Parliamentary questions

Shona Robison

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

29 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in assessing the suitability of prescribing beta interferon and glatiramer acetate to people with multiple sclerosis.

Answer · Frank McAveety: NHS boards are required to make the necessary arrangements to ensure that their patients with multiple sclerosis who meet criteria set out by the Association of British Neurologists can receive treatment with beta interferon or glatiramer acetate under the ri…

27 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental practices in the highest deprivation categories have closed in each year since 1999, broken down by location.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Information on the closure of dental practices is not held centrally.The number of NHS dental practices in Scotland, in deprivation categories 5, 6 and 71, which have ceased to provide NHS general dental services, between 1999 and 2002 are shown…

27 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental practices have closed in each year since 1999 and where these practices were located.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Information on the closure of dental practices is not held centrally.The total number of practices in Scotland, which ceased to provide NHS general dental services between 1999 and 2002 is shown in the following table, categorised by health board:<TABLE BO…

22 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will have any input into the House of Commons European Standing Committee C's inquiry into the proposed EU regulations on official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption (COM (2002) 377); whether the scope of the proposed regulations falls within …

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Food safety is a devolved matter and Scottish ministers are advised on this issue by the Food Standards Agency. If asked by the committee, Scottish ministers - advised by the agency - would be pleased to provide evidence to the House of Commons European St…

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many whole-time equivalent nursing staff worked in (a) local authority, (b) private and (c) voluntary (i) residential and (ii) nursing care homes at (1) 1 March and (2) 1 September in each of the last five years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

5 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many whole-time equivalent staff worked in (a) local authority, (b) private and (c) voluntary (i) residential and (ii) nursing care homes at (1) 1 March and (2) 1 September in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following tables show the number of whole-time equivalent staff in (a) local authority, (b) private, (c) voluntary and (d) all residential care homes at 31 March broken down by local authority area. No information is available centrally for nursing homes.…

27 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what average amount is charged by (a) local authority, (b) independent and (c) private (i) residential and (ii) nursing care homes for care services on a per person per week basis, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows, for all client groups, the average weekly charge for residential care homes in Scotland. Information on private nursing homes is not held centrally. Average Weekly Charge 1 Per Resident in Residential Care Homes, Scotl…

27 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many front-line social work staff were working in community care social work services in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Information on staffing within Scottish local authority social work services is contained within the Scottish Executive statistical bulletin Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services. The bulletin is published annually and contains the res…

27 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to group residential care homes and nursing homes together under the single term "care home"; if so, when it plans to do this and what effect such a change would have on the data published in the annual Scottish Community Care Statistics publication.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The distinction between residential care homes and nursing homes was removed on 1 April 2002, the day on which the new Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Care Commission) became operational. The removal of the distinction means that there will be…

27 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the whole time equivalent figures for 2001 on front-line social work staff working in each local authority area were not available in Growth and Development - The Report of the Chief Inspector of Social Work Services for Scotland 2002; whether it will now provide these figures, or whe…

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Staffing figures on front-line social work staff for 2001 were not available when the information was compiled for the Chief Inspector's annual report. There are plans to publish further staffing figures within next year's report.Other information on staff…

21 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for the creation of the 18 new nurse consultant posts referred to in the announcement on the nursing recruitment and retention action plan by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 7 December 2001.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We anticipated that 18 consultant nurse/midwife posts would be established by March 2003. Ultimately it is for NHS boards and trusts to make these appointments based on local need and service developments. NHS boards and trusts are currently working towards a…

21 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 18 new nurse consultant posts referred to in the announcement on the nursing recruitment and retention action plan by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 7 December 2001 have been created.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31852 today. 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/sear…

21 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurse consultant posts have been created since the announcement on the nursing recruitment and retention action plan by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 7 December 2001.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Since the Facing the Future convention for recruitment and retention of nurses in December 2001 a further four posts have been approved. The NHS boards/trusts involved are at varying stages in the appointment process.

21 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is undertaking, or intends to undertake, into the increase in the number of section 18 episodes under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A research programme is being developed within the Executive to support, monitor and evaluate the proposed Mental Health (Scotland) Bill. This programme will include research on the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984, for comparative purposes. We know that adm…

21 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the number of section 18 episodes under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 has increased by 5% over the last year.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: No precise reason can be attributed to the rise, between the years 2000-01 and 2001-02, in the number of patients who had detentions initiated under section 18 of the 1984 act.

14 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to see a copy of the European Commission's draft revised bathing water directive.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The European Commission issued a proposal for the revision of the Bathing Water Directive on 24 October 2002.

14 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications, and for which beaches it currently has for designation as bathing beaches.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive has received two requests to designate bathing waters since the last round of designations took place in 1998. One from Dundee Council to ask for Broughty Ferry to be designated as a bathing water and one from Largs Beach Watch Group who have re…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether pre-natal ultrasound scanning services are provided on a uniform basis across Scotland and, if not, what the reasons are for regional differences.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Pre-natal, that is before pregnancy, ultrasound scanning, is only used in the diagnosis and management of specific conditions and, therefore, there is no uniform service. Ultrasound scanning is, however, routinely conducted throughout Scotland during the ante…

6 Nov 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next meet Dundee City Council and what issues will be raised.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I meet with all councils from time to time to discuss issues of mutual interest but have no plans to meet with Dundee City Council in the immediate future.

4 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been employed through the WORKSTEP Programme since the programme's inception and, of these, how many have subsequently moved into unsupported employment.

Answer · Iain Gray: Responsibility for employment matters is reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to WORKSTEP. This programme is managed by Jobcentre Plus which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions.