- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out, or commissioned, into the use of the antibiotic drug cefuroxime in the specific treatment of MRSA and what its position is on the effectiveness of the drug its therapeutic effect against MRSA and whether it may encourage MRSA colonisation and infection in patients, as reported in The Scotsman on 9 June 2003.
Answer
The prescribing of medicines for patients is a matter for clinicians operating within the appropriate professional guidelines.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring takes place regarding personal hygiene standards in controlling the transmission of infections.
Answer
The NHS Quality Improvement Scotland Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) - Infection Control standards, include a practice standard on hand hygiene. This standard requires NHS trusts to have "a clear hand hygiene policy and mechanism to ensure effective implementation is in place." Also compliance with this policy should form part of a systematic review by trusts.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive who has been appointed to the Chief Medical Officer's task force on healthcare-associated infection announced by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 30 January 2003 in response to the Audit Scotland report, Hospital cleaning; how often the task force has met; what actions it has taken to implement its remit and, in particular, to decrease the prevalence of hospital-acquired infection, and how often the task force has reported to the minister.
Answer
The membership of the Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force is detailed in the table.
| Dr Mac Armstrong, Chief Medical Officer, | Chair |
| Dr Frank Bone, Consultant Microbiologist | Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary |
| Mr Tim Brett, General Manager | Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health |
| Mr Alistair Brown, Head, Performance Management Division | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Mr James T Brown, Head, Public Health Division | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Ms Susan Brimelow, Manager | Independent Healthcare Division, Central West Region |
| Dr Peter Christie, Senior Medical Officer | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Dr Michael Cornbleet, Senior Medical Officer | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Dr Brian Cowan, Medical Director | South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust |
| Mrs Rosslyn Crockett, Director of Nursing | Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust |
| Dr Andrew K Fraser, Deputy Chief Medical Officer | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Mr John Gallacher, Joint Secretary | Scottish Partnership Forum |
| Mrs Liz Gillies, Director of HAI Initiative | NHS Education for Scotland |
| Mr John Glennie, Chief Executive | NHS Borders |
| Mr Robert Howe, Head of Environmental Services | South Lanarkshire Council |
| Miss Anne Jarvie, Chief Nursing Officer | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Mr Adrian Lucas, Chief Executive | Scottish Ambulance Service |
| Mrs Maggie McCowan, Senior Manager, Infection Control | Infection Control Nurses Association (Scotland) |
| Mr Ian McLuckie, Chief Executive | The Property and Environment Forum |
| Mrs Hazel Meechan, National Development Officer | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Mrs Diane Murray, Partnership and Employment Practice | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Mr Mike Palmer, Assistant Director Workforce and Policy | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Mr Robert B F Peat, General Manager | Eastern Glasgow LHCC |
| Mr Tom Reilly | Lay representative |
| Mrs Marjory Russell | Lay representative |
| Dr Charles Saunders, Consultant in Public Health Medicine | NHS Fife |
| Ms Lynda Sawers, Corporate Communications Manager | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Mr Ross Scott, Policy Implementation and Development | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Dr David Steel, Chief Executive | NHS Quality Improvement Scotland |
| Mrs Margaret Tannahill, Project Leader, HAI Task Force | Scottish Executive Health Department |
| Mr Ray Watkins, Chief Dental Officer | Scottish Executive Health Department |
The task force, which has met on two occasions and will meet again in the autumn, is overseeing work already in progress and commissioning several new working groups to address a number of specified tasks which are set out in the Hospital Acquired Infection Action Plan. I am regularly updated on progress.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 18 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will now consider rucksack funding of children with special educational needs which follows the child throughout his or her education, in light of paragraph 4.44 of chapter 4 of the Auditor General's report Moving to mainstream : The inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is planning to provide 35% more in additional grant funding next year than at present, lifting new annual spending to over £50 million per year, to support children with special educational needs. This funding, together with local government general revenue, allows education authorities to allocate resources according to the needs of children in their area. We have no plans to introduce rucksack funding.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 July 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 16 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to increase the level of average gross weekly earnings in the Scottish Borders Council area from #346.20, as referred to in Scottish Economic Statistics 2003, to the national average
Answer
Scottish Enterprise is charged with pursing the strategic priorities for economic development contained in A Smart, Successful Scotland. These priorities include improving productivity and competitiveness to enhance the long-term growth rate of the economy of the Scottish Borders, to generate greater prosperity and employment and reduce poverty.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 16 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how parents can access reports by HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE).
Answer
Upon publication, all parents and guardians are issued with copies of inspection reports on schools which their children attend. In addition, parents can access copies of any published report via the HMIE website. Copies can also be requested by contacting any HMIE office.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 16 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive ,further to the answer to question S1W-34524 by Iain Gray on 19 March 2003, how many business start-ups there were in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002-03 in the East Lothian Council area and what percentage of such start-ups in each year for which such figures are available were still in business after (i) one year, (ii) two years and (iii) three years.
Answer
The following table shows business starts measured by VAT registrations in the East Lothian council area for 1999, 2000 and 2001. Figures for 2002 will not be available until October 2003.
| VAT Registrations | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| East Lothian | 180 | 185 | 185 |
Source: Small Business Service at
http://www.sbs.gov.uk/content/statistics/vat9401.xls.Data on the proportion of start-ups still in business after one, two and three years is not available by local authority.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 16 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34524 by Iain Gray on 19 March 2003, how many business start-ups there were in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002-03 in the Scottish Borders Council area and what percentage of such start-ups in each year for which such figures are available were still in business after (i) one year, (ii) two years and (iii) three years.
Answer
The following table shows business starts measured by VAT registrations in the Scottish Borders Council area for 1999, 2000 and 2001. Figures for 2002 will not be available until October 2003.
| VAT Registrations | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Scottish Borders | 325 | 280 | 265 |
Source: Small Business Service at
http://www.sbs.gov.uk/content/statistics/vat9401.xls.Data on the proportion of start-ups still in business after one, two and three years is not available by local authority area.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 16 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to increase the level of average gross weekly earnings in the East Lothian Council area from #399.60, as referred to in Scottish Economic Statistics 2003, to the national average.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise is charged with pursing the strategic priorities for economic development contained in A Smart Successful Scotland. These priorities include improving productivity and competitiveness to enhance the long-term growth rate of the economy of East Lothian, to generate greater prosperity and employment and reduce poverty.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 13 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will explain and expand on the meaning of "supporting", as used in the statement "supporting the construction of the Borders Rail Line" in A Partnership for a Better Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is supporting the work undertaken to prepare the business case and the private bill by awarding Scottish Borders Council over £2 million from the Public Transport Fund. The Scottish Executive will continue its support through the parliamentary process and will support the construction, including the provision of an appropriate funding contribution, subject to the project, as for all such projects, satisfying its business case objectives. The Scottish Executive has £3 billion of investment for capital infrastructure projects over the next 10 years, within which we have the necessary resources to implement the Borders railway.
