- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21592 by Ross Finnie on 22 January 2002, when the minutes of the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment of 24 January 2002, including any report on the GM contamination discovered in Mexico, will be published.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23626 on 14 March 2002.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 21 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make provision for affordable access to alternative clothing and furniture to those who suffer from multiple chemical sensitivities.
Answer
The Executive has no plans to make such provision.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 21 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice or guidance it has given, or plans to give, to NHS boards on the provision of services for patients who have multiple chemical sensitivities.
Answer
The Executive has not issued any guidance specific to multiple chemical sensitivity, and has no plans to do so. General guidance on immunology and allergy services in Scotland was issued in September 2000, in the form of a report by the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee. The report set out the provision at that time of services in Scotland for the diagnosis and management of patients with immunological and allergic disorders and made a number of recommendations for their improvement.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions ministers have attended meetings of the PILOT oil and gas industry task force and which ministers attended.
Answer
The minutes and attendance records for all PILOT meetings are available on the PILOT website at:
http://www.pilottaskforce.co.uk.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 21 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when Factor IX, as used in the blood transfusion service, was made safe.
Answer
The Factor IX product supplied by Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) for use by the NHS in Scotland after May 1985 was heat-treated to 80ยบ for 72 hours, which protected against hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.In October 1985 SNBTS formally recalled all non-heat-treated Factor IX product, which had been supplied prior to May 1985, when sufficient stocks of the heat treated product were available to meet expected demand in Scotland.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to tighten the checks on the illegal importation of meat at ports and airports.
Answer
The Executive is working closely with the UK Government and enforcement agencies, to produce a comprehensive action plan to help deter and detect illegal imports. Already, action has been taken to publicise UK import rules overseas, and more effective posters are now on display at our ports and airports to underline the need for increased vigilance. Efforts have also been stepped up to improve detection and prosecution of deliberate attempts to bring illegal imports into the country. There is a greater emphasis on sharing intelligence and increased powers for local authorities to search and seize meat etc. at the point of sale where such products could not have been imported legally. The Veterinary Laboratory Agency has been asked to carry out a detailed risk assessment, so that effort and resources can be targeted to areas which are thought to represent the greatest risk.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 20 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for (a) chemistry, (b) physics and (c) biological sciences degree courses were received by higher education institutions by the closing date in each of the last five years.
Answer
The number of applications to full-time degree courses in chemistry, physics and biological sciences, received by Scottish higher education institutions through UCAS over the last five years has been:
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Chemistry | 3,008 | 2,802 | 2,580 | 2,248 | 2,185 |
| Physics | 2,423 | 2,203 | 2,057 | 1,884 | 1,964 |
| Biological Sciences | 13,460 | 12,147 | 11,826 | 11,254 | 12,353 |
Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 20 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government about the Enterprise Bill and, in particular, the role of the Scottish courts in dealing with insolvency and what the outcome was of any such discussions.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department of Trade and Industry, on the corporate insolvency aspects of this bill, to ensure that reserved matters affecting Scotland and devolved aspects of reserved matters are fully explored and handled according to the legislative requirements for these. The proposals to be contained in the forthcoming Enterprise Bill, make no direct changes to the jurisdiction of Scottish courts in corporate insolvency.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to health boards about tackling the backlog of tonsillectomies.
Answer
Routine tonsil and adenoid surgery, performed with single-use instruments, re-commenced with effect from 11 March 2002.The National Waiting Times Unit, which I established earlier this year, is working with NHSScotland to tackle the lengthy waits for routine tonsil and adenoid surgery which have built up, whilst concerns over patient health and safety and issues around surgical instruments were resolved.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many oil and gas fields, and which ones, are currently under consideration for development by the Progressing Partnership Group of Pilot.
Answer
The Progressing Partnership Working Group of PILOT is not directly responsible for development of particular fields, as that is the responsibility of the operators themselves; however its work means that it liaises closely with these operators. In addition, the group has identified an estimated 120 fallow discoveries and 160 fallow blocks on the UKCS, and plans to publish details of these assets on the LIFT (Licence Information for Trading) website in due course.
