Parliamentary questions

Shona Robison

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

7 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop accessible subsidised transport provision for people with disabilities who are unable to access public transport.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive is committedto ensuring that public transport is accessible to people with disabilities.Under the partnership agreement the Executive is committed to assessingimproved public transport concessions for disabled people.The assessment will, …

7 Jan 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to address the issue of postcode prescribing for access to drugs for people with Al'heimer's disease.

Answer · Tom McCabe: NHS QualityImprovement Scotland (then the Health Technology Boardfor Scotland) approved the use of donepezil,rivastigmine and galantamine for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in April2001. Doctors can prescribe these drugs, if clinically appropriate, as o…

6 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of (a) persons lived in households without access to a car, (b) economically active males were unemployed, (c) persons lived in a private household with a density of more than one person per room and (d) persons lived in households with an economically active head of hous…

Answer · Margaret Curran: The information requested is shown in the following table <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Percentage of: </td> <td> 1991 Census </td> <td> 2001 Census </td> …

19 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why NHS 24 has not appointed a new director of nursing given that the post has been vacant for six months.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS 24 will be advertisingfor a director of nursing before the end of this month. Over the past sixmonths an interim director of nursing has been in post with full Executive statuson the NHS 24 Board.

17 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many speech and language therapist posts were vacant in each of the last five years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on vacancies is reported annually by NHS trusts. Establishment and vacancy figures across Scotland for qualified speech and language therapy staff for each of the last five years are shown in the following table.Speech And Language Therapy …

17 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address any reduction in the number of experienced speech and language therapists employed in the public sector.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is for NHS Boards to determine the need for local therapyservices and to provide the services required.The Partnership Agreementcommits to increasing overall numbers of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs),including speech and language therapists, by …

17 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to increase the number of training places for speech and language therapists.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The allocation of places tospecific subject area is rightly a matter for individualinstitutions.Higher education institutionsare autonomous bodies and legislation precludes Ministers from directing funds to particularinstitutions or courses. The Scotti…

16 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time has been for a first appointment to see a speech and language therapist in each NHS Board area in each of the last five years and so far this year.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot available centrally.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4247 by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 December 2003, whether there were any technical difficulties with regard to links to the National Waiting Times Database that prevented such links being found on its website, its press release SEDH556/2003 or Scottish He…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Information andStatistics Division of the Common Services Agency, who are responsible for theNational Waiting Times Database, have advised that there were no technicaldifficulties experienced with the database on 30 October 2003 when it waslaunched on the…

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) HIV and (b) chlamydia tests have been carried out in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The number of diagnosticHIV-antibody tests undertaken by HIV testing laboratories in Scotland in 1999-2002is as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> NHS Board </td> <td> <p class=MsoPlainText align=…

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs have undergone continual professional development to update their knowledge and skills with regard to contraception in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally.General practitioners, likeother professionals, are expected to look at their own personal learning needsand the health needs of their patients and to seek training accordingly.Guidance and assistance is available …

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the median waiting time for an initial consultation with a sexual health specialist (a) is currently and (b) has been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot available centrally.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many healthcare professionals (a) are currently working and (b) have worked in each year since 1999 with patients with sexual dysfunction.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally. Where the presenting problem is primarily of sexual dysfunction werecognise that patients may benefit from specialist referral. The arrangementsfor such services will vary from health board to health board. Sexual dysfun…

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) are currently waiting for and (b) have received in each year since 1999 an initial consultation with a sexual dysfunction specialist, giving the median waiting time for each year.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot available centrally.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will provide to short-term pilot projects on anonymous bar coding and diagnostic test kits for sexually transmitted infections, as referred to in its sexual health strategy.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-4731. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http…

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) GPs and (b) other members of primary care teams would be needed to ensure adequate implementation of Enhancing Sexual Wellbeing in Scotland: A Sexual Health Relationship Strategy at (i) tier 1 and (ii) tier 2 level.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Such issues will beconsidered in the light of the responses to the current consultation on theproposals for a national sexual health strategy.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many tier 4 services, as referred to in the supporting papers to Enhancing Sexual Wellbeing in Scotland: A Sexual Health Relationship Strategy, there are in each community health partnership area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The establishment of communityhealth partnerships is subject to the passage of the National Health ServiceReform (Scotland) Bill. The geographical areas covered by community healthpartnerships have still to be defined.Service provision will beone of th…

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been allocated for providing information to the public on how to access sexual health services in each year since 1999.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive would expect NHS boards to have regard to such issues in theirassessment of local needs. As such, the information requested is not heldcentrally.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what services there are to support (a) women and (b) men in the event of termination of pregnancy, miscarriage or stillbirth in each NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been provided to improve access to sexual health services for (a) lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, (b) ethnic minority groups, (c) commercial sex workers and (d) homeless people in each year since 1999.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has, under theInclusion Project, provided £260,000 over the two years from 2002, to fund aproject manager to conduct research and develop a mainstreamed approach to theeffective inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in healt…

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many pregnant teenagers were children of single parents, expressed also as a percentage of all teenage pregnancies, in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot centrally available.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many looked after females became pregnant within 18 to 24 months of leaving care in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot centrally available.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the increase in recurrence of genital warts since 1999.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In 1999-2000, there were 2,382cases of recurrence of genital warts compared with 2,208 in the preceding year.Based on these data, there is no evidence of any appreciable increase in therecurrence of genital warts, but the Executive will study any new figures …

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been made available to promote sexual health to (a) patients, (b) parents and (c) schools in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is notavailable centrally in the form requested.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the prevalence of HIV has been per 10,000 pregnant women in each year since 1999 and whether data quality accounts for any changes in these figures.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The prevalence (per 10,000)of HIV infection in pregnant women in Scotland from 1999 to 2002 was as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Year </td> <td> Number Tested </td> <td> …

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases of HIV the infection has been contracted (a) within and (b) outwith Scotland in each year since 1999.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Though it is likely thatmost cases diagnosed in Scotland acquired the infection in Scotland, somemay have become infected elsewhere in the UK. Distinguishing the specific region within the UK in whichinfection was contracted is therefore not possible.R…

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) local and (b) national initiatives it has introduced to promote sexual health among (i) young women, (ii) men who have sex with men and (iii) ethnic minority groups in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive providesfunding for a spectrum of initiatives aimed at promoting positive sexual healthacross a range of target groups. These include the Inclusion Project which aimsto develop a better understanding of issues specific to lesbian, gay, bisexuala…

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of pelvic inflammatory disease have been caused by chlamydia in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot held centrally.

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidences there have been of pelvic inflammatory disease, and what the rate of incidence was, in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Incidence of PelvicInflammatory Disease (PID), based on presentation at General Practice since1999, was as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Year </td> <td> Estimated Number of GP Inci…

5 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time has been for an initial appointment with a sexual health specialist in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot available centrally.