Parliamentary questions
Ken Macintosh
1,334 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Nov 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on integrated inspections of early years provision.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: From April 2003 to April 2006, HM Inspectorate of Education and the Care Commission will jointly inspect all EA nursery schools and classes, independent school nursery classes, and voluntary and private pre-school centres which are in funded partnership with …
21 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate ways of overcoming any legal or technical problems in the way of introducing a scheme similar to the "Child Rescue Alert" scheme introduced by Sussex Police.
Answer · Jim Wallace: There are no current plans to do so. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) is in contact with the Association of Chief Police Officers in England and Wales and will be provided with updates on the Sussex project, particularly the planni…
21 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate introducing a scheme similar to the "Child Rescue Alert" scheme, introduced by Sussex Police, working with the broadcast media and using electronic road signs.
Answer · Jim Wallace: There are no current plans to do so. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) is in contact with the Association of Chief Police Officers in England and Wales and will be provided with updates on the Sussex project, particularly the planni…
21 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make contact with the authorities behind the "Child Rescue Alert" scheme in Sussex and whether it will consider any evidence of "Amber Alert" schemes saving children's lives in the USA.
Answer · Jim Wallace: There are no current plans to do so. However, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is in contact with the Association of Chief Police Officers in England and Wales and will be provided with updates on the Sussex project, particularly the plann…
21 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received about the "Child Rescue Alert" scheme, introduced by Sussex Police, which aims to apprehend those suspected of abducting children.
Answer · Jim Wallace: None directly. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is, however, being kept informed of developments associated with the project.
7 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish an analysis of responses to the consultation paper on the review of the law of diligence, Enforcement of Civil Obligations in Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Independent consultants carried out the analysis of the responses to this consultation paper and I have today placed the analysis report in the Parliament's Reference Centre. The report will also be available on the Scottish Executive website. <P>Sixty-eight …
30 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the recommendations set out in the report of the MMR Expert Group.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive's formal response, <I>Implementing the recommendations of the MMR Expert Group</I>, has been published today. Copies have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre. The report is also available on the Scottish Executive website.
30 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the policy and financial management review of the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA).
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Copies of report into a review of the work, policies and structures of the administration are being laid in the Parliament today. The review was the first for SCRA under the five-yearly examinations of non-domestic public bodies (NDPBs). The report concluded …
28 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the outcome of the first stage consultation paper, published last year as part of its Scottish Higher Education Review, will be made available.
Answer · Iain Gray: I can announce that a report on the outcomes of the first consultation paper, focussing on the past performance of the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC), is now available. This is being sent to all respondents, is available on the Scottish Exe…
28 Aug 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in encouraging young people to remain in education beyond the age of 16.
Answer · Iain Gray: Since 1999, a number of initiatives have been introduced to encourage young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to remain in education. These include the Education Maintenance Allowance pilot programme, the Young Student Retention Fund for Further Education…
3 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance has been in the first quarter of 2002 in answering ministerial correspondence.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: In the answer given to question S1W-24583, I undertook to continue to report quarterly on the numbers of letters received by ministers and our performance in answering them.<P>In the quarter January to March 2002, 4,511 letters were received for ministerial r…
5 Jun 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the contribution that volunteering makes to the advancement of its policies.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Volunteering is an important part of life in Scotland and makes a significant contribution to the achievement of the Executive's social justice objectives. The impact of volunteering on Scottish Executive policies is being measured as part of an evaluation of…
22 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist cancer nurses there currently are, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) specialist cancer unit.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The information requested is not held centrally.
22 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses have qualified in each post-registration specialist nursing cancer course in each of the last five years.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The information requested is set out in the following table.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=529><TR><TD WIDTH="32%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Institutions</TD><TD WIDTH="12%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1997-98</TD><TD WIDTH="12%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1998-99</TD><TD WI…
22 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many post-registration specialist nursing cancer courses are currently available.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: Specialist practitioner courses are currently available at Robert Gordon University, Dundee University and Glasgow University.
16 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when its response to the recommendations contained in the report of the UK Raptor Working Group will be made available.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The issues arising from the recovery of some bird of prey populations and their impact on game birds and moorland management, and on racing pigeons, were considered by the UK Raptor Working Group in a comprehensive report published in February 2000. In respon…
19 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what conclusions it has reached following any consultation that it has undertaken on including higher education services in the General Agreement on Trade in Services and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government recommending that such services be included in curren…
Answer · Wendy Alexander: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24210.
19 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has undertaken on including higher education services in the General Agreement on Trade in Services and what responses it has received to any such consultation.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24210.
19 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been requested by Her Majesty's Government to undertake consultation on the inclusion of higher education services in ongoing negotiations about strengthening the General Agreement on Trade in Services.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). <P>The UK Government has sought the views of the Scottish Executive on trade in education services, inc…
19 Mar 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the monitoring group on Glasgow's acute services review.
Answer · Frank McAveety: During the debate on Glasgow's acute services review on 12 September 2002, Malcolm Chisholm endorsed a commitment to keep named services at Stobhill General Hospital and the Victoria Infirmary over the next five years, and to have this monitored locally. I ha…
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce and eliminate waiting lists and waiting times for patients requiring orthopaedic surgery.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is committed to reducing waiting at every stage of the patient's journey through the NHS and to ensuring that journey is as swift and responsive as possible. The current national maximum waiting time for in-patient and day case treatmen…
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the average waiting time for a hip replacement operation in Greater Glasgow compares with all other NHS boards.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The median waiting times for hip replacement surgery, in the year ended 30 September 2001, by NHS board of residence, are given in the following table:<P>NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times For Hip Replacement Surgery, By NHS Board of Residence: Year Ending 30 …
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a hip replacement operation in Greater Glasgow.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In the year ending 30 September 2001, the median waiting time for a hip replacement operation in NHS Greater Glasgow was 218 days.
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are currently waiting for orthopaedic surgery in Greater Glasgow.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: On 31 December 2001, 3,243 patients in NHS Greater Glasgow were awaiting hospital admission for orthopaedic surgery.
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to recruit more orthopaedic surgeons in (a) Greater Glasgow and (b) across Scotland as a whole.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: It is a matter for individual NHS boards and trusts to assess and provide for local needs and to determine the staffing levels required for effective delivery of service outcomes. Trusts must be able to adapt staffing arrangements to suit the changing pattern…
7 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a costed programme to make digital hearing aids more widely available to patients, similar to the action being taken by the National Assembly for Wales.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22823.
7 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost would be of introducing a programme, modelled on the modernisation of audiology services in the NHS in Wales, in order to make digital hearing aids more widely available to patients in Scotland.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22823.
7 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to recruit and train more audiologists for the NHS.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: It is for NHS boards and trusts to assess and provide for local needs and to determine staff numbers and the design of teams required for effective delivery of service outcomes. The number of higher specialist training posts available in Scotland is regularly…
7 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to modernise NHS audiology departments.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22823.
7 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to introduce a three-yearly review for all patients fitted with NHS hearing aids.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: In answer to this question and also to questions S1W-22824, S1W-22826 and S1W-22827 I would advise that, in response to concerns about access to audiology services and quality of treatment, Good Practice Guidance on Adult Hearing and Fitting Services was issu…