Parliamentary questions
Mr David Davidson
1,095 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether pharmacy oxygen services will continue.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Yes, pharmacy oxygen services will continue. Community pharmacists already provide patients with oxygen in large, non-portable cylinders and we intend to make portable oxygen cylinders available on GP prescription through community pharmacists by the end of t…
18 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce new arrangements for the prescribing of medicines by implementing section 63 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 and, if so, when and in respect of which health professionals.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Section 63 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 enables the extension of prescribing rights to new groups of health care professionals. As a first step towards implementing the provisions of section 63, we are introducing supplementary prescribing for appro…
3 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take in respect of binge drinking by young women in light of the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) forthcoming annual assessment.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Reducing binge drinking is one of the key priorities of the Scottish Executive's <I>Plan for Action on alcohol problems</I>, which was launched in January 2002. The plan seeks to achieve a cultural shift in harmful drinking patterns such as those highlighted …
3 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend personal choice of care support to all aspects of care, following its news release SEhd426/2003 on 31 May 2003 about direct payments for people with disabilities.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Local authorities now have a duty to offer direct payments to all eligible disabled people. This change gives people the opportunity to arrange and purchase their own community care or children's services, instead of receiving services arranged by their local…
3 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it will give to each local authority in the current financial year and each of the next three financial years for free personal care for elderly people and how many elderly people this will cover in each local authority area.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The following table shows the allocation made to each local authority for 2003-04. Resources of £147 million and £153 million in total for 2004-05 and 2005-06 respectively were included in the recent Local Government Settlement. Funding for 2006-07 will be co…
3 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure uniformity of approach by each local authority in respect of access to free personal care for elderly people.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Provisions of the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002, together with regulations made by Scottish ministers, provide the legislative basis for the delivery of free personal and nursing care. Guidance Circulars CCD4/2002 and CCD5/2002 were issued in …
3 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next meet COSLA to discuss the delivery of free personal care for elderly people and each local authority's operation of eligibility procedures.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Minister for Health and Community Care established the Free Personal Care Joint Implementation Group. Through this group, the Scottish Executive is working with officials from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Society of Local Authority Ch…
3 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next meet care home operators and what issues will be discussed.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Scottish Executive officials will attend the meeting between the COSLA and independent care home operators on 29 July. This will be the second in a series of meetings to consider a mutually acceptable framework for assessing the cost of providing care in home…
3 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will participate in Diabetes Week from 8 to 14 June 2003.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive welcomes the work of Diabetes UK in raising the profile of diabetes through activities such as Diabetes Week. The Executive is committed to improving services for people with diabetes and has initiated a programme of work to support the…
30 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what budget has been allocated to cover any indemnity claims in respect of NHS blood product treatment.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Any indemnity claims arising in respect of NHS blood product treatment, like all indemnity claims against NHSScotland, will be met from the funds set aside in the Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS).
30 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop a patient record IT database accessible for 24 hours a day for use by the emergency services.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A patient record IT database accessible 24 hours a day for use by the ambulance and out of hours services is one the key benefits we expect from our eHealth plans to create Integrated Care Records. Records of care delivered currently stay within the organisat…
30 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct research into how many NHS prescriptions are written but not dispensed and whether it is recorded in a patient's record that a prescription has not been dispensed.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Prescriptions written by NHS prescribers are recorded in the patient's notes. It is for the patient to present the prescription for dispensing. The prescriber could not be aware that a particular prescription had not been dispensed. It is therefore impossible…
30 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to deliver its pharmacy strategy, as set out in The Right Medicine: A Strategy for Pharmaceutical Care in Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive remains committed to delivering <I>The Right Medicine: A Strategy for Pharmaceutical Care in Scotland</I>.<P>In July 2002, the Executive appointed an implementation team to work closely with the pharmacy profession and with other key st…
30 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop specialist nursing posts.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has supported NHS trusts by providing £6 million for a specialist nurse initiative to train an additional 210 specialist nurses. The major programme of service redesign that is being driven forward across Scotland has the potential to a…
30 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its pledge to offer free dental check-ups for all will apply to every dental surgery and what agreement has been reached with the dental profession on this matter.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The pledge of free dental checks relates to those dental practices that provide NHS general dental services. This issue will be discussed shortly with representatives of the dental profession.
30 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop accessible eating disorder units in each region.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Guidance on eating disorder services is incorporated in the <I>Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland. </I>The guidance promotes consideration of cost effective models for accessing in-patient care and highlights that planning and commissioning for …
30 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for the development of mental health services.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Our priority remains to work with the users of services and their carers, the partner agencies, the voluntary sector and others to advance change and improvement in the quality and accessibility of mental health services, bringing more care closer to the comm…
30 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned an inquiry into accidents involving deer; if so, why the inquiry was commissioned; what its remit is; who will conduct it; how much it will cost, and when the results will be published.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No. The Deer Commission for Scotland, which is funded by the Scottish Executive, has undertaken research relating to public safety and the welfare of wild deer. A summary of this research is included in the <I>Deer Commission's Annual Report 1999-2000</I>, a …
20 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure access to NHS dentistry for children in all areas of Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Whilst acknowledging that there are problems with access to NHS dental services in some parts of Scotland, the Executive has in place a number of measures aimed at improving access. These include:<UL><LI>the availability of grants under the Scottish Dental Ac…
19 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the intermediate technology institute in Aberdeen will commence activity and where it will be based.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Scottish Enterprise expects that the Energy Intermediary Technology Institute in Aberdeen will commence activity later this year. A number of locations in Aberdeen are currently under active consideration.
19 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support the development of sub-sea renewable energy manufacturing capability.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland, which I will chair, will work with the industry and the new Energy Intermediary Technology Institute to produce a development plan for the marine energy industry in Scotland. Particular attention will be…
19 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to minimise any loss to national lottery grant awards in Scotland following the announcement that lottery funding will be used to support the Olympic bid in respect of London.
Answer · Frank McAveety: The UK Government has given its full backing to London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympics. Scottish ministers generally welcome the bid, which, if successful, should have benefits for tourism and sport in Scotland. We will work with UK minis…
19 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will give to the roll-out of broadband services to smaller rural exchanges.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Using the UK Broadband Fund, the Executive is currently supporting trials of a variety of different broadband delivery models suitable for remote and small communities. Additionally, we will shortly be bringing forward measures under the Executive's £24 milli…
19 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will give to GPs, dentists and pharmacists to ensure that their premises comply with new disabilities legislation.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: GPs, general dental practitioners and community pharmacists are independent contractors to NHS Scotland and it is their responsibility as service providers to comply with all relevant legislation relating to access by disabled people. <P>NHS boards are curren…
19 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support NHS boards in providing free return-to-practice training for (a) nurses, (b) pharmacists, (c) doctors, (d) dentists, (e) biochemists and (f) staff in other professions allied to medicine in order to increase staffing levels in the NHS.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is taking action to build capacity in NHSScotland. There are currently return-to-practice initiatives in place for nurses, pharmacists, doctors, dentists and professions allied to medicine. <P>Biochemists are health care scientists and …
19 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has published regarding the storage of pupil's medicines and first aid medicines in schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Guidance on the safe handling of medicines in schools is contained within chapter 7 of the guidance document <I>The Administration of Medicines in Schools</I>, published by the Scottish Executive Education Department on 4 September 2001. The guidance emphasis…
19 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to educate teachers on, and support them in, managing the use of medicines by pupils during school hours and during supervised extra-curricular activities.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive Education Department published best practice guidance on <I>The Administration of Medicines in Schools</I> on 4 September 2001. Statutory responsibility for the administration of medicines in schools lies with NHS boards. The guidance e…
13 May 2003 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer what arrangements have been made with Scottish museums and galleries for the display of artefacts and paintings in their care in the new Parliament building.
Answer · George Reid: A dedicated Art Steering Group was established in the first session of Parliament by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) to consider commissions, purchases and loans of art works for the new building. A progress report on the group's decisions is…
13 May 2003 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer what commissions for art or photographic work to be displayed in the new Parliament building have been, or are in the process of being, awarded.
Answer · George Reid: A dedicated Art Steering Group was established in the first session of Parliament by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) to consider commissions, purchases and loans of art works for the new building. A progress report on the group's decisions i…
13 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next meet representatives of the fish processing industry.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive frequently meets with representatives of the fish processing industry and I intend to meet with the Scottish Fishmerchants' Federation Ltd in the near future.