Mr Keith Harding

11 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the predicted increase in cancer prevalence in Scotland, and the importance of specialised staff for the improvement in cancer outcomes, what plans it has to increase the number of medical and clinical oncologists over the next five to ten years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive and the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (SCPMDE) are currently in the process of undertaking their annual review of the Specialist Registrar (SpR) establishment. This review determines the numbers of highe…

21 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs, if any, it estimates will be lost in local government as a result of the recently announced financial settlement for Scottish councils.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Government Supported Expenditure will be £6,746 million in 2000-01, an increase of 3.7% over the comparable figure for this year, and higher than the projected increase in inflation. It is for individual local authorities to prepare their own budgets in the l…

17 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will identify the specific departmental budgets which have underspent in 1999-2000, enabling savings to be spent on rescue packages for Scottish Opera and Hampden.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The package to assist Scottish Opera will draw on anticipated savings in the assisted places scheme in 1999-2000, as a result of the scheme being phased out. The remainder of the assistance for Scottish Opera and Hampden has been met from end year flexibility…

16 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-2224 and S1W-2867 by Mr Frank McAveety on 25 November 1999 and 14 December 1999 respectively, whether it considers that Stirling Council acted lawfully in relation to the co-option of individuals and council committees against the advice of its moni…

Answer · Frank McAveety: I understand that it has been the policy of Stirling Council since 1996 to include in committees members who were thought to be able to bring particular useful points of view or experience to the work of the committees. The Council is fully entitled to follow…

16 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the provision of police air support on a national basis and, if so, what are its conclusions.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The provision of police air support is an operational matter and therefore one for Chief Constables.

10 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to S1W-2232 and S1W-2233 by Susan Deacon on 30 November 1999, what plans there are to improve cancer survival rates by expanding specialist staffing in cancer services in Scotland as part of the work of the Scottish Cancer Group.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Cancer is one of three clinical priorities for the NHS in Scotland.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Workforce planning is an integral part of the planning cycle for the NHS in Scotland. Specialist medical staffing is monitored annually, as are the numbers of nurses require…

1 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2224 by Mr Frank McAveety on 25 November 1999, whether it will publish Stirling Council's account of its actions in relation to the co-option of individuals to council committees against the advice of its legal and monitoring officer.

Answer · Frank McAveety: It is for Stirling Council to account for its actions in this or any other matter. I understand that the draft minutes of the meeting at which this decision was taken are already in the public domain.

18 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial or other assistance is available to members of the public who wish to alleviate health ha'ards resulting from poor quality drinking water being supplied to their homes.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Strict standards to protect public health are set out in drinking water quality legislation. Robust systems, involving the local authority, the health board and the water authority, are in place to ensure that public drinking water supplies are wholesome. Hea…

28 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what new investment in cancer services, in terms of (a) drugs and (b) staffing, each Scottish health board has made in each of the last three years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: In keeping with the priority that we attach to cancer, the Scottish Cancer Group has been set up to take forward at national level the further development of cancer services. The Group's tasks include the establishment of robust systems of clinical audit to u…

28 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultant clinical and medical oncologists were employed at each of the five Scottish specialist cancer centres in each of the last three years and how many patients were seen per consultant at each centre.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The number of consultant clinical and medical oncologists employed at each of the Trusts that contain the five Scottish specialist centres is shown in the attached Table 1. The information is given in terms of whole time equivalent at 30 September of each yea…

28 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action, if any, it proposes to take against Stirling council which at its meeting on the 7 October 1999 acted against the advice of its Monitoring Officer and beyond its legal competence by co-opting individuals disqualified under Part III of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Stirling council is free, as any council is, to adopt its own policies, provided they are within the law. We have asked the council to give us a full account of the council's practice in regard to co-option to committees, in relation to the relevant statutory…

21 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been any increase in the incidence of (a) stomach complaints and (b) digestive system complaints since the introduction of GM foods and whether there has been an increase in the prescription of medicine for these complaints.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Information on face-to-face patient/GP consultations is available nationally from a representative sample of General Practices in Scotland.<P>An analysis of the recorded incidence of stomach and digestive system disease based on this sample is shown in table …

1 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes have still to be introduced to the permanent management of the East Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire Council DLOs to ensure that an efficient service is provided to the public.

Answer · Frank McAveety: It is for both Councils to take responsibility for ensuring that any necessary changes to the management of their DLOs are made. Under the terms of the Section 19B Directions, both councils are implementing business plans.

1 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to ensure that the DLO deficits in East Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire councils do not recur.

Answer · Frank McAveety: It is for both Councils to take responsibility for ensuring deficits do not recur. Under the terms of the Section 19B Directions, both councils have tendered a significant proportion of the relevant work to the private sector. North&nbsp;Lanarkshire Council a…

1 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the current financial position of the DLOs in East Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire councils.

Answer · Frank McAveety: This is a matter for the councils themselves, although the Scottish Executive continues to monitor progress in both councils under the terms of Directions issued under Section 19B of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980.

1 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many repairs have been carried out to the M9 between junctions 9 and 11 over the past five years and at what cost.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: For the period 1 April 1996 to 31 January 1999 £672,000 has been spent on routine and structural maintenance on the M9 between Junctions 9 and 11. Prior to April 1996 the M9 was maintained on behalf of the Secretary of State by the former Central Regional C…

19 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will redefine the powers available to litter wardens under section 88 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to enable them to demand the name and address of litter offenders without the presence of a police officer.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: We have no such plans.

19 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish the outcome of the 1998 consultation document "Access to Justice: Beyond the year 2000".

Answer · Jim Wallace: We are considering the outcome of this consultation in the context of our consideration of the civil justice system generally. This is a complex area and we shall make an announcement as soon as our deliberations are completed.

19 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost incurred to date by Central Scotland Police is in respect of current disciplinary hearings.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I understand that the force has still to estimate the cost of the disciplinary hearing of Inspector John Bunyan, which concluded recently. No other disciplinary hearings are currently in progress.

19 Jul 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take to ensure that local authorities pay their bills from private suppliers and contractors on time.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Payment arrangements are a matter between local authorities and individual suppliers. However, we encourage local authorities to pay their bills promptly.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The Accounts Commission publishes annual comparative information on local au…

25 Jun 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, given that the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) is almost entirely funded by public money, it intends to carry out an urgent inquiry into the administrative and financial affairs of TPAS.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: An independent investigation has already been carried out. The report is currently with TPAS and the Scottish Executive awaits its response. All grant to the Tenant Participation Advisory Service is being withheld until the Scottish Executive is satisfied t…

22 Jun 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether or not it intends to introduce any system of proportional representation voting for local government elections in Scotland.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: As I announced on 2 July, this is to be considered as part of a wider package of measures to revitalise local government. A cross-party working group will be established to look at electoral systems for local government, widening the range of citizens intere…