- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the claim by Citizens Advice Scotland that 79% of forms issued by the Department for Work and Pensions as a consequence of the reorganisation of job centres refer clients to their local citizens advice bureau and increased pressure on bureaux, what additional funding the Executive will provide to meet increased demand.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is aware of the excellent work done by Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland. Core funding for Citizens Advice Bureaux is a matter for local authorities, who are best placed to decide on the allocation of resources according to the needs of their particular areas. The Executive will be providing local authorities with almost £8.1 billion in 2005-06 to help them fund core services such as Citizens Advice Bureaux.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 21 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what complaints have been received regarding the standard of service cover and delivery since the introduction of NHS 24 to the Scottish Borders.
Answer
NHS Borders and NHS Dumfries and Galloway are responsible for providing family practitioner service out of hours within their board areas, with support from NHS 24, which triages calls to ensure that patients receive the care appropriate to their needs. As a rule, complaints about the standard of service provided will be directed to the appropriate responsible organisation. I have asked the chairs of these NHS boards and of NHS 24 to write to you about this matter.
Between 1 April 2004 and 28 February 2005, NHS 24 dealt with 1.19 million calls across Scotland. In that same period the Executive received 86 specific complaints about NHS 24 and the out of hours GP services. Six of these complaints came from patients in NHS Borders and NHS Dumfries and Galloway.
On 24 February 2005 I announced that I was establishing a review group to consider the operational performance of NHS 24 and to come forward with recommendations for action, including actions for NHS 24, NHS boards, other partners and the Health Department for improving the services provided.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 18 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25670 by Cathy Jamieson on 21 May 2002, how much public funding Enquire received in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04 and (c) 2004-05 and how much it is projected to receive in future.
Answer
Enquire received (a) £254,421 in 2002-03; (b) £321,963 in 2003-04, and (c) will have received £367,361 between April 2004 and March 2005. The agreed grant for 2005-06 is £326, 951. No decisions have been taken on funding beyond 2005-06.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 18 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30484 by Mr Jim Wallace on 28 October 2002, how many guardianships have been (a) applied for and (b) awarded under vulnerable adults' procedures in each year since 2002-03, broken down by local authority.
Answer
Figures provided by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), indicate that the number of guardianship orders (a) applied for and (b) awarded under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 for each year since 2002-03, broken down by local authority are as follows:
2002-03
| | Guardianships Applied For | | | Guardianships Granted | | |
| | Welfare | Financial | Combined | Welfare | Financial | Combined |
| Aberdeen City | 19 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 2 |
| Aberdeenshire | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Angus | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Argyll and Bute | 11 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| City of Edinburgh | 20 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Clackmannanshire | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 8 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Dundee City | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| East Ayrshire | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| East Lothian | 7 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| East Renfrewshire | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Eilean Siar | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Falkirk | 8 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Fife | 17 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Glasgow City | 25 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 2 |
| Highland | 36 | 9 | 4 | 29 | 3 | 0 |
| Inverclyde | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Midlothian | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Moray | 12 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| North Ayrshire | 9 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| North Lanarkshire | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Orkney Islands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Perth and Kinross | 19 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| Renfrewshire | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Scottish Borders | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Shetland Islands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| South Ayrshire | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| South Lanarkshire | 10 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| Stirling | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| West Lothian | 30 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| Grand Total | 286 | 114 | 72 | 208 | 50 | 28 |
2003-04
| | Guardianships Applied For | | | Guardianships Granted | | |
| | Welfare | Financial | Combined | Welfare | Financial | Combined |
| Aberdeen City | 19 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 3 |
| Aberdeenshire | 11 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 10 | 5 |
| Angus | 13 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 7 |
| Argyll and Bute | 14 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 5 |
| City of Edinburgh | 19 | 24 | 17 | 22 | 24 | 13 |
| Clackmannanshire | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 12 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 0 |
| Dundee City | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| East Ayrshire | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| East Lothian | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| East Renfrewshire | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Eilean Siar | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Falkirk | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Fife | 27 | 23 | 12 | 21 | 19 | 11 |
| Glasgow City | 14 | 18 | 5 | 17 | 19 | 6 |
| Highland | 26 | 9 | 11 | 26 | 12 | 9 |
| Inverclyde | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Midlothian | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Moray | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| North Ayrshire | 10 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 5 |
| North Lanarkshire | 13 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 4 |
| Orkney Islands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Perth and Kinross | 16 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 3 |
| Renfrewshire | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Scottish Borders | 17 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 5 |
| Shetland Islands | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Ayrshire | 5 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 10 |
| South Lanarkshire | 13 | 17 | 22 | 10 | 16 | 5 |
| Stirling | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 10 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| West Lothian | 32 | 5 | 4 | 26 | 3 | 3 |
| Grand Total | 296 | 224 | 150 | 277 | 217 | 120 |
1 April 2004 to 31 December 2004
| | Guardianships Applied For | | | Guardianships Granted | | |
| | Welfare | Financial | Combined | Welfare | Financial | Combined |
| Aberdeen City | 20 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 8 | 6 |
| Aberdeenshire | 13 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 9 |
| Angus | 10 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Argyll and Bute | 17 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 5 |
| City of Edinburgh | 18 | 24 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 16 |
| Clackmannanshire | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 20 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 2 |
| Dundee City | 7 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| East Ayrshire | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| East Lothian | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| East Renfrewshire | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Eilean Siar | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Falkirk | 14 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Fife | 25 | 19 | 12 | 23 | 19 | 12 |
| Glasgow City | 26 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 11 | 7 |
| Highland | 20 | 8 | 6 | 19 | 5 | 6 |
| Inverclyde | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Midlothian | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Moray | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| North Ayrshire | 14 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 5 |
| North Lanarkshire | 17 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 4 | 8 |
| Orkney Islands | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Perth and Kinross | 13 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 4 |
| Renfrewshire | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Scottish Borders | 9 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Shetland Islands | 9 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| South Ayrshire | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
| South Lanarkshire | 13 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 14 | 31 |
| Stirling | 7 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| West Lothian | 13 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| Grand Total | 298 | 201 | 164 | 266 | 157 | 153 |
Note: The totals in the local authority breakdown tables will not necessarily reflect the total number of orders applied for and granted. This is because there may be orders in respect of adults who have property in Scotland but who reside elsewhere which are not attributed to a local authority area.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 18 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25669 by Cathy Jamieson on 21 May 2002, how many enquiries have been received by Enquire in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04 and (c) 2004-05.
Answer
Enquire received (a) 2,516 enquiries in 2002-03; (b) 3,064 enquiries in 2003-04, and (c) 2,291 enquiries between April 2004 and January 2005 (figures for February to March 2005 are not yet available).
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 18 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 will come into force.
Answer
It is anticipated that the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 will be commenced in late 2005.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17332 by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 August 2001, how many salaried GPs there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
The following table shows the number of salaried GPs in General Medical Services (GMS) practices at April in each of the years 1999-2004, and also salaried GPs in Personal Medical Services (PMS) practices in April 2003 and 2004.
Salaried GPs at April
| NHS Board | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| GMS 1 | GMS 1 | GMS 1 | GMS 1 | GMS 1 | PMS 2 | Total | GMS 1 | PMS 2 | Total |
| Scotland | 17 | 17 | 14 | 24 | 34 | 124 | 158 | 32 | 145 | 177 |
| Argyll and Clyde | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | - | 3 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| Borders | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| Dumfries and Galloway | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Fife | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Forth Valley | - | - | - | - | 6 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Grampian | 7 | 4 | 1 | - | - | 40 | 40 | - | 38 | 38 |
| Greater Glasgow | - | - | 8 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 4 | 14 | 18 |
| Highland | - | - | - | - | - | 13 | 13 | - | 17 | 17 |
| Lanarkshire | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 6 | - | 5 | 5 |
| Lothian | 1 | - | - | - | - | 27 | 27 | - | 28 | 28 |
| Orkney | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 5 | - | 5 |
| Shetland | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 3 | - | 14 | 14 |
| Tayside | 7 | 8 | - | - | - | 3 | 3 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Western Isles | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 6 | - | 8 | 8 |
Source: ISD Scotland.
Notes:
1. Comprises Salaried GPs inGeneral Medical Services (GMS) practices, employed under paragraph 52 of the Statementof Fees and Allowances (SFA). Data source: ISD(M)37 forms, ISD Scotland.
2. Comprises Salaried GPs inPersonal Medical Services (PMS) practices, including all principal and non principalGPs. Data source: ISD PMS Census carried out on behalf of Scottish Executive.
The new GMS Contract was implementedfrom 1 April 2004 which changed the definitions that applied to the GeneralMedical Service.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 17 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation it has made of (a) any savings to the civil legal aid budget and (b) other costs such as shrieval time as a result of the provision of mediation services.
Answer
No formal or systematic evaluationhas been made of any savings to the civil legal aid or other justice budgets asa result of the provision of mediation services. Previous attempts to do so in familycases have been unsuccessful due to the difficulties in ensuring valid comparisonsbetween cases where mediation has taken place and others where it has not. Mediationmay reduce costs in some cases where it is successful, but may increase the costof cases where not successful. The take up of mediation in non-family cases is verylow and unlikely to have had any measurable impact on the legal aid budget. Researchis being developed with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of mediation inScotland.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform has received from Scottish Borders Council regarding additional funding to improve the road network.
Answer
Finance ministershave not received any direct representations from Scottish Borders Council regardingthe funding of the road network but the Executive has increased provision for RoadsMaintenance by £60 million in the local government finance settlements for both2006-07 and 2007-08.
It is the responsibilityof local authorities to set their own local priorities but, having made the casefor increased resources, we look to local authorities to play their part in ensuringthat local roads are properly maintained.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9715 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 August 2004, what the most recent average waiting times are for a first out-patient appointment with a neurology consultant following referral by a GP, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
The number of first out-patientneurology appointments and the median waiting time for a first out-patient appointmentwith a consultant in the specialty of neurology, following referral by a generalmedical practitioner, by NHS board of residence, in the year ended 31 December 2004, isgiven in the table.
The Centre for Change and Innovationis undertaking the largest out-patient improvement programme seen in Scotland tocreate sustainable change and assist NHSScotland to meet the national maximum waitingtime of 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment, from the end of 2005. As partof this programme, a £2.95 million national redesign of neurology services was launchedlast year. The four specialist neurology centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen havedeveloped redesign proposals in partnership with their neighbouring NHS boards forwhom neurology services are provided, and funding is currently being issued.
NHSScotland: Number of FirstOut-Patient Appointments and Median Waiting Times for a First Out-patient Appointmentwith a Consultant in the Specialty of Neurology, Following Referral by a GeneralMedical Practitioner, by NHS Board Area of Residence. Year Ended 31 December 2004P.
| NHS Board | Number of Appointments | Median Wait |
| Argyll and Clyde | 825 | 101 days |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 336 | 65 days |
| Borders | 276 | 167 days |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 156 | 58 days |
| Fife | 795 | 159 days |
| Forth Valley | 773 | 63 days |
| Grampian | 2,082 | 35 days |
| Greater Glasgow | 3,008 | 95 days |
| Highland | 312 | 100 days |
| Lanarkshire | 1,103 | 125 days |
| Lothian | 4,228 | 33 days |
| Orkney | 24 | 32* days |
| Shetland | 22 | 148* days |
| Tayside | 743 | 78 days |
| Western Isles | 45 | 107* days |
| Scotland | 14,728 | 69 Days |
Source: SMR00, ISD Scotland.
PProvisional.
Note: *Figures should be treatedwith caution as they are derived from a possible unrepresentatively small numberof appointments (more than 14 but less than 50).
Excludes patients with an AvailabilityStatus Code.
