- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 22 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much is saved in law enforcement costs for every pound spent on neighbourhood watch and other community crime prevention schemes.
Answer
I refer you to my answers of 11 February and 13 March 2000 about Scottish Executive support for Neighbourhood Watch and other initiatives. Evaluations are undertaken to determine the effectiveness of all our major crime prevention initiatives. However, as with criminal justice, some benefits are indirect and may take several years to make a direct impact on law enforcement costs.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 21 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a statutory requirement for local authorities to produce a local transport strategy.
Answer
No. The Executive published its proposals for the Integrated Transport Bill on 10 February.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the standard band D council tax figure will be for 2000-01 and how that figure was arrived at.
Answer
The average band D council tax figure for 2000-01, calculated on a weighted basis, is £886.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of inflation is on the price of goods and services purchased by local authorities and what allowance has been made for this in the local government finance settlement for 2000-01.
Answer
The local government settlement for 2000-01 allows for total local authority current expenditure to rise by 3.7%. This is a real terms increase when compared to the current forecast of inflation for 2000-01 of 2.5%.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 14 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to fund and promote educational services in secondary schools to raise understanding and awareness of mental illness and provide advice and guidance to pupils and staff.
Answer
Curriculum Design for the Secondary Stages: Guidelines for Schools published in June 1999 provides clear curricular goals, i.e. "schools have a responsibility to help pupils be disposed to have: a commitment to learning; respect and care for self; respect and care for others; and a sense of social responsibility." The Health Education Board for Scotland, who give a lead to many national health education efforts in Scotland is supporting a number of projects in schools designed to promote mental wellbeing and is committed to developing resources to assist teachers in recognising children who may need additional professional support.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 13 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce three-year budgets for local authorities.
Answer
Local authorities know the aggregate figures for Government Supported Expenditure (GSE) and Aggregate External Finance (AEF) for 1999-2000 until 2001-02, which we announced at the time of the Comprehensive Spending Review in 1998. The figures for 2000-01 and 2001-02 were confirmed in my statement on 6 October and published in our consultation document Spending Plans for Scotland. I made clear in the Scottish Parliament on 1 March that I will be discussing the development of three year budgeting with CoSLA over the coming months.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 10 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Glasgow Housing Stock Transfer Steering Group last met, when it will next meet, and how many scheduled meetings have been cancelled and why.
Answer
The Glasgow Housing Partnership Steering Group last met on 28 February and is scheduled to meet shortly. Meetings have been held as and when it was appropriate to discuss the work in progress.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 10 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients with epilepsy were referred for surgery, in the most recent year for which figures are available, and what the average waiting time is, in each health board area.
Answer
A total of 11 patients were admitted from the waiting list in Scotland for surgery to treat epilepsy during the year ending 31 March 1999. The median wait for treatment was 34 days. Information on the number of waiting list admissions for surgery to treat epilepsy, by health board of residence, is provided below.
Health Board | Number of Patients | Waiting Time (days) |
Argyll and Clyde | 1 | 22 |
Ayrshire and Arran | 1 | 31 |
Fife | 1 | 103 |
Forth Valley | 2 | 231 |
Grampian | 1 | 34 |
Greater Glasgow | 3 | 1131 |
Lanarkshire | 1 | 178 |
Lothian | 1 | 45 |
Scotland | 11 | 34 |
Source: ISD Scotland.
Notes:1. Median waiting time.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 10 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that epileptic patients have their medication reviewed annually by their GP.
Answer
This is a matter for the clinical judgement of the GP who will determine the frequency of medication review for epileptic patients based on clinical need. Existing national clinical guidelines published by SIGN in 1997 on "the Diagnosis and Management of Epilepsy in Adults" are scheduled for review this year.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 10 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that all health service professionals working in primary care advise patients on anti-epileptic drugs of their potential side effects.
Answer
All patients receive an information leaflet with each dispensed prescription providing information on the safe and correct use of medicines including potential side-effects. Good clinical practice recommends that all health professionals advise patients on the treatments they are receiving, including the benefits as well as potential side effects.
