Parliamentary questions
Mr Duncan Hamilton
494 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
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 each health board's unified budget was for 1999-2000 and will be in 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=517><TR><TD WIDTH="42%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=2><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Health Board</TD><TD WIDTH="19%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=2><P ALIGN="CENTER">1999-2000<P …
10 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4728 by Susan Deacon on 26 April 2000, what percentage of each health board's budget increase for years 2000-01 and 2001-02 has been earmarked for work on specific national projects, targets and pilot schemes, broken down by project/target/scheme and…
Answer · Susan Deacon: None. Health boards are given a unified budget to enable them to meet the health care needs of their resident populations. It is for health boards to decide how best to meet national and local priorities, and to reflect them in their Health Improvement Progra…
10 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the remit, membership, process for membership selection, aims and objectives and the work to date of the Special Educational Needs Advisory Forum.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: In their response to the Riddell Report in Autumn 1999, Ministers invited nominations for the forum. Over 50 were received, of which 19, representing a broad base of SEN and related expertise and geographical spread, were invited to join the group. The member…
10 May 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline its policy towards rural schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: All our policies for schools are directed towards ensuring that all children in rural areas benefit from school provision of the highest quality.
9 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to questions S1W-2029 lodged on 18 October 1999 and S1W-4614 lodged on 22 February 2000, when it expects to give a substantive answer to question S1W-2029 and whether it will give an explanation for the delay.
Answer · Donald Dewar: PQ S1W-2029 was answered on 9 May.
4 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the deficit of each NHS Trust was at 31 March 2000.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=587><TR><TD WIDTH="74%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=59><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3><P ALIGN="CENTER">Trust</TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=59><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3><P AL…
3 May 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the future role of Caledonian MacBrayne will be in relation to the Gourock-Dunoon ferry route.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: On 27 April I announced the steps which the Scottish Executive will be taking to ensure that CalMac's services comply with EC law. This will involve the routes being put out to competitive tender. However, we will continue to subsidise the network and ensure …
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5382 by Iain Gray on 13 April 2000, to provide a breakdown, for each year given, of the amount of money transferred, detailing how much money was received by each agency involved.
Answer · Iain Gray: This information is available on request from Argyll and Clyde Health Board.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2890 by Susan Deacon on 15 December 1999, why information relating to health and safety enforcement orders is not held centrally.
Answer · Susan Deacon: It is entirely a matter for individual NHS Trusts to ensure that the NHS estate complies with current legislative standards.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the Minister for Finance arrived at the figure of 7.5% real terms increase in health expenditure, as given in the Official Report for 30 March 2000, col. 1197.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer to question S1W-6363.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, for each year from 1996 onwards, what proportion of the total fishing licences administered by the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department are attached to (a) vessels' fishing licences and (b) producers' organisations' "dummy vessels".
Answer · John Home Robertson: So-called "dummy vessels" are an administrative mechanism by which producer organisations are able to acquire and hold fixed quota units for the common good of their members. They are not vessels and fishing licences are not attached to them.<P>The number of …
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the real term budget increase as set out in table 4.15 of Investing in You: The Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive for years 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The real terms increases shown in Table 4.15 in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are 7.9% and 1% respectively. However, the figures included in Table 4.15 take no account of the additional £173 million added to the Health Budget in 2000-01 and includes in the 1999-2000 …
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the total estate held by each local authority, excluding housing stock, is used in the performance of their statutory functions (e.g. education, libraries etc); what percentage of the estate held is not used for any such statutory function and how these figures compare …
Answer · Frank McAveety: This information is not held centrally.
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the clinical research carried out by the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland from its establishment to date.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Below is a list of the completed (C) and ongoing (O) research projects with a clinical component carried out by NRIS to date. (This represents about two thirds of the total output of NRIS; the remaining one third of projects provide the methodological underpi…
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the remit, aims and objectives of the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland and how far the Unit is fulfilling each of these objectives.
Answer · Susan Deacon: NRIS was founded in 1994. It is one of seven research units which receives core funding from the Chief Scientist Office. The seven core funded units are diverse and cover areas including health economics, dental research, health services research, and researc…
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the reasoning behind the relocation of the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland from Glasgow Caledonian University to the University of Stirling and the consultation process involved in that decision.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The principal grant-holder and host institution for NRIS is, and remains, Glasgow Caledonian University, and there has been no relocation from that institution. However the initiative had always been conceived as serving the whole of the nursing research comm…
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the process involved in the appointment of the Director of the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland; why the post has been downgraded from full-time to one week per month and what consultation process was involved in making that decision.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Glasgow Caledonian University is the host institution and principal grant-holder for the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland (NRIS). When the Founding Director retired, Glasgow Caledonian advertised for a full-time director on two separate occasions. Des…
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the research projects which the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland has been involved in from its establishment to date.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Below is a list of the completed (C) and ongoing (O) research projects carried out by NRIS to date. Projects still in the development stage have not been included.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">1. Survey of staff knowledge of Blood Pressure Measurement at the Victoria In…
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it requires NHS managers responsible for the management and maintenance of the NHS estate to hold a professional qualification in a construction or property discipline.
Answer · Susan Deacon: It is for each NHS Trust and health board as the employer to decide whether the appointment of NHS managers responsible for estates/property issues should hold a professional qualification in a construction or property discipline.
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the total estate held by each local authority, excluding housing stock, currently complies with health and safety legislation and how this compares with the figures in each of the financial years from 1996-97 to 1999-2000.
Answer · Frank McAveety: This information is not held centrally. It is the responsibility of each local authority to ensure that it complies with the relevant health and safety legislation.
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of local authority spending has been devoted to the maintenance of their estates, excluding housing stock, for each local authority in each financial year from 1996-97 to date.
Answer · Frank McAveety: This information is not held centrally.
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are required to produce an annual estates strategy to indicate how they allocate resources to ensure that their estate complies with all statutory standards and is fit for purpose.
Answer · Frank McAveety: No.
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail each working group and advisory committee which reports to the Health Department including their remit, membership and timescale for final report.
Answer · Susan Deacon: It is not practicable to list all the ad-hoc groups and bodies that the Health Department works with in the development and implementation of health policy.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Some of the main working groups and advisory committees are as follows:<TABLE BORDER…
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the health budget figures for the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01 used to calculate the 7.3% real terms increase referred to by the Minister for Finance in his ministerial statement on 30 March 2000.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Health expenditure in Scotland in 2000-01 is planned to be £5,417 million, a real terms increase over the planned expenditure of £4,936 million in 1999-2000 of 7.3%.
4 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why there is no link between Pay Review Body pay settlements and those groups outwith the Review process.
Answer · Jack McConnell: Pay settlements are determined in light of the particular circumstances of each individual group of staff. The terms of reference for Pay Review Bodies require them to take account of the need to recruit, retain and motivate staff; the funds available to orga…
4 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects Agenda for Change - Modernising the NHS Pay System to be concluded.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive, along with the other three Health Departments, is taking forward negotiations on <I>Agenda for Change </I>on a UK basis<I>.</I><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The timetable for concluding modernisation of the NHS pay system has yet to be agreed and…
4 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail, for the years 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03 the pay offer for each section of staff within (a) the Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine Pay Review Body and (b) the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Pay increases for these staff groups are recommended on an annual basis by the independent Pay Review Bodies (PRB) and as such no offer for 2001-02 and 2002-03 has yet been made. For 2000-01, the PRBs recommended headline increases of 3.4% for nurses, midwive…
4 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what groups have expressed an interest in joining the Nurses Pay Review Body.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The possible extension to the remit and coverage of the NPRB forms part of the wider negotiations on NHS pay modernisation which are ongoing between the four UK Health Departments, healthcare trades unions and NHS managers.
4 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all medical services previously carried out by National Health Service staff which have been put out to tender over the last five years.
Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.
31 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4432 by Susan Deacon on 13 March 2000, whether it will list the members of the working group established by the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee to look at recruitment, training and retention of medical laboratory staff; what is the…
Answer · Susan Deacon: The remit of the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee (SMASAC) Working Group on the recruitment, training and retention of Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers is:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">"To consider issues relating to the recruitment, trainin…