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: S3W-04215

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2935 by Shona Robison on 23 August 2007, what discretion Dr Andrew Walker has to undertake a full option appraisal as part of his independent scrutiny of proposals for service change to accident and emergency services in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.

Question reference: S3W-03838

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve local mental health services in (a) Clydebank and (b) Bearsden and Milngavie.

We continue towork with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, as well as thelocal authorities, voluntarysector and other partners, to deliver on a range of policies and initiatives.These include delivery of the14 specific and timetabled commitments and three HEAT targets set out in Deliveringfor Mental Health a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre (Bib. number 41410).

Progress withdelivery by local agencies on this agenda is assisted and informed by a rangeof national support mechanisms. This includes benchmarking and informationgathering to support the improvement process, and publication later this yearof standards for integrated care pathways which will give local servicesguidance on how best to structure care for those with dementia, depression,bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and personality disorders.

We have developedbetter performance management systems to offer support for change and moreeffective service delivery, such as twice yearly visits to every NHS board inScotland. The next such visit to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is due to take place in October.

NHS GreaterGlasgow and Clyde has put forward proposals for a review ofmental health services in the Clyde area. These will go out for consultationfollowing scrutiny by an independent panel. The panel is scheduled to report inNovember this year.

Question reference: S3W-04182

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether photodynamic therapy treatment, which is currently provided for people with classic wet age-related macular degeneration with no occult subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation, in accordance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance, will be considered by the Scottish Medicines Consortium or NHS Quality Improvement Scotland for people with the non-classic forms of the condition.

The NationalInstitute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has found that photodynamictherapy may provide most benefit to people who have wet age related maculardegeneration which is classic with no occult subfoveal choroidalneovascularisation and who have best corrected visual acuity of 6/60 or better.NHS Quality Improvement Scotland endorsed this recommendation. NICE may reviewthis recommendation in the future and if the manufacturer of the drug involvedwere to make a submission to the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for analternative indication then this is something that the SMC could consider.

Question reference: S3W-04191

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Linda Fabiani on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3067 by Linda Fabiani on 20 August 2007, when it will make a decision on the replacement for the First Secretary for Scottish Affairs in the United States of America.

Question reference: S3W-04184

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many alcohol-related deaths there have been in (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire since 1996.

The informationrequested is given in the following table. It uses a definition ofalcohol-related deaths agreed with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in2006 following wide consultation. Figures only include cases where the selectedcauses were the main cause of death.

Year	West Dunbartonshire	East Dunbartonshire
1996	29	21
1997	30	14
1998	25	20
1999	28	12
2000	28	13
2001	35	21
2002	46	20
2003	47	21
2004	41	21
2005	41	22
2006	45	23

Question reference: S3W-04186

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2932 by Shona Robison on 27 August 2007, what information it has been given by NHS Lanarkshire regarding the anticipated impact of the retention of accident and emergency services at three hospitals on resources available to deliver the board’s primary care and community development programme.

Question reference: S3W-04181

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that NHS boards give sufficient priority to ensuring that patients with age-related macular degeneration who require photodynamic therapy treatment receive it and to implementing the appropriate clinical patient pathways for such patients.

Question reference: S3W-04180

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31920 by Mr Andy Kerr on 27 February 2007, whether, following the approval of Lucentis® (ranibizumab) on 22 January 2007 by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, the Scottish Medicines Consortium has made a recommendation regarding the use of this therapy.

Question reference: S3W-04187

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2938 by Shona Robison on 27 August 2007, what information it has been given by NHS Ayrshire and Arran regarding the anticipated impact of the retention of accident and emergency services at two hospitals on resources available to deliver the board’s primary care and community development programme.

Question reference: S3W-04183

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure quicker diagnosis of patients with treatable forms of wet age-related macular degeneration.