Parliamentary questions

Mary Scanlon

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

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with learning disabilities currently reside in long-stay hospitals.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Current indications are that fewer than 320 people with learning disabilities are currently living in long-stay hospitals as their home.

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all NHS boards will meet the target of closing all remaining long-stay hospitals for people with learning disabilities by 2005 as set out in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities and, if not, what the timetable is for the closure of all remain…

Answer · Tom McCabe: The target for the closure of long stay learning disability hospitals remains the end of 2005, and we continue to expect all NHS boards to meet this target.We are aware that several health boards are unlikely to make this date for a small number of peo…

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in ensuring that NHS boards and local authorities have local professionals trained to look for early signs of dementia, as recommended in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Promoting Health Supporting Inclusion (July 2002) recognised the important role of specialist nurses in assessing dementia and providing interventions, and recommended that learning disability nurses should be members of specialist teams to liaise with…

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that trained doctors from other countries are familiar with NHS protocols and administrative procedures prior to taking up consultant and other posts in the NHS.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Any doctor undertaking work in Scotland or the rest of the United Kingdom must beregistered with the General Medical Council. Appointment procedures are designed to ensure that doctors are fit for purpose for the particular post to which they are appointed. I…

13 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-8489 and S2W-8491 by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 and 9 June 2004 respectively, whether all Scottish Prison Service institutions have access to, and provide, speech and language therapy services, given that 70% of young offenders have problems with poor l…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: All prisoners in Scottish Prison Services Institutions have access to health services on a basis equivalent to NHS provision. Access to specialist services such as speech and language therapy are available based on individually assessed needs, in accordance w…

13 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken within the diversity and equality strategy for NHSScotland to ensure that the needs of people with communication impairment other than sensory impairment are being met, for example those with aphasia, dyspraxia, dysarthria, semantic-pragmatic disorder and dysflu…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-9910 on 30 August 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/s…

11 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why there was a reduction of 4,822 in the number of adults attending registered day care services from 1997 to 2003, as referred to in Statistics Release: Day Care Services, Scotland 2003, given the increased emphasis on community care.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The figures for 1997 and 2003 are not directly comparable. The 1997 survey asked for a count of all persons who regularly attended the day care service regardless of whether they attended during the census week. From 2001 onwards, the survey asked for …

11 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to care and repair projects in each year since 1997.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Care and Repair projects receive revenue funding from Communities Scotland, local authorities and other funders such as health boards. Public capital funding for the works undertaken by Care and Repair is provided by local authorities from their Private Secto…

9 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to the statement in page 43 of British Waterways' annual report and accounts for 2003-04 that current funding from the Executive is insufficient to meet the demands of customers for a secure infrastructure and an improving level of service.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: In the financial year 2000-01 the share of government funding allocated to British Waterways’ activities in Scotland was £7.1 million. Responsibility for funding these activities was transferred from Westminster to Scottish ministers on 1 April 2001. Since th…

6 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8490 by Ms Margaret Curran on 9 June 2004, what action is being taken to ensure that people with communication impairments other than sensory impairments, for example stroke victims with persistent expressive language difficulties, have access to pre…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Scottish Executive guidance encourages all consultation teams to use a range of consultation methods and to ensure that their exercise is as inclusive as possible. Teams are advised, where appropriate, to involve equality groups in planning their exercise an…

6 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8489 by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 June 2004, what information is held regarding the communication impairments other than sensory impairments experienced by those with a learning disability and what is being done to meet the health needs of these communic…

Answer · Tom McCabe: The same as you? recommended that Scottish Consortium for LearningDisability should set up a national network of support to local providersoffering advice and training on the extra needs of people with profound andmultiple disabilities. PAMIS, (Promoti…

6 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8489 by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 June 2004, what action is being taken within the national programme for improving mental health and well being to support people with communication impairment beyond those with sensory impairment, for example those with …

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Mental Health Division, which includes the work of the National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being, has identified sensory and communication loss as an area which requires attention within mental health promotion, prevention and mental h…

6 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8489 by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 June 2004, how speech and language therapists are involved in the design and provision of training and support for staff so that they can effectively communicate with individuals with communication impairment.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Speech and language therapists have an important contribution to make both in supporting patients with communication difficulties and also NHS staff in communicating effectively with them. It is for NHS boards to determine how best to utilise the expertise of…

6 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-8488 and S2W-8489 by Tom McCabe and Malcolm Chisholm on 9 and 8 June 2004 respectively, how it intends to meet its commitment within Partnership for Care: Scotland's Health White Paper to ensure that, whatever the circumstances of people's lives, t…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Our approach is based on developing services which are patient-focussed, flexible and appropriate, and meet different personal circumstances.The Health Department is working with NHS Education Scotland to ensure that the principles of equality and dive…

23 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to address the anomaly whereby Orkney Islands Council's Aggregate External Finance settlement provides 20% less funding per head of population than either Western Isles or Shetland Islands Councils.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The current grant distribution methodology takes into account a wide range of factors influencing the costs of delivering services in different areas of Scotland, including island communities. This results in different councils receiving different levels of f…

23 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to give pensioners access to free NHS dental treatment.

Answer · Tom McCabe: At present, older people canreceive help with the cost of NHS dental services or exemption from charges in thesame way as other adults if they are in receipt of certain benefits or qualify underthe NHS Low Income Scheme. NHS dental services, including the pat…

22 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to give patients with mental health problems access to homeopathy treatments.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to S2W-9719 on 16 August 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…

22 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is proposing any changes to the eligibility for NHS-funded IVF treatment.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Programme for Clinical Effectiveness in Reproductive Health (SPCERH), commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer, held a consensus conference in 2003 to reconsider the eligibility criteria for access to NHS funded infertility treatment. The Execut…

19 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9398 by Ms Margaret Curran on 13 July 2004, how many homes were purchased under the low-cost home ownership scheme in each of the last five years.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:Further to the answer to given question S2W-9398 on 13 July 2004, the following table details how many homes were approved for purchase throug…