- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what projections were made before the introduction of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 which indicated when the whole of Scotland would be on the Land Register of Scotland.
Answer
The initial proposals announced during the passage of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 envisaged that the Land Register extension programme would last nine years from the date when the Land Register became operational. The Land Register first became operational in the County of Renfrew in April 1981.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 8 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Regional Selective Assistance boundaries will be finalised.
Answer
This is a reserved matter.I understand that agreement has not yet been reached between the UK Government and the European Commission on a revised Assisted Areas map.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 1 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what is the possible remit of Scottish Drugs Courts.
Answer
There is no doubt that there are important lessons to be learnt from the whole range of policies and practices adopted in other countries in response to the problem of drug related crime. The Scottish Executive is exploring how we might incorporate the most effective of them into our own judicial system.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what counties are currently on the land register and what counties remain to be placed on it; (b) when the outstanding counties are projected to become active and (c) what proportion of Scotland is currently on the land register.
Answer
The land register is in operation in the counties shown in Table A. The operation of the land register will be extended to counties currently outwith the scope of its operations in accordance with the extension programme shown in Table B. Approximately 40% of Scottish properties are registered in the land register.
| Table A | Table B |
Counties where the Land Register is operational | Land Register extension programme |
| Renfrew Dumbarton Lanark Glasgow Clackmannan Stirling West Lothian Fife Aberdeen Kincardine Ayr Dumfries Kirkcudbright Wigtown Angus Kinross Perth Berwick East Lothian Peebles Roxburgh Selkirk Argyll Bute | Midlothian 1 April 2001 Inverness 1 April 2002 Nairn " Banff 1 April 2003 Caithness " Moray " Orkney and Shetland " Ross and Cromarty " Sutherland " |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which illnesses GPs are required to report centrally for national statistical collation.
Answer
The Public Health (Notification of Infectious Diseases) (Scotland) Regulations 1988 require medical practitioners to notify the following infectious diseases:
Anthrax
Bacillary Dysentery
Chickenpox
Cholera
Diphtheria
Erysipelas
Food Poisoning
Legionellosis
Leptospirosis
Lyme Disease
Malaria
Measles
Membranous Croup
Meningococcal Infection
Mumps
Paratyphoid Fever
Plague
Poliomyelitis
Puerperal Fever
Rabies
Relapsing Fever
Rubella
Scarlet Fever
Smallpox
Tetanus
Toxoplasmosis
Tuberculosis (Respiratory and Non-Respiratory)
Typhoid Fever
Typhus Fever
Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (including Yellow Fever)
Viral Hepatitis
Whooping Cough
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce a water service charges benefit scheme aligned to the existing Council Tax Benefit Scheme.
Answer
The current arrangements linking water and sewerage charges to council tax bands already provide substantial assistance to many less well-off households. 27% of all households in Scotland occupy Band A properties. These households pay only one third of the charge paid by those in Band H.Nevertheless, we recognise that affordability of water charges is an issue. That is why we are looking again at current arrangements. We shall consult widely on this before implementing any changes.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 10 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which bodies or organisations in Scotland carry out research into the condition myalgic encephalomyelitis and what level of funding they receive from it.
Answer
The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) has responsibility within The Scottish Executive Health Department for encouraging and supporting research into health services and patient care within the NHS in Scotland. Although CSO is not directly funding research into myalgic encephalomyelitis at present they would be pleased to receive research applications.
CSO supports research indirectly through its allocation of some £30 million annually to the NHS in Scotland.
We are aware of eight research projects on myalgic encephalomyelitis which are either taking place or have recently been completed in Scotland. Details of these are available on the National Research Register (NRR), a copy of which is in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1003 by Susan Deacon on 10 September 1999, when it will make the announcement referred to on advice from the UK National Screening Committee on hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and, if it has already made this announcement, whether it will give details.
Answer
I refer to my answer to question S1W-6079.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any assessment in Scotland or UK-wide of existing screening methods for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
Answer
I refer to my answer to question S1W-6079.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details by health board area of current screening programmes for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
Answer
No population screening programmes for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy are currently provided by the NHS anywhere in Scotland. If people are concerned that they might be at risk because of the condition, they can ask their GP to refer them to a cardiologist who would be able to carry out the necessary tests.
I announced on 10 April my decision to accept the expert advice from the National Screening Committee that the NHS in Scotland should not offer a population-wide screening programme for this condition. I wrote to the member that day with a copy of the News Release and the text of the letter which the Department had sent to Scottish Heart at Risk Testing, a voluntary body concerned with promoting awareness of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The National Screening Committee took the view that on the basis of our present knowledge, screening should not be undertaken because a significant number of those diagnosed by the current tests will go on to live a normal life span and will have been excluded unnecessarily from sporting and other activities. As there would also be employment and insurance consequences following such a diagnosis, the disadvantages outweigh the possible benefits of screening.
There is no precise screening test at present, as there are variable definitions of the degree of enlargement of the heart muscle which constitutes a positive diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Testing by echocardiography (ECG) may miss some young people at risk of sudden death and cause potentially unnecessary distress to those whose life spans will not be affected.
