Parliamentary questions

Jackson Carlaw

1,088 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many untouched meals were disposed of by the NHS expressed in (a) cash terms and (b) as a proportion of total meals distributed in the last 12 months, broken down by NHS board and also by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24145 on 1 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: …

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much hospital food was wasted in the NHS expressed (a) in cash terms and (b) as a proportion of total expenditure on meals in the last 12 months, broken down by NHS board and also by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. All NHS boards in Scotland are working towards meeting Food in Hospitals, the National Catering and Nutrition Specification for Food and Fluid provision in Scotland, 2008, which will assist them to deliver a hea…

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of feeding a hospital patient per (a) meal and (b) day, broken down by NHS board and also by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: No information is held centrally on the cost of feeding a hospital patient per meal or per day by health board or hospital. Scottish Health Service Costs 2008 presents information on catering costs per patient consumer week by Health Board and h…

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients in the NHS (a) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) Ayrshire and Arran area were (i) diagnosed with and (ii) found to have died from malnutrition while in the care of the NHS in each year since 1997, broken down by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Centrally held information can provide details of patients where malnutrition is identified on their hospital or death records as a principle or contributory cause of death. These figures may represent an undercount of the true number of cases because …

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients who arrived at hospital without malnutrition were subsequently (a) diagnosed with and (b) found to have died from malnutrition while in the care of the NHS in each year since 1997, broken down by NHS board and also by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information is not collected in such a way as to identify the number of patients, if any, who arrived at hospital without malnutrition, but subsequently were diagnosed with, and found to have died of, malnutrition. The number of deaths in hospital d…

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23008 by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 May 2009, to what it attributes the number of patients discharged from NHS hospitals with a diagnosis of malnutrition and what steps are being taken to reduce such cases.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24140 on 1 June 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/Apps2/Bu…

20 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23008 by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 May 2009, to what it attributes the increase, in the last year, in the number of patients discharged from NHS hospitals as a result of death who had a diagnosis of malnutrition and what steps are being taken to reduce s…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Scotland is now required to screen all patients on admission to hospital for the risk of undernutrition. As a result, it is likely that there has been an increase in the recording of malnutrition as a contributory cause of death on death certificates. In …

15 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executivehow many patients were (a) diagnosed with and (b) found to have died from malnutrition while in the care of (i) the NHS and (ii) a local authority run care home in each year since 1997, broken down by NHS board and local authority respectively.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Centrally held information can provide details for patients where malnutrition is identified on their hospital or death records. These figures may represent an undercount of the true number of cases because malnutrition as an underlying reason for admi…

24 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each local authority spends on (a) wages and salaries and (b) external contractors, expressed (i) in cash terms and (ii) as a proportion of the total local authority expenditure.

Answer · John Swinney: The information on wages and salaries for 2007-08 is in the following table. Local authorities'' expenditure on external contractors is not held centrally. Local Authorities'' Employee Costs 2007-08 <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 w…

24 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total revenue budget is for each local authority in 2009-10.

Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is expected to be available in June 2009. I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib number 47916).

16 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-20359 and S3W-21586 by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 February 2008 and 16 March 2008 respectively, for what reason it did not provide the 2008 figures in answer to the earlier question.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information presented in the answer to question S3W-20359 was extracted from a snapshot of the national Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR) file taken during January 2009. Initial data for December 2008 had not, at that time, been submitted to the national f…

16 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases the NHS has been guilty of clinical negligence in each year since 1997 and how much compensation was paid each year, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11099 on 14 April 2008 which contains the data requested for the financial years 1996-97 to 2006-07. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facilit…

16 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s decision to transfer 30 continuing care beds from St Margaret of Scotland Hospice to new facilities at Blawarthill Hospital by 2012, what assurances it has received that these facilities will be available on time and within budget.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A preferred bidder for Blawarthill Hospital was appointed in May 2007 to take forward the development of the Blawarthill Hospital site in order to provide: 60 NHS continuing care beds staffed by the NHS; 60 care home beds; 16 ver…

16 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the mileage rate is for reimbursing its employees for work-related journeys made by car and, if there are differing rates, who is entitled to each rate.

Answer · John Swinney: A mileage allowance is payable when Scottish Government staff use their private motor vehicles for travel on official business. The use of private motor vehicles, however, should only occur when it is established that an official allocated vehicle, a hired c…

12 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with HM Government and other key stakeholders with a view to helping to reduce the number of maternal and neonatal fatalities in developing countries.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is an active member of the steering group to take forward Health is Global: A UK Government Strategy and officials have participated in meetings with colleagues in the relevant UK Departments involved in the strategy. This rein…

12 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to assist people coming to terms with a maternal or neonatal fatality.

Answer · Shona Robison: Maternity and Neonatal Units have explicit guidelines surrounding the occurrence of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and maternal deaths. Health professionals from maternity units, including midwives and neonatal nurses, as well as primary care teams where approp…

12 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to reduce the number of maternal and neonatal fatalities.

Answer · Shona Robison: In partnership with Information Services Division, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland produces an annual report on stillbirths and neonatal deaths The Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report. This report includes inf…

12 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) maternal and (b) neonatal fatalities there have been in each year since 1999, also expressed as a proportion of births in each year.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is available on the General Register Office for Scotland website, Vital Events Reference Tables for 2007: <a href="http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/vital-events/index.html">http://www.gro-scotl…

12 Mar 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had with inter-governmental organisations in the last six months.

Answer · Michael Russell: This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0312-01.htm">http://www.scot…

5 Mar 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive , in light of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde board meeting on 24 February 2009, what action has been agreed to resolve the dispute over the future of St Margaret of Scotland Hospice.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde agreed to continue funding of the 30 bed continuing care facility at St. Margaret''s until early 2012. The board will work with St. Margaret''s to agree an alternative model of care, and to ensure that they are not f…

4 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20359 by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 February 2009, whether it will provide figures for the year ending 31 December 2008 and, if these figures are not available, when they will become available.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Morbidity Record information is continually submitted to the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland by NHS boards. Data for the year ending December 2008 which meets ISD''s data completeness protocols is now avail…

2 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that drinking water from coolers at (a) schools, (b) leisure centres, (c) hospitals and care homes and (d) companies from all sectors meet safety and hygiene standards.

Answer · Shona Robison: Drinking water used in coolers, whether from the mains supply or bottled, is subject to rigorous EU water quality standards and testing, covering both chemical and microbiological safety. However, primary responsibility for the maintenance and clean…

24 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of representations made to the regulatory impact assessment on proposals in Scotland’s Future is Smoke Free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan is from the retail sector.

Answer · Shona Robison: The primary purpose of the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) was to consider the impact of proposals on business and, in particular, on small businesses. Almost 65 per cent of meetings held to discuss the RIA were with tobacco retailers and 60 per cent of wr…

24 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to raise awareness and increase the participation of retailers and retail interest groups in the regulatory impact assessment on proposals in Scotland’s Future is Smoke Free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government actively sought the views of retailers and retail representative groups over an extensive consultation period (April 2008 until February 2009) in order to develop its regulatory impact assessment on proposals in Scotland''s Future …

24 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the retailers and retail interest groups that it has met to discuss the economic impact of proposals in Scotland’s Future is Smoke Free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government Consulted extensively with retailers and retail interest groups on proposals in Scotland''s Future is Smoke Free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/0/">…

24 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether proposals to introduce new restrictions on the use of tobacco vending machines are reflected in the regulatory impact assessment on Scotland’s Future is Smoke Free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan and, if not, what it is doing to assess the regulatory impact of this proposal.

Answer · Shona Robison: The regulatory impact assessment (RIA) on proposals contained in Scotland''s Future is Smoke Free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan considered the impact of further regulating tobacco vending machines. The RIA recommended an outright ban of tobacco ve…

24 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the retailers and retail interest groups that it consulted directly regarding proposals to introduce new restrictions on tobacco vending machines.

Answer · Shona Robison: In developing the regulatory impact assessment on proposals to reduce the availability of tobacco from vending machines to under-18s, the Scottish Government met with Imperial Tobacco and its subsidiary Sinclair Collis, which provides, operates and maintains …

18 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of school children in each local authority area in the west of Scotland attended an independent (a) primary and (b) secondary school in each year since 1997.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This information is not collected centrally. Figures for the number of pupils in independent schools are published each year on the government website at the following link: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Schoo…

18 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what services have been removed from each hospital in the NHS (a) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) Ayrshire and Arran areas since 1997 and when each was removed.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Ayrshire and Arran have provided the following information on services which have been removed from hospitals in their areas since 1997. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpaddi…

18 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on what drugs and health care treatments are available to NHS patients in England or Wales but not available to NHS patients in Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As health is a devolved issue, decisions regarding the introduction of new medicines and treatments are taken by each of the UK countries through their own appraisal and assessment arrangements in line with established national priorities. Accordingl…