Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-15107

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 April 2001
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it takes to ensure that the services provided to deafblind people are appropriate and in formats and methods accessible to them.

Question reference: S1W-15305

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 8 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage more females to take up modern apprenticeships.

The Scottish Executive is working with the Enterprise Network to target Modern Apprenticeships in non-traditional sectors, including hospitality, early years and childcare, IT and health and social care. Many of these sectors offer apprenticeship opportunities which are more attractive to women. The Executive is also working with the Manufacturing Image Group to encourage more women into manufacturing occupations.

Question reference: S1W-15233

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 April 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of any impact which non-dredging of the River Clyde will have on water levels along the course of the river in forthcoming years.

The need for maintenance of water courses is a matter for the riparian land owners concerned: decisions on dredging of the River Clyde are not for the Scottish Executive. Commissioning of any specific assessments is also a matter for the riparian landowners involved: information on any assessments that may have been undertaken is not held by the Executive.However, local authorities have a duty to assess the state of watercourses in their area to ascertain whether they are likely to cause flooding of non-agricultural land and to publish reports on flooding and measures to prevent flooding.

Question reference: S1W-15110

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 April 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to establish a special unit for patients sent for psychiatric assessment by the courts.

Question reference: S1W-14948

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 April 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that money is available to fund nicotine replacement therapies as outlined in its announcement on 14 March 2001.

Health Boards received an average increase in Unified Budgets of 6.5% for 2001-02 to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations. This uplift is considered to be adequate to cover in year pressures on prescribing expenditure including those arising from the introduction of new therapies. Spending decisions are for Boards to make in the light of local needs, within a framework of national standards and priorities set by Ministers.An additional £3 million was allocated over 3 years to Health Boards in April 1999 for smoking cessation services, including the provision of one week's free NRT to smokers least able to afford to buy these products.

Question reference: S1W-14649

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 March 2001
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 4 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what average time is taken by each local authority to provide a social worker for a child identified as being in need of supervision by a children's panel.

Question reference: S1W-14414

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11227 by Susan Deacon on 8 January 2001, why the median waiting time for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant neurologist following GP referral in Grampian Health Board has increased from 37 days for the year ending 31 March 1999 to 77 days for the year ending 31 March 2000 and what action it plans to take to address this situation.

This is a matter for Grampian Health Board.The answer I provided to S1W-11227 showed that the median waiting time for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant neurologist following GP referral in the Grampian Health Board area, in the year ended 31 March 1999, was 63 days (not 37 days). Provisional figures for the nine months to 31 December 2000 indicate that this performance has improved to 61 days, a better performance than the average across Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-15084

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 3 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11138 by Susan Deacon on 24 January 2001, what measures are in place to monitor Health Boards' compliance with the Code of Practice on Openness for the NHS in Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-15083

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 3 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11138 by Susan Deacon on 24 January 2001, how successful the Code of Practice on Openness for the NHS in Scotland has been in ensuring that internal committees of individual Health Boards do not operate under any presumption of privacy.

The Code of Practice on Openness for the NHS in Scotland makes a presumption of openness and accessibility of information to the public but also permits some information to be withheld. This includes information about internal discussion and advice. Health Boards are encouraged to make public as much information as possible about decision making, but it is for individual Boards to decide what should be published. In doing so, they need to ensure that publication will not hinder frank internal debate or the proper and effective operation of the organisation.The Scottish Executive does not monitor operation of the Code, nor does it have any plans to require Health Boards to make public information about meetings of internal committees. Health Boards, and other NHSScotland organisations, are aware of their responsibilities under the Code, one of which is to publish the name of the individual in their organisation who has responsibility for the operation of the Code.

Question reference: S1W-15085

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 3 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11138 by Susan Deacon on 24 January 2001, whether the Code of Practice on Openness for the NHS in Scotland requires Health Board drugs and therapeutics committees to make public the minutes of their meetings and forthcoming agendas and, if not, whether it will introduce such a requirement.