Bill Butler

5 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what organisations have made a successful application to the (a) Third Sector Enterprise Fund, (b) Scottish Investment Fund and (c) Social Entrepreneurs Fund and the level of award for each organisation.

Answer · John Swinney: Details of all successful applications to the Third Sector Enterprise Fund, including the level of award, are published on the Scottish Government website:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/15300/funding/awardstodate">http://www.scotl…

5 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was allocated to the (a) Third Sector Enterprise Fund, (b) Scottish Investment Fund and (c) Social Entrepreneurs Fund in 2010-11, based on the 2010-11 draft budget.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28016, on 28 October 2009. 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/App…

5 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was allocated to the (a) Third Sector Enterprise Fund, (b) Scottish Investment Fund and (c) Social Entrepreneurs Fund in 2010-11, based on the final 2009-10 budget.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Budget Spending Review 2007 outlined our spending plans for the Third Sector, investing £93.6 million over the three-year period from April 2008 to March 2011. £38.2 million was allocated for 2010-11, £16 million was allocated to the Scottish Inv…

5 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was allocated to the (a) Third Sector Enterprise Fund, (b) Scottish Investment Fund and (c) Social Entrepreneurs Fund in 2009-10.

Answer · John Swinney: £10 million was allocated to the Scottish Investment Fund in 2009-10. £6.5 million was allocated to the Third Sector Development Investing budget in 2009-10. The Third Sector Enterprise Fund and the Social Entrepreneurs Fund sit within the Third Sector Develo…

29 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question SW3-24517 by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2009, for what reason the analysis report on the householder development permitted rights consultation has not been published.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The analysis report was received from the consultants in the summer. Other priorities, particularly in relation to implementation of the new development management process, have meant that officials have not been able to prepare the final version of the analy…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the number of patients in each of the last five years who have (a) paid privately for top-up cancer treatments and (b) had the costs of privately paying for a treatment reimbursed by NHS boards following appeal.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of patients who pay privately for treatments is not held centrally.</p> <p >Information on patients who have had the costs of private treatments reimbursed by NHS boards following appeal is not held centrally.</p>

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients funded by the NHS in each of the last five years were treated in (a) England and (b) outside the United Kingdom, broken down by procedure.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of NHS funded patients treated in England and outside the United Kingdom is not available centrally in Scotland.</p>

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on drugs for the treatment of cancer in each of the last five financial years

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the cost of specific drugs as defined by the British National Formulary (BNF), for the treatment of cancer for the last five financial years is given in the following table. This table only covers drugs prescribed in Scotland that were dispense…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on cancer services in each NHS board in each of the last five years, also expressed per head of population.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not available centrally. Funding of services for individuals with cancer is primarily the responsibility of NHS boards to plan, in the light of the needs of their resident population, and will be funded from the unified budgets which are a…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for which specific conditions off-label medicines are most commonly used in the NHS and what assessment it has made of the number of treatments that are frequently used off-label.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. The prescription data collected centrally relate to prescribed items dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors. These data are not patient-specific and do not identify if the item is pre…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to conduct an evaluation of the effect of the Scottish Medicines Consortium’s modifiers on access to medicines for NHS patients. 

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Medicines Consortium, which assesses new medicines and treatments for use in the NHS in Scotland operates independently from the Scottish Government and Scottish ministers.</p> <p >The Scottish Medicines Consortium has its own evaluation program…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement made by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on 25 March 2009, when it expects to issue (a) guidance to NHS boards to support decision-making processes on the introduction of new medicines and (b) the information for patients on the new arrangements com…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government is preparing guidance which sets out the policy framework with regard to the introduction and availability of new medicines in the NHS in Scotland. Work is progressing on the draft guidance, which will be tested with NHS boards and sta…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NHS boards to support them in determining funding requests for off-label treatments.

Answer · Shona Robison: No discussions have been held with the NHS boards to support them in determining funding for off-label treatments.</p> <p >UK medicines legislation allows the use of licensed medicinal products off-label “ that is outside the terms of the marketing authorisa…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that anti-nausea treatments used to support patients receiving chemotherapy are made routinely available.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Anti-emetic (anti-nausea) treatments given to patients receiving chemotherapy are prescribed on an individual basis and according to the side effects a patient may be expected to experience as a result of that particular chemotherapy regime.</p> <p >All che…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the findings and recommendations made in the report by the Rarer Cancers Forum, Exceptional Scotland?, published on 16 March 2009.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The majority of the recommendations contained in the report relate to addressing local processes to consider individual patient treatment (exceptional prescribing) processes. The Scottish Government is preparing guidance for NHS boards which sets out the poli…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints by patients relating to the refusal by an NHS board to fund a (a) cancer and (b) non-cancer treatment have been made in each year since 2000-01.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This specific information is not held centrally. Broader information on complaints is available by health board for all years from 1996-97 until 2008-09 at: </p> <p ><a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/4423.html">http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/4423.html<…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the levels of use of (a) erlotinib, (b) rituximab, (c) capecitabine, (d) lenalidomide and (e) cisplatin in each NHS board in each year since 2003-04.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This type of assessment is not undertaken centrally.</p> <p >Chemotherapy regimes are prescribed and administered according to clinical need and benefit to the patient. The most appropriate treatment offered will be based on an individuals needs and would fo…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the use of exceptional case requests by NHS boards and how many exceptional funding requests for treatment were (a) approved and (b) declined by each NHS board in each year since 2002-03.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has not conducted an assessment of the use of exceptional case requests by NHS boards.</p> <p >In response to the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee inquiry recommendations into the availability on the NHS of cancer treatm…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the recommendations made by Professor Mike Richards in his report for the Department of Health, Improving access to medicines for NHS patients, published on 4 November 2008.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The report <i >Improving access to new medicines for NHS patients </i>by Professor Mike Richards was commissioned by the Secretary of State for Health. The report''s recommendations were directed to the Department of Health in England.</p> <p >In responding …

22 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25603 by John Swinney on 18 September 2009, on what date each consultant was awarded the contract to provide services to the Scottish Futures Trust.

Answer · John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >This information has been provided in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td valign=top > …

22 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what payments have been made to consultants used by the Scottish Futures Trust as of 1 September 2009, broken down by (a) consultant, (b) amount paid and (c) date of payment.

Answer · John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >This information has been provided in the following table. All payments exclude VAT.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > …

18 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the article that appeared in The Herald on 14 September 2009, what the expected timescale is for ending the use of premium rate telephone numbers by medical practices.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There is no specific timescale for ending the use of premium rate telephone numbers used by GP practices. However, as detailed in the answer to question S3W-27498 on 28 September 2009, we will be working closely with the medical profession to ensure that pati…

18 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that premium rate telephone numbers are not used by medical practices.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We will be considering, in partnership with the medical profession in Scotland, how best to prevent any new arrangements of this nature being entered into by GP practices. In addition, we will issue guidance to NHS boards which will require them to press prac…

18 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to instruct NHS boards to reopen negotiations with providers of bedhead inpatient telephone services in order to cut charges.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: No. NHS boards and NHS National Services Scotland have direct responsibility for negotiating contracts.</p>

17 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide an answer to question S3W-25603, which was due for answer on 31 July 2009.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25603 on 18 September 2009. 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/Ap…

17 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many school openings Scottish ministers have attended since 17 May 2007, broken down by (a) date (b) school and (c) local authority.

Answer · Keith Brown: Details of such school openings by Scottish ministers are set out in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td nowrap > <p align=center >Date</p> </td> <td > <p align=center >School</p> …

16 Sep 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when ministers next plan to meet Strathclyde Police Authority and Glasgow City Council to discuss marches and parades.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill : <i >This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0924-01.htm">http://www.scott…

11 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to conclude the tender process and announce the contractor to deliver Stage Four of the Energy Assistance Package.

Answer · Alex Neil: The tender notification for the procurement of a managing agent to deliver Stage 4 of the Energy Assistance Package (EAP) was sent for publication in the Supplement to the <i >Official Journal of the European Union</i> (OJ/S) on 25 July.</p> <p >It is antici…

11 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what awards have been made in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area from the Healthy Living Centre Transition Fund since 2008, broken down by (a) amount, (b) receiving organisation and (c) date.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: To date (18 September 2009) the Scottish Government has granted a total of £976,226 during 2008-10 to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde from the Healthy Living Centre transition fund. The following table shows how this is broken down by amount, receiving organisa…

3 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many marches and parades were held in 2008, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The most recent figures held centrally cover the period April 2007 to March 2008 and are contained in Annex 2 of the <i >Consultation into Marches and Parades: Analysis of Consultation Responses</i>, which was published in February 2009. This document is avai…