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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 857 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S1W-19890

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the land currently occupied by British Aerospace, formerly Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd in Scotstoun, Glasgow, has been sold and, if so, what implications this will have for employment in the shipbuilding industry.

Question reference: S1W-19893

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 26 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the #415 million allocated to Glasgow City Council for new social housing building in Glasgow will be allocated to the council if council house tenants vote against housing stock transfer and, if not, to whom this money will be allocated.

Question reference: S1W-19119

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 23 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what its evaluation is of what the proven detection rates would be if liquid-based cytology/human papilloma virus tests were applied universally in Scotland.

Liquid-based Cytology (LBC) is an alternative method of taking cervical smears. Pilot studies in Scotland are examining the practicalities and cost-effectiveness of this method and further pilot studies in England are also looking at the use of human papilloma virus testing for the triage of mild or borderline smears. Detection rates for cervical abnormalities and mortality from invasive cervical cancer are expected to be similar using the existing smear taking process or the LBC method.

Question reference: S1W-19120

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 23 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many lives it estimates could be saved if liquid-based cytology/human papilloma virus tests were applied universally in Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-19118

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 23 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost for all women across Scotland to be tested for cervical cancer with the liquid-based cytology/human papilloma virus test, compared to how much it will cost for all women across Scotland to be screened with the cervical smear test.

The recent Scottish pilot of liquid-based cytology (LBC) will provide the information needed to assess the practicalities and the cost-effectiveness of this alternative method of cervical smear taking. The cost of an LBC kit used in the pilot was £3.55 compared to the conventional smear cost of approximately 20p. The pilot studies will also take account of other costs associated with existing and LBC methods, including the cost of training and capital or lease costs for processing machinery.In England the pilot LBC studies are also looking at the feasibility of using human papilloma virus testing for the triage of mild or borderline smears. The costs associated with this test are not known. The Scottish Executive will consider the English pilot.

Question reference: S1W-18771

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 20 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to enable parents concerned about the nutritional content of their children's school meals to find out exactly what is provided.

The primary responsibility for the quality of school meals rests with authorities. Parents concerned about the nutritional content of school meals should in the first instance raise their concerns with the head teacher. School Boards and Parent Teacher Associations may also be prepared to assist in ensuring that the parent's concerns are addressed. In addition, parents can raise their concerns directly with the local authority.Direct responsibility for the safety of food served in schools rests with the environmental health department of each local authority. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Scotland monitors the work of the food enforcement authorities to ensure that they are implementing the relevant food safety legislation within all registered food premises within their council area. Were there to be evidence that food safety had been compromised the FSA would respond quickly and a full investigation, through the local authority enforcement officers, would be carried out.

Question reference: S1O-04093

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 15 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has full confidence in the board of the North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust.

I am keen that lessons are learned from a number of staffing, investment and operational problems experienced by the Trust since it was established in April 1999. On 7 November, I asked the Chief Executive of Greater Glasgow NHS Board to carry out a review of the North Glasgow Trust's performance over that period. The review will be used to inform long-term plans for the development of acute services in Greater Glasgow.

Question reference: S1W-19016

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting time is from arrival to treatment for patients in NHS accident and emergency departments and what the average time was in 2000-01.

Information on waiting times for patients presenting at accident and emergency departments is not collected routinely, and is available only from data compiled from a week-long survey carried out each year. The results of the March/April 2001 survey will be published by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency on 29 November 2001.The latest available information on waiting times in accident and emergency departments, compiled from the survey undertaken in March/April 2000, is available on the Scottish Health on the Web (SHOW) website at http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/Scottish_Health_Statistics/subject/AandE/01_01_a&.pdf.

Question reference: S1O-04062

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 8 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to write off debt in the event that the three water authorities merge into the proposed Scottish Water.

Question reference: S1W-19017

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on any dispersal of patients from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in anticipation of the move to the infirmary's new premises.