Parliamentary questions

Shona Robison

1,014 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental (a) hygienists, (b) therapists, (c) technicians and (d) nurses graduated in each year since 1999, broken down by institution.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information sought is currently being validated and I will write separately when this is available. A copy of the correspondence will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33168).

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many student dental (a) hygienists, (b) therapists, (c) technicians and (d) nurses there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by institution.

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on general dental services and how much, and what percentage of this amount, was paid directly by patients in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is shown in the table: Gross Expenditure on NHS General Dental Services; Year Ending March1<table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Year </td> <t…

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many false (a) payment claims have been made by dental practitioners in the NHS and (b) claims of exemption from dental charges have been made by patients in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area and detailing the amounts in each case.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive have supplied the following corrected answer: Mr Tom McCabe: The information requested is in the tables below.Recovery Values of Claims Made by Dentists Under General Dental Services and Identified by Post Payment Procedures as …

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding has been identified in order to meet the cost of each scheme it has introduced to improve dental health.

Answer · Tom McCabe: When the Executive introduced the caries prevention scheme, targeted at six and seven years olds, in April 2001 £1.5 million was identified for payments to dentists under this scheme.In addition, the Executive has provided £12.8 million in practice imp…

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental students have graduated in each year since 1999, broken down by institution.

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental therapists there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information has been requested and will be collated as soon as possible. I will write separately to the member when this is available.A copy of the correspondence will be placed in Parliament’s Reference Centre.

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, dental nurses had any qualifications in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not centrally held.

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many clinical assistant posts for dentists there have been in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The table below shows the number of dental clinical assistants in post in NHSScotland, as at 30 September, in each year since 1999.Dental Clinical Assistants in Post in NHSScotland (GDP (Para 107 Appointments))<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpad…

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what average number of sessions per dentist was taken up with postgraduate education in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is not held centrally.

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many vocational training places there have been for (a) all dentists and (b) community dental services, in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The number of available training places in each year since 1999 is as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Year </td> <td> Number of Voc Training Places for ALL dentists</…

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) children and (b) adults have received dental care from the Community Dental Service, in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area and expressed also as a percentage of the number of children and adults in each area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is shown in the following tables:Children and Adults Treated in the Community Dental Service (CDS); by Health Board; Year Ending 31 March<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=620> <thead> <tr> <td> </p…

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many grants have been awarded to established dental practitioners setting up or expanding approved vocational training practices in each year since the scheme was introduced, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is shown below.Number of Claims Made for Practice Improvements to Establish New Vocational Training Practices<table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=303> <thead> <tr> <td> </t…

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional allowances have been granted to dentists who take up their vocational training in a designated area and how much has been awarded in such allowances in each year since the scheme was introduced, broken down by designated area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is shown in the following table.Payments to Dentists Taking up Vocational Training in a Designated Area<table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=539> <tr> <td> Designated area </td> …

2 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8205 by Malcolm Chisholm on 25 May 2004, what information it holds centrally in respect of the number of NHSScotland patients treated outwith the United Kingdom.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There is no central repository of information on Scottish residents treated outwith the United Kingdom.

20 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it responded to the consultation by the European Commission on the working time directive and, if so, whether it will make that response available to the Parliament.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has been fully involved in contributing to the UK response tothe European Commission consultation on the Working Time Directive.

13 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS patients requiring a cardiac in-patient or daycase procedure were treated outwith the United Kingdom in each quarter since March 2003, broken down by the NHS board area in which the patient resided.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The specific information requestedis not available centrally.

10 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications are for the NHS of recent legal rulings regarding the European Working Time Directive that resident on-call time will now be considered as work when calculating junior doctors' working hours.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive fully supports the Working Time Regulations introduced in 1998. Patientsafety is of paramount importance and the Executive wants all doctors in trainingto enjoy safe working conditions and provide the highest quality of patientcare.…

7 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for people to receive clearance from Disclosure Scotland.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: At 16 May, averageprocessing times at Disclosure Scotland for all three levels of Disclosures was12 days. In both cases this applies to applications which did not require thecorrection of errors in the application form, clearance of payment arrangementsor enq…

7 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the backlog is of applications to Disclosure Scotland for background checks.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: On the basis of currentvolumes and turnaround times, Disclosure Scotland would expect to have around25,000 applications as current work in hand at any point in time. At 16 May, approximately24,000 applications were being processed. In addition to that number,…

27 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards are projecting overspend budgets for 2004-05 and what the levels of such projected overspends are.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards are still finalisingtheir budgets for 2004-05. Any figures provided at the current point in time wouldbe preliminary estimates and could therefore be misleading.

27 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards are entering 2004-05 carrying forward deficits and what the level of each such deficit is.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Only three NHS boards are expectedto enter 2004-05 with brought forward deficits; NHS Argyll and Clyde (£36 million),Grampian (£6.2 million), and Lanarkshire (£23.5 million). The audited annual accountsfor NHS boards are not yet available and both the number …

14 Apr 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met NHS board chairs and what issues were discussed.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I meet regularly with the chairs of NHS boards and most recently on 9 August 2004.The issues discussed included the revaluation of the NHS estate, financialposition 2004-05, public involvement guidance, 5-in-1 guidance, GMS contract,vCJD, the Efficient Govern…

17 Mar 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet its target to bring 12,000 nurses and midwives into the NHS by 2007.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is firmly committed to more nursesand midwives working in NHSScotland.The partnershipagreement commits to attracting 12,000 qualified nurses and midwives intoNHSScotland by 2007. We remain on track to deliver against this target.…

11 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards prescribe Subutex.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Analysis of NHS prescriptiondata for the year ended 31 December 2003 shows that Subutex has been dispensed in all NHS boardareas except Borders, Orkney and Western Isles. These data cover itemsdispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing…

3 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to reduce negative attitudes towards older people and increase their expectations of the effectiveness of their involvement in planning public services.

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-6693 on 17 March 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for can found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…

3 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been allocated to reducing negative attitudes towards older people and increasing their expectations of the effectiveness of their involvement in planning public services in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-6693 on 17 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…

3 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that a more strategic approach is taken to involving older people in shaping public services, given the findings set out in Involving Older People: Lessons for Community Planning.

Answer · Tom McCabe: A Partnership for a BetterScotland makes clear the Executive’s commitment to ensuring public services aredesigned around the needs of individuals.Community engagement is akey part of the community planning process. Communities Scotland aredeveloping na…

3 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people continued to be intravenous drug users whilst receiving methadone treatment in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Hugh Henry: This information is not heldcentrally, although there is research evidence to show that treatment,including methadone, can lead to reduced levels of illicit drug use andinjecting.

3 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any safe injecting rooms exist for intravenous drug users and what plans it has to expand or provide this service.

Answer · Hugh Henry: We are not aware of anysupervised injecting rooms in Scotland, and we have no plans to support such facilities.Although injecting rooms areavailable in some other countries, current evaluation evidence is notparticularly robust. Before such facilities …