Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding is envisaged for Perth and Kinross Council for each of the next 10 years.
Answer · Jim Mather: Scotland will receive some £540.2 million of EuropeanStructural Funds over the new seven year programme period (assuming an exchangerate of €1.45 to £1). Within this bloc, Lowlands and Uplands Scotland would receive £423.8 million forERDF and ESF Programmes u…
29 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding has been received by Perth and Kinross Council for each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Jim Mather: Details ofEuropean Structural Funds received by Perth and KinrossCouncil in each year between 2000 and 2006 can be found in the following table.Figures for 1997-99 are only available for the period as a whole, notindividual years. The grant awarded was £223,2…
29 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why it decided to allocate a proportion of the European Regional Development Fund Priority 4 funding for rural development to the South of Scotland Alliance as an intermediate delivery body.
Answer · Jim Mather: The decision was takento introduce special commissioning arrangements for the south of Scotland in recognition of the sizable development challenges of the area, its trackrecord in making value-added and effective use of Structural Funds in the past andits am…
6 Jun 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to meet representatives of the police.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I intend to meet every chiefconstable, the leadership of the Scottish Police Services Authority, and representativesof staff associations over the coming weeks and months.</p>
5 Mar 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role school nurses will have in new community schools.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A Scottish Framework for Nursing in Schools was launched by Cathy Jamieson and myself on Monday 3 March in Prestonpans Primary School. This framework sets out clearly the future role that school nurses will play. The focus on:<P>an assessment of the health ne…
10 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with its policy on the location and relocation of public sector jobs in Scotland.
Answer · Peter Peacock: We have made good progress. The Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department is wholly located in Glasgow, the Food Standards Agency Scotland has been set up in Aberdeen and the Public Guardian's Office has been set up in Falkirk. The National Office of the Sc…
12 Nov 2001 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what developments the Scottish Executive is initiating in respect of dental services.
Answer · Jim Wallace: A number of the recommendations, outlined in the <I>Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland</I> which was published in August 2000, have been implemented and work continues to address the others.<P>I am pleased to say that this morning the Health Minister…
13 Jul 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what increase in energy costs will be incurred by the NHSiS as a result of the climate change levy and to what extent these costs will be offset as a result of the Chancellor's intention to reduce National Insurance charges.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Following the announcement of the climate change levy, the Scottish Executive Health Department decided against duplicating a cost comparison study to be undertaken by NHS Estates in England to estimate the effect of the increase in energy costs to the NHS as…
26 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to implement the new European Union requirements to test fallen stock for signs of BSE.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Legislation has been made to introduce a statutory obligation on cattle keepers to inform Scottish ministers when an animal aged 30 months or more dies on-farm. A freephone helpline service has been set up for this purpose. Collection, sample testing and disp…
6 Jun 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to promote and encourage recruitment into the teaching profession.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The agreement, <I>A Teaching Profession for the 21<SUP>st</SUP> Century</I>,<I> </I>reached in February this year paves the way for a far reaching framework of modernisation which puts teachers at the heart of education.<P>Today I was pleased to launch the fi…
5 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12162 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 22 December 2000, when it will publish the report by the joint Executive/Food Standards Agency Task Force which is examining how to minimise the exposure of the public to E.coli 0157.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The report will be published following receipt, expected by the end of May 2001.<P>The report is also to be made available on the Task Force website:<P>http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/scotland/ecoli
16 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase prescription or other National Health Service charges.
Answer · Susan Deacon: We shall lay today regulations to increase prescription and other National Health Service charges in Scotland from 1 April 2001. There will be a 1.67% increase in the prescription charge of 10p, from £6.00 to £6.10 per item dispensed.<P>This is well within ou…
5 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what performance management and best practice criteria it has put in place in relation to the #26 million tobacco money to be applied to health promotion; how much of this money is being spent on tobacco-related initiatives, and whether it will list these initiatives.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As with all initiatives to improve health, the operational arrangements for those supported by the Health Improvement Fund depend on their nature. The bulk of the fund's resources are being channelled through health boards. Boards have been advised to give a …
5 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce its policy on the availability through general practitioner prescription of nicotine replacement therapy, following the conclusion in January 2001 of the consultation exercise.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I announced on 14 March that nicotine replacement therapy will be available on NHS prescription from April 2001. This requires an amendment to Schedule 10 to the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995.
30 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken since the Parliament last met to address its health priority of cancer care.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Cancer is one of three clinical priorities for the NHS in Scotland. We have pledged to tackle the root causes of ill health and work over the next 10 years to promote healthier living and reduce the incidence of cancer by 20% in the under 75's. Our strategy i…
25 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Health Technology Board for Scotland will issue guidance, in the light of current evidence, on the use of Beta Interferon A, Beta Interferon B and Copaxone in the treatment of primary progressive, secondary progressive and relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) have agreed to my request that they provide advice on the clinical and cost effectiveness of the use of Beta Interferon and Copaxone in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">As the National Inst…
25 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it proposes to monitor the application of the #60 million funds released to health boards in respect of the division between the priorities defined by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 2 May 2000.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I announced on 30 June that an additional £60 million had been issued to the NHS in Scotland following a careful evaluation of plans submitted by health boards. These set out how the additional resources would be used to address priority areas and to bring re…
25 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the Chief Scientist Office has to contribute to Scottish, UK or European studies into the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) in view of the incidence of MS in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Chief Scientist Office is not currently contributing to such studies, but would consider doing so in research projects worthy of support.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">There are a large number of projects on multiple sclerosis currently taking place in the UK and det…
25 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken by the NHS management executive to performance manage health boards in order to increase the number of women commencing breastfeeding from 48% towards the 62% level in England and Wales.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Child and maternal health are high on our priorities and this is reflected in the planning guidance to the NHS in Scotland. The Executive is actively supporting a range of measures to encourage and support breastfeeding and has recently published a Code of Pr…
28 Jun 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the financial support available to those nursing and medical students who are precluded from earning additional income through part-time or vacation employment, due to extended length of, or the intensity of study required by, their course.
Answer · Susan Deacon: We intend to review all aspects of the support systems for pre-registration nursing students in Scotland, with any changes being introduced from Autumn 2001.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Executive has no specific plans to review the financial support arrangements fo…
28 Jun 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the childcare support available to those nursing and medical students who are precluded from earning additional income through part-time or vacation employment, due to the extended length of, or the intensity of study required by, their course.
Answer · Susan Deacon: We intend to review all aspects of the support systems for pre-registration nursing students in Scotland, with any changes being introduced from autumn 2001.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Medical students are not given specific funding for childcare costs. However, many …
24 May 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what stage the development of electronic prescribing of medicines has reached.
Answer · Susan Deacon: A major project on the electronic transmission of prescriptions is being taken forward as part of the Scottish Care Information (SCI) programme which was announced on 21 April. The next key step will be to establish a proving site, which will test out the con…
8 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a strategy for termination or continuation of projects in receipt of term-limited funding from Scottish Executive and European Union sources to ensure that organisations in receipt of such funds can fulfil their human resource management obligations to their staff.
Answer · Jack McConnell: It is not for the Scottish Executive to ensure that organisations in receipt of European Funds fulfil their statutory or other obligations to their staff. Nevertheless, in view of the hiatus between the closure of existing Structural Fund programmes and the i…
20 Mar 2000 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Executive has to review the working of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Answer · Donald Dewar: The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, as an executive Non-Departmental Public Body, is subject to the usual framework of control, accountability and review which applies to all such bodies.<P>Comprehensive policy and financial management reviews take…
15 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a table of the dispersal of civil service jobs, including work transferred to agencies, from the Scottish Executive by local authority area and specify the ratio of such jobs per 10,000 population in each local authority area.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The table below details staffing figures for the Scottish Executive (including Executive Agencies and non-Ministerial Departments) by local authority area, and provides the ratio of staffing per 10,000 population in each area. The figures do not include staff…
15 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what courses are taken by undergraduate doctors and nurses on health economics and health management and whether these are core classes or optional.
Answer · Henry McLeish: It is not possible for the Executive to break down its information on medical and nursing undergraduate courses by individual's choices of associated subjects. The detailed information as requested is not therefore available centrally. It may, however, be ava…
1 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding applications have been received from Gingerbread Scotland in the past three years and what funding has been, or will be, made available to this association.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: Gingerbread Scotland applied unsuccessfully in the past three years for funding of between £13,383 and £37,450 under section 10(1) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to support their headquarters operations. Any future funding request will be considered o…
21 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve access to pen needles for people suffering from diabetes and what discussions, if any, have been held with the UK Department of Health on this issue.
Answer · Susan Deacon: From 1 March, insulin pen needles and certain re-usable insulin pens have been prescribable by GPs on the NHS.
18 Nov 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its proposals for the regulation and management of organic waste in the light of the responses received to The Scottish Office consultation paper.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is aware of public concern on landspreading of organic waste. This is why the Scottish Environment Protection Agency was asked to prepare the "Strategic Review of Organic Waste Spread on Land" in 1998. The Executive is current…
24 Jun 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether in the light of the decision regarding development of a National Swimming Training and Research Centre in Scotland, it intends to make a statement elaborating on the future development of this key aspect of sports provision.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: We strongly support in principle the proposal to establish a national training centre for swimming.