- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to each NHS board for NHS publications in each of the last six years.
Answer
No specific allocations are made to NHS boards for NHS publications. The costs of NHS publications are met from the annual allocation each NHS board receives to meet the health care needs of its resident population.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when the phases specified in the UK Influenza Pandemic Plan published in March 1997 became inconsistent with the phases which trigger public health action, as defined by the World Health Organisation, and when it anticipates that the World Health Organisation will next amend the phases.
Answer
The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced new pandemic influenza planning phases in 1999 which were then inconsistent with the 1997 UK Health Departments' Influenza Pandemic Plan. A newly updated plan, taking into account the latest available information, was published on 1 March 2005. This plan was consistent with the 1999 WHO phasing. However, the World Health Organization phases have since been revised again. The next version of the UK plan will incorporate these changes.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has on the effectiveness of stockpiling Oseltamivir to reduce the impact of an influenza pandemic and how many doses of Oseltamivir it has obtained.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has ordered approximately 1.3 million courses of oseltamivir (known as Tamiflu), an antiviral medicine (not a vaccine) which may reduce deaths and complications from flu, as part of the UK contract for delivery over the next two financial years. This will enable us to treat one in four of the population – the proportion which the WHO recommends we plan for. If there are insufficient supplies, anti-virals will be provided according to the same priorities as for vaccination, as set out in the Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan.
As stated in the plan, the effectiveness of anti-viral treatment in a pandemic is not known.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the target rate for the uptake of immunisation against infection in the event of an influenza pandemic will be, assuming that an effective vaccine has been obtained.
Answer
The target rate for the uptake of immunisation against infection in the event of an influenza pandemic will be dependant on a number of factors including the number of people affected by the virus and expert medical advice.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to monitor the development by NHS boards of multi-agency contingency plans for an outbreak of pandemic influenza.
Answer
Plans have been in place since 1997. All NHS boards have submitted their Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plans to the Scottish Executive for initial review. The Scottish Executive will provided feedback to NHS boards to enable them to further develop their plans.
A revised UK Pandemic Plan will be issued shortly, as will a revised Scottish version which reflects the different organisational arrangements in Scotland. Additional guidance will also be issued to NHS boards. These materials will be used to assist in making further improvement to individual NHS board plans. Once that process has taken place, NHS boards will be asked to resubmit their plans for further scrutiny.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources will be made available to NHS boards in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is working with NHSScotland on the planning arrangements for any potential outbreak of pandemic influenza. The extent of the additional resources required will be dependent on the nature and extent of that outbreak.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to publicise the steps that the public should take to minimise the risk of transmission and infection in the event of an outbreak of an influenza pandemic.
Answer
Plans have been in place since 1997, and a newly updated UK Health Department’s UK Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan, taking into account the latest available information, was published on the 1 March 2005. A version reflecting organisational arrangements in Scotland was published on the Scottish Executive website at the same time.
Measures in the plan include informing the public about the likely risks of a pandemic and what they should do and being prepared to take steps to reduce the risk of spread such as advising against certain travel, possibly closing schools and cancelling events where large crowds gather.
The Scottish Executive wants to keep people informed about the risks of a pandemic and what is being done to minimise the impact it would have. That is why the contingency plan has been published. The Scottish Executive recognises that improving preparedness is an on-going process. Issuing the plan and seeking feedback is an important step in this work. Plans will continue to be updated as appropriate.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many treatment courses of the antiviral drug, Tamiflu, it has purchased.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-19440 on 30 September 2005. 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: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the statement by Dr Lorna Wing, an expert in autistic spectrum disorders, in relation to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route that "the noise made during the construction of a bypass and the continual noise when it is in use would make life intolerable for many Camphill residents".
Answer
The Scottish Executive is aware of the statement by Dr Wing. My officials are carrying out a detailed noise assessment with a number of specialists.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the (a) suggestion contained in Professor James Hogg's interim report into the impact of the Murtle option for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route that the special-needs children at Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools be desensitised to the proposed road noise by participating in the creation of a three-metre noise barrier and (b) view of the autism experts who carried out an autism accreditation appraisal on the Camphill school that such a suggestion "at best shows a naivité into the complexity of autistic spectrum disorder and at worst a total misunderstanding or disregard to the effects of the disorder upon individuals".
Answer
Professor Hogg who is an acknowledged expert in the field of profound multiple disabilities made the suggestion as an ancillary to his interim report and must be read in the context of that report in full.
