Parliamentary questions

Dr Jean Turner

219 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

16 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any estimate of the impact of higher oil prices and reduced supply on the economy and, in particular, on (a) gross domestic product, (b) employment levels and (c) consumer demand and whether any preparations are being made for a low-oil economy.

Answer · Allan Wilson: An analysis of the impact ofglobal oil price rises on the Scottish economy was published by the ScottishExecutive in the December 2005 Scottish Economic Report and can be accessed viathe link below (see chapter 1, box 1.6). <ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/…

16 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage gas users to use alternative forms of energy when replacing central heating boilers.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has nosuch plans.

16 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what timescales are in place in respect of moving from reliance on natural gas to renewable energy, including for other forms of gas.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The UK has recentlybecome a net importer of natural gas, however the North Sea hasmany years of gas production remaining.I refer the member to the ScottishExecutive’s response to the UK Energy Review. A copy of which can be found at <ahref="http://www.…

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many foreign companies in receipt of funding from Scottish Enterprise to support their setting up in Scotland were still operating five years after initial funding was received.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Monitoring of companies inreceipt of funding from Scottish Enterprise is an operational matter for thatorganisation.Scottish Enterprise advisesthat the information is not available in the form requested because each of thegrants potentially available t…

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20792 by Nicol Stephen on 1 December 2005, what the rate of growth of the call and contact centre industry was in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03, (c) 2003-04 and (d) 2004-05.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: There are no official statisticalsources which accurately record the number of call centres operating in Scotland overthe period requested. This makes it very difficult to quantify growth in terms ofeither turnover or Gross Value Added. However, the number of…

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much public funding was provided to encourage foreign companies to set up business in Scotland in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03, (c) 2003-04 and (d) 2004-05 and which agencies provided the funding.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The main grants offered tocompanies headquartered outside of the UK making their first time investment in Scotland areregional selective assistance (RSA), provided by the Executive, and a range oftraining, property and research and development grants offered …

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20792 by Nicol Stephen on 1 December 2005, whether the sub-group of the Financial Services Strategy Group is keeping under review the position of the call and contact centre industry in Scotland and whether a report will be produced on its findings.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Financial ServicesStrategy Group and its sub-groups concluded their work with the publication of the Strategy for the Financial Services Industry in Scotland in March2005. The Scottish Executive continues to keep under review the position of thecal…

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25667 by Mr Andy Kerr on 10 May 2006, when the National Procurement report on the potential demand from NHS boards for postal testing kits for Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections will be completed.

Answer · Andy Kerr: An estimation of the potentialdemand from NHS boards for postal testing kits for Chlamydia and other sexuallytransmitted infections should be completed by the end of June.

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all NHS boards will submit final, fully costed service delivery plans to implement the sexual health strategy during 2006-07 before the rest of the additional funding of £10 million will be made available to them.

Answer · Andy Kerr: NHS boards supplied final versionsof their local inter-agency sexual health strategies for the period 2005-06 to2007-08 by September 2005. Those strategies included expenditure plans for the periodcovered by the funding for the sexual health strategy. At that…

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have experienced delayed discharge from intensive care units to high dependency units because of high dependency beds being unavailable in each year since 1999.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The specific informationrequested is not held centrally.

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many elective surgery operations, excluding day surgery, were cancelled due to hospital beds being unavailable in each year since 1999, broken down into unavailable (a) high dependency and (b) intensive care beds.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The specific informationrequested is not held centrally. Information on cancelled admissions tohospital is collected but does not specifically identify cancelled operationsprior to or during a hospital stay. The reasons for these cancelled admissionsare not r…

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the most common reason is for delay in achieving the four-hour target established for casualty and accident and emergency departments.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The 2005 survey of waitingtimes showed that nine out of 10 patients who attended accident and emergency departmentsduring the survey period were seen, treated and discharged, transferred oradmitted to a ward within four hours. For those patients who waited lo…

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25089 by Mr Andy Kerr on 28 April 2006, when the minutes of the National Sexual Health Advisory Committee meetings held on 24 October 2005 and 20 February 2006 will be available online.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The minutes of the NationalSexual Health Advisory Committee meetings held on 24 October 2005 and 20 February 2006are now available on the sexual health website, which can be accessed at:<ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/sexualhealth">www.scotland.gov.…

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why its Health Department’s initiative to promote postal diagnostic testing kits for Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections, as outlined in the sexual health strategy, is not being implemented at a local level.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answersto questions S2W-25667 and S2W-25668 on 10 May 2006. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parl…

25 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide further post-graduate education for healthcare professionals to offer better guidance and training in the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives and their relative cost-effectiveness compared with other methods.

Answer · Andy Kerr: One of the actions in Respectand Responsibility which is being taken forward by a sub group of the National SexualHealth Advisory Committee (NSHAC) is to work with professional bodies, regulatoryinstitutions and statutory and voluntary training providers of n…

18 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the recommendations from the NHS Review of Wheelchair and Special Seating Services in Scotland will be published.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The final report will be publishedlater this month.

17 May 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact offshoring is having on Scottish industry.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The aggregate effects ofoffshoring are very difficult to quantify. What is clear is that offshoringsuits the needs of some companies, under certain circumstances and as a whole, Scotland benefitsfrom operating in the global market. We currently have one of th…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25088 by Mr Andy Kerr on 28 April 2006, how much of the additional £4.5 million given to NHS boards to help implement the national sexual health strategy has been set aside to pay the salaries of the executive directors and lead clinicians appointed …

Answer · Andy Kerr: None of the additional £4.5 million allocated to NHS boards to help implement the national sexual health strategy has been set aside to pay the salaries of executive directors. We do not hold information centrally on how much of the allocated funding has been…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23289 by Mr Andy Kerr on 28 February 2006, what measures it has in place to ensure that the additional £4.5 million given to NHS boards to help implement the national sexual health strategy is used for that purpose.

Answer · Andy Kerr: It is our intention topublish, later this year, an annual progress report on implementation of the sexualhealth strategy. This will provide information on how NHS boards have allocatedtheir share of the additional £4.5 million, which was distributed on Arbuth…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23289 by Mr Andy Kerr on 28 February 2006, what percentage of the additional £4.5 million given to NHS boards to help implement the national sexual health strategy has been used to purchase sexually transmitted infection diagnostic kits.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-25668 on 10 May 2006. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sea…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23289 by Mr Andy Kerr on 28 February 2006, which NHS boards have taken up the provision of sexually transmitted infection diagnostic kits through bulk and shared purchasing arranged by the Executive.

Answer · Andy Kerr: At present the Executive isinvestigating the potential to extend the Chlamydia postal testing kit, whichwas developed by Health Respect, to include other sexually transmittedinfections.

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23289 by Mr Andy Kerr on 28 February 2006, which NHS boards have taken up the provision of chlamydia postal testing kits through bulk and shared purchasing arranged by the Executive.

Answer · Andy Kerr: National Procurement is atpresent conducting research into the potential demand from NHS boards across Scotlandfollowing on from the Lothian pilot study. Following this review, and if sufficientdemand exists, then a national contract will be established. It i…

6 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in considering the potential of development and testing of STI diagnostic kits in rural and urban settings, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-23289 on 28 February 2006. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/…

6 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in considering the possible extension of the chlamydia postal testing kit in the light of the evaluation of the Healthy Respect initiative, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health.

6 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland in developing appropriate clinical standards for dealing with sexually transmitted infections, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Respect and Responsibility identifiedNHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) as the key mechanism to support the developmentof appropriate clinical standards for dealing with sexually transmitted infectionsand wider sexual health issues. As the initial sta…

6 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS board has still to appoint a lead clinician to integrate sexual health services across its area, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Each NHS board apart from NHSTayside has appointed a Lead Clinician tointegrate sexual health services in their area. NHS Tayside is in the process of appointing an additional consultant inGU Medicine along with other frontline staff. The responsibilities of …

6 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS board has still to appoint an executive director to be responsible for sexual health and wellbeing, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health.

Answer · Andy Kerr: All NHS boards have appointedan Executive Director responsible for sexual health and well-being in their area.

9 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the plans are for teaching history as a discrete subject at S1 and S2.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The on-going curriculum review,A Curriculum for Excellence, is considering all aspects of the curriculumto ensure that they contribute to enabling young people to develop the four capacitiesof successful learners, confident individuals, responsible cit…

9 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost will be of the procurement, installation and maintenance of the smart card system within the concessionary travel scheme.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Two key contracts have beenlet as a result of the national concessionary travel scheme being introduced. Oneis for fleet equipment for transport operators and the cost of equipping the Scottish bus and ferry fleet is expected to be in the region of £13 millio…

9 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the smart card system to be employed under the concessionary travel scheme will be a dual interface system or a contactless card system.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The transport application onthe National Entitlement Card (smartcard) uses the ITSO technology environmentwhich means it can operate as a secure contactless card system. The NationalEntitlement Card is currently a contactless system but may be enhanced in the…