Chamber and committees

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-10462

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that all women and children suffering from total hair loss will benefit from staged reductions in prescription charges for real hair wigs and when it will announce the new charges for such prescriptions.

Question reference: S3W-10327

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of all the diagnostic equipment in each major hospital and whether any report of such assessment will be published and, if so, when.

The requirement for diagnostic equipment in hospitals is an operational matter for NHS boards.

With regard to safety of such equipment, the Incident Reporting and Investigation Centre, of Scottish Healthcare Supplies (SHS) manage a system for the reporting of adverse incidents with regard to the safety of medical devices, investigating such incidents, facilitating the implementation of remedial action and the publication and distribution of safety advice. The Scottish Government Health Directorate, as sponsors of SHS, provide funding to support the delivery of the service and monitor the issuing of safety warnings.

The Scottish Government Health Directorates monitors NHS board activity relating to the implementation of the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report Better Equipped to Care “ A Follow Up Report, published in February 2004, regarding the management of medical equipment.

Question reference: S3W-10377

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bottles of water have been purchased by each of its departments and agencies in each of the last five years and what the cost was in each case.

The following tables set out the number and cost of the large (11 litre) bottles of water bought under the Scottish Government (SG) water cooler contract which covers the core SG together with certain agencies, as well as the smaller (500 ml) bottles provided for hospitality under our catering contract. Information on water provided under the water cooler contract can only be provided for the past four years.

Building	2004-05 Bottles	2004-05 Value	2005-06 Bottles	2005-06 Value
Meridian Court	882	2,770.80	1856	5,611.54
Victoria Quay	5270	16,087.80	9623	28,648.74
St Andrew''s House	4390	13,438	6910	20,872.24
Saughton House	2194	6,801.42	3286	9,967.88
Pentland House	2269	6,940.60	3979	12,042.90
Other Core	1384	4884.82	2541	8,129.10
Agencies	7661	4,789.31	10576	37,276.57
Totals	24050	£55,712.75	38771	£122,548.97

Building	2006-07 Bottles	2006-07 Value	2007-08 Bottles	2007-08 Value
Meridian Court	1926	5470.80	1837	5,338.60
Victoria Quay	8980	25,131.80	9157	26,544.40
St Andrew''s House	6733	18,995.20	6928	20,103.70
Saughton House	3285	9,198	3533	10,316.30
Pentland House	3661	10,250.80	3422	9,941.90
Other Core	2732	8,427.40	2472	7840.80
Agencies	12261	40747.70	12456	42,143
Totals	39578	£118,221.70	39805	£122,228.70

Hospitality

Building	2003 Bottles (500ml)	2003 Value	2004 Bottles (500ml)	2004 Value	2005 Bottles (500ml)	2005 Value
Victoria Quay	16,998	£15,638	17,214	£16,697	17,944	£18,841
Saughton House	6778	£6235	6895	£6688	7156	£7513
Pentland House	3921	£3607	4025	£3904	4201	£4411
St Andrew''s House	10984	£10,105	11,142	£10,807	11,256	£11,818
Meridian Court & Europa Building	3266	£3004	3456	£3352	3623	£3804
Totals	41,947	£38,589	42,732	£41,448	44,180	£46,387

Building	2006 Bottles (500ml)	2006 Value	2007 Bottles (500ml)	2007 Value
Victoria Quay	20,156	£21,970	22,712	£25,437
Saughton House	7480	£8153	6684	£7486
Pentland House	4528	£4935	2944	£3297
St Andrew''s House	12340	£13,450	19,648	£22,005
Meridian Court & Europa Building	3880	£4229	3396	£3803
Totals	48,384	£52,737	55,384	£62,028

Question reference: S3W-10461

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that all women and children suffering from total hair loss will have the right to real hair wigs free of charge by the time that free prescriptions are introduced.

The Scottish Government is taking forward the implementation of the recommendations of the Supply of Wigs Investigation Group Scotland (SWIGS) including the provision of human hair wigs, where appropriate. The reduction in charges for wigs is being taken forward in parallel with the phased reduction in prescription charges for other items. This will include the provision of human hair wigs, where prescribed on the basis of clinical need. The new charges for 2008-09, to take effect from 1 April 2008, will be set out in the guidance accompanying the new NHS (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) (Scotland) Regulations 2008.

Question reference: S3W-10446

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the decision by Fife Council to increase charges for home shopping delivery to £7 per week.

Question reference: S3W-10443

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision it has made in its outcome agreements with local authorities to ensure that impact assessments are carried out prior to any substantial increases being made in charges for services and what its position is on increases in the cost of community alarms provided for vulnerable senior citizens most at risk of falling.

The issue of charging for non-personal domiciliary services is addressed in legislation. Under section 87 (1A) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 a local authority may charge for certain adult non-residential and domiciliary services it provides. It is for local authorities to decide their charging policies for these non-personal care services, in keeping with local accountability. However, the legislation requires that any charges levied must be reasonable and should not be more than appears to be reasonably practicable for the recipient to pay, taking account of his or her other financial commitments. Guidance issued by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities in January 2006 recommends a consistent framework for charging and encourages councils to demonstrate that they are following best practice.

Question reference: S3W-10445

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the decision by Fife Council to increase care charges to £11 per hour.

Question reference: S3W-10364

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, if it allows development on areas designated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as being at high risk of coastal flooding, whether it will require developers to build sea defences.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency flood map shows an estimate of the areas of Scotland with a 0.5% or greater probability of being flooded in any given year “ in other words, those areas estimated to have a 1 in 200 or greater chance of being flooded in any given year. It provides an indication of areas likely to flood but is not appropriate for assessing risk to individual properties and cannot replace studies at a local scale. The presence of a development within the area shown on the flood map does not therefore mean it will flood nor that developers should be required to build sea defences.

Question reference: S3W-10373

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of houses are fitted with water meters

Question reference: S3W-10366

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to meet the Association of British Insurers to discuss coastal developments in Scotland and, in particular, those designated as being at a high risk of flooding.

The Association Of British Insurers is represented on the Scottish Government's Flooding Bill Advisory Group which provides advice to the Scottish Government on flood risk management issues at a strategic level. The group will be advising on the proposals outlined in the recently issued consultation paper The Future of Flood Risk Management in Scotland, which covers spatial planning and managing flood risk in coastal areas.