Parliamentary questions

Ken Macintosh

1,334 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

24 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the redesign of paediatric scoliosis services.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: An independent expert review of the Scottish specialist spinal deformity service was undertaken during 2010-11 in order to examine the evidence base for the surgical treatment of scoliosis, the demand for the service, the configuration and performance of the …

21 Sep 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the needs of people with rare conditions such as paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Following on from the EU Council Recommendation on An Action in the field of Rare Diseases, work is underway led by the Department of Health, in which all four UK Health Departments are working together to prepare a national (UK) Plan for rare diseases.

19 Sep 2011 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking following the loss of 1,000 jobs in the further education sector over the last year.

13 Sep 2011 · Written Question

Answer · Michael Russell: Costs of providing full cost tuition fee loans to Scottish domiciled students studying in England, Wales and Northern Ireland during the periods in question are as follows: 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Actual costs £2.2 million £2.5 million £2.6 million

13 Sep 2011 · Written Question

Answer · Michael Russell: The costs of increasing the provision of full tuition fee loans to Scottish-domiciled students studying in England, Wales and Northern Ireland post academic year 2012-13 are dependent on a range of variables. These include: 1. the higher education institutio…

5 Sep 2011 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what agreement the Scottish Government has made with universities regarding access arrangements for students from the rest of the UK.

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have a public library within walking distance.

Answer · Michael Russell: This is a matter for individual local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding the Scottish Book Trust has received (a) in total and (b) for the Bookbug programme in each year since 2007.

Answer · Angela Constance: Since 2007, the Scottish Government has funded the Scottish Book Trust as follows: (a) Total amount 2007-08 £70,083.88 2008-09 £89,695.09 2009-10 £1,120,262.92 2010-11 £1,489,474.01 (b) Bookbug was launched by Scottish Book Trust on 30 June 2010. …

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take action to increase the number of (a) pupils and (b) schools using the public library network.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has already taken action to encourage pupils and schools to use the public library network. The government funds the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) and they have a programme of initiatives designed to increase the num…

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the reasons for Audit Scotland figures showing a decrease in the number of library users between 2006 and 2009.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Audit Scotland figures show that library users, in terms of visits to libraries, increased between 2006 and 2009. The following table has further details. Year Number of Library Users 2006-07 27,485,196 2007-08 28,277,663 2008-09 29,932,592 2009-10 …

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the next meeting of the Standing Literacy Commission will be held.

Answer · Michael Russell: The next meeting of the Standing Literacy Commission will be held on Wednesday 31 August 2011.

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what date in August the minutes of the Standing Literacy Commission meeting on 18 May 2011 will be published.

Answer · Michael Russell: The note of the Standing Literacy Commission meeting held on 18 May 2011 will be agreed at the next meeting of the commission and made available as soon as possible after that.

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what emphasis it puts on community and personal participation in measuring the use of public libraries.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Public Library Quality Improvement Matrix (PLQIM) was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2006. This is a self-evaluation tool providing local authorities with an opportunity for local library services to demonstrate to the public the quality of libr…

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have had a school library in each year since 2007.

Answer · Michael Russell: This is a matter for individual local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

22 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures patients with rheumatoid arthritis are (a) identified early and (b) referred rapidly to specialist care.

Answer · Michael Matheson: SIGN launched Guideline 123 on the Management of Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) launched on 10 February, provides advice and recommendations on the early diagnosis and management of RA. SIGN expects that the guideline will help to ensure both early diagnosis…

22 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the new Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guideline on the management of early rheumatoid arthritis will be implemented.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Implementation of national clinical guidelines is the responsibility of each NHS board and is an essential part of clinical governance. Local mechanisms should therefore be in place to review care provided against guideline recommendations. The reasons for an…

22 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to develop communication and joint working between primary and secondary care professionals dealing with rheumatoid arthritis.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We have for some years advocated a Managed Clinical Network approach to services for those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The approach gives a strong voice to the voluntary sector and clinicians in developing services while promoting multi-disciplinary worki…

22 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of services for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Following a request from the Scottish Government, the Scottish Public Health Network (SPHN) is updating the Public Health Institute for Scotland (PHIS) report Rheumatoid arthritis in adults: Gaining health from effective treatment (2002), as part of its curre…

18 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on whether student loan arrangements are sufficient to maintain equitable access to higher education institutions in England for Scottish domiciled students.

Answer · Michael Russell: Tuition fee loans have been a feature of the student support structure for Scottish-domiciled students studying at higher education institutions in the rest of the United Kingdom for several years. We will continue to provide access to full tuition fee loans …

18 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will cost to fund tuition fee loans for Scottish students studying at higher education institutions in England for each of the next four years.

Answer · Michael Russell: The cost to fund tuition fees for Scottish students studying at higher education institutions in England is affected by many variables. These include the university attended, the course studied, and whether the student takes out a tuition fee loan.

18 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure wider access arrangements at higher education institutions in England will apply to Scottish domiciled students.

Answer · Michael Russell: Higher education institutions in England are autonomous bodies and it will be for them to put in place access measures that will encourage and support able Scottish students from non-traditional backgrounds thus ensuring fairness and parity of opportunities f…

11 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what factors other than timescale it will consider when reaching a final determination on the proposal to close Robslee Primary School in East Renfrewshire.

Answer · Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-1622 on 4 August 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusi…

11 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider only the issue of timescale when reaching a final determination on the proposal to close Robslee Primary School in East Renfrewshire.

11 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider the arguments raised by parents when reaching a final determination on the proposal to close Robslee Primary School in East Renfrewshire.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Ministers, in determining East Renfrewshire Council’s decision to close Robslee Primary School, will consider all evidence relating to the Council’s statutory obligations under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, and whether these hav…

4 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that information on all incidents of bullying in schools is collected by each local authority.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: Developed in partnership with the Scottish Anti-bullying Steering Group and published by the Scottish Government in November 2010, A National Approach to Anti-bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People makes clear that it is essential for organisations…

4 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how often ministers meet the Scottish Anti-Bullying Steering Group.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: Ministers have already agreed a National Approach for Anti-Bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People, which was developed in partnership with the Scottish Anti-Bullying Steering Group. The work of the Scottish Anti-Bullying Steering Group is framed wi…

4 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what next steps it will take to tackle bullying in schools.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government wholly funds the national anti-bullying service, respectme and will continue to support Childline to provide the Bullying Helpline. We will also continue to engage with relevant stakeholders via the Scottish Anti-bullying Steering Grou…

4 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a system to ensure that all incidents of bullying are recorded by each school.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S4W-1507, answered on 2 August 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/p…

29 Jun 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it supports private rented housing.

27 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it offers public libraries to help them to encourage their use by (a) pupils and (b) schools.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The provision of library services is the responsibility of local authorities. Local decision-making determines the services and support libraries offer. The Scottish Government provides funding to the Scottish Library and Information Council who encourage pub…