Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-15958

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 21 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to any concerns raised by pensioners and others who live in rural areas who have less choice in respect of choosing heating systems under the warm deal initiative as a result of not having access to natural gas supplies.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

Where available, applicants have the option of either gas, electric oil or solid fuel central heating. Therefore, in areas where gas supplies are not available, an applicant may have the option of a new electric, oil or solid fuel central heating system.

We would encourage any applicant with concerns about the central heating systems available to them to contact the Eaga Partnership or the Executive to discuss their options.

Question reference: S2W-15353

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 April 2005

Question reference: S2W-15671

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that all people with asthma fully understand how to use their medication so that they have control over their symptoms.

Question reference: S2W-15492

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11273 by Mr Andy Kerr on 2 November 2004, how many cases of (a) MRSA and (b) other forms of staphylococcus aureus there have been in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005.

A national mandatory healthcare associated infection surveillance system was introduced in 2001 to monitor MRSA bacteraemias (blood infections). This system also collates other Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias (methicillin-sensitive, or MSSA strains). The surveillance is operated by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and it produces quarterly reports. From January 2005 a new system for reporting was introduced in Scotland and this has resulted in more accurate and complete reporting of MRSA bacteraemias.

These reports show that from January 2001 to September 2004 there were 3,432 episodes of MRSA bacteraemia and 4,429 episodes of MSSA bacteraemia. The total number of episodes of all Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (resistant and non-resistant) for this period is therefore 7,861.

Table 1: Episodes of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia between January 2001 and September 2004: methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) strains

Period	MRSA	MSSA
2001	885	1,033
2002	938	1,214
2003	875	1,259
To September 2004	734	923
Total	3,432	4,429

In preparing this answer, it has come to my notice that the table provided in the answer to question S2W-11273 on 2 November 2004 incorrectly gives a total figure of 3,942 episodes between 2001 and June 2004. As the main text of the answer makes clear, the correct total was 3,042 episodes.

Question reference: S2W-15267

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many health inspection nurses have been employed in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S2W-15350

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive why schoolchildren can no longer be placed in hospitals for work experience.

Question reference: S2W-15265

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive when guidance on infection control standards in adult care homes will be published.

Question reference: S2W-15266

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 12 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) adults and (b) children have been registered with a dentist in each year since 1985.

Prior to 1 October 1990 patients did not register with a dentist under NHS arrangements. Registration data is therefore not available from 1985 to 1991. The first year for which complete registration data exist is the year ending March 1992.

Prior to September 1996, adult registrations lapsed after 24 months and child registrations lapsed at the end of the following calendar year, unless the patient returned to the practice. All registrations now lapse after 15 months, unless the patient returns to the practice. This change in registration regulations must be taken into account when interpreting the data, as it impacts on the number of registrations from January 1998 onwards.

At 31 March	Number of Children Registered	Number of Adults Registered	Total Number of Patients Registered
1992	620,696	1,864,835	2,485,531
1993	626,645	1,901,623	2,528,268
1994	632,720	1,861,265	2,493,985
1995	623,874	1,849,884	2,473,758
1996	635,945	1,942,469	2,578,414
1997	637,743	2,027,245	2,664,988
1998	710,064	2,034,688	2,744,752
1999	726,124	1,891,328	2,617,452
2000	754,545	1,972,310	2,726,855
2001	743,469	1,969,008	2,712,477
2002	733,743	1,960,605	2,694,348
2003	725,494	1,959,293	2,684,787
2004	716,070	1,935,634	2,651,704

Source: MIDAS (Management Information and Dental Accounting System).

Question reference: S2W-15213

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 29 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to concerns that victims of crimes such as vandalism, theft and breach of the peace will not consider themselves best served by the justice system if those accused and convicted of these crimes are issued with fixed penalty notices rather than summoned to court.

No person convicted of a crime will be offered a fixed penalty notice. We consider that fixed penalty notices, correctly and appropriately used, are an important part of a modern criminal justice system. They offer a quick, proportionate and effective response to minor offending so that an offender, and the community he or she is part of, are aware that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

The use of fixed penalty notices for Antisocial behaviour will be exercised in line with guidelines from the Lord Advocate and the list of applicable offences will be kept under review. Vandalism and breach of the peace are amongst the list of fixed penalty offences at section 128 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004, but theft is not. A pilot scheme testing the use of these penalties commenced in Tayside on 1 April 2005.

Question reference: S2W-15211

Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the introduction of summary sheriffs to deal with a wider range of summary cases as recommended in the McInnes report.