- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what target it has set for the average waiting time from referral by a GP to an initial appointment for a hearing test.
Answer
A hearing testwill normally be conducted at a first out-patient appointment at aconsultant-led clinic in the specialty of ear, nose and throat, followingreferral by a general medical practitioner.
The Executivehas included a commitment in the white paper Partnership for Care andthe partnership agreement A Partnership for a Better Scotland that nopatient will wait longer than 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointmentfollowing GP referral, by the end of 2005.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31193 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 13 November 2002, how many unfilled vacancies currently exist in the NHS for consultant psychiatrists in all disciplines.
Answer
Information on the number ofvacancies is collected centrally by Information Statistics Division, via theannual medical and dental census.
The latest information onthe number of vacancies in NHS Scotland for consultant psychiatrists in alldisciplines is contained in the table below.
Table 1: ConsultantPsychiatrist Vacancies as at 30 September 2002
| | Establishment | Total Vacancies | Vacancies as % of establishment |
| Psychiatric Specialties | 484 | 56 | 11.6 |
| Child and Adolescent Psychiatry | 68 | 12 | 17.6 |
| Forensic Psychiatry | 32 | 5 | 15.6 |
| General Psychiatry | 273 | 29 | 10.6 |
| Psychiatry of Learning Disability | 29 | 4 | 13.8 |
| Old Age Psychiatry | 66 | 6 | 9.1 |
| Psychotherapy | 16 | 0 | 0 |
The Medical and DentalCensus was completed on 30 September 2003 and will be available in spring 2004.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 28 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take, with schools and colleges, to educate pupils and students in foster care issues in order to reduce ignorance of the circumstances of fostered children.
Answer
Schools have designatedteachers whose role is to champion the interests of looked after children intheir school and act as an information point within the school for others toaid their understanding of what it means to be looked after. Seminars for designated teachers will be held inDecember to share best practice and start a network of such teachers to providesupport and information.
The Fostering Network alsoundertake training in individual schools to educate young people and teacherson fostering issues.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23840 by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 April 2002, how many training places there are for clinical psychologists.
Answer
As at 1 October 2003, therewere 65 trainee clinical psychologists in first year, 36 trainee clinical psychologistsin second year and 32 trainee clinical psychologists in third year.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 21 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2500 by Cathy Jamieson on 23 September 2003, what the amount of exceptional additional funding for a joint police station and courthouse at Rosetta Road, Peebles, would have been.
Answer
The Scottish Borders Council requested additional capital consent of £710,600 for a co-located district court, police station and council offices at Rosetta Road, Peebles.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts will be made to include the option of twin tracks for the Borders rail route so that full advantage can be taken within the Borders and Midlothian of the new economic opportunities opened as a result of the route's reinstatement.
Answer
The specification of therailway is a matter for the Waverley Railway Partnership to propose in theirbusiness case.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to alleviate the impact of congestion charges in Edinburgh, when introduced, on commuters from the Borders and Midlothian until the Borders railway is in operation.
Answer
The Scottish Executive sets out the framework within which a local authority that wishes toimplement a road user charging scheme must operate. It is for local authoritiesto decide whether or not they wish to implement such a scheme.
A local authority will haveto ensure that a range of public transport improvements are in place beforecharging is introduced, with further improvements to follow.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 14 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to encourage local authorities to provide forums in which young people in foster care can meet to discuss their problems and socialise.
Answer
The Fostering Network runs aYoung People’s Project which brings young people in foster care together toshare their experiences.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 14 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that all children in foster care are guaranteed information relating to a proposed foster placement and that no such placement will be made without a pre-placement visit.
Answer
Volume 2 of the Children (Scotland)Act 1995 Regulations and Guidance sets out the preparation that should beundertaken by local authorities with a child prior to any foster placement. Theguidance makes clear that the child’s views must be taken into account whenconsidering a foster care placement and that methods to prepare children forplacement should be suited to their age or development.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 14 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce guidance to ensure (a) that foster placements are not made in locations too remote from family members and (b) access between fostered children and their families and that such access is of sufficient frequency to allow family links to be maintained.
Answer
Volume 2 of the Children (Scotland)Act 1995 Regulations and Guidance already provides guidance on these matters. Itmakes clear that reasonable proximity to the child’s birth family, or at leastconvenient public transport services, are desirable in placement where contactwith the child’s family is part of the care plan. The foster carers should beable to accommodate contact at the frequency the child needs, make birth familymembers welcome and help them feel relaxed with their child. Where a fosterhome is not within easy travelling distance, the social worker may need toorganise transport so that contact is not reduced by factors outside the birthfamily’s control.
