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-14835

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by George Reid on 17 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what IT equipment has been lost or stolen, and to what value, since the official opening of Holyrood.

The reported losses or Thefts of IT equipment between 9 0ctober 2004 and 16 March 2005 are set outbelow:

Date	Item	Estimated Cost	Location	Directorate
12/10/04	Battery	£100	Upper Basement	Technology and Facilities Management
13/10/04	Pocket PC Base	£25	SPICe area	Access andInformation
26/10/04	Laptop	£1,200	Cannongate Building	Technology and Facilities Management
7/12/04	Digital Camera	£400	MSP Block	MSP Offices
7/12/04	Pocket PC (Palm Top)	£380	SPICe area	Access and Information
7/12/04	Mouse	£20	MSP Block	MSP Offices
7/12/04	Laptop PC	£1,045	Upper Basement	Technology and Facilities Management
9/12/04	Pocket PC (PDA) and Cradle	£462	Queensberry House	Resources and Governance
9/12/04	Pocket PC (PDA)	£380	SPICe area	Access and Information
9/12/04	Pocket PC	£380	SPICe area	Access andInformation
14/01/05	4xLaptop PCs4xCarrying Cases	£4,180	Cannongate Building	Technology and Facilities Management
20/01/05	Laptop PCs	£5,130	Upper Basement	Technology and Facilities Management
24/01/05	Digital Camera	£318	Upper Basement	Technology and Facilities Management
25/01/05	Parliament Phone Nokia and Sim Card	£540	Queensberry House	Access andInformation
27/01/05	Data Projectors	£2,640	Upper Basement	Technologyand Facilities Management
31/01/05	Blackberry	£200	Cannongate Building	Technology and Facilities Management
2/02/05	Remote Headphones	£80	Tower 2	Clerking and Reporting
3/02/05	Laptop PC and projector	£1,925	Upper Basement	Technology and Facilities Management

Note: There have been noreported losses or theft of IT equipment reported since 3 February 2005.

Question reference: S2W-14513

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been for selling multiple packs of proprietary medicines in non-pharmacy outlets in each of the last five years.

The sale and supply ofmedicines on the General Sales List Order are controlled under Section 53 of the Medicines Act 1968.

In Scotland, the Medicinesand Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enforces the Medicines Act 1968 onbehalf of Scottish ministers. A check of records did not show prosecutions in Scotland inthe past five years for selling multiple packs of proprietary medicines innon-pharmacy outlets.

Question reference: S2W-14509

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any research has been carried out into the safety of selling analgesics as general sales list medicines outwith community pharmacies.

The Medicines and Healthcareproducts Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Committee on Safety of Medicines(CSM) are responsible for the safety, quality and efficacy of medicinesavailable on the UK market.

In the case of analgesicsand other medicines, before a medicine is classified for General Sales List(GSL) availability, the Medicines Act 1968 (reserved legislation) requires UK ministersto be satisfied that the medicine can, with reasonable safety, be sold orsupplied other than by or under the supervision of a pharmacist. Patient safetyis always the main consideration in a decision to classify a medicine and mustbe supported by information on its safe use without professional advice.

The MHRA keeps the safety ofall medicines under review and whenever necessary takes appropriate action tosafeguard public health.

Detailed information aboutthe legal classification of any medicine in the UK can be accessed on the MHRAwebsite www.mhra.gov.uk.

Question reference: S2W-14519

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of the uptake of all new preparations approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S2W-14518

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of all preparations (a) approved and (b) rejected by the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

Question reference: S2W-14516

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive when all GP and dental practices and community pharmacies will be connected to an interactive national database.

Question reference: S2W-14514

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive which organisation is responsible for overseeing sales of proprietary medicines from non-pharmacy retail outlets.

The Medicines and Healthcareproducts Regulatory Agency (MHRA) enforcesthe provisions of the Medicines Act 1968 and associated secondary legislationwhich regulate the sale, supply and administration of all medicines availablein the UK. This includes authorised medicines available on general sale fromoutlets other than pharmacies.

Information about the workof the MHRA can be accessed at www.mhra.gov.uk.

Question reference: S2W-14517

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many preparations were reviewed by the Scottish Medicines Consortium in each year since its inception and how many such preparations were approved.

The total numberof preparations reviewed by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) in each yearsince its inception and the number of preparations approved is illustrated in thefollowing table. Details of all preparations submitted to the SMC can be found at www.scottishmedicines.org including whether they were accepted for use, accepted for restricteduse or not recommended for use.

All NHSScotlandboards should take account of the advice and evidence from the SMC and ensure thatrecommended medicines are made available to meet clinical need. Where this doesnot happen it will be followed up proactively.

	2002	2003	2004
Full submissions	28	46	52
Resubmissions	1	8	5
Abbreviated submissions	0	6	16
Independent Review Panel	0	1	1
Non-Submissions	0	1	0
Total	29	62	74

The total breakdown of assessmentsundertaken according to SMC categories of recommendations are as follows:

	2002	2003	2004
Accepted for use	9	16	31
Accepted for restricted use	13	27	24
Not recommended for use	7	19	19
Total	29	62	74

Question reference: S2W-14548

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a ministerial statement on any difficulties associated with the eCare programme and, if so, when.

Question reference: S2W-14515

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) GP practices, (b) dental practices and (c) community pharmacies are connected to an interactive national database, broken down by NHS board area.

No GP practices, dentalpractices or community pharmacies are connected to an interactive nationaldatabase.

I can advise, however, thatthere are plans to connect these health care professionals to a securecommunications network, NHSnet/N3, which will provide access to a secure clinicalmail service, Scottish Health on the Web and other national clinical andinformation systems as and when they become available.

At present, the followinghave been connected to NHSnet/N3:

all computerised GPpractices in Scotland, over 99% of practices, and

community pharmacists in NHSAyrshire and Arran, Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Forth Valley, Orkney, Shetland and Tayside.

The current plan is for all communitypharmacists to be connected by September 2005. The Executive is also committedto connecting general dental practice to NHSnet/N3 and plans for this are beingprepared.