- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address the disparity identified in the research, Causes of excess mortality in cerebral palsy, by Strauss, Cable and Shavelle which recorded that women with cerebral palsy have three times the incidence of death from breast cancer than their non-disabled peers.
Answer
The study states that mortality from breast cancer was three times that of the general population suggesting poorer detection or treatment.
In Scotland there is already a well established breast cancer screening programme for all women aged 50 to 64. The extension of routine invitation for screening to 70 years is currently being phased in across Scotland.
Our cancer strategy Cancer in Scotland seeks to ensure more rapid access to diagnosis and treatment for all cancer patients including those affected by breast cancer. More than £5 million has been invested specifically in breast services during 2001-04.
In Scotland five-year survival from breast cancer has increased substantially from 60% in 1977–81 to 77% in 1997–2001.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how speech and language therapy and other communication expertise will be included in the delivery of the sexual health strategy.
Answer
In delivering the Respect and Responsibility strategy, the expertise of the speech and language therapist can be used to assist adults and children with disabilities to acquire and maintain the knowledge necessary for good sexual health and wellbeing.
Health boards are responsible for leading improvements in sexual health and are adopting locally appropriate structures and arrangements to do so. Therefore, the extent to which speech and language therapists and other communication expertise are involved in the delivery of the sexual health strategy will vary between NHS boards.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 9 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, cancer patients were recruited into clinical trials for therapies and provision of care in (a) breast, (b) colorectal, (c) lung, (d) ovarian and (e) prostate cancer in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2004.
Answer
Progress with participation in clinical trials is monitored through the Scottish Cancer Research Network (SCRN) who have only recently established up-to-date monitoring systems to collect and report information. Information is available from April 2004 and is provided in the following table.
| Tumour Type | No. of Patients Entered Into Trials 2001 (baseline)1 | Percentage of All Registrations for 2001 | No. of Patients Entered Into Trials (April – Sep 2004)2 | Percentage of All Registrations (based on 2001)3 |
| (a) Breast | 435 | 12.1 | 537 | 30.0 |
| (b) Colorectal | 83 | 2.4 | 146 | 8.3 |
| (c) Lung | 78 | 1.8 | 155 | 7.1 |
| (d) Gynaecological4 | 70 | 1.6 | 120 | 5.5 |
| (e) Prostate | 15 | 0.7 | 27 | 2.5 |
Notes:
1. Source - Scottish Cancer Registry, ISD. Represents a 12 month period in 2001. This figure is used as a baseline against which to measure progress.
2. Source - Scottish Cancer Research Network (SCRN).
3. Cancer registrations for 2004 are not yet available so 50% of the registrations for 2001 (the most recent year available) have been used to provide an approximation.
4. Gynaecological cancers consists of seven categories: carcinoma in situ of the cervix uteri, cervix uteri, corpus uteri, ovary, uterus, vagina, and vulva.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 3 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the Scottish Cancer Research Network, since the announcement of £1 million in 2002 to support its development, in respect of promoting equity of access to trials for all patients with cancer in line with the aim in the strategy document, Cancer in Scotland: Sustaining Change.
Answer
The Scottish Cancer Research Network (SCRN) was fully established by December 2003 with designated clinical leads, managers, research nurses and other support staff in place in each of the three regional cancer network areas.
Latest figures based on April –to September 2004 show that the network has achieved the target to at least double patient recruitment to clinical trials.
| Scotland | No. of Patients Entered into Trials 2001 (baseline)1 | No of Patients Entered into Trials (April – September 2004)2 |
| Total | 954 | 1,415 |
Notes:
1. Information from Scottish Cancer Registry, ISD. Represents a 12 month period in 2001. This figure is used as a baseline against which measure progress. Information is not yet published by ISD for 2002, 2003.
2. Information directly from the Scottish Cancer Research Network (SCRN). Represents a six month period April to September 2004.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 3 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the action taken by NHS boards, and supported by the Executive, to boost the number of speech and language therapists will have on reducing waiting times for patients.
Answer
It is for NHS boards and local authorities to determine levels of service provision based on local needs. Currently, there is no national waiting time target for speech and language therapy.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 3 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a target for the maximum length of time a patient should wait to see a speech and language therapist.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16122 on 3 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 24 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on its programme of support for small-scale renewables.
Answer
We are making excellent progress. Our Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative has allocated grant funding to over 600 small-scale renewable energy projects since 2002, and applications to the scheme continue to increase.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 15 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities or NHS boards have made an assessment of the needs of deafblind people and how this number compares with that in England and Wales.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 15 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many deafblind people have benefited from services such as guide-communicators in the period 2000 to 2004 and how this number compares with that in England and Wales.
Answer
Information on the number of people who use guide communicators is not held centrally.
Deafblind Scotland receives funds from the Scottish Executive to enable it to train guide communicators and deafblind support workers for deafblind people. Local authorities can purchase this service from Deafblind Scotland for those people assessed as requiring it.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make to Her Majesty's Government in support of the Disability Discrimination Bill, an order in council or other legislative measure being used to ensure that the necessary legislative changes are made so that the new Additional Support Needs Tribunals are able to hear education cases brought under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Answer
It is not appropriate for the Executive to make any representation to the UK Government on this matter at the present time. A decision about representation will be taken on the basis of the review of the operation of the tribunals, as explained in the answer to parliamentary question S2W-14671 on 4 March 2005, and in light of the outcome of any subsequent public consultation.
