Parliamentary questions

Mr Duncan Hamilton

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

3 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2058 by Mr Jack McConnell on 10 November 1999, whether it will detail the total number of civil servants employed (a) full time and (b) part time, broken down by department, between administrative and professional staff and by grade.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The staffing figures as at 1 December 1999 are set out in the table. The information is broken down by department and then by the grades used by that department.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=647><TR><TD WIDTH="13%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16>…

2 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the total estate and essential estate in each NHS trust in Scotland complies with health and safety legislation and how this compares with the figures in each of the financial years from 1993-94 to date.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The attached Table A1 provides the requested information at 31 March 1999 and using the configuration of NHS Trusts as effective at 1 April 1999. The equivalent information for earlier years, where available, is set out in Tables A2 (essential) and A3 (total)…

2 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current level of backlog maintenance is in each NHS Trust in Scotland and how this compares with the figures in each of the financial years from 1993-94 to date.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.It is for individual NHS Trusts to manage any maintenance costs from the resources available.

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources it has made available to those NHS Trusts in Scotland that have had enforcement orders placed on them by the Health and Safety Executive.

Answer · Susan Deacon: There is no requirement for NHS Trusts to inform the Health Department of any enforcement orders placed on them.NHS Trusts are expected to meet their statutory requirements from the annual allocation they receive.

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to audit the figures submitted by NHS Trusts in Scotland to ensure that the estate and maintenance returns are accurate.

Answer · Susan Deacon: NHS Trusts submit information on Estates and Maintenance, including costs, as a small part of the annual data collection exercise to produce the Scottish Health Service Costs Book.The total costs submitted as part of this process have to be reconciled by t…

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS trusts employ a chartered engineer or chartered surveyor as the person responsible for the management and maintenance of the estate and which trusts place this responsibility in the hands of an administrator.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.It is for individual NHS Trusts to determine and employ the appropriate staff to carry out the management and maintenance of the NHS estate.

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Trust revenue spending has been devoted to the maintenance of the estate in each NHS Trust in each financial year from 1993-94 to date.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The table attached gives the percentages requested for each Trust for the period 1994-95 to 1998-99. The figures for estate maintenance are not available for the financial year 1993-94. Trust status was granted in four waves over the period 1991 to 1995, as s…

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS trusts in Scotland have had enforcement orders placed on them by the Health and Safety Executive as a result of their failure to ensure that their kitchens comply with current legislative standards.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.It is for individual NHS Trusts to ensure that their kitchens comply with current legislative standards.

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1914 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 26 October 1999, what procedure exists for assessing clients with special needs in the transitional period between leaving school and finding a career.

Answer · Henry McLeish: Clients at school with a record of needs receive a future needs assessment before they leave school. The careers service are involved in this process and their services remain available to the client after they leave school in accordance with individual needs…

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1915 by Henry McLeish on 25 October 1999, whether it will publish the monitoring information provided on a quarterly basis by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise on the numbers of clients requiring special training needs provisio…

Answer · Henry McLeish: Publication of information collected by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise is a matter for these bodies and enquiries about such information should be directed to them.I will inform the organisations of your …

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1916 by Henry McLeish on 25 October 1999, when it will publish the outcomes of the new staffing survey of careers services and what stage the survey has reached to date.

Answer · Henry McLeish: Information for Scotland and England is currently being collected by the Department for Education and Employment and has yet to be analysed. The projected date for publication is March 2000.

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1915 by Henry McLeish on 25 October 1999, how many pupils with special needs in mainstream schooling have participated in work experience for each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The information on pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools participating in work experience is not held centrally. A new method of data collection has been introduced which will address this anomaly. Data collection is being phased in and …

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1916 by Henry McLeish on 25 October 1999, whether it will publish the names and responsibilities of five careers advisors and 7.5 members of staff designated as "other" employed by Argyll and Bute service company.

Answer · Henry McLeish: Argyll and Bute Careers Service Company Ltd is a private company and as such the release of information pertaining to staff employed by them is a matter for the company.

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1909 by Henry McLeish on 25 October 1999, how many careers advisors with specialist training for dealing with clients with special needs are currently employed in each local authority in Scotland.

Answer · Henry McLeish: There are 17 career service company areas which are co-terminous with local enterprise company rather than local authority areas.For the number of careers advisors with specialist training, I would refer Mr Hamilton to the answer given to the question S1W-…

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1910 by Henry McLeish on 21 October 1999, what mechanism exists for it to monitor the provision of career services.

Answer · Henry McLeish: There are a number of mechanisms. Each year business planning meetings are carried out and a set of numerical targets and performance measures are agreed for each company. The targets typically cover number of interviews, action plans, referrals and placings,…

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1910 by Henry McLeish on 21 October 1999, what professional careers advice and counselling is available to clients with special needs in addition to the provision of information in leaflet form.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The scope and standard of service which has to be delivered to clients with special needs is outlined in the Guidance Framework for Career Service Companies issued in April 1998. In providing the service, career service companies seek to ensure that the infor…

29 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2275 by Susan Deacon on 18 November 1999, what the most frequent post meningitis illnesses are and what resources are targeted towards providing treatment for those conditions.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Patients who have had meningococcal infection may suffer a variety of consequences, including deafness, brain damage, epilepsy, changes in eyesight, general fatigue and giddiness. Patients suffering these complications are treated by the National Health Servi…

23 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether decisions on whether a drug or procedure is affordable in the NHS in Scotland are, and will continue to be, taken by the Executive rather than the Scottish Health Technology Assessment Centre.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The provision of health technologies are, and will remain, a matter for local decision by Health Boards.The Scottish Health Technology Assessment Centre will assist this process by providing a single focus for advice on the clinic…

23 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of independence as the Scottish Health Technology Assessment Centre has to select its own subjects for investigation.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Health Technology Assessment Centre will be independent of Ministers and NHS management when selecting topics for assessment. Scottish Ministers may from time to time ask SHTAC to look at a particular topic, but whether it does so will be for SHT…

18 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to conduct a comprehensive review of its policy and procedures in relation to amnesic shellfish poisoning.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The statutory marine biotoxin monitoring programme which includes the monitoring of amnesic shellfish poisoning is comprehensively reviewed at the end of each year.

17 Nov 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to conduct a comprehensive review of its policy and procedures in relation to amnesic shellfish poisoning.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The statutory marine biotoxin monitoring programme which includes the monitoring of amnesic shellfish poisoning is comprehensively reviewed at the end of each year.