Parliamentary questions

Sandra White

1,617 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

4 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) paramedics and (b) technicians are employed by each NHS board.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Paramedics and technicians areemployed by the Scottish Ambulance Service, which is a special health board.Informationheld by ISD Scotland on numbers of paramedics and technicians employed by the ScottishAmbulance Service across NHSSco…

29 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to allow GPs to sell practice goodwill to third parties on the basis proposed in England and Wales.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We have no plans to allow GPsto sell practice goodwill in respect of primary medical services provided to a listof registered patients. This is essentially a continuation of the current positionand is given effect by the Primary Medical Services (Sale of Good…

29 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce legislation on regulating the security industry and ensuring that this sector does not become a preserve of organised crime.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: We are committed to introducing regulation of the private security industry at the earliest opportunity. We plan to achieve this by extending the remit of the Security Industry Authority to include Scotland and this will require amendments to be made to the P…

28 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish guidance regarding attacks by seagulls in urban areas, following the Public Petitions Committee meeting of 7 January 2004 where it was indicated that such guidance was forthcoming in the near future.

Answer · Allan Wilson: It is hoped to let a contractfor the research “Review of Urban Gulls and their Management in Scotland” bythe end of May. Work is likely to begin in June and should be completed by early2005. I expect the report will lead to new guidance on best practice to lo…

13 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether explicit reference is likely to be made to the regulation of lapdancing clubs when the review of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 is completed.

Answer · Tavish Scott: As ministers have specificallyasked the independent task group reviewing the licensing provisions contained inthe Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 to consider the regulation of lapdancing clubs,it is expected that this matter will be incorporated in its r…

13 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it is envisaged that the review of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 will be complete.

Answer · Tavish Scott: I understand that the independenttask group expects to submit its report to ministers by the end of June.

19 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale will be for the consultation process in respect of the proposed Planning bill.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-7096 on 31 March 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/weba…

19 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a consultation document on the proposed Planning Bill.

Answer · Margaret Curran: We have already consulted onseveral major issues which are likely to be included in a Planning Bill laterthis session. These include the modernisation of the development planningsystem as set out in our 2002 document Review of Strategic Planning –Conclusio…

19 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS boards will carry forward a financial deficit into the new financial year.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is not yet known how manyNHS boards will carry forward a financial deficit into the new financial year(2004-05). This will only be confirmed once audited accounts for the financialyear 2003-04 are submitted to the Scottish Executive by 31 July 2004.…

19 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations it will consult in respect of the proposed Planning Bill.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Consultations on planningissues are sent to a wide range of interested organisations and individuals,and they are also placed on the Executive’s website. A typical consultationwill involve us sending out 600 printed copies and 635 email alerts, though forthe …

4 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students are studying for a degree in social work, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Jim Wallace: In 2001-02 there were 2,820 students studying Social Work at degree level or above, within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Scotland. Of this total 1,533 were postgraduate students and 1,287 were first degree level students. The distribution by local a…

4 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to raise awareness of the fast track scheme for social work students, as announced on 12 February 2004.

Answer · Euan Robson: Advertisements for theGraduate Fast Track Scheme appeared in the recruitment pages of:The Herald, The Scotsman, the Press & Journaland the Dundee Courieron 13 February; the Sunday Herald, S…

19 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the average annual cost is of policing potentially sectarian events such as marches and football matches.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Information on the cost ofpolicing events such as marches and football matches is not held centrally andis a matter for individual chief constables.

18 Feb 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on sectarianism in sport in Scotland and its implications for tourism and inward investment.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The Scottish Executive willencourage and, where it can, assist any measures likely to make an effectivecontribution to combating sectarianism within sport and elsewhere.Sportingevents do play a part in the promotion of Scotland as a tourist destination…

11 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage action to address the issue of women being paid, on average, 16% less than men.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The gender paygap for full-time hourly earnings in Scotland was16% in 2003, down from 19% in 2002.The Executive continues tobe committed to working with the Equal Opportunities Commission, the ScottishTrade Union Congress and other partners in the Clos…

11 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to roll out the joint campus schools initiative across Scotland.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Local authorities areresponsible for the provision of schools. It is for them to consider whetherjoint campus facilities are appropriate, in consultation with localcommunities, parents, schools and church representatives. We will support suchproposals where t…

9 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the #175 million regeneration fund for local authorities that make a commitment to housing stock transfer will be made available to Glasgow Housing Association Ltd.

Answer · Margaret Curran: No. The Glasgow HousingAssociation’s business plan will enable it to deliver its regenerationcommitments in Glasgow. The Scottish Executive has already providedsubstantial resources to ensure that the plan is fully fundable.

9 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and, if so, whether such a review will consider whether additional bodies such as registered social landlords should be brought under the remit of the act.

Answer · Tavish Scott: There are no plans to reviewgenerally the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland)Act 2002 which will be implemented on 1 January 2005.Later this year however a review of the range of public bodies covered by the actwill be carried out. This review…

28 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS consultants there are specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The centrally availableinformation on consultants identifies the specialty of the consultant and not anyspecific area of expertise.However, the majority ofpatients with eating disorders receive their treatment in the specialties ofgeneral medicine, gen…

28 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were diagnosed as having an eating disorder in each NHS board area in each of the last four years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The prevalence of eatingdisorders cannot be estimated at NHS board level from central statisticalreturns.

28 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to allow midwives to decide their own caseloads.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are currently no plansto allow midwives to decide their own caseloads. The models used by health boardsin determining midwives caseloads will be examined as part of the programme of the newly formed National Maternity Services Workforce Planning Group.<…

28 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average caseload is of midwives, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally.

8 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations have been postponed due to bed shortages at the new Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in each year since it opened.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information is notavailable in the form requested. Latest figures indicate that, between Apriland December 2003, a total of 989 operations were cancelled, of which 109 wereattributed to a lack of beds.There are many explanationsfor the cancellation…

8 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations were postponed due to bed shortages at the old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in each of the three years prior to its closure.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information, in the formrequested, is not available. An average of the two years 2001-02 gives a totalnumber of cancellations of 1,141 per annum, with 149 of these attributed to alack of beds.There are many explanationsfor the cancellation of opera…

8 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations were postponed due to bed shortages in the (a) South Glasgow University Hospital NHS Trust and (b) North Glasgow NHS Trust in each of the last five years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally.

8 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many eviction applications were made by Glasgow City Council in each of the three years preceding the Glasgow housing stock transfer.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive currently collects information on the number of eviction actions takenagainst council tenants which proceeded to court, the number of cases whichresulted in an eviction order and the number of cases which resulted in aneviction. This re…

8 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many eviction applications have been made by Glasgow Housing Association since the completion of the Glasgow housing stock transfer.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Herresponse is as follows:We are unable to supply theinformation requested. Communities Scotland collects the information on evictions on an annualbasis (as at 3…

7 Jan 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency arrangements are in place to deal with casualties that may result from any terrorist attacks in light of plans to reduce the number of accident and emergency units serving Greater Glasgow from five to two.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Greater Glasgow NHS Board is responsible for emergencyplanning in Glasgow.They have adedicated emergency planning officer in place with the responsibility ofco-ordinating a major incident plan with partner agencies including localauthorities and neighb…

17 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications of the proposed abolition of the Yorkhill NHS Trust will be for budgetary control by Royal Hospital for Sick Children management.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is a matter for GreaterGlasgow NHS Board.

17 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications of the proposed abolition of the Yorkhill NHS Trust will be for clinical governance by Royal Hospital for Sick Children management and staff.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to S2W-5128 on 20 January 2004 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/…