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-07004

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the number of patients who experience a delay in receiving the appropriate treatment due to their illness being misdiagnosed, medical notes being lost or appointments being cancelled by hospitals.

Responsibility for dealing with treatment delays caused by misdiagnosis, lost medical notes, cancelled appointments or any other reason rests at the local level. These are ultimately clinical governance issues and we would expect matters like serious delays caused by misdiagnosis or, in certain circumstances, cancellation of appointments, to be raised with the local Clinical Governance Committee.

Since April 1999, clinical governance has made quality of care an integral part of the NHS governance framework. Accountability for the quality of care provided by a Trust rests with the Chief Executive.

Question reference: S1W-07510

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, in view of the alleged increase in harassment and hate crimes experienced by the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) communities during the Keep the Clause advertising campaign, which Scottish police forces have appointed community gay liaison officers and LGB staff contact officers; who these officers are; how they can be contacted, and what their duties are.

Question reference: S1W-04720

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3061 by Susan Deacon on 18 February 2000, what proportion of the #100 million expected saving has been re-invested in patient care since the Trust reconfiguration in April 1999.

The implementation of the White Paper, Designed to Care, will provide savings of £100 million over a four-year period from 1998-99, by reducing bureaucracy and abolishing the "internal market" within the NHSiS.All the savings achieved are retained by individual health boards and NHS Trusts. It is for them to determine how the savings are best used to improve patient care, after taking into account local priorities.

Question reference: S1W-07261

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Frank McAveety on 8 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether North Lanarkshire Council acted within its powers in suspending all community councils with effect from 31 May 2000 and requiring each community council to return all holding funds.

Question reference: S1W-06955

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 2 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current waiting list is for wheelchairs in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area; whether this is higher or lower than the national average; if it is higher, by how much, and what detailed plans it has to reduce the list and within what timescale.

There are currently no patients in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area waiting to have manual wheelchairs prescribed. However there is a time period between prescription and delivery and presently 105 patients are awaiting delivery of manual wheelchairs. To put this figure in context, during the 1999-2000 period 3,611 manual wheelchairs were prescribed and delivered to patients in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area, and that figure is expected to rise during this year.

There are currently 70 patients awaiting delivery of electrically powered wheelchairs which are only prescribed after a patient has been assessed by a multidisciplinary team. This ensures that the exact type of wheelchair and accessories are prescribed to meet their needs, and that their living environment is suitably adapted for its use.

There is currently no national data available regarding waiting times for the provision of wheelchairs. The answer to question S1W-6954 details the NHS in Scotland's initiative to address this.

Discussions are currently taking place between the West of Scotland Mobility and Rehabilitation Centre (WESTMARC) and the West of Scotland Consortium of six health boards regarding appropriate funding levels for the service.

Question reference: S1W-06954

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 2 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current waiting lists are, broken down by health board, for wheelchairs.

There is currently no national data available regarding waiting times for the provision of wheelchairs.

The Rehabilitation Technology Information Service (ReTIS) has been established to collect and analyse benchmarking information on wheelchairs, prosthetics, orthotics and electronic assistive technology throughout the NHS in Scotland. The information collected will include waiting times for wheelchairs and will be used as an evidence base for future service provision, thus providing a framework against which best practice delivery of rehabilitation technology services can be measured.

Question reference: S1W-06957

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Frank McAveety on 31 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to rescind the Direction (19A notice) served on North Lanarkshire Council Direct Labour Organisation with immediate effect in the light of the conversion of its #4.8 million deficit to a predicted #1 million profit in the current financial year and what contribution the DLO's workforce has made to the changed position.

Question reference: S1W-06956

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Frank McAveety on 31 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a Direction (19B notice), rather than a Direction (19A notice), should have been served on North Lanarkshire Council Direct Labour Organisation.

Question reference: S1O-01752

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Frank McAveety on 25 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what encouragement it gives to local authorities to follow best practice in relation to general management and personnel issues.

Question reference: S1W-06961

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 24 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive on what grounds the trade union representatives on further education college boards of management are the only representatives who are required to be elected.