Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
31 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional funding will be allocated to Scotland's Dental Schools to ensure that verifiable courses are available to general dental practitioners to fulfil their continuing professional development obligations.
Answer · Susan Deacon: At present the main resource for courses for continuing professional development is provided through the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education. The Executive will continue to monitor the resource required in the light of information o…
31 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the 52.4% of new entrants to the Dentists' Register who qualified overseas have undergone equally rigorous and extensive training as dental graduates in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Entering the Dentists Register in the UK is not the same as working in the UK. Entry to the register does not guarantee entry to the UK or a work permit to work here. Home Office permission must still be granted and immigration criteria satisfied. Impending r…
31 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all dental therapists, dental nurses and dental hygienists will be trained within the environment of a dental school.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Many educational organisations are involved in the education and training of the professions complementary to dentistry. Colleges of further education in Scotland make a considerable contribution to the education and training of dental nurses and dental techn…
31 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the budget and, where applicable, the additional budget for Dundee Dental Hospital will be ring-fenced to ensure that the hospital can meet targets set in the Dental Action Plan and the Report of the Scottish Integrated Workforce Planning Group and to ensure that the hospital will…
Answer · Susan Deacon: Dundee Dental Hospital and School has defined budgets for the educational component of its activity. Resources both from the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council have increased in recent years over and above inflation. The Scot…
31 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the current waiting times for treatment at the Glasgow Dental Hospital of (i) 71 weeks for oral medicine, (ii) 69 weeks for anxiety/hypnosis, (iii) 11 months for prosthodontics, (iv) 34 weeks for oral surgery, (v) 30 weeks for conservation, (vi) 22 weeks for …
Answer · Susan Deacon: Reducing waiting is one of the Executive's most important objectives for the health service in Scotland. Health boards and NHS Trusts are responsible for providing efficient and responsive health services, including services relating to dental health.
31 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that Ministers give full and detailed answers to all questions asked in parliamentary debates and whether, as part of its monitoring of questions, it monitors the number of questions asked further to questions asked in the course of debates.
Answer · Tom McCabe: In accordance with the Scottish Ministerial Code, Ministers are expected to be as open as possible with the Parliament, and they aim to respond in debate to points raised, as time permits. The Executive does not monitor the number of questions asked further t…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8124 by Susan Deacon on 25 October 2000 and the figures published in table 8.5:1 of the Scottish Health Statistics published by the Registrar General for Scotland which shows an increase from 48 in 1997 to 67 in 1998, what is being done to address th…
Answer · Susan Deacon: <I><FONT FACE="Arial">Scottish Health Statistics 1999</I>, published in February this year, indicates that the number of such deaths declined from 67 in 1998 to 47 in 1999. This underlines that, where numbers are relatively small, there can be a degree of vol…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether more funding will be allocated to dental hospitals to meet the increasing need for sedation services.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Additional resources have been allocated to both dental schools for 2000-01 to develop consultant-led sedation services primarily for the education and training of undergraduates and postgraduates.
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the one Endodontic Specialist in Scotland is sufficient to meet the recommendations of the Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Endodontics is the specialty of treatment of root canals. The majority of root canal treatment work is undertaken by primary care dentists, both in the community and in general dental practice, with over 140,000 such treatments undertaken annually in Scotland…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a Scottish Professions Allied to Medicines Educational Council would be the best option to ensure that the specialist and post-registration needs of all such professions are met.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive's consultation paper <I>Supporting</I> <I>Learning</I> <I>for</I> <I>the</I> <I>Professions</I> <I>Allied</I> <I>to</I> <I>Medicine</I> invited responses by 29 September 2000. The responses to the consultation are currently under consid…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address any problems in the recruitment and retention of physiotherapists.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The overall recruitment and retention of Professions Allied to Medicine (PAMs), which include physiotherapists remains healthy although there are some recognised difficulties in particular geographical areas and with some specialist posts.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">T…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reimburse health visitors and community nurses for car use beyond the current 10p per mile for cars using unleaded petrol.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive, along with the other UK Health Departments, is undertaking a Joint Review of Section 24 of the General Whitley Council Handbook which covers mileage and travelling allowances for all NHS staff.
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how community pharmacists can be more fully utilised in relation to smoking cessation.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Pharmacists are committed to reducing the burden of illness imposed on Scotland by tobacco use. Pharmacists already supply nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), provide smoking cessation reminder messages and evidence-based information about matters related to …
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Health Education Board for Scotland will be integrated into a new joint structure with the establishment of the Public Health Institute of Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Public Health Institute's identity and role will be separate from, but complementary to, those of the Health Education Board for Scotland and other relevant organisations.
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Scottish Health Plan has to be "Milburn plan proofed" as stated in section 18 of The Scottish Health Plan - An introductory briefing.
Answer · Susan Deacon: In developing the Scottish Health Plan, six national network groups were asked, among other things<I>, </I>to evaluate the UK Government's NHS Plan and determine the relevance of the proposals for Scotland. This is the meaning of the shorthand expression quot…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to enhance and integrate the IT system throughout the NHS to ensure that intentions regarding organ donations are made known.
Answer · Susan Deacon: A computerised Organ Donor Register covering the whole of the United Kingdom is run by UK Transplant for all Health Departments. One of several methods for new donors to signify their intentions is when registering with a new general practitioner. Data on suc…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure an increased uptake of donor cards and to increase awareness of individual's intentions with regard to organ donation.
Answer · Susan Deacon: We are presently finalising arrangements for a short TV filler advertisement which we hope will catch the attention and interest of TV viewers in Scotland; help raise the profile of this important issue; and encourage people to think seriously and talk openly…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether only patients dying of spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage, diagnosed by a senior consultant with the aid of modern imaging techniques, are eligible for organ support.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Any patient who has been diagnosed as clinically dead by recognised and accepted brain stem death tests is eligible to become an organ donor.
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether sufficient intensive care unit and high dependency unit beds are available for comatose patients with potential for organ donation.
Answer · Susan Deacon: There is no evidence in Scotland that there are insufficient ICU beds available for this purpose. The Executive has invested in both ICU and HDU beds and the nurses with critical care skills needed to staff those beds.
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what response it will make to the British Transplant Society protocol which stated that informed consent of the next of kin is mandatory before the patient is accepted for elective ventilation.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The key issue about elective ventilation is that the procedure is illegal. It breaches the common law principle that, while patients have the right to give or withhold consent to treatment, such consent extends only to treatment intended to benefit the patien…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the #2,580 annual unitary fee per 1,884 registered/list patients (Medeconomics, June 2000, page 86), is sufficient to cover health promotion in relation to smoking, alcohol problems, strokes and heart disease.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The current arrangements, as detailed in the general practitioners Statement of Fees and Allowances (SFA), allow for a GP to be paid £2,580 per annum, for local Health Promotion activities as agreed annually between the GP and Health Board/Primary Care Trust,…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details and costs of any programmes of conversion to the Euro being undertaken within the NHS.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The NHS in Scotland is carrying out a measure of pre-planning for the possible introduction of the Euro as set out in HM Treasury's <I>Second Outline National Changeover Plan</I> published on 9 March 2000. The costs of this ongoing exercise are contained with…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the production and consumption of organic foods have greater environmental benefits than production and consumption of non-organic foods.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Organic production methods can deliver environmental benefits through reductions in the use of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides. There are no environmental benefits from consumption of organic foods: on the contrary, as with non-organic foods, there could…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether organic food has greater health and nutritional benefits than non-organic food.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that there is not enough scientifically proven information available at present to be able to say that organic foods are significantly different in terms of their nutritional content from those produced by conventiona…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria have to apply for food and drink to be accurately labelled "organic".
Answer · Susan Deacon: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that minimum standards for organic production are set down in a European Community Regulation (Council Regulation 2092/91).<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">In the UK, a body called the UK Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS)…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how consumers can be assured that food labelled "organic" is free from additives.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency Scotland that all food is subject to The Food Labelling Regulations 1996. In addition to this, the labelling of "organic" foods is further detailed in EC legislation 2092/91 - Organic Production of Agricultu…
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is acceptable for a person holding a full-time publicly funded post to also be appointed to part-time publicly funded posts.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-10724.
30 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether full-time personnel in publicly funded posts should be appointed by it to other public sector positions.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Any adult can put themselves forward for consideration for public appointment whether or not they are in any form of employment, either in the public or private sector. All public appointments are governed by the principle of selection based on merit followin…
26 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, given the current unavailability of beds due to "bed blocking", reducing the total number of NHS beds in the longer term can be justified, in particular with respect to the intended reduction in bed numbers from 1,029 to 894 on transferring services to the new Edinburgh Royal Inf…
Answer · Susan Deacon: The NHS in Scotland keeps the number and mix of hospital beds under review to ensure that appropriate health services can be delivered to the people of Scotland in the light of changing patterns of treatment and care.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Scottish Executive …
16 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in setting and introducing maximum national waiting times in the key clinical priorities of cancer, coronary heart disease and mental health, as announced in Scottish Executive news release SE1703/1999 on 16 December 1999.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Cancer Group, the CHD Task Force and the Mental Health and Well Being Support Group are working closely with the Health Service in Scotland on the development of national waiting times targets in the three national clinical priorities.<P ALIGN="J…