Parliamentary questions

Mary Scanlon

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

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason NHS Fife has four times as many staff working in mental health psychology as NHS Highland, which have average waiting times for psychological therapies of 58 and 77 weeks respectively, as highlighted in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Answer · Shona Robison: Different NHS boards have different configurations of services, including different numbers of doctors, nurses, psychologists and allied health professionals and these reflect different patterns of service structure and historical investment. Many c…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the vacancy rate in consultant psychiatry of 22% in Lanarkshire, 23% in Highland and 25% in Ayrshire and Arran, many of the posts having been vacant for several years, as highlighted in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The number of consultant vacancies in psychiatry within NHSScotland and the boards highlighted by Audit Scotland as reported by Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Service Scotland is: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr …

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what services are offered in Scotland's prisons to the 70% of prisoners identified as having a mental health problem, as highlighted in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: A wide range of services are offered in Scotland''s prisons to support people with mental health problems. The Scottish Prison S…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons the prescribing of antidepressants continues to rise.

Answer · Shona Robison: This is a complex issue. There are four reasons why anti-depressant prescribing can continue to rise. More people may be anxious or depressed at a level which would meet the guidance for prescribing of anti-depressants. Secondly, more people may present to th…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people with (a) drug and (b) alcohol problems is likely to develop a mental health problem as a result of such addiction.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government publication Closing the Gaps “ Making a Difference, published on 10 December 2007, states that the UK Psychiatric Morbidity Study on adults living in private households showed that 12% of…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated percentage is of people with (a) drug and (b) alcohol problems whose addiction results from an underlying mental health condition.

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address waiting times for mental services as outlined in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are currently working to establish, by April 2010, a referral to treatment waiting time target for specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). As part of this work we are also working towards a new national performance target for NHS bo…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that data on waiting times for mental health services are routinely collected and made publicly available.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are currently working to establish, by April 2010, a referral to treatment waiting time target for specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). We have set up a Waiting Time Delivery Board to take this CAMHS agenda forward and t…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how local partners will work to identify and address any gaps in mental health services and the availability of psychological therapies as recommended in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are supporting NHS boards and their partners to provide services that take account of the evidence that is already available for what works in mental health services and what leads to better outcomes to meet the needs of the people assessed as needing them…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will work with local partners to collect information about services in the community to enable better planning and development of services as recommended in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government initiated the Mental Health NHS Benchmarking Project in 2007, which is mentioned on page 26 of the Audit Scotland report, to obtain more comprehensive information around both inpatient and community services. In relation to co…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that the Scottish Government and local partners work together to deliver services for people with mental health problems as recommended in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Answer · Shona Robison: Mental health remains a priority for the Scottish Government and we are working with all partners to deliver on our innovative programme for change and improvement in mental health services. We are making progress in delivering the published challenging natio…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure that NHS boards and local authorities use the same information systems in order to deliver a joined-up responsive service to people with mental health problems.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to questions S3W-24326 and S3W-24331 on 11 June 2009 which is available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Defaul…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the review of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 will be published.

Answer · Shona Robison: The review, together with the Scottish Government''s response and a consultation paper, will be published shortly.

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent by each local authority on mental health services in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services, acknowledged the difficulty in calculating the exact amount spent by on mental health. This can be due to a number of factors and the diverse way mental health spend can be reflected in ot…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will monitor the amount of money spent by local authorities on mental health services.

Answer · Shona Robison: The concordat with local authorities means that the relationship between government and local authorities is one of partnership and co-operation rather than direct management and monitoring. The Scottish Government Mental Health Division has, through…

27 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to ensure that residents in care homes for older people are not covertly given antipsychotic drugs without the due process of their rights being followed.

Answer · Shona Robison: Part 5 of the Adults with Incapacity Act 2000 covers medical treatment and a revised Code of Practice for Part 5 was issued to all care homes in Scotland in March 2008. The code makes it clear that the use of covert medication is permissible in limited circum…

26 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how long the single track section is of the trunk road between Bettyhill and Thurso.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The road which links Bettyhill to Thurso is the A836 and is not a trunk road. The repair and maintenance of this local road is the responsibility of Highland Council and it is to the Chief Executive of Council that this question should be addressed.<…

21 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of Lyme’s disease have been recorded in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: In Scotland the surveillance of Lyme disease is based on laboratory confirmed reports to Health Protection Scotland (HPS) of Borrelia burgdorferi (the organism that causes Lyme disease). Most reports come from the national Lyme borreliosis testing lab…

21 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how NHS employees can raise legitimate concerns without facing recrimination from their employers.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Staff Governance Standard commits NHSScotland employers to ensuring that all staff are treated fairly and consistently and that the minimum standards as described in the Partnership Information Network (PIN) policy guidelines are met or exceeded. <p…

21 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what protection is given to NHS employees who report concerns regarding patient care and health and safety issues.

21 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a national action plan for rare diseases in Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: In Scotland rare diseases are already managed on a pan-Scotland basis, largely through genetic services - which are subject to on-going enhancement following on from the Calman review (2006) with £5 million per annum recurring investment over three years - an…

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what services are available in each NHS board area for people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally. Services for people with post traumatic stress disorder are planned and delivered by NHS boards and their partners to reflect the level of individual clinical need. Support for Veterans with post-traum…

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual bill has been for each of the agencies tasked with inspecting local authorities and their community planning partnerships in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24123 on 2 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.u…

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of staffing is for each of the agencies tasked with inspecting local authorities and their community planning partnerships.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24123 on 2 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament''s website the search facility for which can be found at: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk…

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which agencies are tasked with inspecting local authorities and their community planning partnerships.

Answer · John Swinney: The Accounts Commission audits local authorities as part of the performance audit of how local authorities discharge their best value and community planning duties However the independent Crerar Review of regulation, audit, inspection and complaints …

14 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that all people living in rural areas are able to access the Scottish National Rural Network, given that it is available only online.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-23987 on 27 May 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Bu…

14 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what effects the review of the Scotland Rural Development Programme will have on the Scottish National Rural Network.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The requirement for a Scottish National Rural Network is a specific legal requirement by the European Commission. The remit for the first stage review of the Scotland Rural Development Programme did not include specific reference to the Scottish National Rura…

14 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in what ways the Scottish National Rural Network will benefit people living in rural areas who are unable to access appropriate broadband connections.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish National Rural Network is currently operating online and, later this year, will include local and national events. It aims to promote sustainable economic growth and community development. Networking on this scale will help rural communities lear…

11 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many potential homeowners are on a waiting list for assistance under the Low-cost Initiative for First-time Buyers, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Alex Neil: In October 2007, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing announced the establishment of a new Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers (LIFT) to bring together a range of Scottish Government initiatives to help households get onto the housing ladder.<…

11 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many potential homeowners applied for support to purchase a home in each local authority since the Low-cost Initiative for First-time Buyers commenced.