Parliamentary questions
Shona Robison
1,014 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is takiung to assist pain clinics across Scotland.
Answer · Andy Kerr: NHS boards are expected tofund chronic pain services, including pain clinics, from the unified budgetsmade available to them by the Executive.</p>
21 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is to be treated in each pain clinic.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Most pain clinics provideservices to patients in an out-patient setting. Information about out-patient waiting times is collected centrally atspecialty level only and does not differentiate between different types ofclinic within the specialty. Consequently, …
21 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pain clinics there are in Scotland.
Answer · Andy Kerr: All NHS boards provide servicesfor chronic pain management and most offer regular pain management clinics. Thenumber and frequency of these clinics is for boards to determine on the basisof locally assessed need.</p>
21 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to each pain clinic in each of the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not heldcentrally. NHS boards are given unified budgets, each financial year, fromwhich they would be expected to meet the costs of treatment for people withchronic pain.</p>
21 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available for pain clinics.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not heldcentrally. NHS boards are given unified budgets, each financial year, fromwhich they would be expected to meet the costs of treatment for people withchronic pain.</p><p>It is for boards to decidehow their unified budgets should be …
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any examples of pharmacists sending out patient identifiable information to third party contractors to cut and fit stoma care appliances without advising patients of this either directly or through a general notice displayed in the pharmacy; whether it considers tha…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Health Department officialsare not aware of any community pharmacy contractor not meeting their legal orcontractual duties in respect to the supply of stoma products. They are,however, aware that patient groups and competing stoma service providers haveraised…
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether local plans for the implementation of new stoma service arrangements have been received from all local implementation groups and, if not, what the reasons are for any delay.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Local implementation planshave been received and published on the appliance website (<ahref="http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/appliance_contractors/">http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/appliance_contractors/</a>) for all NHS Boards except for NHS Orkney, Shetla…
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all members of the steering group overseeing the introduction of new arrangements for the supply of stoma appliances will be invited to participate in reviewing the arrangements in autumn 2006.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The membership of thenational review group is to be finalised. However, I can confirm that we intendto continue to involve patient groups and service provider representatives inaddition to NHS managers and clinicians.</p>
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures are in place to ensure that all contracted stoma appliance and service providers comply with new service standards introduced in April 2006.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-26419 on 14 June 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.s…
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent it has considered and provided guidance on any privacy and data protection issues which may arise as a result of changes which it is implementing in arrangements for the supply of stoma care appliances.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The new arrangements for thesupply of stoma products do not change the need for informed consent whenpatient data is shared. I understand that community pharmacists who are alsostoma service providers have already been reminded of this by their representative…
24 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the suicide rate was in (a) 2000-2001, (b) 2001-02, (c) 2002-03, (d) 2003-04 and (e) 2004-05, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · George Lyon: In presenting statistics on suicidesit is conventional to combine deaths classified as intentional self-harm (suicides)with those classified as events of undetermined intent. This is because the majorityof the latter are likely to have been suicides. The foll…
24 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women committed suicide in each of the last five years, broken down into persons (i) under 18 and (ii) 18 and over.
Answer · George Lyon: In presenting statistics on suicidesit is conventional to combine deaths classified as intentional self-harm (suicides)with those classified as events of undetermined intent. This is because the majorityof the latter are likely to have been suicides. However,…
12 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were on the waiting list for an organ transplant and what the average waiting time was for such an operation in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board and organ type.
Answer · Andy Kerr: On grounds of patient confidentiality,because of the small number of patients involved, it is not possible to give thefigures broken down by NHS board and organ type. The length of time a person hasto wait for a transplant is dependent on a suitable donor org…
12 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been invested in (a) intensive care unit beds, (b) high dependency unit beds and (c) nurses with the critical care skills needed to staff those beds in each year since 1999.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Decisions on investment in intensivecare and high dependency unit beds and the planning of the workforce to deliverfirst class health services, including specialist nurses, to patients in Scotland, areprimarily a matter for individual NHS boards. Each NHS boa…
12 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve public awareness in respect of organ donation.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive’s organ donationadvertising campaigns are part of a long-term strategy designed to raise awarenessand encourage positive attitudes towards organ donation. This year’s campaign willbe launched soon and includes press and poster advertising and di…
12 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual (a) cadaveric and (b) living donor organ donation rate was per million of the population in each of the last 10 years for which records are available.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The number of organ donors inScotland in each of the last 10 financial years is set out in the following table.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td valign=top> <p align=center>Year of Donation</p> </td> <td valign=top> …
12 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been awaiting organ donations in each NHS board over the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The number of Scottish patientson the waiting list for a transplant in each NHS board area at the end of the lastfive financial year is set out in the following table.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=160 valign=top> …
12 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget for publicising organ donation was in 2005-06.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The budget for the organ donationadvertising campaign in 2005‑06 was £145,000.</p>
20 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor improvements to train services provided by First ScotRail.
Answer · Tavish Scott: Transport Scotlandofficials meet with First ScotRail at least weekly across a range of topics toensure that all contracted commitments to improvement are delivered and todiscuss improvements to existing services and the introduction of new services.</p><p>The…
20 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the resources which it provides to First ScotRail are used to fund.
Answer · Tavish Scott: Scottish Ministers willspend approximately £1.9 billion in subsidy payments to First ScotRail over theseven year life of the franchise. The level of subsidy is based on theoperating costs incurred by First ScotRail in delivering the contracted levelof service…
20 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it anticipated that its increased funding to First ScotRail would result in a decrease in the rail ticket costs.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The terms of the franchiseagreement set out what First ScotRail will deliver for the subsidy received.Overall, the financial model underpinning the contract did not anticipate adecrease in rail ticket prices.</p><p>The franchise agreementcontains conditions r…
20 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to investigate with First ScotRail ways to lower the cost of rail travel.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The National Transport Strategy(NTS) will aim to provide a single, comprehensive, national statement of the ScottishExecutive’s priorities and plans for the future. It will build on our White Paperof June 2004 by showing how transport will contribute to our f…
20 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers the increased cost of rail travel will have on passenger volumes.
Answer · Tavish Scott: We have received assurancesfrom First ScotRail that the re-structuring of a small number of unregulatedfares aims overall to encourage further off peak travel and reduce overcrowdingon peak trains. On that basis we would not anticipate any significant impact …
20 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the fairness of the recent price increase on rail tickets across Scotland.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The rail companies must set faresat levels that balance affordability, investment and the need to encourage moretravellers to choose the improved train services that we are providing.</p><p>Safeguards are in place to ensurethat regulated commuter fares do not…
20 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to First ScotRail in the last year.
Answer · Tavish Scott: Transport Scotland officialsmeet at least weekly with First ScotRail as part of the franchise management process.In addition, I have met with senior representatives of First ScotRail and FirstGroup to discuss issues of broader concern and impact for the rail …
16 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25545 by Mr Andy Kerr on 17 May 2006, whether it will provide information about the number and rate of infants born with congenital heart anomalies in each year for which figures are available.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The information prior to 1995is contained in the following table. Information for 2004 is due to be publishedin autumn 2006 on the <i>Scottish Health Statistics</i> website as part of the annualScottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report.</p>…
15 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on measures to educate people who do not have HIV/AIDS about the illness in each of the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
15 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to educate people who do not have HIV/AIDS about the illness.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The National Sexual Health StrategyRespect and Responsibility, published in January 2005, includes a number of recommendationson the importance of educating the general public on prevention of sexually transmitteddiseases such as HIV/AIDS.</p><p>NHS boards ar…
15 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on information for people with HIV/AIDS in each of the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The breakdown of funding on informationservices for people with HIV/AIDS is not held centrally. Services provided by NHSboards and NHS Health Scotland would be met from their general allocation.</p><p>However,the Executive currently allocates £8.6 million per…
15 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with HIV/AIDS there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) NHS board area.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The following information isavailable:</p><p>Number of HIV+ve Individualsby Allocated Health Board* and Year of Report to HPS 2001-05, source HIV/AIDS toDecember 2005</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=163 valign=top> …