Parliamentary questions
Ben Wallace
205 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the results in Scotland of the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer is not a Scottish Executive study. Research findings of this type may be presented at scientific meetings and are normally also available through publications in relevant medical journals and/or o…
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has, and over what timescale, to introduce a population based prostate cancer screening programme based on the prostate specific antigen test.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: At present the test and treatment for prostate cancer does not meet requirements for an effective screening programme. The Scottish Executive is committed in<I> Cancer in Scotland Action for Change</I> (ISBN:1 84268 915 0) to introducing a population based pr…
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the pilot screening for colorectal cancer for people between the ages of 50 and 69 in (a) Tayside, (b) Fife and (c) Grampian NHS board areas and in what month it expects the pilot scheme to report back to the UK National Screening Committee.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish arm of the UK Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot targeting people between the ages of 50 and 69 in Tayside, Fife and Grampian NHS Board areas, which commenced in March 2000 is progressing well. One complete round of screening and relevant investig…
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many women over 70 have requested screening for breast cancer since January 2001.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24507.
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many women over 70 have been screened for breast cancer since January 2001.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Women over the age of 70 are not routinely invited for breast screening but may self refer. In 2000-01<SUP>1</SUP>, the latest year for which data are available, the number of women over the age of 70 who were screened following self referral was 2,985.<P>Not…
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which geographical areas have a low uptake for breast cancer screening against set targets.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24505.
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards are currently targeting areas of low breast cancer screening uptake.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: All NHS boards are responsible for promotion of the breast screening programme aimed at raising awareness particularly in areas of low uptake. The percentage of eligible women in Scotland in the age range 50-64, who accepted a routine invitation to attend bre…
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS staff have been trained as cervical smear takers under the new liquid based cytology screening pilot project.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Four hundred and ninety-two NHS cervical smear taker staff in Lanarkshire, Grampian, Highland and Tayside NHS Boards have been trained to use liquid based cytology, under the Liquid Based Cytology Screening Pilot project.
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has set up an expert advisory group to advise its Health Department on the outcomes of research into chemo-prevention of cancer and, if so, how many times it is scheduled to meet in the next year, what the membership of the group is and what reports it has produced to date.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is felt that the most appropriate way to look at the issues surrounding chemo-prevention, is to establish an annual seminar involving a range of national and international experts, including epidemiologists and others undertaking specific cancer research, …
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in developing a co-ordinated IT system to improve the call/recall arrangements for cervical cancer screening.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: A Scottish Cervical Screening Programme Call/Recall Project Board was established in August 2001 to look at IT options and the development of a national call/recall system.<P>Work is progressing well and it is expected that the introduction of the system will…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Scottish Cancer Group has met since its inception, what its remit is and what advice it has issued to date.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Since it was restructured in July 2001 the Scottish Cancer Group (SCG) has met six times. <P>On 6 November 2001, the first annual implementation/investment plan was published. This is available from the Scottish Executive website at: <P>www.scotland.gov.uk or…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership of the National Physical Activity Taskforce is; when it is next scheduled to meet, and what measures it uses to assess how it has raised the levels of regular physical activity amongst all age groups.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Physical Activity Task Force is next due to meet on 30 April 2002.<P>A draft strategy for increasing physical activity levels amongst our population will be issued for consultation in June 2002. Following a formal period of consultation with key stakehold…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of (a) men and (b) women between the ages of 16 and 64 were (i) moderately active and (ii) vigorously active, as referred to in Cancer in Scotland: Action for Change, in (1) 1997, (2) 1998, (3) 1999, (4) 2000 and (5) 2001.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The physical activity levels referred to in the <I>document Cancer in Scotland- Action for Change</I> are collated from the <I>Scottish Health Survey</I>. A survey was carried out in 1995 and 1998, and it is anticipated that it will also be carried out in 200…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated to the National Diet Action Co-ordinator over the next three years and what major initiatives are planned.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Food and Health Co-ordinator was appointed to support implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan's recommendations including work to encourage retailers, manufacturers, primary producers and caterers to play their part in implementing the SD…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what progress it is making towards its targets to (i) double the average consumption of fruit and vegetables; (ii) increase by nearly half the intake of bread (mainly wholemeal); (iii) double the daily intake of breakfast cereals; (iv) reduce the proportion of total fat and of saturat…
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Health Surveys conducted in 1995 and 1998 show that:<P>(i) the proportion of population who eat fresh fruit once a day or more increased between 1995 and 1998. The proportion who eat green vegetables five or more times a week has decreased. Figur…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what method it is using to record people's dietary activity.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: Formal reporting mechanisms include The Scottish Health Survey and publications from the Food Standards Agency, HEBS and The Public Health Institute for Scotland and from Scottish Executive funded initiatives to improve Scotland's diet.
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual adult rates of smoking were in each year from 1995 to date.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The following table shows the percentage of adults aged between 16-64 years who were regular cigarette smokers in 1995 and 1998. These data are from the Scottish Health Survey, which is carried out periodically and is used as the source for monitoring progres…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it expects to receive from Her Majesty's Government in extra tobacco tax revenues between 2001 and 2004.
Answer · Andy Kerr: In the period 2000-04, the Scottish Executive will receive £26 million per annum in Barnett consequentials, as a result of the Chancellors 2000 UK Budget announcement to raise tobacco tax by 5% on top of inflation.
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the monies from the annual extra tobacco tax revenues have been spent in each year to date and what plans it has for spending these revenues in future.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-5895 on 18 May 2000, which confirms hypothecation to the Health Improvement Fund (HIF), and to question S1W-23630 on 4 March 2002, which directs MSPs to the report on the use of the HIF.
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in reaching its target to reduce the standardised mortality rate from all cancers in people under 75 years old by 20%.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The average standardised mortality rate from all cancers in people aged under 75 years during 1995-97 (the defined baseline) was 167.1 per 100,000 population. For 2000, the latest year for which data are available, the standardised mortality rate was 153.3 pe…
12 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list each grant paid to (a) Aberdeenshire Council, (b) Aberdeen City Council and (c) Dundee City Council within aggregate external finance, broken down for each year since 1997-98.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Finance Circulars for each year since 1997-98, detailing all the grants within Aggregate External Finance (AEF) paid to local authorities, are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Finance Circulars and respective Bib. numbers are listed).<TABLE BOR…
6 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the European Commission with regard to negotiations with the World Trade Organisation.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The regulation of international trade is a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department of Trade and Industry on trade issues including negotiations with the World Trade Organisation, and how these may impact on t…
6 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what current projects (a) receive and (b) are due to receive Interreg funding during the current structural fund programme for 2000-06.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23785.
6 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much Interreg (a) (b) and (c) funding it has received since 2000 and how much it is due to receive during the current structural fund programme for 2000-06.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The INTERREG III Community Initiative has three strands. Strand A concerns cross-border co-operation; B trans-national; and C inter-regional, through small pilot projects.<P>Scotland can participate in IIIB and IIIC. Programmes have either only recently been …
6 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement it had in developing a partnership between the Strathclyde European Partnership and its equivalent in Saxony-Arnhalt, Germany.
Answer · Peter Peacock: There is no formal relationship between Strathclyde European Partnership and Saxony-Anhalt. Officials in Saxony-Anhalt have approached a number of other regional bodies, including Strathclyde European Partnership, with a view to developing an application, und…
6 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who administers the European Interreg funding programme.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Scotland participates in four INTERREG IIIB (Trans-national co-operation) programmes. Each is administered by a programme secretariat based in the programme area.<P>Details are as follows:<P>Atlantic Area, Programme Secretariat, Poitiers, France<P>Northern Pe…
6 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vessels have been decommissioned under the European Union's current scheme.
Answer · Ross Finnie: There is currently no centrally run European Union fishing vessel decommissioning scheme. However, as of 11 March, 102 Scottish vessels have been offered a decommissioning grant under the Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001 - 13 have comp…
6 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has in place to monitor the decommissioning programme for fishing vessels.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The physical process of decommissioning fishing vessels under the Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001 is monitored through site visits/inspections by officers authorised under the scheme, in consultation with environmental interests and c…
6 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken steps to promote the European Sixth Framework Research and Technological Development Programme amongst universities.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Practical assistance with proposals for the European Framework Programmes is provided by Innovation Relay Centres (IRC) Scotland. IRCs in Scotland are jointly funded by the European Commission and Scottish Enterprise, and work with Scottish universities and S…
8 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients were admitted to hospital from the waiting list for treatment within nine months of their initial referral, in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In the year ended 30 September 2001, 96.7% of NHSScotland patients were admitted to hospital for treatment within nine months of being placed on the inpatient/day case waiting list.