Parliamentary questions

Mary Scanlon

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

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit, aims and objectives of "modernisation action teams" are.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Modernisation Action Teams were announced by the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, as part of England's modernisation plans for the NHS. I have announced plans to establish a Modernisation Board to drive forward the Executive's programme for modern…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what each Primary Care Trust's drugs overspend is.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Provision for prescribing is included as part of the overall resources within health boards' unified budgets. It is for health boards to decide locally how to allocate and manage their unified budget. Whilst final accounts have still to be audited, provisiona…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it shares the concerns expressed by the General Medical Council in relation to the period before which a doctor can be considered for restoration to the register following erasure being increased from three to five years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The role of the GMC in Medical Regulation is a "reserved" matter and is the responsibility of the UK Government.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being proposed to address any delays in diagnosis, receipt of test results and treatment being faced by cancer patients.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Programme for Government sets out the Scottish Executive's commitment to speed treatment and reduce waiting times.Establishing a further 80 one stop clinics (where, if it is practically possible, patients will be assessed, invest…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to support the increasing number of hepatitis C victims.

Answer · Susan Deacon: It is the responsibility of health boards to assess local needs for patients with hepatitis C and arrange provision of appropriate support, treatment and care services.In 1999, The Scottish Office commissioned the Scottish Needs Assessment …

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what will be done to support pupils who fail to obtain the passes they need for college and university on the basis of being unable to achieve a pass in Higher Still Higher maths.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: I refer Mary Scanlon to the answer I gave to question S1W-7476 earlier today.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how a pass mark will be set for the Higher Still Higher maths paper given that the exam did not reflect the content of teaching.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Assessment, including the marking of examinations, is within the remit of the Scottish Qualifications Authority and I understand from the authority that the exam paper did reflect the course syllabus.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why a statistics option was included in the Higher Still Higher maths examination when it had not been included in the curriculum.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Assessment, including the content of examinations, is within the remit of the Scottish Qualifications Authority.I understand from the SQA that statistics is an optional unit within the curriculum.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the Higher Still Higher maths examination did not reflect the work covered in schools.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Assessment, including the content of examinations, is within the remit of the Scottish Qualifications Authority and I understand from the authority that the Higher Still maths exam reflected the syllabus as published in the course arrangement documents.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address any problems encountered by school pupils sitting the Higher Still Higher maths examination.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Assessment and the content of examinations is within the remit of the Scottish Qualifications Authority.I understand that Ron Tuck, Chief Executive of the Authority, is replying to all letters expressing concerns about the Higher Still math…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to support pupils who had performed well in continuous assessments but were unable to complete the Higher Still Higher maths examination.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Assessment, which includes the setting and marking of examinations, is within the remit of the Scottish Qualifications Authority.I understand that an appeals procedure is in place to deal with any cases in which candidates fail to perform t…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether doctors will have a right of access to information regarding their own practice or performance in cases of professional misconduct.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The General Medical Council (GMC) is responsible for considering allegations of professional misconduct against doctors.Doctors at present have the right and will continue to have the right of access to information regarding their own pract…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support is given in NHS hospital maternity units to mothers experiencing difficulties in breastfeeding.

Answer · Susan Deacon: 29 out of Scotland's 32 Maternity Hospitals participate in the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative with a further two planning to do so in the future. The initiative requires participating hospitals to implement 10 steps to successful breastfeeding. The ten st…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to achieve the target of 60% of five year olds with no experience of dental disease by 2010.

Answer · Susan Deacon: A number of measures are already in place to improve the oral health of children. These include the payment of enhanced capitation fees to dentists for children in deprived areas who are registered with them on the NHS. Oral health promotion programmes are al…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to reduce the proportion of adult men and women exceeding the weekly recommended limits for alcohol consumption from 33% to 29% and 13% to 11% respectively by 2010.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Headline targets to achieve these reductions were established in the White Paper, Towards a Healthier Scotland. The White Paper, which is available in SPICe, also announced that a new national committee would develop a national strategic framework to t…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to reduce the number of women who smoke during pregnancy from 29% to 20% by 2010.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer to question S1W-7469.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to reduce the proportion of 12-15 years olds who smoke from 14% to 11% by 2010.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Headline targets of achieving these reductions were established in the White Paper, Towards a Healthier Scotland. The White Paper also outlines measures to be taken in Scotland to suit particular Scottish circumstances but which are in line with the UK…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to achieve 20% fewer deaths from cancer in the under 75s by 2010.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Improvements in survival from cancer are already evident. For example, five-year survival from breast cancer is now 75%, compared to 66% in the 1980s. Cervical cancer incidence and deaths have been reduced by 34% since 1986. In men with testicular cancer, mor…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to achieve 50% fewer deaths from coronary heart disease in the under 75s by 2010.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Reducing deaths from coronary heart disease by 50% in the under 75s by 2010 was one of the headline targets set out in the White Paper, Towards a Healthier Scotland. The White Paper, which is available in SPICe, also outlines the main contributory fact…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations it will make to acute hospitals about how to achieve efficiency savings whilst also aiming to achieve government targets.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Executive expects all NHS Trusts to achieve national targets while taking account of local circumstances. The additional resources made available by the Executive, together with local efficiency improvements, are sufficient for the NHS to meet the costs o…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the 5% of Additional Cost of Teaching money allocated is adequate to fund the 10-12% of undergraduate teaching now conducted in general practice.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The level of funding provided for general practice under-graduate teaching is for negotiation between the relevant health board, NHS Trusts and University.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why departments of general practice have to produce details of expenditure on their Additional Cost of Teaching budgets when similar accounting procedures do not apply in teaching hospitals.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Health boards and NHS Trusts have to account for all their expenditure. The level of information required from University Departments of General Practice in connection with their expenditure from health boards "Additional Cost of Teaching" budgets i…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to hold teaching hospitals to account for Additional Cost of Teaching expenditure and, if so, whether the information provided will be made publicly available.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Teaching NHS Trusts must account for all their expenditure, including the Additional Cost of Teaching expenditure. Each Trust produces an annual report and accounts, both of which are published.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any new plans are in place to support people diagnosed with diabetes in Scotland, given the increasing numbers of diabetes sufferers.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to PQ S1W-7461.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to direct NHS resources to the prevention, diagnosis and management of diabetes in order to avoid the life threatening complications which can result from diabetes.

Answer · Susan Deacon: There are a substantial number of diabetes-related Scottish Executive projects in hand. In addition to the Working Group on Information Technology to Support Shared Care in Diabetes and the Priorities and Planning Guidance which I mentioned in my reply to S1W…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to ensure that diabetes services are co-ordinated at health board level.

Answer · Susan Deacon: It is for health boards to plan and deliver services which meet the needs of their local population, within the resources allocated to them, taking account of national and local priorities. Priorities and Planning Guidance for the period 1999-2002, issued by …

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any awareness raising programmes are in place to target the "at risk" groups in Scotland with regard to diabetes.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive Health Department's Clinical Resource and Audit Group has set up a Working Group on Information Technology to Support Shared Care in Diabetes. The purpose of this group is to develop work already done on diabetes registers and informati…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has for early identification of people with diabetes.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-7457.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will identify the estimated 87,000 Scottish people currently living undiagnosed with diabetes.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The UK National Screening Committee, an expert advisory body to all the UK Health Departments, is currently developing a programme of screening for diabetic retinopathy. The committee is considering actively how it might be possible to identify "at risk" grou…

31 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which prisons and young offenders' institutes have undergone structural alterations worth over #100,000 in the past five years and how much capital has been invested in each institution.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:The information is set out in the table below and covers the five-year period 1995-96 to 1999-2000.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1…