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: S1W-03282

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage increase in water and sewerage rates will be for East of Scotland Water, North of Scotland Water and West of Scotland Water in 2000-01.

Question reference: S1W-02430

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to restrict housing and large scale retail development on greenbelt land and encourage development on brownfield sites.

The Executive's policies on the location of housing and retail development are set out in National Planning Policy Guidelines 3: Land for Housing and 8: Town Centres and Retailing. NPPG3 indicates that priority should be given to the re-use of urban brownfield sites wherever possible and that the release of sites in the Green Belt should be considered only in exceptional circumstances. NPPG8 contains a firm commitment to the protection and enhancement of existing town centres in preference to sites outwith town centres. This guidance indicates that new retail developments should not conflict with Green Belt policy.

Question reference: S1W-04047

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that people with mental health and learning difficulties have equal access to legal services.

People with mental health and learning difficulties qualify for legal aid in the same way as any other person - by satisfying a number of statutory tests, one of which is financial eligibility. Regulations will be laid in this parliamentary session to enable those involved in certain mental health proceedings to be exempted from the financial eligibility and contributions tests in relation to assistance by way of representation.

The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Bill will make provision for legal aid to be available to adults with incapacity and anyone else who wishes to use the measures provided for in the Bill, subject to the usual statutory tests being met.In addition, the Central Research Unit is undertaking a number of studies which look specifically at access to legal advice and services for people with mental health and learning difficulties and the results of these studies will be carefully assessed by the Scottish Executive Justice and Health Departments in the context of policy development on Adults with Incapacity and on mental health.

Question reference: S1W-04046

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 22 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-975 by Iain Gray on 17 January 2000, to specify the amount allocated to each local authority for (a) services for home based elderly people; (b) residential accommodation for elderly people and (c) casework and related administration in respect of elderly people, expressed on a per capita basis for each person receiving each of these services.

Question reference: S1W-04242

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to introduce car parking charges within hospital grounds in the Glasgow area.

Arrangements for charging for car parking are currently in place at Yorkhill NHS Trust, the Victoria Infirmary, which is part of South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Glasgow Royal Infirmary which is part of the North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust. GGPCT has advised that there are no plans to extend these current arrangements nor to introduce charges at hospitals forming the Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust.

Question reference: S1W-03061

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 December 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the #305,017 paid to Lorna Naismith, former Director of Personnel at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, represents value for money in the NHS.

Lorna Naismith was given early retirement on grounds of organisational change due to trust reconfiguration. She did not receive the sum mentioned, the major part of that figure - £268k - represents the capitalisation costs for the pension which the employer is obliged to set aside to cover future payment of the pension until normal retiral age. The Trust reconfiguration process was a managed one which has been audited and shown to provide value for money to the NHS in Scotland. The process is expected to save £100 million for investment in patient care.

Question reference: S1W-03402

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 1999
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 18 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how capital spending by Scottish local authorities in 2000-01, excluding PFI projects, compares to local authority capital spending in 1990-91 (in current prices) and, if its assessment differs from COSLA's statement in convention item 4 on 10 December that "ten years ago, the Government limited capital spend by Scottish councils to some #700 million at current prices; next year the level of expenditure, excluding PFI, which has been authorised by the Executive is almost half the amount", whether it will explain how it arrived at its figure.

Local authority capital expenditure in 1990-91, including water and sewerage and housing, was £1.7 billion at current prices. Total capital spending by local authorities in 2000-01 will not be known until the end of that financial year, therefore, a comparison is not possible. I have, however announced the provisional non-housing allocations which also no longer include water and sewerage for 2000-01: question S1W-2651 refers. In practice, the Government only limits the part of local authority capital expenditure which it supports through capital allocations. Further information on capital expenditure by local authorities is given in my letter of 9 September sent in response to questions S1W-743 and S1W-744. A copy is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Question reference: S1W-04202

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can confirm that Lothian Health Board will have no increase in its budget for oncology and renal services until 2003-04.

Lothian Health Board receives an annual general revenue allocation. It is for the Board to determine within the funds available how to manage and deliver local healthcare services that meet the healthcare needs of their resident population, including oncology and renal services. For 2000-01 Lothian Health Board has been allocated a unified budget of £571.5m, an increase of 5.4% over that for 1999-2000.

Question reference: S1W-04201

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that the relocation of 300 people from Lennox Castle learning disabilities unit over the next two years will not compromise patient care.

The continuing care and support of patients discharged from Lennox Castle Hospital is key to the success of the initiative. Greater Glasgow Health Board, Greater Glasgow Primary Care Trust and the Local Authorities involved have jointly planned the alternative care so that it specifically meets the ongoing needs of the patients, with the aim that no patient is discharged until an appropriate care package is in place.

Question reference: S1W-04203

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take in the light of the recent Malnutrition Advisory Group Report indicating that 78% of malnourished patients admitted to hospital continue to lose weight in hospital.

I welcome any contribution to the store of knowledge about malnutrition.

Malnutrition in hospitals has been the subject of research over a number of years and the complex nature of the effect of illness on indicators of nutritional status is a factor that has to be taken into account. It is important to make a distinction between malnutrition due to lack of nutritious food and that caused by the metabolic response to illness and injury.We are however taking steps to tackle malnutrition on a number of fronts. The Scottish Executive Health Department has asked Health Boards to apply nutritional standards in all NHS facilities and a multi-disciplinary advisory group is taking forward further work on this. In the wider context, the Scottish Diet Action Plan, with the help of Scottish Executive funding, provides the framework for a range of initiatives. These include promoting healthy diet in local communities and schools; assessing and managing nutritional status in the community through district nursing and health visiting services; and applying rigorous standards to dietary needs in nursing homes. Nutrition of elderly people also features in our Clinical Effectiveness Programme.