Parliamentary questions
Kenneth Gibson
2,008 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
4 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to develop new validation and pricing software for processing opthalmic and pharmaceutical claims.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Practitioner Services Division of the Common Services Agency went live in October 2000 with a new data capture, validation and pricing system for processing pharmacists' claims for payment in respect of dispensed prescriptions. Software for processing oph…
4 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) adults and (b) children were registered with the NHSiS for dental services in each year from 1990-91 to 1999-2000.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The information is shown in the table below.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Number of Children and Adults in Scotland Registered with the General Dental Service (GDS)<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIGN="…
4 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review photobiology, hyperbaric medicine and hydatidiform mole services.
Answer · Susan Deacon: These three services are funded as National Services within the NHS in Scotland. A review of their National Service status has recently been carried out by the National Services Advisory Group and the group's recommendations are being considered. A decision o…
4 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce community-based blood collection teams across Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has already established six locality based collection teams throughout Scotland, and hold 2,000 sessions per year in communities and workplaces. SNBTS is currently reviewing its National Collection progr…
4 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote donation by appointment at all national blood transfusion centres.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) already operates an appointment system at its five main donor centres. SNBTS is committed to improving this system and will assess donor feedback with a view to offering the facility more widely if deman…
4 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards electronic data interchange in the NHSiS.
Answer · Susan Deacon: A number of initiatives which use electronic data interchange are underway. An important initiative is being taken forward as "Electronic Clinical Communications Implementation" (ECCI). This programme will establish widespread electronic clinical co…
3 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to recruit more occupational therapists into the NHSiS.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The overall recruitment and retention of Professions Allied to Medicine (PAMs), which include occupational therapists, remains healthy although there are some recognised difficulties in particular geographic areas and with some specialist posts.<P ALIGN="JUST…
3 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when an electronic health record of every patient will become available and who will be able to access it.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a longitudinal record of care and relevant health issues about an individual containing summarised information on important health events throughout a patient's life. It will be accessible, appropriately and with<FONT FAC…
28 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its planned research expenditure into the development of organic farming methods was in each of the last three years and will be over the next three financial years.
Answer · John Home Robertson: The expenditure incurred in each of the last three years and in each of the following three years is:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">1997-98</TD><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="JUS…
28 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses resigned from the profession in the first two years after qualification in each of the last four years for which figures are available.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally.
28 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many doctors resigned from the profession in the first two years after qualification in each of the last four years for which figures are available.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The following tables give the information requested for UK graduates (Table 1) and Scottish graduates (Table 2). The information has been provided by the Medical Careers Research Group (MCRG) at the University of Oxford. MCRG ask all those who graduate from U…
28 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many medical students graduated in Scotland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The number of medical students graduated in Scotland in each of the last five years for which figures are available are shown in the following table. The table should be read in conjunction with the notes below.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=…
28 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the number of medical students.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Scotland currently educates 14.5% of the UK total of medical students, which is significantly more than its pro rata share of 10% based on relative population size.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The number of medical students should not be decided in isolation.…
28 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its clinical priorities are in relation to reducing NHS waiting lists.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Reducing waiting for patients at all stages in their use of health services is one of the Executive's key objectives for the NHS in Scotland. We are currently working with the service on the development of all-Scotland maximum waiting times in the national cl…
28 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what total expenditure, in real terms, on research into cancer, broken down by type of cancer, (a) was in the last three years for which figures are available and (b) will be in the next three years.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Cancer is one of the Scottish Executive health priorities and a specific research priority.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">a) Over the last three financial years, the Scottish Executive has awarded the following funding in cash terms to cancer research.<TABLE BORDER CELLS…
26 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will provide towards the completion of the M74 Northern Extension.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the statement I made to Parliament on transport spending on 28 September 2000.
14 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guarantee it can give that no children's organs are now being retained at any Scottish hospital.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The position in Scotland regarding retention of organs following post-mortem examination is set out in detail in the Report of the independent Review Group on the Retention of Organs at Post-Mortem published on 6 February 2001.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The…
7 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister will reply to my letter of March 2000 regarding comments made in the Parliament on 2 March 2000.
Answer · Donald Dewar: I have replied today.
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service's Effective Use of Blood Group in assessing the large variation in blood usage by clinicians with similar specialities treating similar cases, in some cases in the same institutions, as outlined in 1999 Health …
Answer · Susan Deacon: Initial data presented by the group, which concentrated on one specialty, has resulted in changes in transfusion policy and ordering practices. This has led to a reduction in the number of units of blood used. The programme is now being extended to other spec…
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making from the "experimental and ad-hoc application of telemedicine" as outlined in its document 1999 Health in Scotland towards a more coherent use of this technology to support improved health care delivery.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Telemedicine remains a rapidly developing field with great potential to improve access to high quality care irrespective of distance. The Scottish Executive is investing £5 million to promote telemedicine schemes across Scotland and has established a Scottish…
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why the mental health of young people has deteriorated in recent years as outlined in its document 1999 Health in Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There is no single reason. The Chief Medical Officer in his annual report<I> Health in Scotland 1999</I> (bib. no. 8112) sets out a range of contributory factors.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Our task is to respond to individual needs, and to attack the causes at source…
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that clients are not pursued by different sheriff officers for council tax arrears from different years owed to the same council.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I would refer you to the joint CoSLA/Scottish Executive Report <I>It Pays to Pay</I> and to my answer to question S1W-4296 to Des McNulty of 23 February. Individuals who are being pursued by different sheriff officers can arrange payment terms on the consolid…
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, in partnership with local government, to ensure that there is negotiation of council tax debts prior to implementation of formal debt recovery procedures.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I would refer you to the joint CoSLA/Scottish Executive Report <I>It Pays to Pay</I> and to my answer to question S1W-4296 to Des McNulty of 23 February. I would encourage anyone having difficulty with their council tax payments to discuss with their council …
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, in partnership with local authorities, to (a) reduce any delays in sending out council tax bills and progressing forms and (b) simplify forms to enable earlier completion.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I would refer the member to the joint CoSLA/Scottish Executive report <I>It Pays to Pay</I> and to my answer to question S1W-4296 to Des McNulty of 23 February.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">We have made regulations that will allow councils to commence billing and collec…
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had and is having with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and local authorities to improve council tax debt recovery, in particular by eliminating any administrative mistakes.
Answer · Jack McConnell: We are having detailed discussions with CoSLA on what can be done to improve council tax delivery. These involve groups where we have drawn expertise from organisations such as CIPFA, IRRV, SMASO, Audit Scotland, Citizens Advice Scotland, Scottish Consumer Co…
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in introducing a more strategic approach to council tax debt recovery which would avoid multiple, simultaneous actions against debtors for several years of debt and provide more flexible and reliable payment options.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I would refer you to the joint CoSLA/Scottish Executive Report <I>It Pays to Pay</I> and to my answer to question S1W-4296 to Des McNulty of 23 February.
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote an ethos in schools which facilitates recognition of mental health problems in young people.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive believes that all schools should be Health Promoting Schools which instil a sense of social responsibility, respect and care for self, tolerance and understanding and respect and care for others. The Executive also supports the Scottish…
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to identify children who are at particular risk of mental health problems and to target effective, co-ordinated intervention.
Answer · Iain Gray: The published <I>Framework for Mental Heath Services in Scotland</I> underlines, for the care agencies, the importance of early screening and timely interventions in mental health, particularly for children and adolescents.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">It is for the hea…
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the prevalence of mental health problems in school-age children and what research is currently being undertaken in this field.
Answer · Iain Gray: A Scottish Executive co-funded GB survey into mental health of children and adolescents showed approximately 10% with a mental disorder. No significant geographic differences were shown.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The results of the survey are being used to inform fut…
5 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to raise awareness of bowel cancer and, in particular, the importance of diet and aspirin in reducing the risk of the disease.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is determined to address the challenges presented by cancer in <U>all </U>forms. We have pledged to tackle the root causes of ill health and will work over the next 10 years to promote healthier living and reduce mortality from cancer b…