Questions and answers

Question reference: S1W-19121

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 13 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of the term "Healthcare Associated Infection".

The term "Healthcare Associated Infection" is generally used to refer to infections which may affect patients, staff and others in the full range of health care settings, not only in hospitals. Infections which may be associated with health care settings include urinary tract infection, surgical site infection, pneumonia, bloodstream and other infections. For the particular purpose of the surveillance of infections acquired in health care settings, NHSScotland will use the definition set out in the report of the Advisory Group on Infection's sub group on Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance. A copy of this report can be found at http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd.

Question reference: S1W-19040

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 8 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether venison produced in Scotland is inspected under any quality assurance system to ensure consumer confidence in the product.

Yes, farmed venison is subjected to quality assurance inspections and soon wild venison from land run by Forest Enterprise will also be inspected. However, other wild venison is not at present covered by a quality assurance scheme, although the Scottish Game Dealers and Processors Association are at present working on introducing a scheme which will include inspection by an accredited certification body.

Question reference: S1W-19041

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Trusts can use "winter pressure" funding to allocate places in nursing and residential homes, alleviate delayed discharges from hospitals and ensure that patients receive treatment in NHS hospitals.

NHS Boards and Trusts, in collaboration with their local authority planning partners and others, are responsible for decisions about the use of the additional resources provided to NHSScotland to help respond to winter pressures. The resources can be used to purchase places in nursing and residential homes where appropriate. It is an important policy objective that all patients should be cared for in the surroundings most appropriate to their needs.

Question reference: S1W-18998

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) from what external sources any (i) financial and (ii) non-financial contributions to health care establishments have been received, (b) which establishments received any such contributions and (c) how much the financial contributions were and, in the case of non-financial contributions, how these were made, in each of the past five years.

Question reference: S1W-19352

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the consumption of genetically modified organisms can cause allergic reactions.

I am advised that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is unaware of any evidence suggesting a direct link between the symptoms of food allergy and any genetically modified (GM) food or ingredient.All GM foods are subject to a rigorous safety assessment before they can be marketed in the EU. The FSA is the UK competent authority for approving GM foods, and is advised on this subject by an independent body called the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP). ACNFP considers potential allergenicity in its assessment of all GM and other novel foods.

Question reference: S1W-19297

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive why every carcass leaving an abattoir in the UK is inspected in the UK yet every imported carcass is not.

Meat produced within the European Union must be produced to the standards required by the relevant EU laws. These are enforced by the individual member state, and require that carcasses are properly inspected at the slaughterhouse whether in the UK or another member state.In light of failures to properly remove specified risk material in consignments of beef imported from several EU member states, and following instruction from the Food Standards Agency, checks on carcass beef imports have been increased to 100%. Local authorities have also been advised to step up checks on bone-in-beef and sheep meat and the health marking of all meat in the premises they supervise.Meat imported from non-EU states is controlled by EU rules, which require that the meat must have been produced to standards at least equivalent to those required by the EU meat hygiene Directives. Again, carcasses must be inspected at the slaughterhouse of production.

Question reference: S1W-19298

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 6 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether white noise generators are available to patients to alleviate tinnitus.

Question reference: S1W-19302

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether food labels must state, where appropriate, that a product contains genetically modified ingredients.

The Food Standards Agency has advised me that current legislation requires all foods, or food ingredients, containing approved genetically modified (GM) soya, maize, additives or flavourings to be labelled. The rules extend to food supplied to mass caterers. Additionally, restaurants, cafes, bakers and delicatessens etc must ensure either through labels, notices or access to oral advice, that the final consumer can obtain information about any GM ingredients in the food on sale.

Question reference: S1W-19301

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the resistance to herbicide of genetically modified crops can spread to other plant life.

The genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops currently grown in Scotland are tolerant to only one specific herbicide. Cross-pollination with a related, sexually compatible species could produce a hybrid with the same tolerance. Separation distances around GM trials are designed to minimise this possibility although the expert advisory body, ACRE, is satisfied that such hybridisation does not pose a safety threat to the environment. Control of these plants is possible through the use of any method other than the application of the herbicide to which they are tolerant.

Question reference: S1W-19292

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken against meat importers, and the country of origin, of meat which the Meat Hygiene Service has identified as being unfit for human consumption.

Where consignments of carcass beef imported into the UK from other EU member states have been found with SRM (portions of spinal cord) attached, the Food Standards Agency has taken up the matter vigorously, in each case, with the authorities of the member state concerned, and reported the discovery to the European Commission. It is the responsibility of the relevant national authorities to ensure that meat plants in their territory comply with the EU rules. Seven of the plants have had their operating licences suspended as a result. Detail of the subsequent action taken in a number of the cases are set out in the following table:Consignments of Imported Carcass Beef Found to Contain SRM

Date of Discovery	Place of Discovery	Finding	Exporting Plant and Action Taken
1) 17 January 2001	ABP, Newry, County Down	Spinal cord in two out of a consignment of 221 forequarters.	Loblein Teterower Fleisch GmbH Landkreis Gustrow, Germany
2) 17 January 2001	ABP, Newry, County Down	Spinal cord in one out of a consignment of 192 forequarters.	Westfleische Lubbecke, Germany
3) 29 January 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Spinal cord in one out of a consignment of 216 hindquarters.	Oldenburg, Germany
4) one February 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Spinal cord in one out of a consignment of 217 hindquarters.	Versand Heinz Gausepohl Bakum, Germany
5) two February 2001	Northern Ireland	Remnants of spinal cord in two out of a consignment of 230 fore and hind quarters.	Liffey Meats, Ballyjamesduff, Co.Cavan, Republic of Ireland Operation of plant suspended indefinitely on 8 February.
6) one March 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Several pieces of spinal cord in five out of a consignment of 216 fore and hindquarters.	Fleischverkaufsstelle Kalkar, Germany Operation of plant suspended on 8 March.
7) one March 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Several pieces of spinal cord in seven out of a consignment of 188 quarters.	Brada's Vleeschbedrijf BV, Leevwarden, Netherlands Operation of plant suspended six - 9 March.
8) two March 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Several pieces of spinal cord in four forequarters out of a consignment of 222 hind and forequarters.	Mueller Fleisch GmbH, Birkenfeld, Germany Operation of plant suspended on 8 March.
9) five March 2001	Blackpool Abattoir, Blackpool, Lancs.	8cm piece of spinal cord in one forequarter out of a consignment of 53 whole carcases	Brada's Vleeschbedrijf BV, Leevwarden, Netherlands Operation of plant suspended six - 9 March
10) seven March 2001	Matheson Jess Ltd. Dundee, Scotland	Spinal cord in two forequarters out of a consignment of 79 heifer carcases.	Giresa Palencia Spain
11) 9 March 2001	Great Harwood Food Products, Blackburn	Spinal cord in two out of a consignment of 268 forequarters	Fribin S.A.T. Binepar, Spain
12) 20 March 2001	Great Harwood Food Products, Blackburn	Unexposed spinal cord in cervical vertebral canal in 41 out of a consignment of 204 forequarters.	Industria Carni SNC Carema (Torino) Italy Operation of plant suspended 22 - 29 March.
13) 21 March 2001	Dungannon Meats, Larne, N.Ireland	Spinal cord found in one forequarter out of a consignment of 220 quarters.	Kildare Chilling, Kildare, Republic of Ireland.
14) 30 March 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Spinal cord found in two forequarters out of a consignment of 203.	Fleischzentrum Wilhelmshaven, Germany Slaughter of cattle temporarily prohibited at plant on 30 March.
15) 30 April 2001	St, Merryn Meats (Victoria), Cornwall	Spinal cord found in two forequarters out of a consignment of 130.	Danish Crown, The Skive, Barupsgade 6, 7800 Skive, Denmark Plant ordered to re-inspect all cuts of meat for spinal cord. Plant to introduce own checks and demonstrate their efficiency to Danish Food & Veterinary Administration.
25 June 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Spinal cord found in two forequarters out of a consignment of 230.	Gausepohl Fleisch GmbH, Bakum Operation of plant suspended from 26 June to two July, until strict compliance with the controls can be ensured.
2 August 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Spinal cord found in one forequarter out of a consignment of 240.	Fair Oak Foods, Clonmel, Republic of Ireland. Operation of slaughtering activities suspended on 3 August.
7 August 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Spinal cord found in one quarter out of a consignment of 200.	Domburg Vlees bv, Bodegraven, The Netherlands Written warning issued to the company. Further breach of SRM regulations will lead to withdrawal of the inspection service and closure of the operations until full compliance can be guaranteed.
21 August 2001	Anglo Dutch Meats, Eastbourne, Sussex	Spinal cord found in four quarters out of a consignment of 240.	Exportslachterij J Gosschalk en Zn BV, Oenerweg, Epe, The Netherlands Written warning issued to the company. Further breach of SRM regulations will lead to withdrawal of the inspection service and closure of the operations until full compliance can be guaranteed.
24 August 2001	Cumberland Meat Packers Ltd, Coventry	Spinal cord found in one quarter out of a consignment of 200.	Kroot Vlees BV, of Tilburg, The Netherlands. Awaiting report from the Dutch CVO.

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