Questions · Murdo Fraser

28 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that medical devices should be procured primarily on the basis of cost and, if so, how this impacts on its commitment to the adoption of innovation by NHSScotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS National Services Scotland''s National Procurement Division (NPD) is NHSScotland''s centre of procurement expertise. In considering the procurement of medical devices, NPD takes into account a range of factors to ensure it delivers value for money to NHSS…

28 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration NHSScotland gives to (a) operational lifetime and (b) period of manufacturer’s guarantee when weighing up the cost of acquiring implantable medical devices.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS National Services Scotland''s National Procurement Division (NPD) is NHSScotland''s centre of procurement expertise. In considering the operational lifetime and period of manufacturer''s guarantee, NPD ensures that whole life costs of the commodity are ta…

28 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration NHSScotland gives to the cost when procuring implantable medical devices.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS National Services Scotland''s National Procurement Division (NPD) is NHSScotland''s centre of procurement expertise. In considering the procurement of implantable medical devices, NPD adopts the same principles it applies to the procurement of all other c…

22 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require a public local inquiry to be held into the proposal for the Viking wind farm on Shetland and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Jim Mather: Given the role of Scottish ministers in determining this application it would be inappropriate to comment on its specifics at this stage. A decision will be made on this application in due course.

9 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the supply of eculizumab for treating paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria is funded.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are expected to manage costs for the treatment of particular conditions from their overall board funding allocation.

9 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been diagnosed with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria since 1999.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The specific information requested is not available centrally. The number of patients with a diagnosis of paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria who have been treated in acute general hospitals in Scotland since 1999 is shown in the following table. NH…

8 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what costs it has incurred in each year since 1999 regarding the provision of information to the electorate on the (a) operation of and (b) voting system for the Scottish Parliament.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Parliament elections are currently the responsibility of the UK Government. Since 2000, the Electoral Commission has been responsible for providing guidance for voters, including information on the operation of and the voting system for the Scott…

8 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what costs it has incurred in respect of (a) local authority and (b) the Scottish Parliament elections in (i) 1999, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2007, broken down by the relevant categories on the returning officer's forms.

Answer · John Swinney: The cost of administering and running local government elections is met by local authorities from their general allocation. The UK Government provides funding to local authorities for costs associated with administering and running the Scottish Parliament ele…

4 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an itemised breakdown of what it has spent on marketing in each of the last five years and of planned spending before the dissolution of the Parliament in March 2011.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39418 on 22 February 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Busine…

4 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it spent on marketing between April 2010 and 1 February 2011 and how much it plans to spend before the dissolution of the Parliament in March 2011.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39418 on 22 February 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…

4 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an itemised breakdown of how its Marketing Unit budget has been spent in each of the last five years.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38966 on 3 February 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/App…

4 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the 2010-11 budget for its Marketing Unit had been spent by 1 February 2011 and how much is budgeted to be spent in the coming months.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39418 on 22 February 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been referred to centres in England to undergo a transcatheter aortic valve implantation, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not available centrally in the format requested. The UK Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) Registry shows that, in 2009, 12 people were referred by NHS boards to a centre in England for transcatheter aortic valve i…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients in Scotland suitable for transcatheter aortic valve implantation have been referred to centres in England to undergo the procedure.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Yes. NHS boards in Scotland, through individual patient treatment requests panels, have referred patients with severe aortic stenosis to centres in England for transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it gives to NHS boards on the treatment and care of patients who are suitable for transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Health Technology Group (SHTG) provides information to NHS boards on the clinical and cost effectiveness of existing and new technologies to support planning and decision making. The most recent advice to NHS boards on transcatheter aor…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason transcatheter aortic valve implantation is not routinely available to patients in Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government''s Quality Strategy commits us to ensure that healthcare services are not only person-centred, but also effective and safe. While there has been considerable interest in Scotland in the potential adoption of transcatheter ao…

1 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason Scotland is the only part of the United Kingdom that does not offer drivers speed awareness courses as an alternative to prosecution for low-end speeding offences.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has given a commitment in its Road Safety Framework to consider if speed awareness courses would be an appropriate contribution to road safety in Scotland. As part of this process it will consider research which has been conducted to e…

1 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to supporting speed awareness courses in Scotland.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has given a commitment in the Road Safety Framework to consider if the introduction of a speed awareness course would be an appropriate contribution to road safety in Scotland. This is a medium term commitment with a timescale of betwe…

1 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scots have been offered places on speed awareness courses in England after being caught speeding in England and unable to attend such a course in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

1 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many speeding offenders have been detected at speeds that fall within the parameters of eligibility for the Speed Awareness Course in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

25 Jan 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing a national policy to set out criteria for granting supermarkets a non-food retail space as a proportion of total sales area.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is aware of the need to maintain a level playing field between large retailers and small and medium-sized players in the retail sector, in both the food and non-food segments. The Scottish Government''s proposal for a large retail supp…

25 Jan 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing a national planning advice note on the development of large out-of-town retail stores so that local planning officers have access to national benchmarks.

Answer · John Swinney: Retail Impact and Capacity Assessment is one of the courses offered under the Scottish Government funded training programme for local authority planning officers delivered by the Improvement Service. The course covers the requirement for and purpose of such a…

25 Jan 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the investment plans for 2011 are for the Highland main line.

Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38686 answered on 20 January 2011. 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://scottish.pa…

24 Jan 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions for Ritalin have been issued in each year since 2007.

Answer · Shona Robison: Ritalin is one of a number of products containing methylphenidate hydrochloride used in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Comprehensive information including the official statistics on the number of ite…