Parliamentary questions
Adam Ingram
1,244 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to limit particulate matter emissions from non-road heavy-duty diesel engines.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Action to limit emissions from non-road heavy duty engines has been taken through the introduction of EU Directive 97/68/EC. The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to the directive. <P>The directive sets mandatory emissions standards which must b…
21 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which airports are located in areas covered by regional selective assistance.
Answer · Iain Gray: Of the Scottish airports which are licensed for scheduled passenger traffic, the following are located, wholly or in part, in the assisted areas of Scotland:<P>Kirkwall, Orkney <P>Sumburgh, Shetland <P>Stornoway, Western Isles <P>Barra, Western Isles <P>Benbe…
21 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether airlines seeking to develop international routes are eligible for regional selective assistance (RSA).
Answer · Iain Gray: All RSA applications are assessed on their individual merits, against the criteria of the scheme. It is not therefore possible to generalise on the eligibility of particular types of projects, such as described above.<P>However, the First Minister announced r…
14 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what checks and balances are in place to ensure that bus operators run the concessionary travel scheme correctly and by what means the scheme will be monitored.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive works jointly with other partners through the Concessionary Fares Working Group to oversee implementation of free local off-peak bus travel through existing schemes, which are administered by local authorities in partnership with bus operators.<…
14 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it cost to set up the Thistle Travel Card scheme; how the scheme is being monitored; what part travel companies played in developing the scheme, and what information about the scheme has been issued to public transport operators.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive awarded ENABLE £50,000 in start-up costs to take forward the Thistle Travel Card Scheme last year. ENABLE is monitoring the impact of the scheme and the Executive is in close touch with them on this.<P>ENABLE worked with a consortium of charitie…
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any national grievance procedures that NHS boards and trusts need to follow when dealing with representations made by trade unions over the closure of a hospital ward.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards and trusts have a duty to work in partnership with staff and to consult them on issues that affect them in their working lives. All NHSScotland employers are required to have grievance policies and procedures in place to address employee concerns. …
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what process should be followed by NHS boards and trusts prior to the closure of a hospital ward.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: <I>Consultation and Public Involvement - Draft Interim Guidance</I> was issued to NHSScotland in May. Central to the guidance is the need to involve patients and the public at an early stage of service change proposals, and in a modern, transparent and produc…
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been admitted to acute psychiatric beds in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is not possible to determine, from national sources, patients who were treated specifically in beds allocated for acute care. The following table shows the total number of individuals who were admitted to a psychiatric hospital or unit, excluding patients …
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many psychiatric patients have been admitted to pass beds in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.
6 Nov 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is introducing to prevent further job losses in Ayrshire.
Answer · Iain Gray: I fully appreciate the particular difficulties being faced by the wider Ayrshire economy, and am confident that the local agencies will meet these challenges through their shared long-term economic development strategy to boost the local economy and create jo…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether statistics collected on the use of medicines are broken down by NHS board and whether this information is publicly available.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the total number and cost of NHS prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists, dispensing doctors and appliance suppliers is collected centrally and is publicly available on the Information and Statistics Division website:<P><A HREF="http:/…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the most commonly prescribed drugs are for use in association with mental health problems by (a) volume and (b) sales.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is given in the following table:<P>Most Commonly Prescribed Drugs by Volume and (Number of Items Dispensed) During 2001-02<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=458><TR><TD WIDTH="41%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=33><P></TD><TD WIDT…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Scottish Medicine Consortium was not included in the review of the Health Technology Board for Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Medicines Consortium is a consortium of NHS Board Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees. While the Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) provides administrative, technical and communication support to the consortium, the consortium is not a…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Scottish Medicine Consortium is not a statutory body.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Medicines Consortium is a consortium of NHS boards. It brings together Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees to ensure that all NHS boards receive the same advice on the clinical and cost effectiveness of new drugs at the time of their launch, an…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has allocated money to NHS boards for the implementation of positive appraisals of new drugs by the Scottish Medicine Consortium.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Medicines Consortium is a consortium which brings together the NHS Board Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees. All NHS boards already receive funding to provide drugs for their local populations.
30 Oct 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation is being made of its concessionary travel scheme for elderly and disabled people.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Free local off-peak concessionary bus travel for elderly and disabled people has been delivered through enhancements to the 16 existing concessionary fares schemes operated by local authorities in Scotland.<P>A research project has been commissioned by the Ex…
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with Argyll and Clyde NHS Board or any of the NHS trusts in its area regarding current issues with the mental health service in the Helensburgh, Dumbarton and Vale of Leven areas and, if so, what was discussed and what the outcome was.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Department has kept in regular contact with NHS Argyll and Clyde over the recent difficulties experienced with mental health staffing north of the Clyde.<P>I am assured that NHS Argyll and Clyde is recruiting and taking the other action necessary t…
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust regarding the closure of 20 acute beds at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and, if so, what was discussed and what the outcome was.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is an operational matter for NHS Lothian to address.
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many voluntary patients were treated in acute psychiatric beds in each NHS board area in each of the last five years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is not possible to determine from national sources patients who were treated specifically in beds allocated for acute care. The following table shows the total number of individuals who were informally admitted to a psychiatric hospital or unit, excluding …
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been unable to access acute psychiatric beds in each NHS board area in each of the last five years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information requested is not held centrally.
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many acute psychiatric beds have been available in each NHS board area in each of the last five years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is not possible to determine from national information the number of beds available specifically for acute psychiatric care. Nationally, beds are classified by clinical specialty and by clinical facility (e.g. standard specialty ward, adolescent unit) only…
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people made redundant in Ayrshire since March 2000 have found alternative employment (a) in Ayrshire, (b) elsewhere in Scotland and (c) outwith Scotland.
Answer · Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally.<P>Following the report of the 2001 Review of PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment), work is in hand to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework which identifies a range of performance measure…
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people made redundant in Ayrshire since March 2000 have found alternative employment, broken down by sector and earnings level of new jobs.
Answer · Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally. <P>Following the report of the 2001 Review of PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment), work is in hand to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework which identifies a range of performance measur…
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many redundancies have been notified in Ayrshire since the launch of Partnership Action for Continuing Employment in March 2000, broken down by company, sector and earnings level.
Answer · Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally. <P>Under the provisions contained in Part IV of the Trade Union and Labour Relation (Consolidation) Act 1992, employers must notify the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in writing, if they intend to m…
23 Oct 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific action has been taken to offset recent job losses in South Ayrshire.
Answer · Iain Gray: I fully recognise the particular difficulties being faced by the wider Ayrshire economy, and am confident that local agencies will meet these challenges by working up a shared economic development strategy to boost the local economy and create jobs for local …
18 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any studies being conducted with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in children in Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is not aware of any studies being conducted with selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors in children in Scotland.
18 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which anti-depressant and anti-psychotic drugs are currently approved for use in children and what trials were carried out before this approval was given.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The regulation and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA). The following information has been provided by the MCA: <P>Antipsychotics<P>The following "typical" antipsychotics are authorised for…
18 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the use of anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs has to be approved separately for use by adults and children.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The regulation and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA). The following information has been provided by the MCA:<P>In order for a pharmaceutical company to gain a licensed indication for the use of it…
18 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the use of risperidone and olan'apine is currently being trialled on children that do not suffer from schi'ophrenia and in which NHS board areas any such trials are being carried out.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We are not aware of any such trials being carried out.
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will call in the planning applications by ALBA Resource Recovery Ltd in respect of (a) Westfield in Fife and (b) Killoch in Ayrshire.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The planning application for the Westfield site was refused by Fife Council in September. The applicant has since lodged an appeal against the council's decision and this will be heard by the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit in due course.<P>The Kill…