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-01996

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what work it has commissioned to evaluate the (a) clinical and (b) cost effectiveness of providing phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors on the NHS for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and what the outcome of such work was.

Question reference: S2W-01995

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to the NHS was of male impotence drugs in each of the last three years.

The following table givesthe number of prescribed items and gross ingredient cost for the financialyears ending 31 March 2001, 2002 and 2003. Data in the table refer toprescriptions dispensed in the community but do not take into account medicinesdispensed by hospitals or hospital-based clinics.

The total cost is calculatedfrom the sum of the gross ingredient cost of the drugs plus the dispensing feepaid to the pharmacy, minus any prescription charges paid by the patient at thepoint of dispensing.

Information is not availableon the number or cost of prescription charges paid using pre-paymentcertificates. Discounts paid to the pharmacies by the drug suppliers depend onthe individual pharmacy; as these are not readily available they have beenexcluded from the table.

Year Ending 31 March	Number of Prescribed Items	Gross Ingredient Cost (£)	Pharmacy Dispensing Fees (£)	Patient Charges (£)	Total Cost (£)
2001	68,429	2,578,583	64,665	52,974	2,590,274
2002	89,673	3,326,032	84,831	69,943	3,340,920
2003	108,830	4,106,833	103,345	81,183	4,128,995

Question reference: S2W-01997

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will broaden access to treatments for erectile dysfunction on the NHS and, if so, to which patient groups.

Question reference: S2W-01998

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive which areas of medical research it currently funds, other than those areas funded through the #47 million allocated to the Office of the Chief Scientist, and how much each such research area receives.

Research areas which arefunded by the Scottish Executive and considered to meet the broad definition ofmedical research, can be detailed as follows:

NationalCreutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Surveillance Unit

Research to support a numberof objectives including to identify prospectively all cases of CJD occurring inthe UK, to document and investigate all cases of new variant CJD in order toidentify trends in the number of cases, and to collaborate with other researchprojects in the UK and elsewhere. The Executive’s contribution in2003-04 is £229,000.

Small Area HealthStatistics Unit

A UK bodywhich investigates the incidence of disease in the vicinity of possible sourcesof environmental pollution. The executive’s contribution in 2003-04 is £68,000.

Study of Risk Factors forAdult Brain Tumours

This independent UK study iscollaborating in an international case control study of adult brain tumours andthe use of mobile phones, co-ordinated by the International Agency for Researchon Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France. The executive’s contribution in 2003-04 is £25,000.

Childhood Cancer ResearchGroup (CCRG)

Monitors the incidence anddistribution of childhood cancers. One of the main benefits of finding of CCRGis in having access to the National Registry of Childhood Tumours which is thelargest population based childhood cancer registry in the world and includesdetailed records of approximately 70,000 children with cancer. Much of CCRG’sepidemiological work arises directly from concerns about possible environmentalhazards or medical procedures e.g. nuclear energy, vaccine safety. TheExecutive’s contribution in 2003-04 is £45,000.

Dental Health NeedsAssessment: Scottish Prison Service

To provide accurate andup-to-date information on the dental health needs or the Scottish prisonpopulation to plan appropriate and effective oral health services in prisonsacross Scotland. The Executive’s contribution in 2001-02 was£20,000.

A Scottish survey of primarycare dental practitioners’ training and education needs in managing the patientwith dental anxiety

Aim of this survey todetermine the views and experiences of qualified dentists and their current useof a range of anxiety management techniques, and to determine the scope ofundergraduate and post-graduate training and practitioners’ desire for futuretraining. The Executive’s contribution in 2001-02 was £15,000.

Adult Oral HealthFeasibility Study

Project to provide animproved understanding of the potential role of general assist in futuredecision making on the most appropriate approach to oral cancer screening andthe gathering of adult epidemiological data in Scotland. The Executive’scontribution in 2003-04 is £26,000.

Question reference: S2W-02002

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet local health councils to discuss setting up the new Scottish Health Council as an independent organisation working with, but external to, the NHS.

Question reference: S2W-01999

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet representatives of rural GPs to discuss issues of concern about the roll-out of the new GP contract.

As is the case for all groupswith an interest in the new General Medical Services contract, the Executive isinvolving a wide range of staff from across the service, including those with aremote and rural interest, in discussing implementation.

As part of theimplementation process, we have set up a national reference group and eightworking groups to look at the key issues arising. Membership of these groupsinclude those with a specific remote and rural interest. We are also committedto discussing with the Remote Practitioner Association of Scotland thecontractual options available under the new contract for current inducementpractitioners.

The Remote And Rural AreasResource Initiative (RARARI) have been specifically commissioned to look at thesalaried contract options available, particularly for remote and rural GPs.Officials have also now visited all NHS board areas to discuss the newcontract.

Question reference: S2W-02001

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the availability of prescribing courses for registered pharmacists.

NHS Education for Scotland hascommissioned the two Scottish Schools of Pharmacy to develop a training coursefor pharmacists to train as supplementary prescribers. The first cohort of 40registered pharmacists began training in August 2003 at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. Afurther course for supplementary prescribers is currently being developed bythe other School of Pharmacy at the University of Strathclyde with a first intake of pharmacists planned for early2004.

Both Schools of Pharmacywill offer their accredited courses for supplementary prescribers with up totwo or more intakes each year.

Question reference: S2W-01736

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 27 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all public service staff interfacing with the public have access to deaf awareness training and, if not, what plans it has to introduce such training.

Question reference: S2W-01850

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the facilities used by the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) at the Kings Buildings campus of the University of Edinburgh can only be sold to Edinburgh University; if so, under what terms, and whether the buildings will be valued independently of the SAC and the university.

I understand from the college that, in the event of it deciding to discontinue the provision of research into and teaching of agriculture at its buildings on the King’s Buildings Campus, the buildings could only be sold to the University.The buildings would transfer from the college to the university at a value determined by the Inland Revenue District Valuer, whose decision would be final and binding on both parties.

Question reference: S2W-01639

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend independent prescribing rights under section 63 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 to health care professionals separately from any similar extension that may be introduced in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Section 63 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 amended the Medicines Act 1968 and enables ministers to introduce new types of prescriber. To enable new types of prescriber to prescribe prescription only medicines would require amendment of the Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997. Both the act and the order apply across the UK.Extending responsibilities to new groups of health care professionals is a matter which is under active consideration by the UK Health Departments.