- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 1 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how consumers can be assured that food labelled "organic" is free from additives.
Answer
I am advised by the Food Standards Agency Scotland that all food is subject to The Food Labelling Regulations 1996. In addition to this, the labelling of "organic" foods is further detailed in EC legislation 2092/91 - Organic Production of Agricultural Products and Indications referring thereto of Organic Products and Foodstuffs. Consumers can therefore be assured whether or not "organic" food is additive free by reading the label.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 1 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8124 by Susan Deacon on 25 October 2000 and the figures published in table 8.5:1 of the Scottish Health Statistics published by the Registrar General for Scotland which shows an increase from 48 in 1997 to 67 in 1998, what is being done to address the 40% increase in accidental deaths of children under 15.
Answer
Scottish Health Statistics 1999, published in February this year, indicates that the number of such deaths declined from 67 in 1998 to 47 in 1999. This underlines that, where numbers are relatively small, there can be a degree of volatility from one year to the next. Over the 1990s the trend has been encouragingly downwards, although the Executive is not complacent about the picture presented by these figures as the following examples illustrate:
Schoolchildren are a particular target audience for fire safety messages and Scottish fire brigades have developed a number of educational packages. The Executive has funded an interactive website for primary schools.
On 1 March, the Scottish Executive and UK Government announced targets for road accident casualty reductions in the period to 2010 including a 40% reduction in the number of fatal and serious casualties and a 50% reduction in those involving children. These targets are underpinned by a Great Britain-wide strategy Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone. The Executive also provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign to develop road safety education resources and publicity measures, many of which are aimed at children.
Copies of Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone and the Scottish Road Safety Campaign's Annual Report are held in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses, doctors, consultants and GPs have been recruited each year since 1997.
Answer
Information on the number of nurses, doctors, consultants and GP's who have been recruited each year since 1997 is contained in the following table:Headcount as at 30 September
| Number | % Increase |
1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 |
Nurses and Midwives 1 | 41,414 | 41,359 | 41,759 | -0.1% | 1.0% |
Hospital/Community Consultants 2 | 2,853 | 2,903 | 3,023 | 1.8% | 4.1% |
GP's 3 p | 3,942 | 4,026 | 4,073 | 2.1% | 1.2% |
p
provisional
Notes:
1. Comprises qualified nursing and midwifery staff only. Excludes unqualified nursing and midwifery staff, nurses' teachers, nurses in training and students on '1992' courses
2. Includes honorary appointments.
3. As at 1 October. Comprises principles, assistants, GP registrars, associates and salaried doctors under the Practice Staff Scheme.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider the appointment of an official to the NHS Management Executive to represent the professions allied to medicine.
Answer
The Chief Nursing Officer is responsible for professional issues regarding nursing, midwifery and the Professions Allied to Medicine (PAMs), across all health matters in relation to Scottish Executive policy.
Consideration is being given to strengthening measures to ensure that the needs of and role of PAMs are effectively recognised and addressed.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to increase the rate of diagnosis of autism in children at the earliest possible age.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S1W-10424 answered on 20 November 2000.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 30 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce or encourage the establishment of specialist refuge centres for under 16s who have run away from home, as provided for in the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
Answer
Local authorities already have powers under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 to provide short-term refuges for children but their use has been limited. The Scottish Executive is considering the recommendations in the Aberlour Trust's publication Missing Out - Young Runaways in Scotland which result from research into young people under 16 who run away or are forced to leave home.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional funding will be allocated to Scotland's Dental Schools to ensure that verifiable courses are available to general dental practitioners to fulfil their continuing professional development obligations.
Answer
At present the main resource for courses for continuing professional development is provided through the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education. The Executive will continue to monitor the resource required in the light of information on demand and need provided by the council.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why parents are not offered a choice between separate injections of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines and the combined MMR vaccination.
Answer
The licensing and safety of medicines is a reserved matter. The vaccination policy in the UK for mumps, measles and rubella is to use the combined MMR vaccine, except where a patient cannot receive the combined vaccine for clinical reasons.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 29 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to charge for GP or hospital visits.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no plans to do so.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 29 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details and costs of any programmes of conversion to the Euro being undertaken within the NHS.
Answer
The NHS in Scotland is carrying out a measure of pre-planning for the possible introduction of the Euro as set out in HM Treasury's Second Outline National Changeover Plan published on 9 March 2000. The costs of this ongoing exercise are contained within normal running costs and cannot be separately identified.
