Brian Adam

28 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses left the NHS in Scotland in the last three years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The number of nurse leavers, including age retiral, between annual censuses of NHS staff for the latest three years data available centrally were as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=338><TR><TD WIDTH="52%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial…

28 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses entered training in Scotland during the last three academic years 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The numbers of nurses and midwives entering training during the last three financial years were as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=300><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvetica" SIZE=2><P>1996-97</TD><TD WIDTH="50%"…

20 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to commit extra resources to Grampian University Hospitals Trust to allow it to continue issuing hearing aids during the current financial year.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Grampian Health Board and Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust have taken steps to ensure that hearing aids will continue to be issued during the current financial year.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">These steps did not require the Scottish Executive to commit extra r…

20 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when digital hearing aids will be made available by the NHS in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Scottish Healthcare Supplies, the Division of the Common Services Agency with responsibility for arranging central contracts for the NHS in Scotland, have closely monitored this rapidly developing area and successfully negotiated the inclusion of digital hear…

14 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected overspend is in the current financial year for each NHS Trust.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Against total forecast income of £4,684 million this year, the 28 new NHS Trusts in Scotland reported at 31 December 1999 that their expenditure at 31 March 2000 was expected to be £4,720million.<FONT FACE="Arial, Helvetica" SIZE=2><P>At 31 December 1998, the…

10 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider classifying manic depression as a life-threatening illness.

Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive has no intention to classify manic depression as a life-threatening illness.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>If a patient is suffering from a mental disorder to such a degree that it is necessary for their health and safety or for the prote…

7 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the consultation period for the proposed regulation covering the river Ythan nitrate vulnerable 'one.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: We do not propose to extend the period of formal consultation about the terms of the proposed designation of the Ythan catchment as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. The consultation paper on the proposed designation was widely publicised. It was sent to a large ran…

7 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive it will extend the consultation on the proposed regulation covering the river Ythan nitrate vulnerable 'one to include all potentially affected land holders.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer Mr Adam to my answer to S1W-3607

7 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to encourage the elimination of "postcode" discrimination in relation to a variety of issues including employment and credit.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Employment law and financial services regulation are both reserved matters. We would consider any specific proposals which fall within the Executive's responsibilities if details are supplied.

7 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Social Inclusion Partnerships do not have monies allocated specifically for housing regeneration and where such partnerships are located.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Scottish Homes and local authorities are active partners in Social Inclusion Partnerships and contribute as appropriate to housing regeneration programmes. The resources specifically allocated to Social Inclusion Partnerships under the Social Inclusion Partne…

10 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make funds available towards a detox and rehabilitation centre for north-east Scotland from the monies announced by the Minister for Finance in his statement on expenditure plans on 6 October 1999.

Answer · Susan Deacon: It is for the Health Boards and Local Authorities in North East Scotland to decide on the provision of a detox and rehabilitation centre in light of their own spending priorities according to local needs and in line with local Drug Action Team strategies and …

25 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns about the current funding arrangements for Scottish police pensions.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Public sector pensions are a reserved matter and policy responsibility for police pensions lies with the Home Office. Consultation documents setting out options for changes in the police (and fire service) pension schemes including changes in contribution rat…

25 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual budget is for research into renewable energy and what these funds are spent on.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Research into renewable energy in the UK is a reserved matter, and is funded by the Department of Trade and Industry.

25 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the effects that the proposed privatisation of the National Air Traffic Service will have on Scotland.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is in regular touch with the UK Government over a range of matters. We support arrangements for National Air Traffic services which secure the development of the New Scottish Centre at Prestwick and which place safety at the top of the …

24 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many landfill sites are operated by each local authority in Scotland, how many are operated by private companies broken down by local authority area, and what is the remaining life span of these landfill sites.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Information on waste management facilities such as landfill sites licensed to operate in Scotland is held on public registers by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Information on the remaining life span of landfill sites would have to be obtained fro…

24 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what monies are available annually for research into waste recycling and how these monies, if any, are spent.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Research into waste recycling is one of a number of topics funded by the Scottish Executive's environment research programme. This programme has an annual budget of some £400,000 and is used to inform and develop policy on environmental issues. Recycling and …

11 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1829 by Susan Deacon on 29 October 1999, whether the advisory committee on the microbiological safety of food recognises the value of continued work on campylobacter.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food recognises the importance of campylobacter as a public health issue, given that it is the commonest cause of gastro-intestinal infection in the UK. The Committee also shares the general view that th…

11 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to debrief all the applicants for the E. coli 0157 tender following its award.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Reference Laboratories Working Group gave an undertaking at its meeting on 1 November with the Director of the Aberdeen Reference Laboratories and the Chief Executive of Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust that it would provide information on its reas…

4 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will comment on the outcome of the meeting on 1 November 1999 between the Reference Laboratory Working Group and representatives of Grampian Universities Hospitals NHS Trust.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The meeting on 1 November between the Reference Laboratory Working Group and the Director of the Aberdeen Reference Laboratories and the Chief Executive of Grampian University Hospitals Acute NHS Trust allowed a detailed discussion to take place on the reason…

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the allocation of revenue raised through transport taxes to rail freight investment, and how much of that investment is made in Scotland.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The U.K. Government treats all taxes as revenues and uses them to fund government expenditure generally. This rule applies equally to transport taxes. The present allocation for rail freight grants in Scotland totals £18.3 million for the period 1999-2002.

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to Her Majesty's Government to reduce the level of vehicle excise duty on lorries in order to bring it in line with the level of excise duty in other European Union countries.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is in touch with the UK government on a wide range of issues on a regular basis.

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a safety campaign to highlight the danger of over-filling diesel tanks, given that diesel and oil spills on roads have led to a number of fatalities on roads in the North East this year.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Data on injury road accidents are recorded by the police on statistical returns to the Scottish Executive which provide details of the circumstances of an accident, together with information about each vehicle involved and each person injured in the accident.…

6 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it now considers that the method of typing strains (by serotyping by direct agglutination of heat stable antigens) which the National Services Division of the Common Services Agency of the Scottish Health Service instructed the campylobacter reference laboratory in Aberdeen to use…

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-1829.

6 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review commercial property leasing legislation.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Section 65 of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Bill proposes a prohibition on leases for periods of more than 125 years. Apart from that we have no plans to review the law in relation to commercial leases.

6 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will comment on any correspondence which it is aware of or has received from national or international experts on E coli and campylobacter expressing support for the Aberdeen reference laboratory and concern about the action taken by the Executive in relation to the laboratory.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the reply given to question S1W-1829.

6 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who drew up the specification for the tender for the E coli work currently done by the Aberdeen reference laboratory and on whose advice.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-1829.

6 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which laboratories have been invited to tender for the E coli work currently done by the Aberdeen reference laboratory.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-1829.

6 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whose advice it will seek in assessing any tenders received for the E coli work currently done by the Aberdeen reference laboratory in relation to the experience of bidders and the capacity of any bids to cope with major outbreaks.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-1829.

6 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the reference laboratories working group considered the report of the UK collaborative group on campylobacter sub-typing, prepared for the Department of Health in June 1999, prior to the National Services Division of the Common Services Agency of the Scottish Health Service advisi…

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-1829.

6 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the reference laboratories working group sought any advice on campylobacter typing from experts in this subject, inside or outside Scotland, prior to the National Services Division of the Common Services Agency of the Scottish Health Service advising the director of reference serv…

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-1829.