Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23835 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 April 2002, what is offered to prisoners with drug and alcohol problems through needs-based individualised care planning and how many prisoners are currently receiving such care planning.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The Scottish Prison Service offers addiction services to prisoners with the exception of sex offenders whose broader needs are dealt with in ot…
8 May 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to develop walking in the Highlands within the tourism market.
Answer · Elaine Murray: Local partners - Highland Council, the local enterprise companies and the area tourist boards - are working with Scottish Natural Heritage, VisitScotland and Paths for All to actively develop opportunities for increasing the tourism potential of walking in th…
7 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to form a research and development partnership with the pharmaceutical industry in order to fund jointly clinical research for the faster development of new drugs for patients.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Following on from the answer given to question S1W-23850 on 20 March 2002, the Pharmaceutical Liaison Group continues to explore areas of shared interest and concern to the Health Department, NHSScotland and the pharmaceutical industry. The specific issue of …
3 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote the use of home produced food and drink to visitors and tourists to Scotland and to increase the economic value of such produce.
Answer · Mike Watson: The recently published <I>Tourism Framework for Action 2002-2005</I> contains actions to promote the VisitScotland Food Quality Assurance scheme and encourage greater uptake of home produced food and drink within the service sector. We have also commissioned …
2 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22591 by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 February 2002, what plans it has for a managed clinical network for epilepsy in order to ensure that people throughout Scotland receive the diagnosis and treatment appropriate to their needs.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is the Executive's policy to encourage the development of managed clinical networks where patients and health professionals believe they would lead to improved services for patients. Proposals for pilot managed clinical networks for epilepsy are currently …
2 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many sudden unexpected deaths in epilepsy there were in each of the last five years.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The following table presents the information available on deaths involving epilepsy. It is not possible to say how many of these deaths were sudden and unexpected.<P>Epilepsy deaths<SUP>1</SUP> in Scotland<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=550><T…
22 Apr 2002 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister how the additional NHS funding from the UK 2002 Budget will benefit people in Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The additional resources become available from 2003-04; £3.2 billion over the next five years. By 2005-06 expenditure on health planned to be £8.6 billion rising to £10.2 billion by 2007-08.<P>Detailed decisions on how best to invest the money will be announc…
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23296 by Hugh Henry on 20 March 2002, whether there are adequate numbers of primary care nurses working in the field of coronary heart disease and, if not, what action is being taken to rectify this.
Answer · Hugh Henry: As was made clear in my reply to the question S1W-23296, decisions regarding staffing levels for primary care nurses and the need for any specialist posts in the field of coronary heart disease are the responsibility for NHS boards. Information on the need fo…
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23297 by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 March 2002, what plans it has to collate information centrally on the use of statins, given that they are the drugs of first choice in the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network Guideline 40 on Lipids and the Prim…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Data on the prescribing of statins will be included in the National Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) database, as the data will be generated by routine patient management. Information about the database will be given in the CHD and Stroke Strategy for Scotland, w…
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Public Health Institute has a remit on tackling coronary heart disease and, if so, what programmes it has developed.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Public Health Institute for Scotland's remit extends to the creation of a Scotland wide learning network of practitioners, academics and decision makers around the topic of heart health. The functions of this network will be:<UL><LI>To sift, analyse and s…
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many audiology departments are complying with the Good Practice Guidance for Adult Hearing Aid Fittings and Services and what action is being taken to assist those departments who are failing to comply with the guidance.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-23845 20 March 2002 and S1W-24850 on 19 April 2002.
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the shelf-life is of the smallpox vaccine.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The smallpox vaccine is regularly tested to ensure its potency. For security reasons, it is not UK policy to disclose details of vaccine stock.
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any smallpox vaccine will be stored in Scotland in order to respond to any cases or outbreaks as they arise.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In the event of any cases or outbreaks of smallpox in Scotland, vaccination measures would be deployed as appropriate. For security reasons, it is not UK policy to disclose details of vaccine stock or its location.
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15517 by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 May 2001, what the Food Standards Agency has achieved or concluded as a result of its programme of audits of ports and seaports to examine the effectiveness of UK border inspection arrangements covering personal and co…
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the programme of audits of ports in April 2001 was undertaken to help inform policy development on the issue of illegal importation of food products of animal origin. The board of the Food Standards Agency subseq…
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15517 by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 May 2001, how many local authorities have found illegal imports of meat as part of their routine inspections of food premises.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that there have been no reports by local authorities in Scotland of illegal imports of meat found in food premises following routine inspection.
11 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make (a) Nicotine Replacement Therapy and (b) Emergency Hormonal Contraception available free of charge on the NHS, through community pharmacies where appropriate.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is already happening. Nicotine Replacement Therapy is dispensed free to patients with an NHS prescription if they are personally exempt from payment of the NHS prescription charge. Emergency Hormonal Contraception is dispensed free to patients with an NH…
11 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual quantity and cost is of unused drugs and medicines, given that 47,000 kg of medicines are returned to community pharmacies each year at a cost of #15 million, and what is being done to reduce wastage and expenditure in this area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is not possible to estimate the quantity and cost of unused medicines which are not handed in to community pharmacies for safe disposal.<P>We set out in <I>The Right Medicine - A Strategy for Pharmaceutical Care in Scotland </I>(Bib. number 18835) the acti…
11 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that structures are in place to ensure that any adverse drug reactions in patients are picked up at the earliest possible stage in situations where there are concerns about the potential side effects of a drug.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The safety of medicines is a reserved matter and is the responsibility of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM).<P>The MCA has advised that various data sources are used for monitoring drug safety. This includes the…
11 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24021 by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 March 2002, which Local Health Care Co-operatives (LHCC) participate in the scheme to assess the needs of local people and provide appropriate services focusing on improving health and reducing inequalities and how man…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: All LHCCs have an important role in developing population-wide approaches to health improvement and disease prevention, for all those in the communities they serve.
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to ensure that all students, the deceased and temporary residents are removed from general practitioners' lists at the appropriate time.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Under the National Health Service (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995, an Islands NHS Board or a Primary Care Trust is required to keep an up-to-date list of patients for each of its general practitioners. Where the board or trust is satisf…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it or the Common Services Agency ensures that no fraudulent items of service claims are made by general practitioners (GPs) and what process is there for GPs who are found to have made such claims.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive issued NHS HDL (Health Department Letter) (2002)20 to NHSScotland on 28 March 2002. This outlines guidance on payment verification arrangements for family health services. Chapter 4 of the payments verification procedures document at Annex B of …
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that all payments to general practitioners are accurate.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: All claims for payment from general practitioners are subject to pre-payment verification checks ranging from a scrutiny of claim forms to contacting the patient to confirm details. Guidance on pre- and post- payment verification procedures was issued to NHS …
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are currently registered with general practitioners according to the community health index.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: According to the community health index, 5,350,424 patients are currently registered with general practitioners in Scotland.
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison places are currently available to prisoners who wish to have nothing to do with drugs and whether this meets any targets set by the Scottish Prison Service.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P>About 2,100 prisoner places are currently available to prisoners who wish to have nothing to do with drugs. This figure represents 36% of…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to pilot managed care models of disease management.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive Health Department is funding the evaluation of two demonstration Managed Clinical Networks, one in vascular services in Lanarkshire, the other in neurology with particular reference to stroke which is being taken forward jointly between…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase its share of the funding for cancer research against the amount currently raised through charitable donations.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive recognises and supports the work of research charities with which we have a common purpose - to secure continuous improvements in outcomes, treatment, care and quality of life for NHS patients. Under a UK-wide agreement with the research chariti…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which group of cancer patients will benefit from the increased funding for clinical trials, given the number of colorectal, lung and prostate cancer patients who currently participate in clinical trials.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This funding is not targeted at any particular group of patients, but at increasing recruitment to relevant clinical trials for all cancers. The availability of suitable trials, patient eligibility and consent to participate will determine appropriate action …
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all clinical procedures are rigorously tested before widespread application in the NHS.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As we made clear in our response to the final report of the Bristol Inquiry, patient safety and the quality of clinical care are paramount within NHSScotland. <P>To achieve that general aim, a variety of safeguards are in place. In relation to medicines, it i…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people currently suffer from multiple sclerosis; whether all such patients will be given a neurological assessment to gauge their suitability for beta-interferon, and whether there are sufficient neurologists and clinical personnel to carry out such assessments.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) report on multiple sclerosis estimates that around 10,400 people suffer from multiple sclerosis in Scotland. A copy of the SNAP report has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 9354). <P>A…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22374 by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 February 2002, what research has been, is being or will be carried out into the number of males and females currently diagnosed as suffering from depression.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive is currently funding a number of research projects on questions related to the genetics and treatment of depression. Over the past few years, the Executive has also funded the Scottish element of a range of surveys by the Office for National Sta…