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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: S3W-34401

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 June 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 June 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many transport related fines each publicly funded body has settled on behalf of its staff and at what cost in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S3W-33736

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 June 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) under and (b) over 18 years of age are on anticoagulation therapy, broken down by NHS board.

The numbers of patients receiving these medicines are not centrally available. However, the number of prescriptions for anticoagulants are available and he following table shows the numbers of items prescribed in Scotland during the financial year ending 31 March 2008 to 2009 inclusive, by NHS board.

Table 1. Numbers of items prescribed in Scotland during the financial year ending 31 March 2008 to 2009 inclusive, by NHS board:

Health Board	Exemption Group¹
Health Board	18 or under	Over 18	Total
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	183	49,997	50,180
NHS Borders	55	22,901	22,956
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	69	29,408	29,477
NHS Fife	133	41,179	41,312
NHS Forth Valley	190	42,057	42,247
NHS Grampian	217	74,660	74,877
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	642	153,082	153,724
NHS Highland	203	60,418	60,621
NHS Lanarkshire	386	73,914	74,300
NHS Lothian	268	75,969	76,237
NHS Orkney	32	3,522	3,554
NHS Shetland	12	4,677	4,689
NHS Tayside	137	59,725	59,862
NHS Western Isles	8	7,215	7,223
Total	2,535	698,724	701,259

Source: Information Services Division Scotland. 1. Where under 16 years of age, 16 to 18 and in full-time education box has been checked. For the over 18, this is the total of all other exemption categories and includes charged prescriptions.

For the over 18, this is the total of all other exemption categories and includes charged prescriptions. British National Formulary sub sections 020801 (parenteral anticoagulants) and 020802 (Oral anticoagulants).

Question reference: S3W-33737

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 June 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) under and (b) over 18 years of age self-test their INR for anticoagulation therapy, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S3W-33741

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 June 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated average cost per annum is of providing care within the NHS for a patient on anticoagulation therapy and how this compares with an estimate of the average cost of supporting a patient who is (a) self-testing and (b) self-testing and self-managing their anticoagulation therapy.

Question reference: S3W-33739

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 June 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is made by each NHS board to enable young people above 16 years of age to self-test and self-manage their anticoagulation therapy.

NHS boards generally do not provide support for self testing or self management of oral anticoagulation therapy (OAT) as recent evidence (which can be found at: http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/6010.html) and practice suggests that the process is not as cost effective as clinic-based care. However, all requests are dealt with on an individual basis currently.

The generally held clinical view is that very few young people on OAT would be eligible for consideration for self-testing and self monitoring.

Question reference: S3W-33740

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 June 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken by each NHS board to facilitate the self-testing and self-management of anticoagulation therapy for appropriate patients.

Question reference: S3W-33738

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 June 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) under and (b) over 18 years of age both self-test their INR and self-manage their anticoagulation therapy, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S3W-33347

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Scottish South Asians compared with the population as a whole, what steps it is taking to ensure earlier diagnosis and better access to treatment for these groups and what evidence there is that any such measures have been successful in reducing this health inequality.

We want to ensure that heath care outcomes for people living with diabetes from minority ethnic communities are comparable to general Scottish population outcomes. The Diabetes Minority Ethnic Group (DMEG), a sub-group of the Scottish Diabetes Group, was re-established in 2008, in recognition of the need to address both the significantly higher prevalence of diabetes among some minority ethnic communities and ensure access to the best possible care.

Part of DMEG''s remit is to improve the dissemination of information to minority ethnic people about the prevention and early detection of diabetes. In January 2010, DMEG published a diabetes education package for minority ethnic groups in English, Urdu and Chinese. This resource will shortly be augmented by the development of a DVD focussing on diabetes in South Asians. The DVD will incorporate an educational approach which focuses on improving knowledge and changing behaviour. Healthcare professionals and community groups will be able to use these resources to help raise awareness of the additional challenges diabetes presents to black and minority ethnic communities and improve outcomes.

Research from NHS Tayside shows evidence of equity of access and quality of care for South Asians, but marginally poorer outcomes. This is something which will be addressed in the revised Diabetes Action Plan due to be published in the near future, drawing on current work in NHS Fife on reviewing service provision for black and minority ethnic groups.

The Prevention of Diabetes and Obesity in South Asians (PODOSA) study, being carried out by a research team from Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities, is working with people at high risk of developing diabetes to encourage weight loss and increased physical activity, in order to find out if this approach can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. So far, over 1,300 people have been screened. The study will finish in October 2012 and is expected to report in early 2013.

Our Keep Well and Well North programmes assess people''s risk of cardiovascular disease in our most deprived communities, using the ASSIGN risk calculator, which has been designed to be as accurate as possible in Scottish circumstances by factoring in family history as well as deprivation. Those found to be at risk are offered lifestyle advice, referred on to further services, or prescribed suitable medication.

The Scottish Public Health Network is, at the request of the Scottish Diabetes Group, currently looking at early detection of Type 2 diabetes.

Question reference: S3W-33079

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25616 by John Swinney on 29 July 2009, whether the research on actual and perceived barriers to consortia bidding in the business community is publicly available and, if not, whether the Scottish Executive will undertake to make it publicly available.

The report Opportunities and Barriers to Consortia Bidding for Public Sector Contracts was published on November 16 2009, and is available online at the following links:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/16150241/0 (Full Report).

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/16150200/0 (Summary).

Supplier collaboration, including consortia bidding, is one of a number of key procurement issues being considered by the recently established Supplier Engagement Working Group. The group brings together representatives from the public, private and third sectors and is exploring additional ways to enhance the economic impact of public procurement and improve access to contract opportunities, particularly, by smaller organisations. The group, chaired by Liz Cameron of the Scottish Chamber of Commerce, will report on progress to the Public Procurement Reform Board at its next meeting in June.

Question reference: S3W-33080

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25616 by John Swinney on 29 July 2009, what steps have been taken to address actual or perceived barriers identified in the research on consortia bidding.