- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 31 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-15179 and S1W-15270 by Ross Finnie on 19 April 2001 and 8 May 2001 respectively, why it will not publish a list of the premises which have had stock slaughtered on the basis that they were contiguous with infected premises and whether it will now name the 661 farms in Dumfries and Galloway where animals have been slaughtered on this basis.
Answer
In the interests of disease control, the details of infected premises and the 3km rings extending around them have been published. There is no disease control justification to publish the names of contiguous premises and, in order to respect the privacy and commercial confidentiality of the farms concerned, the Executive does not intend to publish these details. Farmers have been informed where contiguity to infected premises contributes to the decision to cull their animals.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 31 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the article entitled "Scottish cull for cash illegal" in The Sunday Telegraph on 13 May 2001.
Answer
We have implemented a strict disease control strategy which has involved culling where necessary to contain the spread of the disease. Culling has been carried out for disease control purposes only and for no other reason.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent NHS dentists there currently are, broken down by health board area.
Answer
In answer to questions S1W-15768 and S1W-15769, the number of NHS dentists at June 2000, by health board area and per 100,000 population, is shown in the following table. The table should be read in conjunction with the notes below.Number of NHS dentists at June 2000; by health board
| | Number of NHS dentists | Per 100,000 population |
Scotland | 2,597.2 | 50.8 |
Ayrshire & Arran | 168.4 | 45.1 |
Borders | 46.1 | 43.1 |
| Argyll & Clyde | 208.4 | 49.2 |
| Fife | 175.1 | 50.0 |
| Greater Glasgow | 539.3 | 59.6 |
| Highland | 114.5 | 54.9 |
| Lanarkshire | 240.8 | 42.8 |
| Grampian | 218.6 | 41.8 |
| Orkney | 11.0 | 56.5 |
| Lothian | 429.4 | 54.8 |
| Tayside | 240.4 | 62.4 |
| Forth Valley | 109.5 | 39.4 |
| Western Isles | 20.0 | 73.6 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 60.8 | 41.7 |
| Shetland | 15.0 | 66.8 |
Notes:1. Source: MIDAS dental database (General Dental Practitioners); Medical and Dental Census (Hospital & Community Dentists); ISD Scotland.2. Includes General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) and Hospital & Community Dentists. Information for GDPs relates to number, while Hospital & Community Dentists data are counted as whole-time equivalent.3. Information is not collected on the working hours of General Dental Practitioners. The figures contained in the table above refer to the number of GDPs in post.4. Excludes the State Hospital.5. Information is provisional.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 29 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking or plans to take to improve awareness in rural areas, in particular, in Dumfries and Galloway, of the importance of dental health.
Answer
All areas in Scotland have structured programmes of oral health education. In Dumfries and Galloway this programme is co-ordinated through the Health Promotion Department. Annually these services contact pre-school, nursery and primary school children. In addition they contact key groups such as carers, general dental practitioners, health visitors to ensure consistent information. Dumfries and Galloway has numerous other programmes highlighting the importance of oral health including a toothbrushing programme which involves over 2,300 children in 24 nursery classes and 48 primary schools.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 29 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the number of people and businesses which purchase goods online.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are charged with promoting e-business. Both agencies have developed a range of initiatives that encourage businesses to, amongst other things, purchase and sell goods online. A network of ICT Local Support Centres, operating under the UK Online branding, provides support to businesses and aims to help achieve the UK-wide target of having 1 million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises trading online by 2002.To help stimulate online purchasing, the Executive is currently considering how adoption of e-procurement methods across the wider Scottish public sector can be facilitated and how they can help drive collaborative procurement.For individuals, the Executive is committed to universal access to the web by 2005 and is currently considering what further action is necessary to ensure this is achieved.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent NHS dentists there currently are per head of population, broken down by health board area.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15768.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 29 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures have been put in place to prevent its departmental websites from disseminating information that could be of advantage to the governing parties in the forthcoming General Election and whether it will publish any such procedures.
Answer
Guidance has been issued to all Scottish Executive staff on their role and conduct during the UK General Election campaign. The guidance emphasises that civil servants should not undertake any activity which could call into question their political impartiality and that they should ensure that public resources are not used for party political purposes. These requirements apply to any information published by the Scottish Executive during the General Election campaign, whether on the Scottish Executive website or otherwise. The guidance has been posted on the Scottish Executive website and copies are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 29 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been carried out by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers with the Scottish Public Pensions Agency to develop details of the proposed winding down scheme for teachers.
Answer
The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers will consider the arrangements for the introduction of the proposed winding down scheme when it considers its draft workplan at its first meeting on 24 April.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 29 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the introduction of the proposed winding down scheme for teachers.
Answer
This will be a matter for the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, following consideration of the preliminary work currently being carried out by the Scottish Executive and Scottish Public Pensions Agency.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 24 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the #5 million funding from Scottish Enterprise to Dumfries and Galloway announced on 10 May 2001 to assist with economic restructuring will be used to provide interest-free loans for local businesses affected by the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and what conditions will apply to such loans.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise announced earlier this week additional funding for a number of new initiatives to assist businesses affected by the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the Dumfries and Galloway area. This includes interest free loans for local businesses. Initially, some £1.6 million has been allocated to support such loans. Terms and conditions which apply to these loans are available directly from Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway.
