- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of MRSA there have been in each NHS board in each year since 1999.
Answer
A national mandatory hospital infection surveillance system was introduced in 2001 to monitor MRSA blood infections. The surveillance is operated by Health Protection Scotland (formerly Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health) and it produces quarterly reports, see
www.show.scot.nhs.uk/scieh/.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 14 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government with a view to ensuring that the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe is translated into Gaelic and Scots, as set out in Article IV-448, paragraph 2 of the treaty.
Answer
The translation of the European Union Constitutional Treaty is a decision for the UK Government. Earlier this year the Prime Minister made a commitment to produce a Layperson’s Guide to the Treaty in order to inform the public in advance of a referendum. The Scottish Executive has already recommended to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that this guide should be translated into Gaelic.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 10 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider amending the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) (Scotland) Regulations 1992 to give local authorities the discretion to accept up to 12 payments per annum on a monthly basis
Answer
The regulations referred to above allow local authorities the discretion to enter into separate arrangements with individuals regarding payments. Therefore the requested flexibility already exists, albeit on a case-by-case basis.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 8 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities run their own workplace nursery schemes.
Answer
The provision of workplace nurseries is a matter for individual employers to consider. The Executive does not hold centrally any information on workplace nurseries operated by local authorities.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Aberdeen City Council, Amicus, Jobcentre Plus or the liquidators or workers at Richards of Aberdeen following the announcement regarding Richards of Aberdeen.
Answer
Through our economic development agency, in this instance, Scottish Enterprise Grampian, we have liaised with Aberdeen City Council and Jobcentre Plus with a view to providing assistance and guidance to the employees and the company following the job losses.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 8 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what enhancements and encouragements it offers local authorities to establish their own workplace nursery schemes.
Answer
Local authorities receive Childcare Strategy funding from the Executive to enable them to meet local childcare needs across their area, including those of working parents. Employers may be entitled to tax relief on the provision of workplace nurseries or child care vouchers.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 8 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff each NHS board employs primarily to tackle MRSA.
Answer
Many staff have infection control as a component part of their job plan. There are no staff employed by NHS boards whose primary task is to deal with MRSA. Infection control nurses are employed to improve prevention and control all healthcare associated infections including MRSA.
The numbers of Infection Control Nurses are detailed in the following table:
As at 21 May 2004
| NHS Board | ICNs (WTE) |
| NHS Argyll and Clyde | 14.0 |
| NHS Ayrshire and Arran | 5.0 |
| NHS Borders | 3.0 |
| NHS Dumfries and Galloway | 3.0 |
| NHS Fife | 5.8 |
| NHS Forth Valley | 4.0 |
| NHS Grampian | 8.2 |
| NHS Greater Glasgow | 20.2 |
| NHS Highland | 6.4 |
| NHS Lanarkshire | 10.4 |
| NHS Lothian | 17.1 |
| NHS Orkney | 1.0 |
| NHS Shetland | 1.0 |
| NHS Tayside | 11.6 |
| NHS Western Isles | 1.2 |
| Special NHS Boards | 6.6 |
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 8 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce legislation to allow police forces to seize cars and motorbikes of “boy racers” causing chaos and disruption in communities.
Answer
The Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 , which received Royal Assent in July 2004, contains measures to enable the police to seize vehicles being used in a manner causing alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. Regulations, required under section 127 of the act, will be made in the near future in order to bring these measures into effect.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 2 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the criteria for allocating funds from the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund and, if so, whether it will consider crime levels as a factor.
Answer
The Better Neighbourhood Services Fund programme has already been fully allocated and the programme will cease operation in 2005-06.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 2 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to establish a transitional fund to help local authorities who are adversely affected by the allocation of the Supporting People grant and, if so, what criteria will be used to disburse the funding.
Answer
Transitional funding will be provided to those councils most affected by the redistribution process. Proposals in this area have been included in a revised package on allocations currently under discussion with COSLA.
