- 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 14 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any additional funding will be allocated to General Dental Practitioners to assist with the increased costs associated with (a) the prevention of cross-infection and (b) the removal of clinical and specialist waste.
Answer
Proposals for payment in relation to the costs of prevention of cross-infection and the removal of clinical and specialist waste were included in the evidence submitted to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration by the British Dental Association. The Executive will not anticipate the review body's recommendations.
- 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 14 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the report on "Scotland's leading edge work on clinical outcomes and quality" as referred to in Investing In You.
Answer
The report will be published in early December.
- 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 14 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the 52.4% of new entrants to the Dentists' Register who qualified overseas have undergone equally rigorous and extensive training as dental graduates in Scotland.
Answer
Entering the Dentists Register in the UK is not the same as working in the UK. Entry to the register does not guarantee entry to the UK or a work permit to work here. Home Office permission must still be granted and immigration criteria satisfied. Impending rule changes mean that registrations by overseas graduates were high last year and that the average figure of 9% is likely to drop in future.
In Scotland, 98.6% of General Dental Practitioners (GDP) trained in the UK, (91.3% in Scotland) 1% in the EC including Ireland and 0.4% trained overseas.
The Scottish Executive Health Department is pursuing policies aimed at retaining Scottish graduates in Scotland.
- 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 14 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the current waiting times for treatment at the Glasgow Dental Hospital of (i) 71 weeks for oral medicine, (ii) 69 weeks for anxiety/hypnosis, (iii) 11 months for prosthodontics, (iv) 34 weeks for oral surgery, (v) 30 weeks for conservation, (vi) 22 weeks for child's dental health and (vii) 19 weeks for orthodontic treatment.
Answer
Reducing waiting is one of the Executive's most important objectives for the health service in Scotland. Health boards and NHS Trusts are responsible for providing efficient and responsive health services, including services relating to dental health.
- 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 14 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to the British Dental Association's request for an increase in fees paid to dentists by the NHS of 8%.
Answer
The Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration is currently assessing the evidence provided by the UK Health Departments and by the British Dental Association and the General Dental Practitioners Association. The Executive will not anticipate the review body's recommendations.
- 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 Tom McCabe on 14 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that Ministers give full and detailed answers to all questions asked in parliamentary debates and whether, as part of its monitoring of questions, it monitors the number of questions asked further to questions asked in the course of debates.
Answer
In accordance with the Scottish Ministerial Code, Ministers are expected to be as open as possible with the Parliament, and they aim to respond in debate to points raised, as time permits. The Executive does not monitor the number of questions asked further to questions asked in the course of debates.
- 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 13 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the one Endodontic Specialist in Scotland is sufficient to meet the recommendations of the Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.
Answer
Endodontics is the specialty of treatment of root canals. The majority of root canal treatment work is undertaken by primary care dentists, both in the community and in general dental practice, with over 140,000 such treatments undertaken annually in Scotland. Also, as those patients requiring specialist endodontic care are normally referred to a Consultant in Restorative Dentistry, Endodontic Specialists are not the sole supplier of this type of treatment.
The Scottish Executive is reviewing the role of all dental specialties and their contribution to future dental services in Scotland.
- 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 13 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address any problems in the recruitment and retention of physiotherapists.
Answer
The overall recruitment and retention of Professions Allied to Medicine (PAMs), which include physiotherapists remains healthy although there are some recognised difficulties in particular geographical areas and with some specialist posts.
The employment of physiotherapists is a matter for NHS Trusts.
- 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 13 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a Scottish Professions Allied to Medicines Educational Council would be the best option to ensure that the specialist and post-registration needs of all such professions are met.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's consultation paper Supporting Learning for the Professions Allied to Medicine invited responses by 29 September 2000. The responses to the consultation are currently under consideration.
- 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 Ross Finnie on 13 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the production and consumption of organic foods have greater environmental benefits than production and consumption of non-organic foods.
Answer
Organic production methods can deliver environmental benefits through reductions in the use of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides. There are no environmental benefits from consumption of organic foods: on the contrary, as with non-organic foods, there could be environmental disbenefits where these are imported.
