- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the audiology waiting times are in each NHS board.
Answer
This information is not collected by the National Waiting Times Unit as audiology is not a consultant-led service. Information Services Division has developed a data collection system for audiology services which is currently being tested to ensure quality assurance. This will produce centrally collected, validated data for publication.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of self harm there have been in each NHS board area in each year since 1999, broken down by month and into age groupings.
Answer
The information requested is shown in the table, Hospital discharges from acute hospitals with a diagnosis of deliberate self-harm, year ending December 1999-2004 a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib number 38627).
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to encourage individuals to have their hearing tested, given that there is typically a 15-year delay between the onset of hearing loss and seeking help, as compared to a four-year gap between sight deterioration and obtaining spectacles, and that hearing impairment can lead to social isolation.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22096 on 23 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the order of strategic priority is of current and proposed rail developments.
Answer
Our first priority is to implement the major rail infrastructure projects, as set out in the Partnership Agreement, i.e. the rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh airports, the upgrade at Waverley station, opening the Stirling to Alloa line, the Airdrie to Bathgate line, and the Borders rail link. In addition, we are considering what the rail strategy for the next 15 to 20 years should be. We have consulted on the strategic priorities, commissioned a Scottish Planning Assessment and Network Rail are conducting a Route Utilisation Study. These will provide the building blocks for considering what further rail developments will make the most positive impacts on the economy, society and environment of Scotland in future. We expect to produce the rail strategy in the summer and this will guide the potential investments to be considered for future funding by the Executive in the subsequent Strategic Projects Review. Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area and can be contacted for more information if required.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10217 by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 September 2004, how the £20 million was allocated to each NHS board; how the allocations were applied, and what impact these had on waiting times for audiology appointments.
Answer
The following table details the breakdown of the funds allocated to modernise and improve audiology services:
| | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005-06 | Totals |
| Argyll and Clyde | 226,000 | 587,000 | 633,000 | 1,446,000 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 201,000 | 357,000 | 324,000 | 882,000 |
| Borders | 39,000 | 115,000 | 146,000 | 300,000 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 80,000 | 265,000 | 125,000 | 470,000 |
| Fife | 39,000 | 147,000 | 309,000 | 495,000 |
| Forth Valley | 111,000 | 125,000 | 234,000 | 470,000 |
| Grampian | 181,000 | 771,000 | 458,000 | 1,410,000 |
| Greater Glasgow | 699,000 | 1,177,000 | 1,064,000 | 2,940,000 |
| Highland | 108,000 | 264,000 | 311,000 | 683,000 |
| Lanarkshire | 336,000 | 395,000 | 478,000 | 1,209,000 |
| Lothian | 451,000 | 329,000 | 378,000 | 1,158,000 |
| Orkney | 7,000 | 0 | 97,000 | 104,000 |
| Shetland | 5,000 | 0 | 75,000 | 80,000 |
| Tayside | 246,000 | 623,000 | 344,000 | 1,213,000 |
| Western Isles | 38,000 | 81,000 | 65,000 | 184,000 |
| NHS Education for Scotland | 100,000 | 463,000 | 0 | 563,000 |
| Totals | 2,867,000 | 5,699,000 | 5,041,000 | 13,607,000 |
The direct allocations to each NHS board area for 2003-06 cover expenditure on accommodation, information technology, digital hearing aids and training of staff to use the modernised patient journey.
In addition there has been expenditure of £1,264,000 on national staff training events and other central staff costs.
Final allocations to boards for 2006-07 have yet to be decided.
Waiting times have been reduced in most NHS boards. An important part of the modernisation agenda is focussed on monitoring and encouraging the reduction in waiting times and providing support to boards where required.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the extent of the litter on the roadside verges of the A1 between Haddington and Newcraighall and, if so, what communications it has had with Amey Highways Ltd in this regard.
Answer
Amey Infrastructure Services is required to clear litter from the A1 special road between Old Craighall Roundabout and Haddington in accordance with the standards laid down in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the associated Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. Transport Scotland and the independent Performance Audit Group are not aware of any significant issues regarding litter on this section of the A1 trunk road and no specific communications have been made with Amey on this matter. The Performance Audit Group’s recent inspection on 12 January 2006 did not highlight any accumulations of litter on the section of the A1 under Amey’s control.
The A1 between Old Craighall Roundabout and Newcraighall is not a trunk road and litter clearance is therefore a matter for the local roads authority.
Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many gifts ministers have received from private sector firms or businesses (a) within and (b) outwith Scotland in each year since 2000, broken down by firm or business.
Answer
Details of all gifts received by ministers are published annually on the Scottish Executive website. These are currently shown from 1999 to 2004. We plan to issue the details for 2005 shortly.
Details can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/1066/0008094.pdf.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional audiologists it estimates will be required to meet any increasing demand following the introduction of a telephone hearing test by the RNID, which has been based on a Dutch model and as a consequence of which it is estimated that two or three out of 10 people taking the test will thereafter contact their GP with regard to their hearing.
Answer
The Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) has indicated to the Executive, based on the experience in the Netherlands, that they expect one in 10 people who take the telephone hearing test may then contact their general practitioner to be referred to an audiologist. There may, therefore, be an increase in referrals across NHSScotland. NHS boards currently have the option of using a private sector national contract to meet audiology needs, and this could be used to meet any increase in demand.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12029 by Mr Andy Kerr on 19 November 2004, whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of people waiting to see a psychologist in each NHS board area on 31 December or another fixed date in each year since 1999.
Answer
The information requested isnot available centrally. Waiting lists data is collected centrally only for firstout-patient appointments at a consultant-led out-patient clinic, following referralby a General Medical or Dental Practitioner, and for hospital in-patient and daycase treatment. Psychology services are provided by a range of health care professionals,and are carried out in a variety of settings.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total revenue generated from speed cameras has been and how many deaths on roads have been caused as a direct result of speeding in each year since 1999, broken down by police force area.
Answer
The revenue generated from speedcameras within the Scottish Safety Camera Programme in each year since 1999 is providedin the following table.
Information on the number ofdeaths on roads caused as a direct result of speeding is not available. However,since January 2005, the Executive has been collecting additional information onroad accidents to include the factors thought to have contributed to the occurrenceof the accident, for example, driver impairment by drugs or alcohol, fatigue and/orspeed. However, it will not generally be possible from the statistical data to attributeany individual factor as being the single cause of the accident. It is expectedthat this additional information will be included in Road Accidents Scotland 2005at the end of this year.
| Partnership | 2000-01 (£000) | 2001-02 (£000) | 2002-03 (£000) | 2003-04 (£000) | 2004-05 (£000) | Total (£000) |
| Strathclyde | 450 | 861 | 1,670 | 3,454 | 3,040 | 9,475 |
| Fife | - | - | 422 | 619 | 468* | 1,508 |
| North East | - | - | 278 | 1,013 | 728* | 2,019 |
| Lothian and Borders | - | - | - | 1,617 | 2,483 | 4,100 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | - | - | - | 545 | 989* | 1,534 |
| Tayside | - | - | - | 388 | 621* | 1,010 |
| Northern | - | - | - | - | 203 | 203 |
| Total (£000) | 450 | 861 | 2,370 | 7,635 | 8,532 | 19,848 |
*Un-audited figures (Totals maynot equal the sum of their parts due to rounding).
Notes:
1. Figures given are for partnershipsfrom the date they joined the Safety Camera Programme. Central Scotland is not currently part of the programme. The partnerships in the table expandedor joined the programme as indicated below:
2. In 2001-02, Strathclyde includedonly Glasgow City Council area.
3. In 2002-03, Strathclyde expandedto cover four local authority areas; Fife joined the programme in April 2002 and the North EastPartnership joined in October 2002.
4. In 2003-04, Strathclyde expandedto 12 local authority areas; Dumfries and Galloway, Lothian and Borders and Tayside joined in July 2003.
5. In 2004-05, Lothian and Bordersexpanded to three local authority areas; Northern joined in July 2004.
