Parliamentary questions

Des McNulty

1,840 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

11 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that hospices that provide services for NHS patients receive funding that reflects the different needs of such patients.

Answer · Andy Kerr: NHS boards should be providing 50% of the costs of services that hospices provide on their behalf by no later than the beginning of the financial year 2006-07. There is an understanding that the 50% commitment should apply only to the elements of hospices’ ru…

11 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources have been made available for specialist palliative care services in (a) NHS Greater Glasgow, (b) NHS Argyll and Clyde and (c) Scotland as a whole.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Since 2001-02, a portion of the Cancer Strategy funding has been used to provide additional support for palliative care services such as medical, nursing andpharmacy staffing, training and equipment for use in the community. The value ofthese additional resou…

11 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the shortfall in palliative care consultants is and what steps are being taken to address this issue.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The latest published data is derived from the medical census on 30 September 2003. On this date, there was an establishment of 21 consultant posts in palliative care, all of which were filled.

11 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish hospices will benefit in the same way as hospices in England and Wales from additional central government funding for palliative care and, if so, whether the transition arrangements will be similar north and south of the border.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The funding arrangements for voluntary hospices in Scotland are not the same as those in England. Voluntary hospices already receive an average of 36.7% of their funding from NHS boards and we expect this proportion to increase to 50% of agreed costs by the s…

11 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce national eligibility criteria for access to palliative care to prevent any anomalies arising due to different criteria being applied by different NHS boards and local authorities.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Our policy is that palliative care should be available to everyone who needs it. A number of Managed Clinical Networks are already in place to plan and provide palliative care services and they would be expected to ensure fair and consistent access to palliat…

11 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with local authorities and voluntary sector providers regarding the development of better support for carers when the person being cared for is terminally ill and spending their last days in their own home.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Since our Carers Strategy was introduced in November 1999, the Executive has worked, and will continue to work, in close partnership with national carers’ organisations and key agencies in order to address priority issues for Scotland’s 600,000 plus carers. T…

11 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to the recent economic analysis produced by Marie Curie Cancer Care of the potential cost benefits arising from a larger number of terminally-ill patients spending their last days in their own homes and what implications this has for acute and palliative …

Answer · Andy Kerr: Our policy is to support the development of specialist palliative care, including at home where appropriate. Substantial resources have been invested in palliative care through the Cancer in Scotland strategy.

11 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to the unanticipated use of the reallotment provisions within the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 regarding the transfer of feudal superiority over certain domestic properties.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Abolition of Feudal Tenureetc. (Scotland) Act made provision for former superiors to preservecertain rights. The Scottish Executive is not aware that these are being used ina way which was not anticipated.

24 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which major transport projects it plans to complete between 2007-08 and 2020 in the former (a) Glasgow, (b) west of Scotland and (c) Lothians European parliamentary constituency areas and how much it estimates each such project will cost.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table lists those major infrastructure projects up to 2012 as published in the White Paper Scotland’s Transport Future, published in June 2004, and costs are estimated. Although there is no West of Scotland European Parliament constituenc…

24 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which major transport projects have been, or will be, completed between 1997-98 and 2006-07 in the former (a) Glasgow, (b) west of Scotland and (c) Lothians European parliamentary constituency areas and how much each such project has, or is projected to, cost.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table details the full cost of those projects of £3 million or more directly funded in full or in part by the then Scottish Office or the ScottishExecutive. Although there was no West of Scotland European Parliament constituency in practice, the…

24 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which major transport projects were completed from 1987-88 to 1996-97 in the (a) Glasgow, (b) west of Scotland and (c) Lothians European Parliament constituency areas and how much each such project cost.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table details the full cost of those projects of £3 million or more directly funded in full or in part by the then Scottish Office. Although there was no West of Scotland European Parliament constituency in practice, the Boundary Commission prop…

20 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake studies to assess the impact of the elimination of Erskine Bridge tolls on congestion on other Clyde crossings.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive made a commitment in our transport white paper, Scotland’s Transport Future, to carry out a two-phase review of the tolled bridges in Scotland. Phase One of the review, which included an examination of the effect that various changes in tolls on…

20 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct a multi-modal corridor study covering the A82 between Anniesland and the Erskine Bridge and the A814 between the Clyde Tunnel and the Erskine Bridge.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive has no current plans to conduct a multi-modal study covering these sections of road. These are local roads and decisions on these matters are the responsibility of Glasgow City Council and West Dunbartonshire Council, as the local roads authorit…

1 Dec 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the introduction of tolling on new roads.

Answer · Jim Wallace: In 1999 the consultation paper Tackling Congestion considered potential road user charging options, including charging on local roads, and charging on the motorway and trunk road network.Only powers for a local authority to charge on local roads…

26 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its plans for promoting efficiency in Scotland’s public sector.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Today the Scottish Executive published Building a Better Scotland: Efficient Government – Securing Efficiency Effectiveness and Productivity. This plan describes how the Executive will increase the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of the Scot…

19 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the intention expressed in the Explanatory Memorandum of the Scotland Act 1998 (Modifications of Schedule 5) Order 2004 “That the devolution of legislative competence to the Scottish Parliament, via this instrument, will enable the Scottish Parliament to transfer the relevant rail…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The intention in the explanatory memorandum is accurate.

19 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 (Modifications of Schedule 5) Order 2004 will permit Scottish ministers to exercise certain powers of the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority and Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive set out in the Transport Act 1968 and the Railways …

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 (Modifications of Schedule 5) Order 2004 are intended, once made, to enable the Scottish Parliament to legislate to transfer the rail transport powers of the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority and Strathclyde Pas…