Parliamentary questions
Nanette Milne
1,264 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in response to skills shortages identified in the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Answer · Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-18976 on 15 September 2005. 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/web…
5 Sep 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the skills shortage affecting the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Answer · Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-6491 on 28 April 2005. 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/webapp/w…
18 Aug 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS-funded junior physiotherapist places it plans to fund in each of the next three years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: It is for NHS boards to plan at a local level the workforce that they require to deliver services to patients locally. This bottom up, evidence based approach ensures that patient need drives workforce planning. NHS boards have a statutory duty to ensure sati…
18 Aug 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Chartered Society of Physiotherapists in respect of the number of newly-qualified NHS-funded physiotherapists who are unable to find posts.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive Health Department recently met with the Scottish Chartered Society of Physiotherapists where a number of issues relating to workforce planning for physiotherapists were discussed, including newly qualified physiotherapists unable to fin…
18 Aug 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the number of newly-qualified NHS-funded physiotherapists who are unable to find posts in the NHS.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Scottish employment rates for physiotherapy graduates have traditionally been very good. One higher education institute’s statistics indicates that 91% of respondents graduating in 2003 commenced employment as a physiotherapist in the year after graduation an…
18 Aug 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NHS boards in respect of junior physiotherapists' workforce planning.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive Health Department officials have discussed the issue of graduate physiotherapists seeking employment in NHS Scotland with regional workforce planning directors who then raise this with the NHS boards in their geographical areas.</p> <p>The …
18 Aug 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS-funded junior physiotherapist posts have been created in the NHS in each of the last six years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: There were 1,997.9 whole-time equivalent qualified physiotherapists working in NHS Scotland at September 2004. This represents a 40% growth in the number of whole-time equivalent physiotherapists in the years 1994-2004. It is not possible to specifically iden…
18 Aug 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS-funded junior physiotherapist graduates there have been in each of the last six years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The number of physiotherapy graduates is shown in the following table.</p> <p>Graduates in Physiotherapy from Scottish Higher Education Institutions 1998-99 2003-04</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p> </p></td> …
22 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurse consultants are employed in the NHS, broken down by (a) board area and (b) speciality.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Information on the number of Nurse Consultants in Scotland by NHS board and specialty is collected as part of the Scottish Executive’s commitment to treble the number of nurse consultant posts in Scotland. Latest available information is at June 2005.</p> <p>…
17 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is (a) aware of the radiosurgery device known as theCyberKnife and (b) considering using sterotactic surgery throughout Scotland, or at least in the new cancer centre in Glasgow.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The CyberKnife is one way todeliver stereotactic radiosurgery. </p><p>Scottish patients can currentlybe referred to Edinburgh for stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy and The West of Scotland Beatson Cancer Centreis planning stereotactic capability.</p>
14 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage local authorities and NHS boards to work together more closely and effectively when considering the placement of individuals with alcohol dependency problems in residential rehabilitation, including in the private and voluntary sectors.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Under Joint Future, which appliedto all of community care from April 2004, the Scottish Executive expects local partnersto develop more holistic approaches to the management of services, the use of resourcesand assessing individual needs.</p>
14 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to any concerns (a) that NHS boards may not fund any more placements in the voluntary or private alcohol dependency residential rehabilitation sector in the current financial year, (b) about any apparent reluctance on the part of NHS boards and GPs to use placements i…
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Under Joint Future, local authoritiesand health boards are expected to at least align their resources for particularservices and to decide together on their use. The precise use of these resources,however, is for local determination </p><p>The Scottish Execut…
14 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the results have been of the needs assessments carried out by each alcohol action team with regard to in-patient and residential rehabilitation for alcohol dependency in their areas; what the Executives response is to these results; where the details of these results can be found, an…
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Alcohol and Drugs Action Teamswere required to draw up, publish by April 2003 and subsequently implement a localthree year alcohol action plan based on an assessment of local needs and resources.</p><p>The Scottish Executive providedindividual feedback on eac…
14 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available for alcohol rehabilitation schemes in each of the next three years.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We have awarded specific funding for alcohol treatment and rehabilitation of £5 million in 2005-06. A further announcement about funding of alcohol treatment and rehabilitation will be made shortly.</p>
14 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has made available for alcohol rehabilitation schemes in each of the last five years.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: We have awarded specific funding for alcohol treatment and rehabilitation of £3 million in 2004-05 and £5 million in 2005-06.</p>
14 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage GPs to refer patients with alcohol problems to local authority, NHS board or Executive-funded alcohol rehabilitation schemes.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: GPs use their clinicaljudgement and knowledge of a particular patient when dealing with patients withalcohol problems or any other medical condition. The Scottish Intercollegiate GuidelinesNetwork has issued guidelines on <i>The management of harmful drinking…
14 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authority, NHS board and Executive-funded alcohol rehabilitation spaces were unfilled in each of the last five years.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
14 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authority, NHS board and Executive-funded alcohol rehabilitation spaces there are.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The following table details thenumber of dedicated alcohol services and the number of active clients in 2004-05broken down by identified funding body as reported by Drug and Alcohol Actions Teams(DAATs) in Corporate Action Plans for 2004-05. These services pr…
2 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Health and Community Care has met the Patients Industry Professional Forum to discuss future arrangements for the supply of stoma devices and, if not, whether he will arrange a meeting.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: No. However, my officials have met recently with representatives of patients, stoma nurses and appliance suppliers, including representatives of the Patients Industry Professional Forum to discuss the future arrangements for stoma appliances. Officials are co…
2 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address any welfare concerns expressed by stoma patients.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16470 on 26 May 2005. 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/wa.search…
2 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response will be to any concerns by patients over new arrangements for the supply of stoma appliances.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16470 on 26 May 2005. 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/wa.search…
1 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations have been cancelled for non-clinical reasons in each year from 1999 to 2005.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The exact information requested is not held centrally but the recent response to question S2W-16664 on 1 June 2005, provides information that may be helpful. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search …
30 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3329 by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 November 2003, what percentage of NHS funding allocated using the Arbuthnott formula was allocated to each NHS board for the current year and will be allocated for the next three years, expressed also on a per capita bas…
Answer · Andy Kerr: Details of Arbuthnott targetpercentages used to allocate NHS funding and per capita funding for 2005-06 areas follows:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>NHS Board</p> </td> <td> <p>2005-06 Arbuthnott Formula Targ…
26 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to recent World Health Organisation warnings in respect of avian flu.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is aware of the recent World Health Organization (WHO) report on avian influenza which suggests that an Avian Flu virus, also known as H5N1 virus, may be evolving in ways that make it more infectious to humans.</p> <p>The situation in S…
23 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what per capita health spending was in each NHS board in 2004-05 and what it will be in 2005-06.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Details of per capita funding for 2004-05 are as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>NHS Board</p></td> <td> <p align=center>2004-05</p> <p align=center>Per Capita</p> <p align=cente…
17 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the provision of specialist services at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The planning and delivery of services, including specialist services, at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary are matters for Grampian NHS Board.</p>
17 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the implementation of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract, what the average GP earns in Scotland; how much of a rise in earnings there has been in the first year of the new GMS contract, and what percentage of GPs earns more than £100,000 per annum.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Figures are not held centrally on GPs’ net earnings. GPs are independent contractors and information on net GP income is held by GP practices’ accountants.</p> <p>Information on gross payments to GP practices (income before expenses) can be accessed from the …
19 Apr 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in implementing the national beef envelope and what its response is to any concerns by farmers that claims under the scheme have not been processed timeously, that deadlines for applications have been altered and that the regulations are too complex.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Beef Calf Scheme has effect from 1 January 2005 but the formal opening of the scheme was held until the SSI governing it came into force. We kept producers and our stakeholders informed of the position and we put procedures in place to handle cla…
19 Apr 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NFU Scotland and other relevant organisations regarding any concerns of farmers about the administration and complexity of the single farm payment national reserve application process.
Answer · Ross Finnie: There was a formal consultation period with the agricultural industry between 28 April 2004 and 21 June 2004. Subsequently, there have been regular meetings with relevant organisations in the form of the single farm payment implementation advisory group. Ther…
19 Apr 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NFU Scotland and other relevant organisations regarding any concerns of farmers who take on new land that would not entitle them to subsidy under the single farm payment arrangements.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive consulted with the NFU Scotland and other organisations about whether to go for a historic or area-based system of awarding entitlements after the reforms to the CAP were announced in 2003. The historic system means that subsidy is base…