Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list premises sold by the NHS since 2004, also showing whether they have been demolished, fully cleared or developed and their current status.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The list of premises sold by NHS Scotland since 1 April 2004 for which information is available is contained in the following table. Data for 2007-08 is currently being collated and is not yet available.</p> <p >When premises have been disposed off, no furt…
4 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when a court makes a Permanence Order, it is intended that the court apply section 74 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 or whether this will only apply to those for whom it is the intention that they are or may be adopted later.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The power to make regulations under section 74 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 relate specifically to the disclosure of information about the health of the natural parents of a child who is to be, may be or has been adopted. Therefore, the re…
4 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward regulations to implement section 74 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is currently developing the regulations to support the implementation of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007; this includes the regulations under section 74.</p> <p >Due to the nature of the regulations relating to section 7…
4 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken since the debate on motion S3M-73 on motor neurone disease (MND), in addition to the letter from the Minister for Public Health to NHS boards encouraging them to formalise their working relationships with organisations such as the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease …
Answer · Shona Robison: <i>Better Health, Better Care</i> signalled our intention of carrying out a strategic review of the way in which NHSScotland supports voluntary organisations, in order to explore ways in which to enhance the sustainability of programmes that demonstrate clear…
4 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14201 by Shona Robison on 24 June 2008, what response has been received from each NHS board to the Minister for Public Health’s letter encouraging boards to formalise their working relationships with organisations such as the Scottish Motor Neurone D…
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Forth Valley, Grampian, Lanarkshire, Lothian, Shetland and Tayside indicated that they were either providing 50% support for the services provided by Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association, or were in the process …
4 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of newly-qualified physiotherapists found employment in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007.
3 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as part of support for kinship carers, all children placed with kin formally or informally should receive free school meals.
Answer · Adam Ingram: Currently all primary and secondary pupils being educated by local authorities, and whose parents or carers are entitled to:</p> <p >Income support, or</p> <p >Income based job seekers allowance, or</p> <p >Are in receipt of child tax credit, but not wo…
28 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15136 by Shona Robison on 18 August 1008, what steps it is taking to ensure equity of access to GPs for patients across Scotland and, in particular, in areas such as Fife, Lanarkshire, Tayside and the Borders, where practices have opted out of extend…
Answer · Shona Robison: Now that a majority of GP practices in Scotland are committed to offering extended hours, as at 29 August, 52 per cent of practices are either participating or expected to start shortly, we will be monitoring closely the comparative uptake across board areas.…
28 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is taking, or proposes to take, any additional steps in the light of the Blakey report, Disrupting the Supply of Illicit Drugs into Prisons, published by the Ministry of Justice on 7 July 2008.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >On publication of the report we cross checked our approach against that contained within the Blakey report. We are pleased to say that th…
20 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland’s Health Technology Assessment Report 11, The clinical effectiveness of thromboelastography/thromboelastometry, whether it will introduce a national procurement contract for analysers and consumables for thromboelastography/thr…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15695 on 9 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/web…
20 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland’s Health Technology Assessment Report 11, The clinical effectiveness of thromboelastography/thromboelastometry, when the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service will make available to users the costs of commonly used blood products.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The findings of this Health Technology Assessment Report will be considered in the Scottish Health Technologies Group in due course.</p>
15 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14808 by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 July 2008, what timetable is in place for the transfer of primary healthcare services from the Scottish Prison Service to the NHS and, specifically, which services will be transferred.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: In recognition of the significant scope of the work and the need for close partnership working, a national programme board for prisoners'' health care is currently being set up. The early priorities for the programme board will be to define appropriate and su…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of patient records being found at Strathmartine and Law hospitals, what steps have been taken to inform the patients concerned.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Tayside had two requests from members of the public for information/reassurance and they have been dealt with. NHS Tayside consider that it would not be practical to go through debris and contaminated paperwork to identify specific names and then make eff…
13 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what provisions it is making for additional support to families where there are multiple births.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is committed to providing support to all parents, including those families where there are multiple births.</p> <p ><i>A Framework for Maternity Service in Scotland</i> outlines the principles which govern maternity services from pre…
12 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the two reports on Clostridium difficile published on 7 August 2008, what steps it is taking to ensure that (a) guidance on antibiotic policy is put in place and properly audited across Scotland and (b) the voluntary system of use of the Health Protection Scotland guidance in t…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: On a) the Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan (ScotMARAP) launched by me in March outlines the national programme for Scotland in tackling antimicrobial resistance and prudent prescribing over the next five years. This was followed by …
12 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the two reports on Clostridium difficile published on 7 August 2008, whether it will examine the feasibility of a linkage of outcomes to cases, as is now reported as being in place at the Vale of Leven Hospital, being put in place across Scotland and when it will report to the …
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the Policies and Procedures section of our new National Action Plan and the action that will be taken forward by Health Protection Scotland and NHS Boards to develop a Clostridium difficile Root Cause Analysis tool by November 2008 which…
12 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to have in place a reporting system on Clostridium difficile for each hospital and when it will be available on the internet.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All diagnostic laboratories will have access to the ECOSS (Electronic Communication of Surveillance in Scotland) web-based system by end of October 2008.</p> <p >A web-based system of reporting is a central feature of our plans to improve surveillance proce…
12 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ascertain why the rate of deaths at Vale of Leven Hospital between December 2007 and June 2008 was higher than normal.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Health Protection Scotland (HPS) is taking forward an epidemiological study with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to better understand why the data on deaths due to Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital appeared to show unusual limits.</p> <p >Th…
12 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following two reports published on 7 August 2008, why all isolates of Clostridium difficile are not classified into types.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Most diagnoses are made by standard local laboratory testing for Clostridium difficile toxins, not culture/isolation of the organism. The latter is required for typing, which is carried out at the Scottish Reference Laboratory. The Reference Laboratory has sp…
12 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to NHS boards on the management of laundry in hospitals where Clostridium difficile has been detected.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11402 on 14 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament…
7 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on 4 June 2008 (Official Report c. 9260), whether the Cabinet Secretary has received and evaluated a copy of the Scottish Ambulance Service’s action plan on how to achieve elimination of single staffin…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Ambulance Service has submitted to the Scottish Government their proposed action plan to eliminate the rostered single manning of traditional accident and emergency ambulances. This is now being considered in detail by Scottish Government officia…
7 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what type of password protection and encryption it uses on publicly-owned laptops and memory devices.
Answer · John Swinney: In relation to the core Scottish Government (SG) directorates and close agencies using the SG network, the Scottish Government password-protects and encrypts devices to the standards specified and required by Cabinet Office Communications Electronic Security …
7 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many publicly-owned laptops and memory devices, which have been stolen or lost in the last 12 months, have contained NHS patient information and whether this information was (a) password protected, (b) encrypted and (c) considered necessary to be transferred to a laptop or memory devi…
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government (SG) does not maintain records of IT equipment other than that used within its core directorates.</p> <p >None of the SG laptops lost during the last 12 months contained NHS patient information.</p> <p >It is the responsibility of in…
7 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive from which locations publicly-owned laptops and memory devices have been stolen or lost in the last 12 months.
Answer · John Swinney: In relation to core Scottish Government (SG) directorates and close agencies using the SG network, six laptops have been lost during the last 12 months. Two were new unused devices lost in transit to their intended users by the courier company. Three were los…
7 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many publicly-owned laptops and memory devices have been (a) stolen and (b) lost in the last 12 months.
Answer · John Swinney: In relation to core Scottish Government (SG) directorates and close agencies using the SG network, six SG laptops have been lost during the last 12 months. Two of these were unused new machines lost in transit to their intended users by the courier company.</…
7 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take up the European Commission’s School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme funding and, if so, how much will be involved.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The European Commission has put forward a proposal to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament for a European Union-wide scheme to provide free fruit and vegetables to school children. A decision on whether the scheme will go ahead is exp…
7 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison visiting areas are equipped with body orifice security scanner chairs.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >No prison visiting areas are equipped with Body Orifice Security Scanning Chairs.</p>
7 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hits the Choose Life website has received, broken down by six month periods since the website was established.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Choose Life website has received the following numbers of hits, in six-month periods, since it was established in May 2005:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td valign=bottom > <p align=left >May 2005 to October 2005</p> …
6 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of newly qualified physiotherapists found employment in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not centrally held. Current workforce statistics are collected by Information Services Division Scotland, these indicate a steady increase in the number of qualified physiotherapists in post in NHSScotland, from 1,937 whole-time e…
6 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, given that one of the main routes for delivery of cognitive behavioural therapy is to be by telephone through NHS 24 and given that the evidence base for this method of delivery is not yet strong, what steps it is taking to prove the efficiency of this modality against face-to-face or on…
Answer · Shona Robison: Our £3 million investment in the two pilot projects will focus on new innovative approaches to help those with anxiety and depression including telephone based cognitive behaviour therapy and guided self-help, as well as access to cognitive behaviour therapy …