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-13215

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 December 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive which major transport projects it plans to complete between 2007-08 and 2020 in the former (a) Glasgow, (b) west of Scotland and (c) Lothians European parliamentary constituency areas and how much it estimates each such project will cost.

The following table lists those major infrastructure projects up to 2012 as published in the White Paper Scotland’s Transport Future, published in June 2004, and costs are estimated. Although there is no West of Scotland European Parliament constituency in practice, the Boundary Commission proposed in 1995 to establish such a constituency, and the following table reflects that. Where a scheme crosses a constituency boundary this is indicated by an asterix. In such a case, no apportionment has been attempted, and the full cost is shown.

By 2007 we will begin a strategic projects review for all transport modes which will give us the opportunity to consider, plan and prioritise Scotland’s transport infrastructure investment requirements far beyond 2012.

Glasgow
*Glasgow Airport Rail Link	£140 million
A8 Baillieston-Newhouse	£125 million
A8 Associated Improvements (Raith, Baillieston and Maryville junctions)	£70 million
M74 Land Acquisition and Completion	£390 million
*Airdrie-Bathgate	£220 million
West of Scotland (as proposed)
*Glasgow Airport Rail Link	£140 million
Lothians
Edinburgh Airport Rail Link	£500 million
Edinburgh Trams	£500 million
Waverley Station Phase 1	£150 million
*Borders Railway	£130 million
*Airdrie-Bathgate	£220 million

Total capital costs including Scottish Executive, other public sector and private contributions.

Question reference: S2W-13681

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are currently placed in the secure unit at Stobhill Hospital and whether the unit is operating at capacity.

Question reference: S2W-13676

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is made to assist local authorities and other housing providers with the costs of maintaining multi-storey blocks that are more than 35-years old; whether there are national guidelines on dilapidation assessments of such blocks, and whether the need to replace such housing is taken fully into account in determining the pattern of need for affordable housing.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

The responsibility for maintaining multi-storey blocks that are more than 35-years old rests with the landlord and it is for them to determine how best to deploy available resources taking account of local stock condition and housing needs.

Ministers have set 2015 as the target date for local authorities and registered social landlords to achieve the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) and have asked these landlords to submit standard delivery plans for meeting the Standard to Communities Scotland by April 2005. The standard delivery plans must identify the current condition of the stock. Detailed guidance has been issued in relation to a range of criteria for the SHQS. Landlords are required to identify a programme of works in order to achieve the standard and set forth the level of investment required to carry out these works, including the source of the required revenue. The standard delivery plans will therefore identify landlords plans for multi-storey blocks more than 35-years old.

The need to replace such housing will be taken into account in determining the pattern of need for affordable housing. This will be done through local authorities’ local housing strategies which should ask a number of key questions, including whether the existing stock (public and private) is being managed to best effect, and whether there are management solutions, based on that stock, to existing or emerging housing problems. The strategies should then present actions on how this will be tackled.

Question reference: S2W-13692

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of full-time consultants have increased their contracted time devoted to direct patient care from 21 hours per week to at least 30 hours per week as a consequence of the new consultant contract.

The new consultant contract increases the contracted weekly time for direct clinical care from a nominal 21 hours per week (six fixed sessions) under the old contract to a nominal 30 (7.5 programmed activities) under the new contract. Guidance has been issued to NHS employers making it clear that it is expected that all full-time consultants should be agreeing job plans which should have at least 7.5 programme activities devoted to direct clinical care unless there are specific circumstances or responsibilities which would justify a different balance of work between direct clinical care and other activities.

The average number of extra programmed activities across Scotland is 1.6. These are allocated to direct clinical care. This implies that on average 6.4 additional nominal hours have gone into direct clinical care over and above the normal contracted 30 hours.

Question reference: S2W-13695

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can provide evidence of the re-design of services being taken forward as a result of the introduction of the consultant contract.

The new consultant contract was introduced on 1 April 2004. Some consultants are still completing their job plans and the contract is therefore not yet fully implemented.

We will be asking health boards to provide evidence of the realisation of a range of benefits under the new contract, including service re-design, once the contract is fully operational and as part of the normal performance management arrangements.

Question reference: S2W-13693

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what measurable improvements are being delivered as a direct consequence of the job-planning process introduced under the new consultant contract.

The new contract was introduced on 1 April 2004. Some consultants are still completing their job plans and the contract is therefore not yet fully operational.

We will be asking health boards to provide evidence of the realisation of a range of benefits under the new contract, including measurable improvements being delivered, once the contract is fully operational and as part of the normal performance management arrangements.

Question reference: S2W-13689

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from NHS Greater Glasgow regarding the cost implications of initiatives such as Agenda for Change, the new consultant contract and the General Medical Services contract.

Question reference: S2W-13697

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the waiting time was for orthopaedic treatment in Greater Glasgow; whether waiting times have increased or decreased in the last year, and what steps it is taking to reduce such waiting times (a) in Greater Glasgow and (b) across Scotland.

Information on waiting times for orthopaedic in-patient and day case treatment for 30 September 2003 and 2004 for NHS Greater Glasgow and NHSScotland is provided in the following table.

FAIR TO ALL, PERSONAL TO EACH – The next steps for NHSScotlandlaunched on 15 December 2004, sets out specific plans to tackle waiting times andintroduces a number of new waiting times targets, backed by substantialfinancial investment. From the end of 2007, the maximum waiting time for afirst outpatient appointment will be 18 weeks and the maximum wait for hospitaltreatment will also be 18 weeks. These targets will be delivered throughimplementation of service redesign and new ways of working, increasing NHScapacity, particularly the Golden Jubilee National Hospital, and by working with the independent health care sector.

Last month, NHS Greater Glasgow signed a contract with BMI Healthcare which will see a 1,000 orthopaedic patients being assessed and treated at Nuffield and Ross Hall Hospitals. The patients will be seen within the first three months of this year and will receive their subsequent surgery before September 2005.

The following table shoes the median waiting times for orthopaedic in-patient and day case treatment for the years ending 30 september 2003 and 2004: and the number of patients with a guarantee waiting more than six months for in-patient and day case treatment on 30 september 2003 and 2004.

	2003	2004
Median Wait⁺ : Year Ending 30 September
NHS Greater Glasgow	113 days	108 days
NHSScotland	106 days	113 days
Number of Patients Waiting More than 6 months^* on 30 September
NHS Greater Glasgow	587	436
NHSScotland	2,512	2,416

Notes:

⁺All patients - including patients excluded from the waiting times guarantee.

^*Patients with a waiting times guarantee only. Excludes patients exempted from the guarantee.

Question reference: S2W-13677

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many school leavers in West Dunbartonshire left school and attained a higher qualification at a further or higher education institution, compared with the national average, in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Executive does not hold data which could be used to track individual school leavers through further and higher education institutions.

However, the following table gives the percentages of school leavers from publicly funded schools in West Dunbartonshire entering full-time higher education for the years 1999-2000 to 2003-04 and the same percentages for Scotland as a whole.

Percentage of School Leavers Entering Full-Time Higher Education

Year	West Dunbartonshire	Scotland
1999-2000	30%	32%
2000-01	26%	32%
2001-02	29%	32%
2002-03	29%	31%
2003-04	24%	29%

Source: Careers Scotland.

The following table provides estimates of the numbers of young graduates (aged under 25) from higher education courses at higher education (HE) institutions and further education colleges in Scotland whose domicile was recorded as being in West Dunbartonshire and for those domiciled in Scotland. These estimates are for the years 1998-99 to 2002-03 (the latest year for which data are available at present).

Estimates of HE Graduates (Excluding Postgraduates) Aged Under 25 by Level of Study

	West Dunbartonshire		Scotland
	First Degree	Other HE	First Degree	Other HE
1998-99	130	230	13,039	13,058
1999-2000	198	235	14,726	13,418
2000-01	185	229	14,401	12,280
2001-02	183	177	13,965	10,597
2002-03	242	212	13,687	10,344

Sources: Higher Education Statistics Agency and Scottish Further Education Funding Council.

Note: Estimates prior to 2001-02 in the “Other HE” category differ from those from 2001-02 onwards due to improvements in the data collection for graduates from further education colleges. However, the 2001-02 and 2002-03 figures should still be regarded as estimates rather than actual numbers.

Question reference: S2W-13694

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has quantifiable evidence of increased capacity to improve services to patients as a result of the new consultant contract.

The new contract was introduced on 1 April 2004. Some consultants are still completing their job plans and the contract is therefore not yet fully operational.

We will be asking health boards to provide evidence of the realisation of a range of benefits under the new contract, including increased capacity to improve services, once the contract is fully operational and as part of the normal performance management arrangements.