Parliamentary questions
Ms Rosemary Byrne
600 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when its review of drug treatment services will be published.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The recommendations from this review are being considered along with wider strategic issues including our criminal justice priorities, our overall drugs strategy, and the 2004 Spending Review. We will publish details of the review in the near future.</p>
13 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that patients still have access to local NHS dental care in communities where the sole provider of dental services announces its intention to withdraw from NHS provision.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in an area rests with the NHS board. NHS boards are encouraged to apply to Scottish minister for approval for salaried dentist posts where they consider that there is a gap in provision, which ca…
13 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to prevent dentists threatening NHS patients with withdrawal of access to treatment unless patients contract into more expensive private dental schemes.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: As independent contractors general dental practitioners are free to choose whether to treat each individual patient under NHS arrangements.</p><p>The Executive has also recently concluded a major consultation, <i>Modernising NHS Dental Services in Scotland</i…
13 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that people in areas of poverty and deprivation have access to NHS dentists.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Over the last few years the Executive has introduced a range of measures aimed at recruiting and retaining dentists within NHS general dental services.</p><p>The Executive has also recently concluded a major consultation, <i>Modernising NHS Dental Services in…
10 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the bids for funding made by Oatridge College, Broxburn, to establish a Scottish Equestrian Performance Centre.
Answer · Frank McAveety: This relates to an application for lottery funding from <b>sport</b>scotland which is currently under consideration. Decisions on Lottery Sports Fund awards are for <b>sport</b>scotland and ministers have no locus to intervene.</p>
10 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how interested parties can contribute to motor neurone research projects.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) of the Scottish Executive Health Department is largely a response mode funder of research. It supports projects of a sufficiently high standard initiated by the research community in Scotland. The best way therefore for intere…
10 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used for the allocation of funding to motor neurone research projects.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Research proposals received by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) of the Scottish Executive Health Department on motor neurone disease and on any other health issue are assessed on the basis of their scientific quality and potential relevance to the health of t…
10 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incorrect diagnoses have been made by front-line staff in NHS 24 using the algorithm process.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS 24 Nurse Advisors use symptom-based clinical algorithms to support their decision-making. These are evidenced-based and subject to continuing development and review by clinicians across Scotland.</p><p>The algorithms support NHS 24’s Nurse Advisors in dec…
6 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications from local authorities have been submitted to it for planning permission for development on areas of green space in the last five years.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Such information may, however, be obtained from individual planning authorities.</p>
6 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the shortfall is in the number of primary teachers in each local authority area.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The latest information on the number of primary teacher vacancies relates to February 2004 and is contained in a set of tables <i>Full-time Equivalent Teacher</i> <i>Vacancies in Schools</i>, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centr…
23 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what qualifications it requires of a person who takes a class of four or five people in adult basic education.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I have asked Angiolina Foster Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>At present, it is for each local adult literacy and numeracy partnership to set its own criteria for selecting staff in this field and check th…
6 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the provision of hydrotherapy for arthritis sufferers.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is for NHS boards to plan and deliver services which meet the healthcare needs of their local population, taking account of national and local priorities and the clinical and cost effectiveness of different forms of care and treatment.</p>
6 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hydrotherapy pools are available in each NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to my answer to question S2W-5722 on 4 February 2002. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…
6 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has contributed to research into motor neurone disease in each of the last three years and how much it is contributing in the current year.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Executive Health Department has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into healthcare needs in Scotland. The CSO is largely a response mode funder of research and this role is well advertis…
14 Jul 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding is available this year for the treatment in residential facilities of drug and alcohol abuse, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Hugh Henry: We do not make separate allocations to NHS boards for treatment services in residential settings. It is for local drug and alcohol action teams to plan and provide services in their areas, tailored to local needs and priorities. </p><p>The table sets out allo…
14 Jul 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patient beds in independently-run facilities have been used for NHS patients requiring treatment for alcohol or drug abuse in the last year, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The following table is based on 2004-05 returns to the Executive from drug and alcohol action teams.</p><p>It is not possible to differentiate patient referrals from the NHS, since these beds will also be used by patients referred by local authorities, and by…
7 Jul 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many psychiatric beds are available for 16 to 18-year-olds in each NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-9637 on 10 August 2004. 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/w…
7 Jul 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many psychiatric beds are available for under 16-year-olds in each NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are currently 44 child and adolescent psychiatric beds available in Scotland. These are listed below by NHS board area, with details of the age range for which they cater. These beds can be accessed by NHS boards across Scotland.</p><table class=MsoNorm…
7 Jul 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many clinical psychologists are employed in child and adolescent mental health teams in each NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the headcount and the whole time equivalent (WTE) of NHS employed clinical psychologists working in mental health with children, young people and families by NHS board area as at 30 September 2002. WTE adjusts headcount to take accou…
7 Jul 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many detoxification beds for alcohol misusers are available in each NHS board area.
Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not collected centrally at present. Information on numbers of clients attending residential and non-residential alcohol services is being returned for the first time by Alcohol and Drug Action Teams as part of 2003-04 reporting arrangement…
7 Jul 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many detoxification beds for drug misusers are available in each NHS board area.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The information in the following table has been collated from returns made by Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs) for 2002-03. Returns for 2003-04 are currently being submitted to the Executive for analysis.</p><p>Many of these beds will be used for patient…
6 Jul 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish factories produce arms for export and how many Scots are employed by these factories.
Answer · Jim Wallace: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
24 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to aid the development of the equine industry.
Answer · Frank McAveety: The Executive already assiststhe development of the equine industry. </p><p>Advice to individual equine businesseson their development plans is available through Business Gateway in the ScottishEnterprise area or the local enterprise company in the Highlands …
24 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people work in the equine industry.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested isnot held centrally.</p><p>Industries are classifiedaccording to the UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities1992, produced by the Office for National Statistics. There is no specificcategory for the equine indus…
24 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the equine industry is worth.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.</p><p>Industries are classified according to the UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities 1992, produced by the Office for National Statistics. There is no specific category for the equine i…
23 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers' markets there are, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Ross Finnie: At present we are aware of 53 farmers’ markets operating in Scotland. These are set out below, broken down into local authority area.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> <p> Aberdeen City</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>1</p> </td>…
23 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many food co-operatives there are, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally. However, the Scottish Community Diet Project works with NHS Health Scotland to maintain a database of community food initiatives across Scotland. the database can be accessed at <a href="http://www.healthyliving.gov.uk/…
23 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what grants are available for the establishment of farmers' markets.
Answer · Ross Finnie: There are no grants available from the Scottish Executive for the establishment of farmers’ markets. However, the Executive do provide financial support to the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS). That support allowed SAOS to assist with the est…
23 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what grants are available for the establishment of food co-operatives.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Community Diet Project (SCDP), funded by the Scottish Executive, provides financial assistance to food co-operatives under its small grants scheme. This is not the only source of funding available to food co-operatives. In March 2004 the SCDP pub…
18 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much electricity it estimates will be generated each year by the proposed wind turbines at Dalmellington, Ayrshire.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We have not made any such estimate. The amount of electricity produced by the project referred to will depend on the number of turbines which receive planning consent, and on the capacity factor of any subsequent development.</p>