- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 1 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much notice it recommends that local travel authorities give disabled concessionary travel card holders under the age of 60 of when their cards are due for renewal.
Answer
Transport Scotland hassuggested that 4-6 weeks prior to the national entitlement card expiring, localauthorities, or their agents, should contact the card holder to explain therenewal process. However, the decision to contact cardholders lies with the localauthority.
- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 1 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that NHS boards are aware of the requirement for consultants to verify their patients’ disability in order that they meet the criteria for renewing their concessionary travel cards and whether any action has been taken to encourage consultants to provide such information as quickly as possible to avoid situations whereby patients temporarily lose the right to free travel if their card expires while they await a consultant’s report.
Answer
None. The onus is on theapplicant to ensure that they obtain the appropriate supporting documentaryevidence well in advance of their national entitlement card expiring.
- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 1 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing an interim concessionary travel card arrangement for disabled travel card holders under the age of 60 who are awaiting a consultant’s report to confirm their disability when their existing cards expire.
Answer
There are no plan tointroduce an interim National Entitlement Card.
- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 30 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will challenge the recent guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence which recommends that only one drug, alendronate, be prescribed for the treatment of osteoporosis, given that one quarter of people with osteoporosis are either unable to take alendronate or do not respond to it as well as to other drugs.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-1938 on 23 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 30 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it places on ensuring that osteoporosis sufferers have access to appropriate treatment, advice and support.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-1936 on 23 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 30 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the National Osteoporosis Society about improving services for osteoporosis patients.
Answer
The National Osteoporosis Society is a member of the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland, with which we are working in partnership on implementation of our long-term conditions strategy.
The Society was represented on the Falls Working Group which produced the framework for falls prevention incorporated in Health Department Letter (2007)13 issued on 21 February 2007.
The following is the original answer (published on 30 July 2007); see below.
The National Osteoporosis Society is a member of the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland, with which we are working in partnership on implementation of our long-term conditions strategy.
The Society was represented on the Falls Working Group which produced the framework for falls prevention incorporated in Health Department Letter (2007)13 issued on 21 February 2007.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing is currently considering an invitation to attend the Society''s AGM in September.
- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, on the basis of discussions with the police, how many active, serving officers it considers sufficient to achieve optimum results across Scotland.
Answer
Achieving optimum results isnot simply a matter of numbers. We need to help our police forces work smarterand more efficiently to meet the complex challenges of modern policing – bycutting bureaucracy, streamlining processes, exploiting new technology andimproving accountability.
- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of Strathclyde Police and what issues were discussed.
Answer
I met the Chief constable ofStrathclyde Police earlier this month. We discussed matters relating topolicing in Strathclyde and across Scotland as a whole.
- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase the number of serving police officers.
Answer
As I made clear during theSafer Stronger debate in June 2007, the Government is committed to deliveringadditional policing capacity during the course of this Parliament. Anannouncement on this will be made in the autumn.
- Asked by: Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the absence levels have been across all police forces in each year since 1999.
Answer
The available information isshown in the following tables.
Percentage of Working Time LostDue to Sickness Absence for Police Officers
| Police Force | 2001-2002 | 2002-2003 | 2003-2004 |
| Central | 5.5% | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 2.8% | 2.5% | 4.2% |
| Fife | 4.9% | 4.3% | 4.5% |
| Grampian | 2.7% | 3.6% | 3.8% |
| Lothian and Borders | 5.8% | 5.6% | 5.5% |
| Northern | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.4% |
| Strathclyde | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.1% |
| Tayside | 6.4% | 5.3% | 4.9% |
| Police Force | 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 |
| Central | 4.5% | 3.6% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 3.7% | 3.4% |
| Fife | 5.3% | 4.7% |
| Grampian | 3.6% | 3.4% |
| Lothian and Borders | 4.5% | 4.9% |
| Northern | 4.0% | 4.9% |
| Strathclyde | 4.5% | 4.6% |
| Tayside | 4.6% | 4.5% |
