- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 24 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are currently being taken by the Executive or by local authorities to stamp out illegal money lending by "loan sharks".
Answer
Consumer protection is a reserved matter and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government. The Scottish Executive is addressing financial exclusion through a variety of measures, which includes support for credit unions as one way of improving access to low-cost credit.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients in each health board area in Scotland who were referred for a hospital appointment by their GP in the last year received an appointment date which was within nine weeks of their referral date.
Answer
The information requested is given in the table.
PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS WHO RECEIVED THEIR FIRST OUTPATIENT APPOINTMENT WITHIN NINE WEEKS FOLLOWING A GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONER/GENERAL DENTAL PRACTITIONER REFERRAL IN THE YEAR ENDING 31 SEPTEMBER 19991
HEALTH BOARD | PERCENTAGE |
Argyll and Clyde | 65 |
Ayrshire and Arran | 73 |
Borders | 74 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 65 |
Fife | 58 |
Forth Valley | 60 |
Grampian | 60 |
Greater Glasgow | 61 |
Highland | 74 |
Lanarkshire | 59 |
Lothian | 65 |
Orkney | 90 |
Shetland | 87 |
Tayside | 64 |
Western Isles | 67 |
1 Information based on referrals by GMP/GDP only (excludes patients with a Patient's Charter guarantee exception code).
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of breast screening appointments constituted self referrals by women over the age of 64 in each year since 1994, broken down by health board area.
Answer
The percentage of breast screening appointments that constituted self or GP referrals of women over the age of 64 in each year since 1993-94 was as follows:
Health Board1 | 1993-942 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 0.3 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 5.1 |
Ayrshire and Arran | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 3.3 |
Borders3 | 2.6 | - | - | 6.5 | - |
Dumfries and Galloway | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 2.9 |
Fife | 1.7 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 4.4 |
Forth Valley | 0.0 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 5.3 |
Greater Glasgow | 0.3 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
Grampian | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 4.2 |
Highland | 0.0 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 4.9 |
Lanarkshire | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 3.2 |
Lothian | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
Orkney3 | - | 2.9 | - | - | 7.8 |
Shetland3 | - | - | 4.1 | - | - |
Tayside | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.6 |
Western Isles3 | 0.0 | - | - | 3.2 | - |
SCOTLAND | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 4.1 |
Notes
1
Self/GP referral appointments include appointments whereby the GP has referred the woman and where the woman has referred herself.2
Data are presented by financial year (1 April to 31 March).3 All SBSP screening centres cover more than one Health Board and, in some cases, have joint responsibility for screening a Health Board. To achieve the most efficient use of resources, particularly when screening is by mobile units, Health Boards are not necessarily screened evenly throughout the 3 year period. Owing to the arrangements made for screening in certain remote and rural areas, including the use of mobile screening units, it is not possible to provide data on an annual basis. Data is available for only one year out of every three.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the National Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse to report on its proposals for a national strategy to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse has met three times since its establishment in April 1999 and I expect to be in a position to make an announcement early in the new year on its proposals.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to encourage consultation between health professionals and representatives of the deaf community regarding the development of objective and agreed information and protocols as to the appropriateness of the use of cochlear implant services, particularly for children.
Answer
The provision of cochlear implantation in Scotland has recently been reviewed by the National Services Advisory Group, which advises The Scottish Executive on specialist services. Clinicians and representatives of the deaf community were involved in the review. I will make a decision on future provision of cochlear implantation services for Scottish residents when I have had the opportunity to consider the Group's advice in due course. There are no plans for a further review of cochlear implantation services at this time.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of NHS patients were accommodated in mixed-sex wards in each year since 1994, broken down by health board area.
Answer
When Mr Galbraith, as Minister for Health, announced in April 1999 that resources were being made available to end mixed sex accommodation, it was estimated that over 90% of patients going into hospital were already guaranteed a bed on a single sex ward. Further progress has been made since that time. I have asked for a report detailing the up-to-date position at 1 December 1999 and this is currently being compiled.I am committed to eliminating mixed sex accommodation from the NHS in Scotland by March 2002. £4.2 million over three years has been made available for this purpose.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support public appointments in Scotland being subject to a Public Appointments Committee of the Parliament and, if so, which appointments it would envisage being referred to such a committee.
Answer
I recently announced that the Executive will embark on a wide-ranging consultation exercise early in the New Year which will invite views on the current public appointments system and on possible options for change.The consultation paper will invite views as to whether the Parliament should be involved in appointments made by the Executive and if so, at what stage and in what way. It will also explore the role of legislatures in other countries to see what lessons can be learned.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what is the average length of time taken in each police force area to deal with drug analysis by forensic laboratories in drug cases.
Answer
The provision of forensic laboratories services is the responsibility of individual police forces. I understand that the forces hold this information in a variety of different ways, which are not directly comparable. However, all forces consider that they have the capacity to arrange almost immediate analysis in urgent cases.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 11 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a system of no fault compensation in Scotland and, if so, for which category of claims.
Answer
We do not have any plans at present to change the law of reparation to introduce a system of no fault compensation in Scotland.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 11 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area were treated in (a) orthopaedic and (b) ophthalmology departments within three months of being placed on the waiting list.
Answer
47% of orthopaedic and 56% of ophthalmology patients were treated within three months of being placed on the waiting list within the Greater Glasgow Health Board area.
