Parliamentary questions

Mr Duncan Hamilton

494 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

15 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), what the definition is of "standard treatment" as used by the National Screening Committee.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The National Screening Committee does not define standard treatment. Its criteria, however, include requirements that there should be an effective treatment or intervention established for patients identified through early detection, and that there should be …

15 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), what tests for dyspraxia have been considered and in particular, what consideration has been given to the tests outlined in Madeline Portwood's book Developmental Dyspraxia.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The consideration of testing procedures for any condition is a matter for individual clinical judgement, unless the condition is one which is subject to a national screening programme or is under consideration for a national screening programme. In that case …

15 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), what the full criteria are which have to be fulfilled to allow the National Screening Committee to advise that a condition be added to the current screening programme.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Ideally all the criteria set out below should be met before screening for a condition is initiated. The criteria are based on the classic criteria first promulgated in a WHO Report in 1996, and also take into account international work on the appraisal of scr…

15 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, which of the conditions that fall under the remit of the National Screening Committee's children's sub-group currently have screening programmes.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The National Screening Committee and its Child Health Sub-Group keep all conditions which have current screening programmes under review to ensure that any new developments in testing or treatment are taken into account. The conditions which have current scre…

15 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), (a) what conditions are currently being considered by the National Screening Committee's children's sub-group and (b) what conditions the National Screening Committee's children's sub-…

Answer · Susan Deacon: The National Screening Committee's Child Health Sub-group is currently involved in a very full three-year rolling programme which will cover consideration of the following disease processes for possible screening programmes:MCADD (Medium Ch…

15 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), to list (a) the Executive's representatives on the National Screening Committee (NSC), (b) the Scottish Executive's representatives on the NSC's children's sub-group and (c) all other …

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Scotland is our designated representative on the National Screening Committee (NSC). He is usually represented at meetings by one of his Principal Medical Officers.A Senior Medical Officer on the CMO's st…

15 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1198) which refers to the 97 research projects currently taking place on dyspraxia, (a) what aspects of dyspraxia are being studied, (b) which institutions and academics are carrying out the …

Answer · Susan Deacon: Details of the 97 projects on Dyspraxia which are currently taking place in the UK are available from the National Research Register (NRR), a copy of which is in the Parliament's Reference Centre (SPICe).The Scottish Executive has re…

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any schemes in Scotland whereby doctors or other health professionals can prescribe heating or insulation work to be carried out on a patient's home and, if not, whether there are any plans to introduce such a scheme.

Answer · Iain Gray: There are no formal schemes. Medical opinion can and is offered in support of individual applications.On 1 July 1999, the Executive announced the Warm Deal grant scheme aimed at reducing the incidence of damp housing. £13 million is availab…

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many locums are currently employed, broken down by speciality and by health board area.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Information on the total number of locums currently employed is not collected by the NHS in Scotland. Individual health boards will hold details on locums employed in hospitals within their area.

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to detail all medical services previously carried out by NHS staff which have been put out to tender over the last five years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.

14 Jun 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it has decided not to designate the University of the Highlands and Islands as an institution eligible for funding by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.

Answer · Alasdair Morrison: An application for designation of a new institution, called UHI, was received in December 1998. A public consultation exercise identified a number of issues to be addressed before Ministers can reach a decision. Once UHI has addressed these issues we will be …

12 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6937 by Sarah Boyack on 31 May 2000, whether the research papers on Caledonian MacBrayne which have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre include all Scottish Office and Scotland Office research papers and, if not, whether these w…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Scottish Executive research papers on Caledonian MacBrayne have been placed in SPICe except in those cases where disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion. The placing in SPICe of Scotland Office and Scottish Office research paper…

12 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures it will implement to encourage the take-up of flu vaccinations and what resources will be used for a public awareness campaign.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Publicity to accompany the flu vaccination programme is currently being considered by Scottish Executive Health Department officials and by the Winter Performance Group, which comprises a range of external professionals and NHS interests. I shall make an anno…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4067 by Henry McLeish on 21 February 2000, which section of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive information justifies the non-disclosure of details of its contact with Her Majesty's Government about the effects on post offices of an …

Answer · Alasdair Morrison: Disclosure of information which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion is exempted from the commitment to provide information under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive information. The relevant section is Exemption 2.

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3876 by Mr Jack McConnell on 22 February 2000, why it will not detail the contact it has had with Her Majesty's Government about additional money for the NHS in Scotland and, if this is due to the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive info…

Answer · Jack McConnell: Discussions with HM Government take place at many levels, both Ministerially and between officials, formally and informally and often cover a range of issues. Self-evidently any such contacts take place in confidence.

7 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Health and Community Care will provide an answer to the letter dated 27 January 2000 on the subject of referral and waiting times in Argyll and Bute.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I wrote to Mr Hamilton on 9 June and am sorry for the delay in responding.

31 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list each study, consultation and report commissioned by the Minister for Health and Community Care, specifying in each case the date of publication or expected publication and the date made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I commission a wide range of studies, consultations and reports to assist in the development of both policy and services. The full details of published documents are available through the Scottish Executive website or from the Scottish Parliament Information …

31 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be saved from the announcement of maximum prices for generic medicines and what projects these savings will be redirected to.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The UK Government announced on 20 April proposals to set from 1 August 2000 maximum prices for generic drugs. The consultation period ended on 24 May and the Department has subsequently undertaken a further limited consultation with the Industry on revised ma…

23 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will answer my letter dated 4 February 2000 to the Minister for Health and Community Care on the subject of health expenditure and what the reason was for the delay.

Answer · Susan Deacon: A reply was sent on 30 September. The issues raised in relation to the percentage of GDP spend on health in Scotland compared with the European average have taken some time to resolve.

23 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will answer my letter dated 3 February 2000 to the Deputy Minister for Community Care on the subject of carers and what the reason was for the delay.

Answer · Iain Gray: I have replied today, and apologise for the delay in doing so. As a result of the raised profile we have given to carers' issues and the number of initiatives underway, a backlog of correspondence built up. This has now been cleared.

23 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6410 by Mr John Home Robertson on 11 May 2000, what amounts of fixed quota units for the North Sea and west of Scotland fisheries which are administered by its Rural Affairs Department Fisheries Division have been, for the past two years (a) attached…

Answer · John Home Robertson: The number of North Sea and West of Scotland fixed quota units in groups (producer organisations, the Lunar group, and Scottish-based non-sector vessels, but excluding the under 10 metre group), administered by the Rural Affairs department was as follows:<TAB…

23 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-1704 by Sarah Boyack on 18 May 2000, when the planning application for the Lingerbay Quarry was received and what are the specific aspects of the case which are responsible for the delay in its conclusions.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The planning application was submitted to the Western Isles Islands Council on 25 March 1991. It was thereafter called-in, for the then Secretary of State's determination, on 6 January 1994. A public local inquiry was held between 11 October 1994 an…

18 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultant posts are currently vacant and, of these, how many have been vacant for over six months, broken down in each case by specialty and by health board area.

Answer · Susan Deacon: A detailed breakdown of consultant vacancies by speciality and health board area is shown in attached tables 1 and 2.As at 30 September 1999, the total number of consultant vacancies was 135, or 4.1% of the total consultant establishment of…

18 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is regarding Historic Scotland's opposition to the improvement of Tobermory Pier.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Historic Scotland, an agency of the Scottish Executive, welcomes the proposal to improve Tobermory Pier.

17 May 2000 · Written Question

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer Mr Hamilton to my answer to question S1W-2734 on 29 February 2000.

17 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the research available to it on the development of edible protein.

Answer · John Home Robertson: The Scottish Executive is aware of a substantial volume of research on meat, vegetables and dairy produce. I understand, however, that Mr Hamilton is interested in the use of edible protein in dealing with waste from creameries. The Scottish Executive is not …

17 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place all Scottish Office and Scottish Executive research papers on Caledonian MacBrayne in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Scottish Executive research papers on Caledonian MacBrayne are normally placed in SPICe, except in those cases where disclosure would, under the terms of the exemptions in the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information, harm the frankness an…

11 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the availability of lip-reading courses in Scotland compares with that of other EU countries.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: This information is not held centrally.

11 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6004 by Susan Deacon on 4 May 2000, whether any submissions have been made as part of the negotiations on NHS pay modernisation to extend the current Pay Review Body structure and, if so, what groups of staff are being considered.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Progress on the possible extension to the remit of the Nurses Pay Review Body (NPRB) has so far been limited to the agreement of a working definition of the type of staff group that might be considered for inclusion. This definition was part of the joint stat…

10 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4687 by Susan Deacon on 26 April 2000, what the real terms increase in each health board's unified budget will be between 2000-01 and 2001-02.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is as shown in the following table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=318><TR><TD WIDTH="69%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=2>Health Board</TD><TD WIDTH="31%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=2>Real Terms<P…