- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 2 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time for barium enemas is in the various health boards throughout Scotland and whether there is a recommended waiting time for such procedures.
Answer
Information on the average waiting time for barium enemas is not available centrally. Local waiting time guarantees for a first outpatient appointment following a General Practitioner referral for the six main specialities of General Surgery, Orthopaedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Gynaecology and Urology are set by individual Health Boards taking account of local needs.The Programme for Government-Making it Work Together includes a commitment to set targets to speed treatment and shorten waiting times by the end of 1999. Performance against these targets will be closely monitored and will be published.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 2 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of GP practices (a) in Scotland and (b) in each health board area currently offer specialist Asthma Clinics.
Answer
Information on the percentage of GP practices offering specialist Asthma clinics is not held centrally. However, many practices are involved in Chronic Disease Management Programmes for Asthma where the practice can receive a payment for providing an organised programme for the care of patients with Asthma. Programmes have to provide specific services, such as education of newly diagnosed patients, regular review of the patient etc, and have to be approved by the Primary Care Trust. The percentage of practices which receive payments for such programmes are shown in the attached table.
| % of all |
| practices |
Figures as at 1 April 1998 | |
| Scotland | 88.4 |
| Argyll & Clyde | 77.7 |
| Ayrshire & Arran | 95.2 |
| Borders | 100.0 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 100.0 |
| Fife | 87.1 |
| Forth Valley | 92.9 |
| Grampian | 94.4 |
| Greater Glasgow | 90.4 |
| Highland | 72.0 |
| Lanarkshire | 92.7 |
| Lothian | 91.2 |
| Orkney | 40.0 |
| Shetland | 80.0 |
| Tayside | 93.2 |
| Western Isles | 71.4 |
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 26 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities currently issue guidelines to schools for the management of asthma.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. However I have established a working group of officials and other interested groups to produce good practice guidance on the administration of medicines in schools. Advice is also being prepared for Directors of Education on the respective roles and responsibilities of education authorities, Health Boards and NHS trusts on the administration of medicines in schools.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 25 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support plans to establish a passenger and freight rail link to Glasgow Airport in order to reduce road congestion in the Greater Glasgow area.
Answer
The Scottish Executive intends to deliver a sustainable, effective and integrated transport system. We support in principle cost-effective measures to reduce road congestion, encourage greater use of rail transport and improve inter-modal links.I understand Railtrack is currently working with Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive to assess three options for providing a rail link from Glasgow Airport to Paisley and central Glasgow.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 24 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to legislate to address the implications of the decision of Sheriff Principal Bowen in the case of Conway versus Glasgow City Council (1999) House.L.R.67 by providing hostel dwellers with the right not to be evicted without legal process.
Answer
The Homelessness Task Force, which I chair, has identified a number of issues relating to current legislation as matters for early consideration, including the legal position of people living in hostels. Its recommendations will be included in the Task Force's first report in the New Year, in time for the inclusion of any legislative changes which it recommends in next year's Housing Bill.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 24 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of secondary schools in each local authority offer courses in Modern Studies to Higher level.
Answer
The table below shows the latest available information on local authority schools' plans to offer Modern Studies at Higher level in the 1999-2000 academic session. The information comes from returns collected in August 1999 for the Higher Still Liaison Group.
| LOCAL AUTHORITY | | L.A. Schools | Number | | Percentage |
| | | providing | | offering | | |
| | | Highers (1) | | Modern Studies | | |
| Aberdeen City | | 13 | | 13 | | 100% |
| Aberdeenshire | | 16 | | 16 | | 100% |
| Angus | | 8 | | 4 | | 50% |
| Argyll & Bute | | 10 | | 6 | | 60% |
| Clackmannanshire | | 3 | | 3 | | 100% |
| Dumfries & Galloway | | 15 | | 14 | | 93% |
| Dundee City | | 10 | | 10 | | 100% |
| East Ayrshire | | 9 | | 8 | | 89% |
| East Dumbartonshire | | 9 | | 9 | | 100% |
| East Lothian | | 6 | | 3 | | 50% |
| East Renfrewshire | | 7 | | 5 | | 71% |
| Edinburgh City | | 23 | | 17 | | 74% |
| Falkirk | | 8 | | 6 | | 75% |
| Fife | | 19 | | 19 | | 100% |
| Glasgow City | | 30 | | 27 | | 90% |
| Highland | | 27 | | 16 | | 59% |
| Inverclyde | | 8 | | 7 | | 88% |
| Midlothian | | 6 | | 3 | | 50% |
| Moray | | 8 | | 8 | | 100% |
| North Ayrshire | | 10 | | 10 | | 100% |
| North Lanarkshire | | 26 | | 24 | | 92% |
| Orkney | | 2 | | 2 | | 100% |
| Perth & Kinross | | 9 | | 9 | | 100% |
| Renfrewshire | | 14 | | 9 | | 64% |
| Scottish Borders | | 9 | | 7 | | 78% |
| Shetland | | 2 | | 2 | | 100% |
| South Ayrshire | | 9 | | 9 | | 100% |
| South Lanarkshire | | 21 | | 18 | | 86% |
| Stirling | | 7 | | 7 | | 100% |
| West Dunbartonshire | | 7 | | 7 | | 100% |
| West Lothian | | 11 | | 9 | | 82% |
| Eilean Siar | | 4 | | 2 | | 50% |
| TOTAL | | 366 | | 309 | | 84% |
1. Excludes schools which do not offer courses at Higher level.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 24 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any audit is made of the adequacy or otherwise of care plans made in connection with child supervision orders.
Answer
A supervision requirement made by a children's hearing may remain in force no longer than one year. The supervision requirement must be reviewed by a hearing no later than three months before its expiry or at earlier times if circumstances require. At these reviews the implementation of the care plan will be considered by the hearing in respect of the child concerned and the supervision requirement will be continued, amended or terminated as appropriate.There is no formal audit of care plans. However, information on care plans is examined during inspections of secure accommodation and in the context of other reviews. The Scottish Executive also recently issued a research specification into home supervision, which will include an examination of care plans and how they have been implemented.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 16 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-999 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 2 September 1999, whether it has any plans to begin the collection of information on eviction actions.
Answer
Information is already available in respect of (a) eviction decrees issued by the courts (but not broken down into categories of tenants as specified in question S1W-999) and (b) actual evictions (from 1998-99) from tenancies with housing associations and co-operatives registered with Scottish Homes. We are currently considering, with local authorities, whether information about eviction actions, and actual evictions, in respect of council tenants should in future be collected centrally. Any such arrangements, if agreed, will apply from 1 April 2000.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require all local authorities to follow the example of Glasgow City Council and establish a register of all types of telecommunications equipment, including mobile phone transmitter masts, within their area.
Answer
Advice on best practice in dealing with telecommunications development is being developed. It will recommend that authorities keep a register of masts and other structures on which telecommunications apparatus could be attached. The aim will be to encourage the use of existing sites and minimise the number of new masts.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 5 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to improve business support services and to provide a one stop shop for business advice.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is determined to improve the quality and consistency of business information and advice provided by the Enterprise Network throughout Scotland. For example we are currently working with Scottish Enterprise to implement a number of improvements in this area recommended by a joint Scottish Office/Scottish Enterprise review report completed earlier this year. This will include steps to improve the first stop shop approach adopted by the existing structure of Business Shops as the main gateway to support service provision in the Scottish Enterprise area.
