Parliamentary questions
Mr David Davidson
1,095 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
12 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which areas of medical research it currently funds, other than those areas funded through the #47 million allocated to the Office of the Chief Scientist, and how much each such research area receives.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Research areas which arefunded by the Scottish Executive and considered to meet the broad definition ofmedical research, can be detailed as follows:</p><p><u>NationalCreutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Surveillance Unit</u></p><p>Research to support a numberof ob…
12 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will broaden access to treatments for erectile dysfunction on the NHS and, if so, to which patient groups.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no plans tobroaden access to treatments for erectile dysfunction on the NHS.</p>
12 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what work it has commissioned to evaluate the (a) clinical and (b) cost effectiveness of providing phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors on the NHS for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and what the outcome of such work was.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: No work has beencommissioned by the Executive to evaluate the clinical and cost effectivenessof providing phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors on the NHS for thetreatment of erectile dysfunction.</p>
12 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to the NHS was of male impotence drugs in each of the last three years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table givesthe number of prescribed items and gross ingredient cost for the financialyears ending 31 March 2001, 2002 and 2003. Data in the table refer toprescriptions dispensed in the community but do not take into account medicinesdispensed by…
8 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will take action to make payments to those suffering from HIV and hepatitis C through blood transfusions.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1843 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">htt…
6 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the facilities used by the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) at the Kings Buildings campus of the University of Edinburgh can only be sold to Edinburgh University; if so, under what terms, and whether the buildings will be valued independently of the SAC and the university.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I understand from the college that, in the event of it deciding to discontinue the provision of research into and teaching of agriculture at its buildings on the King’s Buildings Campus, the buildings could only be sold to the University.</p><p>The buildings …
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all public service staff interfacing with the public have access to deaf awareness training and, if not, what plans it has to introduce such training.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The provision of staff training by non-departmental public bodies, NHS bodies,local authorities and other public service providers is generally a matter forthose bodies. The information requested is not held centrally.
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce hearing screening for newborn babies in every NHS board area.
Answer · Tom McCabe: In Scotland, the introduction of newborn hearing screening will be taken forward in two steps. The first step which involved the establishment of two screening pathfinder sites in Tayside and Lothian NHS Boards is in place with screening of newborn babies in …
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to set scientifically-based maximum safety limits for food supplement preparations.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I am advised on this issue bythe Food Standards Agency and I consider that maximum limits should be set at levelswhich protect public health, but neither unnecessarily limit consumer choice norunduly restrict trade. </p><p>The Food Standards Agency hasalso ad…
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are receiving (a) warfarin and (b) aspirin on prescription and how many of these patients have atrial fibrillation.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The prescription data available centrally is not patient-specific but relate to the number of prescribed items. It is therefore not possible to say how many ofthese prescriptions relate to those who have been diagnosed with atrialfibrillation.<o:p></o:p></spa…
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in each of the last three years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number ofpeople diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in hospital and day case settings isgiven in the table. </p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0> <tr> <td> <p> </p> </td> <td> <p>April 1999 to March…
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for reducing the risk factors associated with strokes and, in particular, in respect of atrial fibrillation, raised cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: <p><i>Improving Health in Scotland - The Challenge</i>, published in May 2003, does not set targets for the reduction of specific risk factors such as a trial fibrillation, cholesterol levels or high blood pressure, but provides a strategic framework for acti…
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding assistance for the Peterhead economy following the downgrading of RAF Buchan and the decommissioning of fishing vessels based at Peterhead.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has been actively involved, along with Scottish Enterprise Grampian,the local authority and other local partners, in measures to support diversify andregenerate the Peterhead economy. These measures include the recent implementationof a…
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which areas of health care policy are not addressed in A Partnership for a Better Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Partnership Agreement sets out a range of initiatives, consistent with the White Paper <i>Partnership for Care</i>,which addressed the twin challenges of improving health standards andredesigning health services.
23 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses have received the #1,000 training grant to prepare for nurse prescribing; what amount has been paid in total for this purpose; what budgets have been made available; which establishments are providing the necessary training and assessment, and whether the number of qualifi…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The funding for nurse prescribers is not a training grant given to individual nurses. It is allocated to trusts via their boards on the basis of named lists of nurses who are eligible to undergo training. These lists are submitted to the Executive by the trus…
23 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend independent prescribing rights under section 63 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 to health care professionals separately from any similar extension that may be introduced in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Section 63 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 amended the Medicines Act 1968 and enables ministers to introduce new types of prescriber. To enable new types of prescriber to prescribe prescription only medicines would require amendment of the Prescription…
23 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require respite care facilities to be given equivalent status to sheltered housing and low cost accommodation in future planning applications for housing development.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive regularly meets carers' organisations, including respite care providers, to discuss a range of issues including the provision of respite care. Comprehensive guidance on respite care policy and practice was issued to local authorities by the Scot…
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to NHS boards on the provision of residential drug rehabilitation facilities.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The UK Health Departments' <I>Drug Misuse and Dependence - Guidelines on Clinical Management</I> provide comprehensive information on the treatment of drug misuse, including residential care.<P>The provision of residential care is also addressed in <I>Integra…
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to local authorities on the provision of respite care facilities.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1635 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search…
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with organisations responsible for providing respite care facilities.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1635 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search…
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will revise the charging arrangements for NHS prescription pre-payment certificates.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We have no plans to do so.
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions were dispensed in each of the last three years and, of these, how many were for chronic conditions, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The number of prescription items dispensed in Scotland in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board, is set out in the table below. The number of prescriptions written to treat chronic medical conditions is not known as patient-specific data are …
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are receiving statin treatment and, of these, how many have diabetes.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The table below gives the number of prescriptions for statins for the financial years ending 31 March 2002 and 2003. Data in the table refers to prescriptions dispensed in the community but do not take into account medicines dispensed by hospitals or hospital…
21 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost would be of providing all diabetic patients with an annual cholesterol test and subsequent statin treatment and what the annual cost is of NHS treatment for diabetics suffering from cardiac disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The total cost of providing an annual cholesterol test and subsequent statin treatment all people with diabetes is not available.<P>The Scottish Diabetes Framework estimated that treating people with diabetes accounts for some 5% of total NHSScotland costs. I…
21 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many diabetic patients were given statin treatment following an annual cholesterol test in each of the last two years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The requested data are not held centrally.
21 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1164 by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 July 2003, what percentage of diabetic patients received an annual cholesterol check-up in each of the last two years and what action is being taken to ensure that all such patients receive such a check-up.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Diabetes Survey is beginning to provide this information but the data are not yet fully robust. In the 2002 Survey almost 60% of those patients included in diabetes registers were reported to have received a cholesterol test within the last 15 mo…
26 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions about the reasons for not paying attendance allowance to self-funding residents in care homes who would receive the allowance if resident in their own homes.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Prior to the introduction of free personal care on 1 July 2002, the Scottish Executive explored the issue of eligibility for attendance allowance thoroughly with the UK Government. As a result the Scottish Executive set free personal care payments for those i…
25 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress there has been in respect of the new community pharmacy contract.
Answer · Tom McCabe: My officials are meeting regularly with the Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council to negotiate a new community pharmacy contract. Positive progress is being made and announcements on the shape and content of the new contract will be made in due course.
25 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recommend the use of statins for all diabetics at risk of heart disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The section of the Scottish Diabetes Framework dealing with prevention recognises diabetes as one of the major underlying causes of heart disease. The Scottish Executive appreciates the value of statins in the treatment of people with diabetes and expects cli…
25 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give any consideration to introducing ambulatory oxygen equipment in the NHS.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Minister for Health and Community Care made a policy commitment in October 2002 that lightweight oxygen cylinders would be added to the Scottish Drug Tariff. We are currently working on the details of implementation, and intend to make ambulatory oxygen c…