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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-12201

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 5 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding it will make available to local authorities to meet the costs of providing a permanent place in a nursing home for the 2,000 pensioners currently on waiting lists, following Lord Hardie's recent judgement in the Court of Session in the recent Arthur MacGregor case.

Question reference: S1W-12202

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 5 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive over what timescale all local authorities will be expected to comply with Lord Hardie's recent judgement in the Court of Session in the recent Arthur McGregor case.

Question reference: S1W-12044

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9245 by Iain Gray on 30 October 2000, why the number of clients receiving home help fell by 9,558 between 1997 and 1999 and what steps it is taking to reverse this decline.

The figures reflect a shift in the nature of local authority provided or commissioned home care to a more intensive service involving personal care with each client on average receiving more help. Over the period, the number of home care hours provided or commissioned by local authorities rose from 335,668 to 375,300.

The Minister for Health and Community Care announced a range of measures on 5 October 2000, which will considerably increase home care provision.

Question reference: S1W-12043

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in each local authority area received "meals on wheels" in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

The following table details the number of people receiving a "meals on wheels" service in each local authority. These figures are based on results of a voluntary survey of local authorities. Estimates for missing values have been included in the Scotland totals. Figures relating to the Scottish unitary authorities commenced in 1997. Since 1998, this survey is conducted on a three-yearly basis. The figures for 2001 will be published later this year.

Meals-on-Wheels Service 31 March 1998

Local Authority	Number of Clients
Local Authority	1997	1998
Aberdeen City	503	343
Aberdeenshire	939	718
Angus	419	427
Argyll & Bute	319	305
Clackmannanshire	278	247
Dumfries & Galloway	577	660
Dundee City	147	n/a
East Ayrshire	866	n/a
East Dunbartonshire	187	153
East Lothian	962	1,035
East Renfrewshire	248	165
Edinburgh, City of	950	1,003
Falkirk	n/a	n/a
Fife	1,792	2,261
Glasgow City	2,008	n/a
Highland	1,281	1,387
Inverclyde	214	225
Midlothian	290	271
Moray	603	620
North Ayrshire	527	375
North Lanarkshire	802	1,472
Orkney Islands	8	7
Perth & Kinross	325	339
Renfrewshire	384	364
Scottish Borders	463	468
Shetland Islands	232	225
South Ayrshire	429	396
South Lanarkshire	n/a	850
Stirling	421	273
West Dunbartonshire	204	335
West Lothian	n/a	n/a
Western Isles	n/a	0
Scotland¹	18,068	18,975

Source: SEHD, Community Care Statistics, H2 Return

Notes:

1. Scotland totals have been estimated.

Question reference: S1W-12165

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will require of each health board to identify the action boards are taking to tackle homelessness and address inequalities, as outlined on page 20 of Our National Health - A Plan for Action, a Plan for Change.

Question reference: S1W-12156

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources it will provide to Glasgow, Lothian, Lanark and Argyll and Clyde Ambulance Services to ensure that they reach their 999 response time targets.

The Scottish Ambulance Service is funded to provide services across Scotland. This year's allocation is £94.3 million - up by £4.1 million on last year.

The allocation includes £500,000 specifically for 20 more front-line staff in Glasgow and a further £485,000 to train 75 more paramedics across Scotland.

Areas round Glasgow will benefit from deployment of extra front-line staff in the city. In addition, the Scottish Ambulance Service regularly reviews performance in all health board areas to ensure that it is providing the services people need.

Question reference: S1W-12066

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 3 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure the prudent use of antibiotics in order to maximise their effectiveness for patients.

The need for concerted action in this area was highlighted in the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's Report Resistance to Antibiotics and other Microbial Agent. In response, the UK Government gave a commitment to develop a comprehensive UK Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and in line with this, a UK strategy document was issued earlier this year.

In order to provide further focus on action in Scotland, a draft Action Plan for Scotland was issued for consultation at the same time. This covers three key inter-related elements namely surveillance, prudent antimicrobial use in human, animal and agricultural practice, and infection control. The Action Plan is currently being reviewed in the light of the comments received as part of this exercise and a revised version will be issued to a wide range of interests in due course.

Also, in December 1999, as the first phase of an education campaign, the Executive launched publicity materials to further raise awareness of this issue. These included posters and leaflets that were circulated widely to GP practices, dental practitioners and pharmacists to help bring the issue to the attention of the general public. On 20 December this year, this message was reinforced at a press conference to increase public awareness of the problem.

The Scottish Executive Health Department is advised in this area by the Advisory Group on Infection. The Advisory Group has set up a sub-group on Hospital Acquired Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance, which is currently considering a framework for antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems in Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-12146

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 3 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Inverness will be included in the recently announced review of Scotland's cities.

Question reference: S1W-12145

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 3 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what prompted its decision to launch a ministerial led review of Scotland's cities.

Question reference: S1W-12144

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 3 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the role and remit of the Deputy Minister for Finance and Local Government is in relation to the recently announced review of Scotland's cities.