Parliamentary questions
Mr David Davidson
1,095 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will attract and develop biomedical research.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive, the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and the Enterprise Networks have a wide variety of programmes for the purpose of attracting and developing research by universities and businesses. Biomedical research benefits from substan…
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it offers to PhD students engaged in medical research and how many such students it has funded in each of the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive Health Department, Chief Scientist Office, offers Health Services Research Postgraduate Studentship and Training Fellowships.</p><p>Details of the awards are contained in the Chief Scientist Office annual reports which are available in …
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to Scottish Enterprise in respect of investment in, and assistance for, scientific research and commercialisation of medical research.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive has produced guidance for its own officials and those of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise on the Scottish Research and Development Scheme (Bib. number 34477) which forms the basis of State Aids notification no. 650/2002. …
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the budget of the Chief Scientist Office.
Answer · Andy Kerr: As announced in the Draft Budget 2005-06, the research budget has increased by 3.4% to £15.114 million for 2005-06. Support funding provided to NHS boards for research will also increase by 6.1% to £37.504 million.</p>
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what direction it gives to the Chief Scientist Office regarding investment in research.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) is part of the Scottish Executive Health Department and has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland. The CSO’s current Research Strategy, which outlines the priority…
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many temporary agency nursing staff there have been in the NHS since 1995, broken down by NHS board, and what the total annual cost was to the NHS.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Information relating to agency nursing staff is available on table E12 and E13 of the ISD website <ahref="http://www.isdscotland.org/">www.isdscotland.org</a>. </p><p>Note: information on agency usage is only available from 1999. Information on agency costs i…
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the variations in costs for operations in hospitals, as reported in Scottish Health Service Costs (NHS Cost Book 2004) and what the reasons are for the increase in costs since 1999.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish health service cost book reports average specialty costs, it does not report on the costs of procedures/operations.</p><p>There are a number of reasons for variations in average specialty costs across NHS Scotland, primarily relating to differenc…
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the variations in cleaning costs per square metre in hospitals, as reported in Scottish Health Service Costs (NHS Cost Book 2004).
Answer · Andy Kerr: There are a number of reasons for variations in cleaning costs per square metre across NHS Scotland, primarily relating to the size of hospitals and the resultant economies of scale. In addition, a number of hospitals outsource cleaning services and therefore…
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital-acquired infections it estimates are contracted annually and what the estimated annual cost of such infections is to the NHS.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has made no estimate of the prevalence of health-care acquired infections or their cost. A mandatory national surveillance programme is in place for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus blood infections and its results are repor…
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many infection control teams reported that their recommendation to close a ward or hospital to admissions for the purpose of outbreak control was refused or discouraged by their chief executive in each year since 1997.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has no record of any such reports.</p>
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital (a) wards and (b) bays have closed as a result of infection problems in each year since 1997.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally. Hospital facilities such as theatre, intensive care units, wards and bays may be temporarily closed on the recommendation of hospital infection control teams to allow investigation of actual or potential causes of infec…
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio is between the number of whole-time-equivalent infection control doctors and the total number of beds, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: No doctors are employed solely as infection control doctors. Many doctors have infection control as a component of their job plan. Each NHS board, with the exception of NHS Orkney (which is in the process of making appropriate arrangements), has identified an…
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio is between the number of whole-time-equivalent infection control nurses and the total number of beds, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The numbers are detailed in the following table.</p><p>As at 21 May 2004</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>NHS Board</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Beds</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>ICNs (WTE)</p> </td> …
4 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the roles and responsibilities are of (a) it, (b) the Health Protection Agency and (c) NHS boards in relation to hospital-acquired infection.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The role and responsibilities in relation to Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) are as follows:</p><p>(a) The Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) sets strategies and priorities to improve the health and safety of both patients and NHS staff in rela…
22 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to change its policy on when it will intervene on wind farm applications where there is substantial local opposition.
Answer · Johann Lamont: None. <i>National Planning Policy Guideline 6: Renewable Energy Developments </i>sets out the issues that planning authorities should take into account when dealing with planning applications. Authorities must consider any comments made by local communities b…
22 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new guidance on the work and role of the General Dental Council will be laid before the Parliament for approval and, if so, when.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The new guidance on the work and role of the General Dental Council (GDC) will be presented to the Parliament under The Dentists Act (Amendment) Order 2005. This Order amends The Dentists Act 1984. It is made under sections 60 and 62(4) of the Health Act 1999…
21 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, and with whom, regarding the removal of public telephone boxes in rural and suburban areas.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to question S2W-10710 answered on 29 September 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/se…
8 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to help to reduce rail travel times between Aberdeen and Inverness.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Strategic Rail Authority commissioned a study into the development of the Aberdeen to Inverness rail improvement project to improve rail journey times and frequency of services. The proposal is made up of three schemes: realignment of Forres station, impr…
8 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the extension of the Company Neutral Revenue Support scheme to coastal shipping.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: We will not be introducing an exact maritime equivalent of the Company Neutral Revenue Support Grant scheme although we will be introducing the Waterborne Freight Grant scheme. This revenue grant scheme will be aimed at encouraging the development of new wate…
8 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the daily cost is of keeping a long-stay patient in an acute hospital bed.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Data is not held centrally thatwould differentiate the daily cost of a long‑stay patient from that of a short‑staypatient in an acute bed. For financial year 2002-03, the national average cost perday of an acute surgical inpatient was £462, an acu…
8 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds are occupied by long-stay patients who are fit to move into a nursing or residential home, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The number of patients whose discharge from hospital was delayed and who were awaiting a placement in a care home at the time of the April 2004 census is shown in Table 1. Long-stay patients cannot be separately identified from the census.</p><p>Table 1 – Pat…
8 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12417 by Susan Deacon on 30 March 2001, what the median waiting times for all forms of cancer were in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board; what the reasons were for longer than average waiting times in any boards where patients wait…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-9562 on 1 September 2004. The median waiting times for inpatient and day case cancer treatment, by NHS board area of residence, during the last five years, is given in the following table. </p><p>£25 million is…
1 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of any incentive schemes for dentists introduced in each of the last three years and the uptake of such schemes, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Information and take up of the incentive schemes introduced by the Executive in each of the last three years is provided in the following tables.</p><p>(1) A remote area allowance was introduced on 1 April 2002 for those dentists classed as remote dentists<su…
1 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to replicate the decision of the Department of Health to reduce the regulation of entry into NHS pharmacy contracts.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are no plans to replicate the Department of Health decision.</p>
27 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that minimum EU training standards are high enough for the standards of the NHS, with particular reference to compatibility issues in respect of training and accreditations standards in the new accession countries.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The General Medical Council (GMC) along with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Health Professional Council (HPC) are responsible for maintaining the minimum educational or training standards for staff wanting to undertake employment within the N…
27 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what language knowledge it accepts as a minimum standard for EU-qualified medical personnel for the purpose of patient safety.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Under European Union legislation on freedom of movement, doctors, dentists, nurses responsible for general care, pharmacists and midwives who are European Economic Association (EEA) nationals are entitled to automatic recognition. The freedom of movement laws…
27 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discretion it exercises when applying the EU Directive on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The EU Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications requires that each member state takes account of qualifications obtained in other member states, while providing for the discretion to refuse acknowledgement of a qualification below its regul…
27 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues to all departments in the NHS with regard to skill and training requirements for non-UK nationals practising medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, midwifery or nursing prior to their employment.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: No guidance is issued to NHSScotland about the skill and training requirements for non-UK nationals. All doctors, including non-UK nationals who wish to practice in the United Kingdom, must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) before they are …
27 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will begin to consult on a review of prescription charge exemptions.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The review will commence in early October 2004 and will consist of a research project followed by a full public consultation. The research will take four to five months and will include an international literature review to examine prescription charging regim…
27 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors are currently working more hours than is permitted by the European Working Time Directive, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We do not hold information on the hours worked by doctors in training. However, the following table provides details of each NHS board’s assessment of the number of junior doctors in training who are non-compliant with the requirements of the Working Time Reg…