- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 19 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that diabetic patients on rosiglitazone who suffer from ischemic heart disease or peripheral arterial disease are no longer prescribed this medicine in line with the advice of the European Medicines Agency.
Answer
The safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA has advised that the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended new restrictions and warnings for rosiglitazone, including advice that it is not recommended for use in patients with ischaemic heart disease or peripheral arterial disease, because of concerns about an increased risk of myocardial infarction in these patients.
Health care professionals were informed about this new advice in the February 2008 edition of the MHRA Drug Safety Update bulletin. The product information for all rosiglitazone containing products is also being updated to incorporate the new advice.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 24 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made to implement its strategy to augment police numbers by the deferred retirement of existing police officers.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s priorityis to recruit, retain and redeploy police officers to build police capacity andstrengthen operational policing in our communities. Thus delivering an additional1,000 officers into our communities.
Retaining valuable officers isimportant to the government and communities. The 30 + scheme is not working as wellas we would wish.
We are therefore looking to developmore opportunities which will enable chief constables to retain the skills of someof the 2,300 experienced officers who will be eligible to retire over the lifetimeof this Parliament and who wish to continue serving their communities.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 21 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions have been dispensed in each year since 1999, showing how many were (a) dispensed free of charge and (b) subject to a prescription charge.
Answer
The total number of prescriptionsdispensed in Scotland by community pharmacists, dispensing doctors and appliancesuppliers is shown in the table.
Financial Year Ending 31 March | Dispensed Without Charge or by Prepayment Certificate1 | Dispensed with Charge | Total Dispensed |
2000 | 54,569,254 | 6,298,914 | 60,868,168 |
2001 | 56,871,396 | 6,169,236 | 63,040,632 |
2002 | 59,762,675 | 6,461,267 | 66,223,942 |
2003 | 63,158,412 | 6,322,180 | 69,480,592 |
2004 | 66,169,189 | 5,996,779 | 72,165,968 |
2005 | 68,980,965 | 5,646,360 | 74,627,325 |
2006 | 71,477,618 | 5,790,334 | 77,267,952 |
2007 | 73,790,083 | 5,675,627 | 79,465,710 |
Source: ISD Scotland.
Note: 1. The number of prepayment certificates issued in theyear ending 31 March 2007 by NHS boards was 182,874. A prepayment certificate canbe used to obtain an unspecified number of prescriptions during the period. Forthe year ending 2007 the number of prescriptions dispensed using a prepayment certificatewas 3,774,467 - data is not available for earlier years.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 17 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to protect sensitive data, following the loss of the personal details of 25 million people by HM Revenue and Customs.
Answer
Our data protection and ITsecurity policies are corporate within the Scottish Government and there arespecific data transfer protocols for transferring particular types of informationbetween specific bodies or systems. This is in line with the overall frameworkon information security laid down by Cabinet Office for the UK civilservice.
Following the HMRC incident,and along with other UK public bodies, we are currently conducting a reviewof data handling across the Scottish Government, its associated bodies and thewider public sector in Scotland. The review is considering the procedures currentlyin place for the protection of data, their consistency with government-widestandards and policies, and arrangements for ensuring that policies andprocedures are being fully and correctly implemented. It will enable us toconsider the need for any further measures and will allow us to consistentlyshare best practice throughout the wider public sector.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 13 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to pilot driving on hard shoulders during rush hour on congested stretches of roads, in light of the results of the UK Government’s pilot scheme allowing drivers to use the hard shoulder on the M42 outside Birmingham during rush hour.
Answer
Transport Scotland is currently examining the feasibility of introducingdemand management measures, such as hard shoulder running, on congested parts of the central Scotland motorway and trunk road network. No decisionshave been taken to implement proposals at this stage. Any potential schemes willhave to be carefully examined in relation to performance and safety issues.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the protection of the public as a result of the terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport on 30 June 2007.
Answer
Public safety remainsthe Scottish Government’s top priority, and security arrangements are kept underconstant review. The lessons learned from the Glasgow Airport incident have informed our resilience planningacross a range of sectors. The government and all public bodies remain ever vigilantagainst the terrorist threat in our determination to ensure we are playing our partin protecting the Scottish public.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4760 by Stewart Stevenson on 25 October 2007, what contingency arrangements have been made to ensure that the Isle of Arran has sufficient fuels in the event of adverse weather conditions making roads impassable or leading to the cancellation of ferry services to the island.
Answer
Localauthorities, as Category 1 responders under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004,have a responsibility to assess the risk of emergencies occurring, and to usethis to inform contingency planning. North Ayrshire Council believe their plansin this regard are robust and sufficient.
For example, Iunderstand that should severe weather, or any other reason, stop fuel gettingto Arran, there is normally sufficient stock held at the Scottish Fuels depotin Brodick to last up to eight weeks. North Ayrshire Council also hassubstantial fuel storage facilities on the island.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 29 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4661 by Jim Mather on 15 October 2007, how many children aged under six months were registered for adoption in each year from 1967 to 1987, also showing the total number of births in each year.
Answer
The informationrequested is given in the following table.
Adoptions ofChildren Aged Under Six Months, 1967-87
Year of Adoption | Number | Total Number of Births |
1967 | 277 | 96,221 |
1968 | 308 | 94,786 |
1969 | 315 | 90,290 |
1970 | 244 | 87,335 |
1971 | 185 | 86,728 |
1972 | 195 | 78,550 |
1973 | 215 | 74,392 |
1974 | 165 | 70,093 |
1975 | 135 | 67,943 |
1976 | 102 | 64,895 |
1977 | 93 | 62,342 |
1978 | 85 | 64,294 |
1979 | 36 | 68,366 |
1980 | 72 | 68,890 |
1981 | 70 | 69,054 |
1982 | 85 | 66,196 |
1983 | 85 | 65,078 |
1984 | 70 | 65,106 |
1985 | 51 | 66,676 |
1986 | 56 | 65,812 |
1987 | 33 | 66,241 |
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tricia Marwick on 19 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many (a) times each MSP has applied for public gallery tickets, (b) public gallery tickets each MSP has applied for, (c) times each MSP has been provided with public gallery tickets and (d) public gallery tickets each MSP has received for First Minister’s Question Time since May 2007.
Answer
The system usedfor ticket bookings does not record enquiries which do not result in asuccessful booking. The following table shows the number of times when eachMSP has been able to book tickets for Debating Chamber public gallery ticketsin the period from 23 May 2007 to 8 November 2007, and the total number oftickets that each MSP has received for FMQT during that period. The numbers inthe FMQT column may be lower than the column showing the number of bookings, asthe latter includes bookings for business other than FMQT.
| Number of Bookings | Number of Tickets for FMQT |
Brian Adam | 16 | 31 |
Bashir Ahmad | 1 | 2 |
Bill Aitken | 2 | 4 |
Wendy Alexander | 3 | 1 |
Alasdair Allan | 5 | 16 |
Jackie Baillie | 13 | 38 |
Claire Baker | 3 | 14 |
Richard Baker | 1 | 0 |
Sarah Boyack | 7 | 2 |
Rhona Brankin | 1 | 0 |
Gavin Brown | 2 | 5 |
Keith Brown | 5 | 12 |
Robert Brown | 1 | 2 |
Derek Brownlee | 4 | 5 |
Bill Butler | 4 | 13 |
Aileen Campbell | 4 | 4 |
Jackson Carlaw | 4 | 3 |
Malcolm Chisholm | 10 | 6 |
Angela Constance | 2 | 2 |
Cathie Craigie | 3 | 9 |
Bruce Crawford | 6 | 8 |
Roseanna Cunningham | 8 | 34 |
Margaret Curran | 1 | 0 |
Bob Doris | 12 | 16 |
Helen Eadie | 5 | 2 |
Fergus Ewing | 8 | 8 |
Patricia Ferguson | 1 | 0 |
Alex Fergusson | 12 | 149 |
Joe FitzPatrick | 2 | 0 |
George Foulkes | 1 | 0 |
Murdo Fraser | 4 | 4 |
Karen Gillon | 14 | 180 |
Marlyn Glen | 4 | 2 |
Trish Godman | 7 | 32 |
Charlie Gordon | 4 | 30 |
Christine Grahame | 3 | 15 |
Rhoda Grant | 3 | 5 |
Robin Harper | 9 | 2 |
Christopher Harvie | 3 | 0 |
Patrick Harvie | 1 | 0 |
Hugh Henry | 2 | 0 |
Jamie Hepburn | 6 | 5 |
Jim Hume | 8 | 0 |
Fiona Hyslop | 1 | 1 |
Adam Ingram | 7 | 4 |
Cathy Jamieson | 1 | 0 |
Alex Johnstone | 4 | 0 |
James Kelly | 2 | 0 |
Andy Kerr | 5 | 11 |
Johann Lamont | 3 | 5 |
John Lamont | 9 | 70 |
Marilyn Livingstone | 10 | 11 |
Richard Lochhead | 9 | 51 |
Kenny MacAskill | 12 | 38 |
Lewis Macdonald | 12 | 37 |
Margo MacDonald | 4 | 1 |
Ken Macintosh | 11 | 90 |
Paul Martin | 1 | 10 |
Tricia Marwick | 9 | 23 |
Jim Mather | 1 | 0 |
Michael Matheson | 2 | 10 |
Stewart Maxwell | 2 | 4 |
Frank McAveety | 1 | 0 |
Tom McCabe | 1 | 25 |
Jack McConnell | 1 | 5 |
Jamie McGrigor | 4 | 0 |
Alison McInnes | 2 | 0 |
Ian McKee | 1 | 4 |
David McLetchie | 18 | 10 |
Michael McMahon | 2 | 25 |
Stuart McMillan | 1 | 2 |
Duncan McNeil | 1 | 2 |
Pauline McNeill | 4 | 0 |
Des McNulty | 9 | 7 |
Nanette Milne | 2 | 30 |
Margaret Mitchell | 3 | 2 |
Alasdair Morgan | 3 | 14 |
Mary Mulligan | 3 | 0 |
Alex Neil | 1 | 2 |
Hugh O'Donnell | 2 | 0 |
Irene Oldfather | 3 | 5 |
John Park | 3 | 0 |
Gil Paterson | 3 | 5 |
Peter Peacock | 5 | 9 |
Cathy Peattie | 6 | 56 |
Mike Pringle | 20 | 23 |
Jeremy Purvis | 10 | 6 |
Shona Robison | 2 | 21 |
Mike Rumbles | 2 | 28 |
Michael Russell | 5 | 0 |
Alex Salmond | 22 | 57 |
John Scott | 10 | 10 |
Tavish Scott | 1 | 0 |
Richard Simpson | 6 | 14 |
Elaine Smith | 2 | 0 |
Elizabeth Smith | 4 | 26 |
Iain Smith | 1 | 0 |
Margaret Smith | 3 | 0 |
Nicol Stephen | 10 | 0 |
Stewart Stevenson | 2 | 25 |
David Stewart | 1 | 0 |
Jamie Stone | 3 | 2 |
Nicola Sturgeon | 5 | 4 |
John Swinney | 22 | 192 |
Dave Thompson | 1 | 0 |
Jim Tolson | 2 | 1 |
Stefan Tymkewycz | 3 | 1 |
Maureen Watt | 4 | 30 |
Andrew Welsh | 1 | 0 |
Sandra White | 9 | 6 |
Karen Whitefield | 2 | 2 |
David Whitton | 2 | 0 |
Bill Wilson | 1 | 2 |
John Wilson | 4 | 4 |
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that all patients who are suspected of suffering from cancer are subject to the maximum waiting time guarantee.
Answer
All patients who areurgently referred by a GP are subject to the 62 day national target waiting time.
The Cancer Performance Support Team has been working directlywith NHS boards to ensure critical timed pathways are in place backed up by robustinter-hospital transfer agreements to support delivery of the target. Boards alsotrack all urgent referrals and weekly monitoring is routine to support local operationaldelivery teams.
I have made it clearto all NHS boards that I expect this 62 day urgent referral to treatment targetto be achieved from the end of this year.