- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an enhanced service for drug users will be available from all GPs across Scotland under the terms of the new contract.
Answer
It is for NHS boards to decide how best to provide enhanced services, such as treatment for drug misusers, in their area, taking account of local need. The new General Medical Services contract is underpinned by a patient service guarantee to ensure that patients continue to receive at least the same range of services they received previously, although these may be delivered differently.
NHS boards are free to commission such enhanced services from the most appropriate provider. This may be a GP practice, another NHS provider or the board itself.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that GPs manage chronic pain patients adequately.
Answer
he new General Medical Services (GMS) contract came into effect on 1 April 2004.It requires GPs to provide medical services for their patients and specifies theon-going treatment and management of chronic illnesses. Chronic pain managementforms an important part of this service. Additionally, the Quality and OutcomesFramework recognises and rewards GPs for good chronic disease management which includes those with chronic pain.
Training in the management of chronic pain is part of the training received by every general practitioner. All doctors working in Primary Care are required, as part of their annual appraisal, to have a personal learning plan, based on their own needs: GPs might include the updating of knowledge and skills in chronic pain management in such a plan. Guidance and assistance on training for general practitioners is available to GPs from NHS Education for Scotland via the Postgraduate Directors of General Practice Education.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will initiate a Scotland-wide assessment of renewable potential, taking into account the need to avoid damage to sensitive environmental areas.
Answer
This assessment has already been undertaken.
Scotland’s Renewable Resource 2001, undertaken by Garrad Hassan on our behalf, identified a potential total renewables resource of 59.1 gigawatts of capacity, all of which was available outwith existing environmentally designated areas. This is many times more than we need to meet our current targets for renewable generation. The study can be found on the Scottish Executive website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/environment/SRS2001ExecSumm.pdf.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct a Scotland-wide assessment of transmission improvements to facilitate the strategic development of renewable energy.
Answer
No. Transmission issues, other than consents, are reserved. However, the Executive discusses network infrastructure in relation to the UK renewables targets with all of the transmission companies through the aegis of the Transmission Issues Working Group (TIWG). The TIWG has identified the scale of transmission upgrades required for increased renewable generation in Scotland.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to increase the number of (a) pain specialists, (b) pain clinics and (c) multi-disciplinary care centres.
Answer
The Executive adopts an integrated approach to workforce planning and developmentat local, regional and national levels rather than singling out individual specialisms. We are committed to increasing the capacity of the NHSScotland workforce in specific specialties as necessary.
The planning of pain clinics and care centres is primarily a matter for NHS boards. For information on what the Executive plans to do to encourage NHS boards to develop pain services, I refer the member to her recent question S2W-12605 answered on 10 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will raise awareness of sperm donation and recruit sperm donors, given that anonymity for sperm and egg donors will be removed in April 2005.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-12672, answered on 13 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 13 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all people employed in the waged and unwaged sector who are subject to a Disclosure Scotland check have an obligation to notify their employers of all offences committed, included those which resulted in a fiscal fine.
Answer
There is no general statutory requirement which would oblige individuals to notify their employers of offences or fiscal fines. A Disclosure Scotland check at the enhanced level will show any convictions, whether spent or unspent, and may show fiscal fines where, in the opinion of a chief constable, they might be relevant to the position in question.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 13 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what categories of offence attract fiscal fine disposal.
Answer
Procurators fiscal are issued with confidential guidelines regarding the use of fiscal fines as an alternative to prosecution. In general the Procurator Fiscal must first be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to justify prosecution and that a prosecution would otherwise be in the public interest. Thereafter he or she must consider a number of circumstances including;
(i) the type of offence,
(ii) the circumstances of the accused, and
(iii) any other circumstances relevant to the commission of the offence.
While specific guidance is given as to the type of offences that may be suitable for a fiscal fine and the circumstances in which a fiscal fine should not be issued,
the lists are not exhaustive. The decision whether to issue a fiscal fine remains with the Procurator Fiscal and will depend on the facts and circumstances of each individual case.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are sufficient facilities to collect and store sperm in each NHS centre currently offering fertility services.
Answer
This is a matter for individual NHS boards who provide this service. The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive which organisation in Scotland will provide information to sperm and egg donors and to recipients of donated gametes.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-12672, answered on 13 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
