Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what savings it expects from the (a) closure of the day units assessing and treating complex drug users at Gartnavel and Stobhill hospitals and (b) transfer of functions to community addiction teams from September 2011.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has assured me that the key driver for change has been to deliver a high quality, sustainable service that better meets the needs of patients and their families. I understand financial modelling on the service redesign is still u…
6 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde should have asked the Scottish Health Council for its observations on the consultation processes for the (a) closure of the day units assessing and treating complex drug users at Gartnavel and Stobhill hospitals and (b) transfer of f…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that a meeting has been arranged with the Scottish Health Council to take advice on effective patient focus, public involvement, participation and governance, and this will fully inform the board''s approach to mean…
6 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation was undertaken by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with (a) unit staff, (b) community addiction teams (CATs), (c) service users and (d) voluntary organisations on the (i) closure of the day units assessing and treating complex drug users at Gartnavel and Stobhill hospitals …
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that it will engage extensively with all stakeholders, including service users and staff, over the next nine months to inform the development of a new service model with will cover the functions of the current appro…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a specialist unit at HMYOI Polmont for the assessment and management of sex offenders
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >There is no separate specialist unit at HMYOI Polmont for the assessment and management of sex offenders. All young people convicted of a…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether HMP Glenochil has a child-free visiting area as well as a general area, as recommended in the Report of the Review Group on the Future Management of Sex Offenders within Scottish Prisons
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p ><i >The Report of the Review Group on the Future Management of Sex Offenders within Scottish Prisons</i> was published on 28 June 2002. S…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the sex offenders being transferred to HMP Glenochil are serving sentences of less than one year and four months, regarded as the minimum sentence required in order to undertake assessment and intervention
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >As at the 6 December 2010, there were no sex offenders at HMP Glenochil who are serving sentences of less than one year and four months.<…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the refurbished HMP Glenochil has separate facilities to house the sex offenders being transferred and whether it will act as a receiving prison for sex offenders in future or only for transfers
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The sex offenders transferred into HMP Glenochil are housed on two levels of one houseblock, separate from non-sex offender prisoners. HM…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many groups of sex offenders will undertake work to address their offending in HMP Glenochil annually
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >HMP Glenochil''s focus for programme delivery, until 31 March 2011, was agreed in early 2010 before the decision was made to transf…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the comments on training in the Report of the Review Group on the Future Management of Sex Offenders within Scottish Prisons, (a) how many and (b) which (i) grades and (ii) types of staff at HMP Glenochil have had (A) training to facilitator level or a level that enables them…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p ><i >The Report of the Review Group on the Future Management of Sex Offenders within Scottish Prisons</i> was published on 28 June 2002. S…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the transfer to HMP Glenochil of up to 150 sex offenders, whether only offenders who were previously resident in Clackmannanshire will be considered for local residence in Clackmannanshire on their discharge
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Long-term adult offenders, including sex offenders, are subject to strict release conditions. Under current arrangements prisoners are al…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37464 by Shona Robison on 22 November 2010 and given that one in four deaths in Scotland is smoking related, for what reason the smoking cessation-related activity budget for 2010-11 was reduced by £115,000 in cash terms
Answer · Shona Robison: The majority of the smoking-cessation related activity budget relates to specific funding made available for the provision of NHS smoking cessation services. There has been no reduction in this level of funding which has remained the same in 2009-10 and 2010-…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37464 by Shona Robison on 22 November 2010, what the budget in real terms for smoking cessation-related activity was in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 and will be for 2011-12.
Answer · Shona Robison: Using 2009-10 figure of £13,128,096 as the baseline figure the actual 2010-11 figure of £13,013,096 in real terms is £12,621,820.</p> <p >However, the 2009-10 figure contains short-term funding for NHS Tayside that came to an end during that period. Without…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-37400 and S3W-37389 by Stewart Stevenson on 18 November and S3W-37552 by Stewart Stevenson on 25 November 2010, when the transport plan for the 2014 Ryder Cup will be published and whether it will be published as a consultation document
Answer · Keith Brown: The development of the transport plan will be an iterative process that will draw on experience of similar events and will be fine-tuned over the next three years. There will be ongoing consultation with relevant stakeholders as part of the development work. …
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-37400 and S3W-37389 by Stewart Stevenson on 18 November and S3W-37552 by Stewart Stevenson on 25 November 2010, what the estimated costs are of upgrading Gleneagles station, including the necessary changes to make access by road safe and practical,…
Answer · Keith Brown: Development of the transport plan for the 2014 Ryder Cup is at an early stage and final decisions on transport provision for the event have yet to be agreed. As such, I am not in a position to provide any costings for the possible upgrading of Gleneagles Stat…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that those who live in care homes, and who are in the at-risk category, receive a flu vaccine.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government encourages all health boards to maximise uptake of seasonal flu vaccination amongst all those who are eligible. The vaccination of those in care homes is coordinated by local NHS health boards, care home managers and GP practices to en…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the uptake of the flu vaccination by older people who reside in care homes was in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009.
Answer · Shona Robison: Data is collected on uptake vaccine by all those aged 65 and over, but this data does not differentiate between those in care homes and those not. Individual care homes may keep records of residents who are vaccinated against seasonal flu however, this data i…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to make available under the orphan drugs risk-sharing scheme orphan or ultra-orphan treatments rejected by the Scottish Medicines Consortium on the grounds of cost-effectiveness.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The National Services Division (NSD) Risk Share arrangements only include medicines recommended for use within NHS Scotland by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC).</p> <p >In appraising orphan medicines to treat rare diseases, the Scottish Medicines Cons…
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the establishment of (a) a body or (b) specific methods at the Scottish Medicines Consortium to evaluate treatments for rare diseases.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are longstanding commissioning arrangements to ensure patients are able to benefit from specialised services for the treatment of rare and ultra-rare conditions. Access to this national resource is managed by the National Services Division (NSD) of NHS …
2 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is per course of the drug treatment for osteosarcoma recommended by the NHS and how many courses of treatment patients normally receive
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The cost per course of drug treatment for osteosarcoma is not held centrally.</p> <p >The number of courses of treatment varies from patient to patient, depending on their response to initial treatment and the general health of the individual patient. This …
30 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has undertaken of the recent decision in the Netherlands to require undergrounding of all new high electromagnetic field power lines proposed within 300 metres of habitations, in light of the number of habitations within 300 metres of the proposed Beauly to Denny power …
Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government maintains an interest in any relevant policy development in Europe and beyond. We have read the recent decision in the Netherlands with interest and note the reasons for this Exchange Principle as offering the opportunity to reduce the…
30 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can confirm that Scottish Natural Heritage recommended an undergrounding route to the west of Stirling in relation to the Beauly to Denny power line.
Answer · Jim Mather: Scottish Natural Heritage did not recommend any undergrounding options to the west of Stirling in relation to the Beauly to Denny power line.</p>
30 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in considering the Scottish Power report on mitigation of the Beauly to Denny power line, it will seek an independent opinion on the costs of undergrounding.
Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is participating in a UK wide independent assessment of the cost of undergrounding transmission lines compared to the cost for equivalent overhead lines. This assessment is being undertaken by KEMA and funded by National Grid.</p> <p …
30 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can confirm that the environmental effects of undergrounding the proposed Beauly to Denny power line will be during construction only and that the area affected will subsequently return to its pre-construction condition.
Answer · Jim Mather: Depending on the habitat and land use of a particular area, apart from the sealing end compound required at each end of an undergrounded stretch of transmission line, the majority of environmental effects will be during construction.</p> <p >While there can …
30 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who the members are of the Tourism, Cultural Heritage and Community Liaison Group that will advise on mitigation on the Beauly to Denny power line in areas of sensitivity.
Answer · Jim Mather: The members of the Tourism, Cultural Heritage and Community Liaison Group who will advise on mitigation are:</p> <p >(a) the local authorities for the areas in which the development is situated;</p> <p >(b) Scottish Natural Heritage;</p> <p >(c) Historic S…
23 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what government publications it makes available to bereaved people through NHS boards.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government publication What to do after a death in Scotland is commonly provided by NHS boards to bereaved people. In addition, talking about bereavement, a publication produced by NHS Health Scotland, is also provided. It contains the thoughts o…
23 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provided to Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The following table sets out the funding provided by the Scottish Government to Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=302 valign=top > <p align=c…
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the letter, CEL 17 (May 2010), has had in achieving an open, transparent and more uniform system for exceptional needs prescribing and what monitoring is in place to review this.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of allowing NHS boards time to fully develop their policies and put them in place before asking them to demonstrate their effectiveness. NHS boards have been asked to provide written assurance, by 30 December …
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff have been employed in the area of (a) drugs and (b) alcohol and what the costs were in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not collect staffing information in this way.</b></p> <p >Table 1 lists the number of permanent and fixed term appointment staff working in the Drugs Policy Unit; this does not cover all staff in the Scottish Government who work …
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of drug action teams and alcohol and drug action teams in each year from 2005 until they ceased to exist and what the annual costs of alcohol and drug partnerships have been since they were set up.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The following table indicates Scottish Government funding for Alcohol and Drug Action Teams (ADAT) for the period 2005 to 2010 and for Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) Teams for 2010-11.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td widt…
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the occupancy rates are for drug and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment beds outwith the public sector.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the occupancy rates for drug and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment beds outwith the public sector is not gathered or held centrally. </b></p> <p >The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that a range of treatment and support servic…