Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-17080

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response will be to any concerns by patients over new arrangements for the supply of stoma appliances.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16470 on 26 May 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/wa.search.

The Health Department Letter referred to in that answer has been issued and is available on the Executive’s Scottish Health On the Web (SHOW) page:

http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/publicationsindex.htm.

Question reference: S2W-17081

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address any welfare concerns expressed by stoma patients.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16470 on 26 May 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/wa.search.

The Health Department Letter referred to in that answer has been issued and is available on the Executive’s Scottish Health On the Web (SHOW) page:

http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/publicationsindex.htm.

Question reference: S2W-16847

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what per capita health spending was in each NHS board in 2004-05 and what it will be in 2005-06.

Details of per capita funding for 2004-05 are as follows:

NHS Board	2004-05 Per Capita (£)
Argyll and Clyde	1,374
Ayrshire and Arran	1,383
Borders	1,330
Dumfries and Galloway	1,344
Fife	1,229
Forth Valley	1,235
Grampian	1,196
Greater Glasgow	1,507
Highland	1,454
Lanarkshire	1,252
Lothian	1,199
Orkney	1,579
Shetland	1,629
Tayside	1,421
Western Isles	2,076

The per capita funding for 2004-05 is based on final allocations made to each NHS board. Details of expenditure by each NHS board are not yet available. Final per capita funding for 2005-06 is not yet available.

Question reference: S2W-16946

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to recent World Health Organisation warnings in respect of avian flu.

The Scottish Executive is aware of the recent World Health Organization (WHO) report on avian influenza which suggests that an Avian Flu virus, also known as H5N1 virus, may be evolving in ways that make it more infectious to humans.

The situation in South East Asia continues to be closely monitored and the UK has provided funding to assist this monitoring.

The UK is in the forefront of planning for an outbreak of pandemic flu, and Scotland has been working closely with Health Departments across the UK to put preparations in place. As a result, a newly updated UK Health Department’s UK Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan, taking account of the latest available information, was published on 1 March 2005. A version reflecting organisational arrangements in Scotland was published on the Scottish Executive website at the same time. The Department of Health, on behalf of the UK has also been working with international bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO).

The World Health Organization (WHO) have described the UK Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan as a high quality plan, which shows that the UK continues to be at the forefront of preparations internationally for pandemic influenza. WHO hopes that every country will develop their preparations to same high degree.

Question reference: S2W-16761

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 6 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3329 by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 November 2003, what percentage of NHS funding allocated using the Arbuthnott formula was allocated to each NHS board for the current year and will be allocated for the next three years, expressed also on a per capita basis.

Details of Arbuthnott targetpercentages used to allocate NHS funding and per capita funding for 2005-06 areas follows:

NHS Board	2005-06 Arbuthnott Formula Target (%)	2005-06 Per Capita (%)
Argyll and Clyde	8.637	8.246
Ayrshire and Arran	7.814	7.260
Borders	2.255	2.141
Dumfries and Galloway	3.252	2.911
Fife	6.763	6.959
Forth Valley	5.300	5.530
Grampian	9.078	10.349
Greater Glasgow	18.343	17.131
Highland	4.602	4.134
Lanarkshire	10.762	10.943
Lothian	13.555	15.423
Orkney	0.418	0.382
Shetland	0.443	0.432
Tayside	8.022	7.643
Western Isles	0.756	0.516

Indicative allocations for2006-07 and 2007-08 have been calculated on the basis of 2005-06 Arbuthnotttarget percentages. No indicative allocations have yet been made for 2008-09.

Question reference: S2W-16647

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 June 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the provision of specialist services at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Question reference: S2W-16646

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 31 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the implementation of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract, what the average GP earns in Scotland; how much of a rise in earnings there has been in the first year of the new GMS contract, and what percentage of GPs earns more than £100,000 per annum.

Question reference: S2W-16088

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts it has made to ensure that membership of the EU Agricultural Subsidies Appeals Panel is as independent as possible and what plans it has to further increase the independence of the panel.

The overall appeals procedure has three separate stages:

Stage 1 is an internal three person Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) panel comprising officials who were not involved in the original decision to refuse, reduce or recover a producer’s subsidy.

Stage 2 comprises an advisory three person panel comprising two external members from the industry and a SEERAD official not involved in the original decision or the Stage 1 appeal. This panel makes a recommendation to me with its findings.

Stage 3 is an appeal to the Scottish Land Court and this stage is wholly independent.

The members of the Stage 2 external panel appointed in 2000, were recruited in line with the public appointment procedures. A further recruitment exercise was undertaken last year to obtain additional members to cater for an expected upsurge of appeals under CAP Reform. Again best practise in the public appointments procedure was followed.

I have no reason to question the independence of the external members in the Stage 2 process and I had no plans to increase further the independence of the panel.

Question reference: S2W-16092

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in implementing the national beef envelope and what its response is to any concerns by farmers that claims under the scheme have not been processed timeously, that deadlines for applications have been altered and that the regulations are too complex.

The Scottish Beef Calf Scheme has effect from 1 January 2005 but the formal opening of the scheme was held until the SSI governing it came into force. We kept producers and our stakeholders informed of the position and we put procedures in place to handle claims received prior to the formal opening of the scheme. The SSI (2005 No. 143) came into force on 18 April 2005 and we formally opened the scheme for applications the same day. This did not affect the eligibility criteria, including the claim period, detailed in the Notes for Guidance. No formal concerns have been received about this or the complexity of the regulations. On the contrary, the scheme has been praised for its flexibility and simplicity.

Question reference: S2W-16086

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of how effectively the EU agricultural subsidies appeals procedure is operating and what plans it has to improve these procedures.

The EU Agricultural appeals procedure was set up to review decisions in relation to the refusal, recovery and reduction of a producer’s EU subsidy and ensure that my officials reached the correct decision. As with initial decision taking, the procedure is constrained to work within the regulatory framework and has no scope to waive or amend legislative requirements in individual cases.

The appeals secretariat continuously monitor how the procedure is operating. I am satisfied that the appeals panel operate within its remit and I have no plans to change it.

Chamber and committees