- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to ScotRail asking it to reconsider its withdrawal of the service stop for Kingussie on the 10.10 Glasgow to Inverness service and its plans to withdraw a similar service stop for Kingussie on the 17.40 Edinburgh to Inverness service.
Answer
All proposed timetable changes have to be presented for consideration to the Passenger Transport Executives, User Representatives, local authorities and the shadow Strategic Rail Authority before they can be adopted. This process has been applied to changes on summer services between Inverness and Edinburgh/Glasgow, including stops at Kingussie, and agreed to by the relevant bodies. Changes to the winter timetable, including the 17:40 from Edinburgh to Inverness, are currently under consideration.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will devise a national strategy on osteoporosis aimed in particular at preventing and improving detection of osteoporosis.
Answer
There are no current plans to develop a national strategy for osteoporosis. It is for local health boards to determine the services which are required to meet the needs of their local population within available resources. Guidance to help health boards devise their strategies was issued by the Health Department in 1997, in the form of a Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) report on osteoporosis. This gave the conclusions of a group of experts drawn from within the NHS on the current situation in Scotland, a review of recent research, and options for the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis.
This SNAP report concluded that the only measures known to prevent the development of osteoporosis are weight-bearing exercise, the reduction of alcohol consumption to moderate levels, the reduction of tobacco consumption and a balanced diet with a higher consumption of calcium and vitamin D and lowered consumption of sodium, protein and caffeine. These are measures which are actively promoted by the Executive, because they reduce the risks of developing many other conditions as well as osteoporosis.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5066 by Susan Deacon on 21 March 2000, why it considers it unnecessary to hold information on measures to detect osteoporosis centrally and whether it will arrange for details of any measures taken to detect osteoporosis at a local level to be held centrally.
Answer
Strategies for the care of patients with a wide variety of conditions, including osteoporosis, are the responsibility of health boards and their associated NHS Trusts, who are best suited to assess local needs. If the Scottish Executive required detailed reports on every aspect of patient care for every condition from boards and Trusts it would be a very time-consuming and therefore costly exercise. I am not convinced that this would be a good use of NHS funds.
Guidance to help health boards devise their strategies was issued by the Health Department in 1997, in the form of a Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) on osteoporosis. This gave the conclusions of a group of experts drawn from within the NHS on the current situation in Scotland, a review of recent research, and options for the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to ensure the best diagnosis and treatment for sufferers of organophosphate exposure.
Answer
As indicated in my answer to question S1W-6780, the Chief Medical Officer wrote last year to health boards, NHS Trusts and general practitioners to provide guidance on responding to patients suffering from, or claiming to suffer from organophosphate poisoning. The need for further guidance is kept under continuing review.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether specialist referrals are available for sufferers of organophosphate exposure; if so, what efforts have been made to ensure that GPs are aware of these services; if not, what action is being taken to address this situation.
Answer
The Department of Health issued a statement on 1 July 1999 providing guidance on the action to be taken in cases of complaint of organophosphate poisoning. A copy of this statement was sent to health boards, NHS Trusts and general practitioners in Scotland on 1 July 1999 under cover of a letter from the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland. The statement suggested that where a patient presented with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, doctors might refer to a consultant neurologist or discuss the case with the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). In Scotland, the NPIS in Edinburgh has agreed to consider such cases.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any Scottish Minister could allow his or her name to be associated with any particular company or businesses by authorising the use of his or her photograph on its products.
Answer
Scottish Ministers are expected to behave in accordance with the provisions of the Scottish Ministerial Code. One of the provisions is that they are expected to order their affairs so that no conflict arises or is thought to arise between their private interests (financial or otherwise) and their public duties.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 5 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in what ways it supports the work of Young Enterprise Scotland and what measures it will introduce to allow secondary school pupils to gain experience in business.
Answer
The Executive is highly supportive of the work of Young Enterprise Scotland in its efforts to promote enterprise in schools and support the development of "core" skills. We are particularly encouraged by the degree of private sector involvement in the organisation. Education for Work and Enterprise in schools is delivered in a variety of ways and by a wide range of bodies. The agenda includes programmes offering practical work experience for secondary school pupils, curriculum guidelines on delivering enterprise education and support for the National Centre: Education for Work and Enterprise which provides strategic direction to the agenda.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 5 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a progress report on the Digital Scotland Task Force.
Answer
The Digital Scotland Task Force published its report on the Internet on 22 May, and invited public comments on its recommendations. The public consultation period lasts until 30 June. The Scottish Executive will respond to the task force report as soon as possible thereafter, in the light of the results of the consultation.Full details of the task force report, relevant links, and arrangements for public consultation can be found on the Digital Scotland website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland/.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish, for each of the last 10 years, the total public funds received, from all sources, including the Scottish Executive, The Scottish Office, Her Majesty's Government and other UK wide public bodies, by all charities registered in Scotland.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its plans to promote e-commerce in the light of problems arising from the recent "love-bug" computer virus.
Answer
The "Iloveyou" virus was spread by e-mail, which is not the main vehicle for e-commerce transactions.