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: S1W-11555

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 8 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice will reply to my letter of 1 September 2000 and reminder letters of 6 October and 10 November 2000.

Question reference: S1W-11384

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7241 by Susan Deacon on 1 August 2000 and the Scottish Needs Assessment programme report on multiple sclerosis (MS), whether it will assess the number of MS patients in each health board area who could benefit from prescription of Beta Interferon and what financial allocation will be made available for the prescription of the drug.

Only certain patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are likely to benefit from the use of Beta Interferon. The question of whether an individual patient might benefit from this treatment is a matter for the clinical judgement of the specialist concerned, informed by advice and evidence about its use.

Health boards receive a unified budget which includes provision for prescribing. These funds are intended to cover all pressures, including the provision of new drugs and the greater use of existing therapies.

Question reference: S1W-11382

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9430 by Susan Deacon on 15 September 2000 and the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report on multiple sclerosis (MS), and in the light of the relatively high incidence of MS in Scotland, whether it will advise the Chief Scientist Office to reconsider not contributing to Scottish, UK or European studies into MS treatment.

Question reference: S1W-11381

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 1 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4425 by Susan Deacon on 27 March 2000, whether it will direct any agency or body to undertake research into multiple sclerosis (MS) or take any other measures to actively promote research into MS, and whether it will make funding available for this purpose.

Within the Scottish Executive, the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health services and patient care within the NHS in Scotland. It fulfils this function by funding specific projects, proposed by research institutions, which meet acceptable standards. This role is well advertised throughout the medical and academic community. Although CSO has no proposals to promote actively or commission research projects on Multiple Sclerosis at present, CSO would be pleased to make funding available for, or contribute to, studies of a sufficiently high standard.

More generally CSO provides infrastructure and support costs to the NHS to enable Trusts to participate in research being funded by the research councils and major charities. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is the main agency through which the UK Government supports biomedical and clinical research. CSO collaborates with other UK Health Departments and the MRC to develop and maintain an effective partnership for the promotion, funding and management of UK medical research.

Question reference: S1W-11339

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 30 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive which non-departmental public bodies which have been abolished since May 1997, specifying in each case the body's remit, any public monies received in its last year of operation, and how many posts each had.

Details of public bodies abolished since May 1997 were provided in the answer to question S1W-8016. Information relating to the remits, funding and composition of these bodies is to be found in the relevant version of the annual Public Bodies publication as listed below. Copies are available from the Cabinet Office Website at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quango/index/pubs.htm.

Title	Public Bodies - Version
Advisory Committee on Dental Establishments	1998 - Page 131
Scottish Agricultural Consultative Panel	1998 - Page 135
Scottish Childcare Board	1999 - Page 161
Scottish Community Education Council	1998 - Page 128
Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum	1999 - Page 161
Scottish Council for Educational Technology	1999 - Page 154
Scottish Water and Sewage Customers Council	1999 - Page 131

Details of the Potato Marketing Board and the Scottish Seed Potato Development Council are listed below. Both these bodies were replaced by the British Potato Council in 1997. Full details of the British Potato Council can be found in the 1998 version of Public Bodies.

Title	Remit	Funding	Composition
Scottish Seed Potato Development Council	Promote the sales of Scottish seed potatoes at home and overseas.	Funded by a levy on all Scottish potato grower.	1 - Chair Members - 16
Potato Marketing Board	Administer support arrangements for potatoes in the UK under the Potato Marketing Scheme.	Funded via a grower levy on planted areas.	1 - Chair Members - 15

Question reference: S1W-11338

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 30 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8015 by Mr Jack McConnell on 30 October 2000, what each body's remit is, how much public money each receives and how many appointments have been made to each of them.

Details of the remits, funding and composition of the following Non-Departmental Public Bodies as listed in the answer to question S1W-8015 are included in the 1999 version of the Public Bodies document:

British Potato Council

The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland

Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards

Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission

Scottish Further Education Funding Council

This is available at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quango/index/pubs.htm. Information on the remaining bodies is set out in the table below:

Title	Remit	Amount Funded by Government	Composition
Health Technology Board for Scotland	The Health Technology Board for Scotland was created to provide a single source of evidence-based advice to the National Health Service in Scotland on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of new and existing health technologies (drugs, devices, clinical procedures and settings)	£1 million	Chair - 1M Members - 5M, 2F
Learning and Teaching Scotland	To promote and encourage understanding and application of educational technology in its widest sense	£1.337 million	Chair - 1M Members - 2M, 1F {2M, 2F}
Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland	To promote the interests of customers of the new water and sewerage authorities and be responsible for all aspects of the economic and customer service regulation of the authorities.	Not directly funded by Government. Receives funding from a levy from the three Scottish Water Authorities (1.9 million).	1 Commissioner

The Scottish Advisory Committee on the Dental Workforce is not an NDPB as stated in question S1W-8015.

Question reference: S1O-02577

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional finance it intends to make available in 2000-01 and 2001-02 to local authorities to subsidise local bus services.

Question reference: S1O-02512

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 16 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it proposes to reconsider or review the Police (Scotland) Act 1967.

Question reference: S1W-10687

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what action will be taken to ensure that any disciplinary or criminal investigations regarding the Chief Constable of Fife Constabulary are complete before he is permitted to take early retirement.

Question reference: S1W-10688

Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to suspend the Chief Constable of Fife Constabulary until all internal disciplinary and criminal investigations regarding him are complete.