Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
24 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken, or intends to take, in light of the findings of the publication The Effectiveness of Public Health Nursing: A Review of Systematic Reviews.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The report <I>The Effectiveness of Public Health Nursing: A Review of Systematic Reviews</I> was commissioned by the Chief Scientist Office to inform the Review of the Contribution of Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors to Improving the Public's Health. Its …
24 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were given a domiciliary eye test in each health board area in each of the last five years.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Information on the number of domiciliary sight tests paid for by health boards and Primary Care NHS Trusts in Scotland is collected by the Common Services Agency as part of the General Ophthalmic Services return. The domiciliary information collected is not p…
24 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any statistics are available which provide evidence that a ban on tobacco advertising reduces the amount of tobacco smoked and consequently the death rate from smoking-related diseases.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16601 answered on 22 August 2001.
24 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is currently being taken to encourage more people to state their intentions regarding organ transplantation.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18371.
24 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the domiciliary eye test is available to all those who would benefit from the service.
Answer · Susan Deacon: NHS domiciliary visits are available to those who are eligible for NHS sight tests and who are unable to leave unaccompanied the place where they normally reside because of physical or mental illness or disability.
24 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether selenium deficiency is a cause of any medical conditions and, if so, what conditions it causes.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The only specific disease known to be linked to selenium deficiency is Keshan Disease, a disorder of the heart muscles primarily in children found in some areas of China where the soil is severely deficient in selenium. The Committee on the Medical Aspects of…
24 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to establish rehabilitation units for people with epilepsy.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no such plans.
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has ever been any risk of haemophiliacs contracting illnesses as a result of being treated with the blood plasma product Liberate.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Liberate has been subject to a programme of safety surveillance since it was licensed in 1996. During this period there have been no reports of transmission of pathogenic virus infections (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV) and only two reports of…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether single vaccines and vaccinations administered outwith the UK were included in the recent statistics published by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency (ISD(s)13) on MMR immunisation uptake rates.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information on MMR vaccination uptake rates to 30 June 2001, published by ISD Scotland, do not include data on single vaccines. They do, however, include information on triple vaccines administered outwith the UK to children who moved to Scotland after be…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS patients have been treated in (a) the private/independent sector and (b) hospitals outwith Scotland in each of the past five years.
Answer · Susan Deacon: (a) Reliable information on the number of NHS patients treated in private hospitals is not available centrally. However, the Information and Statistics Division, part of the Common Services Agency in NHSScotland, are currently working with the Scottish Execut…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the specific needs of rural health workers will be addressed in future education and training courses for health workers.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18269. There are already provisions in place within NHSScotland's <I>Learning Together </I>Strategy that promotes education, training and lifelong learning for all NHSScotland staff.
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce new contracts for rural health workers to address any shortage of rural general practitioners.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The needs of rural areas will be taken closely into account in the forthcoming UK-wide negotiations to amend the GP contract. We will also learn from the work of the solutions group which the Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative has established to exami…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce incentives for general practitioners to enter and remain in rural practice.
Answer · Susan Deacon: As an interim measure, pending the outcome of the negotiations on the GP contract, we are currently discussing with the profession in Scotland the introduction of a limited package of incentives aimed at GP recruitment and retention. Details will be announced…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider funding a national pool of salaried locums to alleviate any difficulties encountered by general practitioners in rural practices both in obtaining regular time off owing to on-call requirements and in securing locum cover.
Answer · Susan Deacon: While we do not fund a national pool of salaried locums, schemes within the general practitioners (GP) contract already provide resources to enable GPs in rural practices to obtain regular time off and training and to secure locum cover. First, the Associate …
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the additional #1 million made available this financial year as part of its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland has been allocated to enhance dental health.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Funding has been made available towards dentists continuing professional development and will be made available in respect of the caries prevention scheme.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the enhanced registration scheme has been introduced for 6 to 8 year olds in deprivation categories 5 to 7 which includes the requirement for fissure sealing the first molars of these children, as detailed in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland, August 2000.
Answer · Susan Deacon: We have concluded successfully discussions with the dental profession on the introduction of a caries prevention scheme for six and seven-year-olds in all deprivation categories which includes fissure sealing the first molars of these children. I will announc…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of support it is giving to the Depression Alliance and the Depression Alliance Scotland and what structures it will put in place to ensure the continuation of helplines and on-going support for people suffering from depression-related illnesses.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Under section 16B of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, the Scottish Executive Health Department currently provides core grant funding to a wide range of voluntary bodies in the mental health field. This support helps Depression Alliance Scotlan…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10739 by Susan Deacon on 27 November 2000, what success it had in increasing the uptake of donor cards following its TV advertising campaign; what further measures it has taken to encourage organ donation; how successful any such measures have been, …
Answer · Susan Deacon: The number of organ donor leaflets requested from the Scottish Executive so far this year has already exceeded last year's total by over 31,000. The Scottish Executive has recently provided funding support towards a billboard and cinema advertising initiative…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific steps are being taken to meet the national target of reducing the pregnancy rate among 13 to 15 year olds by 20% by the year 2010.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The £3 million Healthy Respect National Health Demonstration project, currently running in Lothian, has as one of its aims the reduction of unwanted teenage pregnancies. The project, which will be independently evaluated, seeks radically to transform teenage …
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to develop a sexual health strategy for Scotland, following the Health Education Board for Scotland's report Teenage Sexuality in Scotland, published in 2000.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has commissioned further research from the Health Education Board for Scotland to inform the development of a sexual health strategy. This is due to be completed next month.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is supporting the provision of 470 dental nurse student places and 30 dental technician student places for basic annual training, as recommended in the report by the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Dental Workforce, Workforce Planning for Dentistry in Scotland: A Strategic …
Answer · Susan Deacon: There has been considerable development and support for all of the professions complementary to dentistry. The Executive are currently developing a strategy for the education and training of these professions, which will be launched within the next two months.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in taking forward the recommendation in the report by the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Dental Workforce, Workforce Planning for Dentistry in Scotland: A Strategic Review - Interim Report and Recommendations, that the provision of basic education and trai…
Answer · Susan Deacon: Dental hygienist and therapist training is now planned centrally and we have agreed target numbers for Edinburgh Dental Institute, Glasgow Dental Hospital and School and Dundee Dental Hospital and School. This will be centrally funded in the same way as alrea…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current deficiency in funding for the Dundee Dental School has been corrected in the light of the work on the funding of dental schools undertaken by the National Purchasing Unit in Sheffield and outlined in the report by the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Dental Workforc…
Answer · Susan Deacon: Following work carried out by the National Purchasing Unit on behalf of the Scottish Executive, Dundee Dental School has received a substantial increase in funding over the last four years and is now fully funded to meet the cost of providing training to unde…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the fee structure for specialist treatments such as orthodontics and sedation has been reviewed, as recommended in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The narrative and fees for sedation, contained in the Statement of Dental Remuneration, have been reviewed to increase patient safety.<P>The Executive is currently looking at how orthodontics should be delivered in future in Scotland.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new dental therapy course and basic training courses for dental nurses in all areas have been established, as recommended in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: At present no dental therapist courses have been established. We are currently undertaking a feasibility study in Glasgow Dental Hospital and School to identify the costs and structures required to initiate a dental therapy course in Scotland.<P>Through gener…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its target of 120 dental students graduating annually from both dental schools, as set out in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland, is sufficient to satisfy the level of demand and ensure access to treatment for all who wish it.
Answer · Susan Deacon: We are committed to improving access to dental services in Scotland and increasing our targeted output of dental graduates is only one of several options. We are aware that further increases to the record number of dentists currently working in Scotland will …
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many clinical assistant posts have been created for (a) orthodontics, (b) surgical dentistry and (c) paediatric dentistry, as outlined in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The commitment in <I>An Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland </I>to create clinical assistant posts in various specialties was intended to provide additional investment in continuing professional development for general dental practitioners (GDPs). <P>…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the review and promotion of dental access schemes for rural areas, as proposed in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Executive intends to undertake a Scotland-wide review of the Scottish Dental Access Initiative in the near future to ascertain the effect to date and assist planning for the future. In the meantime, local NHS systems are being encouraged to make full use …
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the proposals for the establishment of drop-in centres in the major cities and the enhanced use of mobile services will be sought, as outlined in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Executive intends to discuss with the relevant NHS Boards/Primary Care Trusts the need for drop-in services in the major cities and specific proposals to respond to those needs. Similar action will be taken in relation to other areas where mobile services…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has developed proposals with health boards on the fluoridation of the water supply, as outlined in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18174 on 28 September 2001.