Parliamentary questions
Ben Wallace
205 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients received an angioplasty operation within 24 weeks of having an angiography, also expressed as a percentage of the total number of patients waiting to receive an angioplasty operation, in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is being compiled by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency, but it will take a few days to complete because of the need to undertake data linkage of individual patient records. <P>I will write to the m…
8 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients received an angiography within 12 weeks of their initial referral, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of patients waiting to receive an angiography, in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is being compiled by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency, but it will take a few days to complete because of the need to undertake data linkage of individual patient records. <P>I will write to the m…
8 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specialist assistance is available for mental health services to ethnic minorities.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: <I>Our National Health</I> and the<I> Framework for Mental Health Services</I>, but principally <I>Fair for All</I>, recognise the distinctive cultural and other needs of people and family groups from ethnic minorities that must be considered by agencies when…
8 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what current figures are available on the incidence of suicide and attempted suicide in the community.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Figures on the incidence of suicide are as follows:<P>Table 1 - Suicide and Undetermined Deaths, by Age and Sex, Scotland - 1970, 1990-2000<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=186><TR><TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN=2><P>Year</TD><TD WIDTH="75…
8 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the publication dates for all up-dated data previously available in Chapter M, Hospital and Clinical Activity, of Scottish Health Statistics 2000.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A wide range of health statistics are published by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency for NHSScotland (ISD Scotland). All ISD Scotland publications are now placed on the ISD Scotland website; the website now contains more in…
8 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what 24 hour acute psychiatric provision is currently available.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is for each NHS board area to organise care and support that reflect the needs of its community.<P>NHS hospital services, including specialist acute psychiatric care, operate on a seven day, 24 hour basis. Otherwise, the aim is for care that matches need a…
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist nursing posts are funded by charities or charitable foundations and where any such nursing posts have been located since 1997.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider producing an Epilepsy Framework similar to its Diabetes Framework.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are no plans for an Epilepsy Framework. Active consideration is being given, with the help of Epilepsy Action Scotland, to the possibility of a pilot Managed Clinical Network for epilepsy. The Executive funded a Symposium on this, which took place on 11…
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will compile information centrally on how many epilepsy specialist nurses are employed and which NHS board employs them.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no plans to compile information centrally on the numbers of epilepsy specialist nurses.
29 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13512 by Susan Deacon on 2 March 2001, when the Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations in respect of EU Directive 92/46/EEC will be introduced.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency, that EU Directive 92/46/EC is currently implemented by the Dairy Product (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1995.<P>The new Dairy Product (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations will consolidate, update and amend these regula…
29 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the January 2002 edition of its statistical bulletin in the Social Work Series on Staffing will be produced.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Statistical Bulletin "Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services, 2001" will be published in August 2002. <P>The previous bulletin, relating to staff at October 2000, was published in August 2001. This is available at: <P><A HREF="http://www.s…
29 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it took to confirm that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency defined its proposed nitrate vulnerable 'ones in accordance with the criteria set out by EU Council Directive 91/676/EEC.
Answer · Ross Finnie: EU Council Directive 91/676/EEC (the Nitrates Directive) requires that member states shall designate as vulnerable zones all known areas of land which drain into waters affected by pollution and which could be affected by pollution (identified in accordance w…
29 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the maps drawn up by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to show potential nitrate vulnerable 'ones are satisfactory.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Maps of the proposed nitrate vulnerable zones have been produced by the Scottish Executive using catchment boundaries generated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey. The maps are based upon an Ordn…
29 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received about any previous pollution problems at the proposed waste transfer site in Stonehaven.
Answer · Margaret Curran: In determining this notified planning application, the Scottish Executive was made aware of certain pollution issues associated with other activities on the Spurryhillock industrial estate. However, we are satisfied that the operation of the new waste transfe…
29 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what grounds it agreed to Aberdeenshire Council's application to develop a waste transfer site in Stonehaven.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The proposal was in line with the development plan for the area and the relevant national planning policy guidelines. There was therefore no justification for the Scottish ministers to intervene in this case.
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many toothbrushes have been provided free to children since January 2001.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Sixty-nine thousand, seven hundred and eighty-one toothbrushes have been provided free to children since January 2001. The distribution programme is on-going.
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people received treatment for the first time from their local drug treatment service in 2001.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The following table shows the number of individual patients/clients reported to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database by NHS board area of residence for 2000-01. More detailed information has been published in the ISD Scotland publication <I>Drug Misuse in Scotla…
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff posts have been or will be lost as a result of the establishment of the new NHS boards.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The establishment of 15 new NHS boards was intended to improve governance and accountability of Scotland's local NHS systems, and was not intended to have any impact on staff numbers. Information on changes in the number of posts following the establishment o…
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it has improved local involvement in the development of health services since January 2001.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: <I>Patient Focus and Public Involvement</I>, published in December of last year, reported on steps taken to develop the actions identified in the <I>Involving People</I> section of <I>Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change</I>. It also set …
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how support for families of drug misusers has increased since January 2001.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The Executive has allocated £4 million in 2001-02, in new resources, to tackle drug misuse by, and affecting, children and young people. One of the primary areas is the provision of services for children and young people in families of drug misusing parents. …
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many reforming drug misusers were prepared for training and employment in 2001.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The New Futures Fund managed by Scottish Enterprise supported 1,692 people in 2001 who had identified their drug misuse as a barrier to training and employment. In addition, there is a wide range of programmes and initiatives, such as Employment Services New …
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to improve health education for older people since January 2001.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) is involved in or supporting activities aimed at improving health education for older people and is currently developing a campaign tailor-made to the health education needs of older people. Research commissioned…
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition is of "inappropriate settings" as used in section 2.6 of Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Those that are not the most suitable for the patient or client's assessed needs.
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people over 65 were screened for breast cancer in 2001 compared to 2000, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of people screened for breast cancer in each year.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: Women aged between 65 and 70 will be routinely invited for breast screening from April 2003, with the service phasing in over a three-year period. Women aged 65 and over may self-refer for screening at present.<P>The number of women over 65 who were screened …
18 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Healthy Living Centres have been established since January 2001.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I am delighted to say that 24 successful Healthy Living Centres worth £14.5 million have been announced by the New Opportunities Fund and we expect to see a steady stream of further awards until the end of the assessment period in September 2002. I am also pl…
21 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people will be employed by (a) the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and (b) the Scottish Social Services Council in each of the salary ranges (i) under #10,000, (ii) from #10,001 to #15,000, (iii) from #15,001 to #25,000 and (iv) over #25,000 gross per annum.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care will mainly employ staff transferring from local authority and NHS board registration and inspection units. These staff will transfer on existing salary levels. <P>The Scottish Social Services Council is empl…
21 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people currently employed by local authority social work departments will be transferred to (a) the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and (b) the Scottish Social Services Council.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Two hundred and twenty-six such staff have indicated an initial preference to transfer to the Commission. <P>Staff transferring to the Scottish Social Services Council were previously employed by the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work. …
21 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what job vacancies have been advertised at the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council and where any such vacancies were advertised.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Executive posts for both the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council were advertised in <I>The Guardian</I>, <I>The Herald</I>, <I>The Scotsman</I>, the<I> Dundee Courier</I> and the <I>Aberdeen Press …
21 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in total will be employed by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is a matter for the two bodies. However, it is expected that approximately 500 people will be employed by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and approximately 36 by the Scottish Social Services Council. In addition, approximately 15 staff…
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a detailed breakdown of the 2000-01 underspend in the health budget by subject area.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Of the health budget of £5.5 billion in 2000-01 about £144 million was carried forward into the new financial year, all of which will be spent on better health and health services. <P>The Scottish Executive Accounts will provide a detailed breakdown of the un…