across Scotland whose population is nationally representative suggests the …

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether supervised drug withdrawal and safe alternative therapies are offered to all young people currently receiving Ritalin.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The provision of individual care therapies and treatments are a matter for clinicians in consultation with the relevant professional staff/multi-disciplinary team. Decisions and appropriate responses in each case should always be based on individually assesse…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action the Food Standards Agency Scotland has taken following the examination of results from the Pesticide Residues Committee on the level of pesticides discovered in food and drink since the agency was established.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I am advised that the Food Standards Agency Board, at a recent open meeting, reviewed progress on pesticide and veterinary medicine residues in food. As part of this discussion, the board endorsed the need to pursue a strategy to encourage ways of improving t…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum daily allowable dosage of methadone is to a drug misuser.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The daily dose of methadone prescribed is a matter of clinical judgement and should be tailored to meet the needs of the individual. In particular, those who habitually have been taking methadone will be able to tolerate a much higher dose. Those who have nev…

2 Oct 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the McCrone settlement has benefited schools in rural areas.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Successful implementation of the agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century will provide greater flexibility, autonomy and diversity to deliver local solutions, helping to modernise school education throughout Scotland. The agreement recog…

27 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25417 by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 May 2002, when it plans to publish a full report on the convention on hospital-acquired infections.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Malcolm Chisholm The report is in preparation and I expect to publish it on 23 October.

24 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS dentists can be paid for preventative treatment methods as well as for carrying out repair treatment.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: All the care and treatment required to secure and maintain the oral health of a patient is available and remunerated under NHS general dental service arrangements. For children, dentists receive a capitation fee for each child registered with them under NHS a…

23 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with morbid obesity have received surgery in order to aid weight reduction.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information available is shown in the following table:Number of Patients in Scotland Diagnosed with Obesity who have had Surgery to Aid Weight Reduction: Years Ending 31 March<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=217><TR><TD WIDTH="39%" VALIG…

23 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under 16 years of age have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally. However, clinicians report that at present the numbers are very low but are expected to rise. Type 2 diabetes in children is usually a consequence of obesity.

23 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being pursued in respect of the proportion of 10-year-olds that suffer from obesity.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) Guidelines on the management of obesity are due to be published in winter 2002. "Obesity - children and young people" will focus on weight management and risk factor reduction as well as the role of the patie…

20 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the average weekly charge for a person with a learning disability residing in a local authority home costs #564 compared to #492 in the voluntary and #369 in the private sectors, as identified in table 2.12 of Scottish Community Care Statistics 2001.

Answer · Frank McAveety: It is for local authorities to choose care provision which best suits the needs of those people requiring care. It is also for authorities to set the level of fees for their own care homes, in line with the requirement in the National Assistance Act 1948 that…

12 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether sufficient clinical trials have been carried out to ensure the safety of genetically-engineered insulin for people with diabetes.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The regulation and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA).The MCA has advised that all medicines for human use must achieve the required standards of quality, safety and efficacy before being granted…

12 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition is of GM-free honey.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that there is currently no definition in European law of GM-free for any food. However, the introduction of such a term is currently being considered in Europe and this is supported by the UK including all devolved ad…

5 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the NHS budget is spent on non-conventional medicine.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Complementary and alternative medicine treatments, such as homeopathy and osteopathy can feature within NHS services, and this is a matter for local decision.During the financial year ending 31 March 2002, the Prescription Cost Analysis system records that…