Parliamentary questions
Kenneth Gibson
2,008 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce legislation to ensure that owners are required to regularly inspect their buildings to ensure their safety thereof.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: There are no plans to introduce such legislation.
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, in partnership with Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Glasgow City Council and developers, to address the anticipated shortages of "advanced factories", defined as of high quality and located in detached premises of between 929 and 5,574 square metres.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The provision of business space within the city of Glasgow is one of the key priorities of the City Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow (SEG) and the Glasgow Alliance, and a great deal of activity is being undertaken in this field.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><…
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to reverse the decline of 16% in the number of new business start-ups from 1998 to 1999.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Fluctuations in the number of business starts are heavily influenced by conditions in the broader economy. The Scottish Executive has established a <I>Framework for Economic Development</I> that highlights a range of policies to secure economic development. G…
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, in partnership with Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Glasgow City Council and developers, to ensure provision of (a) quality modern office space and (b) trained service sector office staff.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: These issues are of prime concern to the Scottish Executive, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and Glasgow City Council.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>In terms of provision of quality modern office space, tenant demand in the city centre is strong, with the vacancy r…
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) male and (b) female residents of working age are in employment in each local authority area.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Figures on employment rates for men and women by local authority area are publicly available from the NOMIS database. Staff at the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) are ready to help access this information.
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure a co-ordinated approach to new house building projects, taking into account play, community, shopping and educational needs.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: National planning policy guidelines seek to ensure that, when local authorities assess the requirement for housing land, they will be guided by a number of considerations relevant to the circumstances of their area. These may include: the availability of or n…
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Accounts Commission for Scotland publication Supporting Prescribing in General Practice in September 1999, which of the following recommendations has each health board implemented: (a) substitution of branded Ranitidine and Fluoxetine by their generic equivalents an…
Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally and should be sought from individual health boards and Primary Care Trusts. Prescribers and health board and Primary Care Trust prescribing advisers receive for review regular reports from the Information a…
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to require each health board, prior to each Drugs and Therapeutics Committee meeting, to make an agenda publicly available.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer Mr Gibson to the answer I gave to question S1W-11138.
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to require health boards to make each Drugs and Therapeutics Committee meeting open to the public, Primary Care Trusts and Acute Trusts.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer Mr Gibson to the answer I gave to question S1W-11138.
9 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to require health boards to make publicly available the minutes and attendance records from each Drugs and Therapeutics Committee meeting.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Code of Practice on Openness for the NHS in Scotland makes a presumption of openness and accessibility of information to the public, subject to certain exceptions such as information on individuals and about internal discussions which would harm frank deb…
3 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to cut any red tape for overseas companies wishing to invest in Scotland.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive seeks to reduce any unnecessary bureaucratic burden affecting any company within Scotland.
3 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote Scotland overseas as a dynamic place for innovative pharmaceutical and biotechnological research.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive is working closely with Scottish Enterprise to strengthen Scotland's position as a world centre for leading edge biotechnology and pharmaceutical research. Between 1999 and 2004, as part of the biotechnology cluster action plan, Scotti…
3 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what encouragement it is giving to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council to increase support for pharmaceutical sciences.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 specifically prevents Ministers from directly interfering in the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council's funding of particular institutions or subject areas. The Scottish Executive's guidance to the Sco…
3 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to attract bio-manufacturing to Scotland.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Locate in Scotland (LiS) has identified the strengthening of a number of key clusters, which are crucial to the performance and development of the Scottish economy, as part of its strategic portfolio approach to inward investment. Biotechnology is one of the …
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what cost benefit analysis has been undertaken, in partnership with the NHS in England and Wales where appropriate, into the use of newer, safer, more effective medicines rather than older, less expensive drugs which may have a poorer safety profile and a lower level of patient complianc…
Answer · Susan Deacon: No cost benefit analysis can be attempted in global terms to make the comparison between more recently introduced products which claim to be safer, against established products.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">A cost benefit analysis or other economic analyses can only be …
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it provides on treating schi'ophrenia and other mental illnesses with resperidone, olan'apine and quetiapine rather than older medicines such as chlorproma'ine.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The use of risperidone, olanzapine and quetiapine for the treatment of schizophrenia and other mental illness depends on the clinical judgement of the clinician concerned. It is for each health board to determine its prescribing policy on drugs, including ris…
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what treatment guidelines are issued regarding the prescribing of donepe'il hydrochlor for patients suffering from Al'heimer's disease.
Answer · Susan Deacon: In 1998, guidance on the use of Donepezil Hydrochloride in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease produced by the Standing Medical Advisory Committee in England and endorsed by the National Medical Advisory Committee in Scotland, was issued to all Health Boards…
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to allow Tobramycin to be prescribed for the treatment of cystic fibrosis and what guidelines will be issued to health boards regarding this medicine.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Tobramycin is available on the NHS in Scotland and its use as a treatment for cystic fibrosis depends on the clinical judgement of the clinician concerned. It is for each health board to determine its prescribing policy on drugs, including Tobramycin, taking …
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which health boards allow doctors to prescribe (a) temo'olomide for the treatment of brain cancer and (b) inrinotecan for the treatment of bowel cancer.
Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally. Details of drug treatments given in hospitals are not available centrally. Data collected centrally relates only to prescribed items dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors.
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage local authority officers and members to commit themselves fully to the Best Value programme.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Local authorities made a full commitment to Best Value in 1998 by the preparation of implementation plans for its incorporation. This justified the continuance of the moratorium on Compulsory Competitive Tendering by the then Minister for Local Government, He…
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to empower communities.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: We provided an overview of our empowering communities agenda in the Social Justice Action Note published in June (copies available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, Bib no. 6978). We are further developing this agenda through practical action to …
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to assist charities that have lost rates relief following decisions by the water authorities to end such relief.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-2755 on 11 January 2001.
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact this year's increase in water and sewerage rates has had on small voluntary organisations.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: In the case of premises such as charity shops, offices and depots whose relief from water charges began to be phased out from 1 April 2000, the impact of increased charges and withdrawal is set out in the following table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDIN…
2 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to allow patients to return unused and unopened medicines prior to the expiry date and to have prescription charges refunded.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Patients can take any unused medicines to their local pharmacy for safe disposal. We have no plans to refund prescription charges collected on returned medicines.
1 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce legislation to tighten controls over fireworks.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The sale and supply of fireworks is a consumer protection matter and as such is reserved.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The UK Government undertook a comprehensive review of the controls on fireworks in 1996, which led to the introduction of the Fireworks (Safety) Regula…
31 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why it intends to introduce a requirement on councils to redistribute 2% of their annual budget as a result of carrying out Best Value reviews.
Answer · Peter Peacock: In better aligning demand for and supply of services, the Scottish Executive expects Best Value to be a useful tool in establishing where funds are being applied to less than optimum effect, and could be better recycled within the authority.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY"…
27 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that local authorities seek out local government benchmarking partners.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-10710.
27 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that key decision makers, including elected members and officials receive full and accurate reports regarding local authority service performance.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-10710.
27 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that local authorities link budgets and other resources to key service priorities.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-10710.
27 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve local authority performance management and planning in relation to Best Value.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive is working in partnership with local authorities and others to further develop Best Value in local government.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Accounts Commission has recently completed its first audit of Performance Management and Planning (PMP)…