Parliamentary questions

Mary Scanlon

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

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that all pregnant women receive a consistent level of antenatal care, particularly in relation to the number of ultrasound scans they are offered.

Answer · Shona Robison: A Framework forMaternity Services in Scotland, published in February 2001, sets out clearlyand explicitly the maternity service which should be offered across Scotland. This includes details of the number and timing of ultrasoundscans which shou…

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering adding Parkinson’s disease to the list of conditions exempt from prescription charges.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-694 on 15 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sea…

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-152 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 June 2007, whether hospital parking charges can be considered to be excessive when they are used to cover the cost of providing parking facilities.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Car park chargingon hospital sites is a matter for local NHS boards in light of local circumstancesand the cost of providing parking facilities must relate to the cost and availabilityof parking provision in the surrounding areas.In recent months,NHS L…

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that patients access orthodontic services at the correct stage in their dentition.

Answer · Shona Robison: Access to orthodonticsat the correct stage is dependent on the patient’s dentist either carrying out thetreatment themselves or referring the patient to a specialist.The Scottish DentalAccess Initiative is being revised to provide for financial help fo…

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the criteria for determining dentists’ commitment to the NHS.

Answer · Shona Robison: We areconsidering limited amendments with a view to improving certain aspects of theexisting commitment criteria.

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a funded comprehensive oral health assessment for all patients.

Answer · Shona Robison: Discussions areon-going with dental profession representatives about the possibility of introducingenhanced oral examinations for both children and adults.

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will assist private and NHS dentists to implement health and safety measures, including decontamination, in order to meet legislative requirements.

Answer · Shona Robison: The health and safetystandards of decontamination in dental practice are presently being audited acrossScotland using an audit tool developed by Health ProtectionScotland (HPS). Within the last month we have instructed boards that funding willbe available to …

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is being made in its Environment Directorates for industry-initiated research and development programmes to be accommodated within the current system of funding such research and development.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish ExecutiveRural and Environment Research and Analysis Directorate supports and encouragescollaborative research for innovative and industrially-relevant research with industrypartners. Funding for such research is provided through the contract res…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the development of farm businesses based on high-value non-food crops, such as bog myrtle, will be eligible for support under the new Scottish Rural Development Programme.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The new Scotland RuralDevelopment Programme 2007-13 will, indeed, include a specific measure that willafford farm businesses, including collaborations, an opportunity to submit proposalsfor diversifying into alternative forms of agricultural production such a…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that there are sufficient affordable homes for rent and sale.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: We are currentlytaking stock of the wide range of actions needed to ensure that there aresufficient affordable homes. The government will consider all options forsecuring an effective supply of new housing, both for rent and for sale.

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will support first-time buyers to own a home.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: We are acutelyaware of the importance of meeting Scotland’s widerange of housing needs. We are looking carefully at potential action to helpfirst time buyers. One of our key aims is improving measures to help moreindividuals and families who are currently exc…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Eight thousandaffordable housing units are expected to be approved under the ScottishGovernment’s Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2007-08. Decisions on housing investment beyond2008 will depend on the outcome of the spending review later this year.…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that any shortcomings in the provision of essential infrastructure do not act as an obstacle to development.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Development plansare drawn up in consultation with infrastructure providers. The Planning etc (Scotland) Act places a new duty on planning authorities toexercise their development planning functions with the objective of contributingto sustainable development…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to address a shortage of land for development.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Shortages of land fordevelopment are addressed by planning authorities through the development planprocess. A new framework for development plans, which will help to deliver up-to-date,relevant development plans, was set out in the Planning etc. (Scotland)Act…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-154 by Shona Robison on 6 June 2007, whether patients can access free treatment, paid for by the NHS and provided by an independent homeopathy practitioner, where patients and their clinicians consider that homeopathy is an appropriate form of treatm…

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS boards are responsible forthe planning and provision of NHS services. Where services are provided as partof NHS provision they will be provided free at the point of delivery.

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-177 by Shona Robison on 31 May 2007, whether it will extend the list of chronic conditions that entitle patients to free prescriptions and, if so, which additional conditions will be included.

Answer · Shona Robison: We remain committedto our manifesto pledge to phase out prescription charges. We are currently consideringwhich health conditions will fall within the definition of “chronic condition” andwill consult on that list in due course.

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action will be taken to address any understaffing of neonatal units, following the findings of the review by BLISS.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-692 on 14 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.se…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address shortages in intensive care baby units, given that admissions to units rose by 402 infants between 2005 and 2006 with almost no increase in the number of cots.

Answer · Shona Robison: A neonatal sub-group of the MinisterialAction Group on Maternity Services has been established to review current neonatalservice provision in Scotland and recommend a framework for a sustainable configurationof neonatal services that provides a safe and effec…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease in each year from 1996 to 2006 were offered (a) day treatment and (b) residential abstinence-based treatment for their condition, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: The number of patientsdischarged from Scottish general acute hospitals, broken down by NHS board, witha diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease who were treated as day patients from 1996to 2006, has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib.…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease in each year from 1996 to 2006, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: The number of patientswho were discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease ineach year form 1996 to 2006, broken down by NHS board, has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 42948).

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider the recommendation by the Biosecurity Association that a task force should be established to examine options for a more strategic approach to health and to enable the Scottish life sciences sector to effectively address medical need by developing new medicines and…

Answer · Shona Robison: A range of appropriate fora alreadyexist to discuss Life Science interests including the Life Science Alliance, the Scottish Health Technologies Group and the Scottish Medicines Consortium. The establishmentof the Life Sciences Alliance brought together key s…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were refused a residential placement for (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006 and what the reasons were for refusals.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: This information isnot held centrally.

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were placed in residential accommodation for (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Complete informationis not held in the form requested. Some information on the number of admissionsto residential accommodation is contained within Alcohol and Drug Action Team (ADAT)Corporate Action Plans. These can be accessed from the following website:</p…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cochlear implant operations have been performed on (a) children and (b) adults in each NHS board area in each year since 2002-03.

Answer · Shona Robison: The following tables containinformation on patients who have had either an implantation of an intracochlearprosthesis or an extracochlear prosthesis.Intracochlear Prosthesis – ChildrenYear Ending 31 March<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpad…

7 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS patients domiciled in Scotland were treated in independent hospitals in (a) Scotland and (b) England in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: (a) Reliableinformation on the number of NHS patients treated in private hospitals is notavailable centrally. However, the Information and Statistics Division of NHSNational Services Scotland is working with the Scottish Government, NHS boards,and the indepen…