Parliamentary questions
Nanette Milne
1,264 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve capacity and journey times on the A90 between Ellon and Peterhead.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Current work to completedualling of the A90 between Aberdeen and Ellon is anticipated to be completed in2012.</p><p>The Strategic TransportProjects Review will examine Scotland’s nationally strategic transport network,including the A90 between Ellon and Peter…
16 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the reopening of Kintore Station.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The reopening of KintoreStation features in the Aberdeen Crossrail proposal which is being promoted by theNorth East of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership (NESTRANS). The STAG 2 appraisalfor this project is currently being finalised by NESTRANS and I und…
16 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the electrification of the east coast main line between Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The rail policy document<i>Scotland’s Railways </i>sets out how we aspire to improve capacity, reliabilityand journey times on the route southwards from Aberdeen. This includes, in the long-term, exploring the possible value of electrificationof this route.</…
20 Jun 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it proposes to adopt to ensure that rural schools are included in rural development and regeneration strategies.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Governmentbelieve that good quality educational services and facilities are an important partof the fabric of rural community life. The provision of these services is essentiallya matter for local authorities, who have a key role to play in Commu…
14 Jun 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the full dualling of the A90 between Tipperty and Peterhead, including the preparation of feasibility reports, start dates for each section and completion dates.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The next round ofmajor investment in the trunk road network will emerge from the Strategic TransportProjects Review, which is due to report in summer 2008, will examine the longerterm needs of Scotland’s nationally strategic transport network to develop the i…
14 Jun 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the full dualling of the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness, including the preparation of feasibility reports, start dates for each section and completion dates.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Aberdeen to Inverness Multi-Modal Transport Corridor Study, andthe outcome of a design study for a dual carriageway improvement of the A96 betweenInverness and Inverness Airport will feed directly into the Strategic TransportProjects Review.</p><p>The nex…
6 Jun 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce locally grown produce into schools, hospitals and other institutions.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will be working with thoseresponsible for public procurement to ensure factors such as freshness, seasonalityand methods of production are included in tender specifications.</p>
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) grocery, (b) butcher, (c) baker, (d) fishmonger, (e) newsagent, (f) confectionery and (g) tobacco retail outlets there were in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006 and how many such wholesalers there were in each year.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The number of retail outletsin Scotland was as follows (separate figures are not available for newsagents and confectionery):</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=558> <thead> <tr> <td nowrap rowspan=2 valign=bottom> <p align=center> …
13 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards offer routine 20-week foetal anomaly scans as provided for under NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) guidelines set in 2004.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The NHS Quality Improvement Scotland publication <i>NationalOverview January 2007 Maternity Services </i>reported that following their reviewof their Clinical Standards for Maternity Services (carried out between November2005 and June 2006), 10 out of the the…
26 Feb 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) fully evaluates the suitability of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for implementation in Scotland based on the criteria in respect of contextual differences outlined by NHS QIS in Jul…
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is satisfiedthat NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) fully evaluates the suitabilityof National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for implementationin Scotland based on the criteria in respect of contex…
26 Feb 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the contextual differences cited by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland on the occasions when it has not adopted National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance.
Answer · Andy Kerr: There have been two occasionswhen NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) has not directly adopted NationalInstitute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal recommendations.This was because the Scottish Executive had already stated i…
26 Feb 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has decided not to adopt National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance in each year since 2003.
Answer · Andy Kerr: There has been one occasion since2003 when NHS Quality Improvement Scotland decided not to adopt NICE guidance andthis was NICE Technology Appraisal No. 48 entitled The Use of Liquid-based Cytologyfor Cervical Screening (Review) published in October 2003. Thi…
7 Feb 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving for the development of gymnastics facilities.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Funding for the development ofgymnastics facilities is available through sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme.</p>
10 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the GP out-of-hours service has been operating in remote and rural areas, particularly over the recent festive period, and how many foreign agency staff have been brought in to assist with out-of-hours provision.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Independent GP practices continueto provide much of the out-of-hours cover in remote and rural areas, and the informationon their operational performance is not held centrally.</p><p>The rest of the out-of-hoursservice has performed well over the festive peri…
21 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the figures have been for delayed discharge in each NHS board since 1999, broken down by hospital.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: A table recording the numberof patients ready for discharge in each NHS board since the first census in April2001 has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number41472).</p>
21 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered farmers or agricultural workers have committed suicide in each year since 1999.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The number of suicides in farmersand farm workers from 1999 to 2005 (latest available year) is shown in the followingtable.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td valign=top> <p align=center> </p> </td> <td valign=top>…
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, how the impact of changes to the delivery of community nursing on the existing workforce will be managed.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive will commissiona workforce project which, amongst other things, will look to develop national workforce/workloadmeasurement tools.</p>
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, how the public was represented in the review.
Answer · Andy Kerr: A patient and carers referencegroup met several times during the review process. A patients’ representative wasalso invited onto the review steering group. Members of the public were also giventhe opportunity to comment on earlier drafts of the review report …
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland and given that the review suggests that clients will become central to the delivery of community nursing, what evidence there is that this has not always b…
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive acknowledges thatcommunity nurses put the needs of patients/clients at the forefront of delivery.However, patients and carers told us that they wanted one single point of contactwith nursing services. They told us that they found having to deal …
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, what educational framework supports the proposed generalist model for community nursing.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The review recognised that theeducational needs of both new community health nurses and current practitioners,who need to broaden their skills, are challenging. Skills for Health will have alreadydone some of this work. Higher education institutes and NHS Edu…
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, what evidence there is to support the suggestion that the generalist model of practice will be more effective in community nursing.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The review based the communityhealth nurse model on evidence from:</p><p><strike>·</strike>Workshops which explored what nurses working in the communityare good at and their frustrations, as well as what they could do in the futurein terms of <i>Delivering fo…
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, whether the Minister for Health and Community Care took into account the existing community specialist qualification framework when stating that the revie…
Answer · Andy Kerr: The review took cognisance of the community specialist qualification framework. NHS Education Scotland and Skillsfor Health will undertake a review of the competencies and capabilities of the newcommunity health nurse and the Nursing and Midwifery Council wil…
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, why no reference has been made to existing Nursing and Midwifery Council standards or documents.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Nursing and Midwifery Council(NMC) standards underpin the practice of every nurse. <i>Visible, Accessible andIntegrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland</i>should be read alongside <i>Delivering Care, Enabling Health</i> whi…
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, whether the Nursing and Midwifery Council has been involved in the development of the new role of community nurse.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Nursing and Midwifery Council(NMC) responded to the draft of the review report that was circulated in June 2006and have been kept updated as the review has progressed. Discussions with the NMCwill continue as work in the development sites progresses.</p>
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland and as community health nurses will undertake some aspects of the current district nursing and health visiting roles, who will undertake (a) the remaining …
Answer · Andy Kerr: We are not removing the servicesdistrict nurses and health visitors provide. We are changing how they are organisedand educated to help them to provide high quality services to meet the health needsof Scotland in the 21st Century. To mark this change, the new…
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, how the Executive will ensure that community health nurses adequately prioritise child protection.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The new community healthnurse will have the necessary skills to adequately prioritise child protection.Local teams will continue to have access to expert skills to provide support andthe four development sites will explore how these services are arranged.</p>
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, how the Executive will ensure that generalist community health nurses retain similar caseloads to district nurses and health visitors.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The size of each communityhealth nurse’s caseload is something which would be decided at NHS board level andwill initially be tested in the development sites over the next two years.</p>
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, what appraisal of existing community nursing practice has been undertaken.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Project officers began liaisingwith individual NHS boards in late 2005. From the start of 2006 two reference groups– practitioners and patients/carers – and a steering group examined the best wayforward for the future of nursing in the community. The work of …
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, whether there is evidence that the current community specialist practitioner qualification is not operating effectively and what evidence underpins the de…
Answer · Andy Kerr: It is not the Executive’s intentionto discontinue the community specialist practitioner qualification. The educational requirements of the new communityhealth nurse and of existing staff will be considered as part of the developmentprocess conducted over the …
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, how one generic nurse can be skilled in all aspects of community nursing, given that clinical care always takes precedence over illness prevention and the…
Answer · Andy Kerr: Health improvement is one ofScotland’s priorities and the <i>Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community</i>describes in detail how community health nurses will contribute to health promotion,anticipatory care and protecting the public, including work wi…