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: S2W-02902

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2498 by Cathy Jamieson on 23 September 2003, whether the outline agreement on sheriff court provision in Peebles includes the provision of a sheriff clerk's office.

The outline agreement betweenofficials of the Scottish Court Service and the Scottish Borders Council relatingto the use of the council building at Rosetta Road, Peebles, for court hearingsdoes not include the provision of a public office for the Sheriff Clerk Depute.However, in tandem with the discussions on the use of the building for hearings,officials of both organisations are involved in detailed discussion on a partnershipagreement which would see much of the public office services of the sheriffcourt being delivered through the district court office at Rosetta Road.

Question reference: S2W-02908

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2315 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 September 2003, what the average waiting time has been from referral by a GP for an appointment with ear, nose and throat departments for a hearing test, and other audiology tests, prior to referral to a consultant in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area.

Information on waiting timesfor a hearing test or other audiology test is not available. Data onout-patient waiting times are collected centrally at specialty level only.

Audiology services are in thespecialty of ear, nose and throat, hearing and other tests will normally be conductedat a first out-patient appointment at a consultant-led clinic in this specialty,following referral by a general medical practitioner.

Question reference: S2W-02910

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the 90-week wait for an appointment for a hearing test being experienced by Dr Symms from the Melrose area, what action it is taking to address the length of time taken for such appointments and whether additional funding will be made available to reduce such waiting times.

Question reference: S2W-02909

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2315 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 September 2003, whether the median waiting times given in that answer include the waiting period for a hearing test following a GP referral but prior to referral to a consultant and, if not, what the total median waiting time period has been including that waiting time in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S2W-02912

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available in the health and community care section of its Draft Budget 2003-04 to reduce waiting times for first appointments for hearing tests with ear, nose and throat departments.

Question reference: S2W-02903

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 8 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1687 by Euan Robson on 18 August 2003, when it was anticipated that the report by the Chief Inspector of Social Work would be available and when that report is to be published.

Question reference: S2W-02913

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are waiting for a first appointment for hearing tests with ear, nose and throat departments as at 31 August 2003, broken down by NHS board area.

The information requested isnot available. Data on out-patient waiting, by specialty, are collected centrallyafter patients have been seen at a consultant-led clinic, and is therefore retrospective.

Partnership for Care, which was published in February 2003, includes a commitmentto improve the management of out-patient waiting by recording for the first timethe number of referrals received for a service and the waiting time for patientswho have not been seen at a clinic. Work on this commitment is being taken forwardby the National Waiting Times Unit, in conjunction with NHSScotland and InformationStatistics Division Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-02920

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2315 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 September 2003 where the provisional median time for an audiology appointment in the Borders NHS Board area is given as 34 days in 2003, why Dr Peter Symms of Brotherstone, near Melrose, has been advised that the waiting time for such an appointment is 90 weeks and what action it will take to address this issue.

The figures provided in the answerto question S2W-2315 on 11 September 2003, were the median waiting times for a firstout-patient appointment at a consultant-led clinic in the specialty of ear,nose and throat . Information on waiting times for an audiology appointment is notavailable as data is collected centrally at specialty level only.

I understand from NHS Bordersthat the waiting time for an audiology appointment quoted to Dr Symms was incorrect.They have now written to Dr Symms to advise that the anticipated wait is 48 weeks.

The board is currently developingan audiology modernisation plan and finalising its bid for funding from the AudiologyModernisation Funds which were announced earlier this year. It is also in the processof reallocating some work to increase the time available for trained audiologiststo undertake hearing aid assessments and expects these actions to lead to reductionsin waiting times early in the New Year.

Question reference: S2W-02911

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the role of the Waiting Times Co-ordination Unit is in respect of the length of waiting time for a first appointment for a hearing test, and other audiology tests, before referral to a consultant.

I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2908 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

We are determined to tackle waitingtimes for first out-patient appointments, including waits for audiology. The Executivehas included a commitment in the white paper Partnership for Care and thePartnership Agreement Partnership for a Better Scotland, that no patientwill wait longer than 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment following GPreferral, by 2005.

The National Waiting Times Unithas agreed plans with each NHS board which include local out-patient waiting timestargets which demonstrate the progress they are expected to make towards deliveryof the 26-week target. In addition, I launched the Out-patient Action Plan on 13 June 2003 and theCentre for Change and Innovation will drive forward its implementation through aco-ordinated programme of service redesign and the promotion and dissemination ofgood practice across NHSScotland.

The Executive is committed tothe modernisation of audiology services and £8 million is being made available between2003-04 and 2006-07. On 1 October 2003, we announced the issue of £9 million over the nextthree years to meet the Partnership Agreement commitment to allow the routine issueof digital hearing aids and support where they are the most clinically effectiveoption.

Question reference: S2W-02639

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 8 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm its contribution of approximately #110 million as indicated in the estimate of expense and funding statement lodged with the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill.