- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 17 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has evidence to support recent claims from organisations representing the elderly regarding the extent of discrimination in the NHS, and whether it will now initiate a full and comprehensive investigation.
Answer
There is no evidence to suggest that elderly people are being refused NHS care solely on the grounds of age.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 8 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the recent increase in pension rates for Scottish pensioners.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with United Kingdom Government Ministers and Departments on a wide range of issues, including pensions.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 16 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1933 by Iain Gray on 7 October 1999, what guidelines have been issued about what constitutes appropriate facilities to meet the needs of people under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and how these are monitored.
Answer
Guidance on the care needs of frail older people and adult day care provision was issued to local authorities on 28 July and 17 August 1998 respectively. I am arranging for copies to be sent. Plans for service provision are monitored through Community Care Plans; and the Scottish Executive collects data on existing service provision from local authorities.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 16 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1933 by Iain Gray on 7 October 1999, how many elderly and frail people are currently in day care centres in East Lothian and the Borders, how many applications for such facilities have been refused over the past twelve months, how many are pending, and how many people are on waiting lists for such facilities.
Answer
The following two tables show (a) the number of elderly and frail people in day care centres, and (b) the number of clients on waiting lists for day care centre facilities for East Lothian and Scottish Borders. These tables relate to March 1998. Information relating to refusal of applications for such facilities and pending applications is not available.Number of Elderly and Frail People in Day Care Centres in East Lothian and Scottish Borders, 1998
1| Local authority | Number of elderly and frail people2 in day care centres3 |
| East Lothian | 27 |
| Scottish Borders | 387 |
Source: D1-B census form (Community Care Statistics Division)
Notes:
1. The most recent census was undertaken in the week ending 29 March 1998.
2. These figures include all clients aged 65 years or over attending day centres plus clients with dementia aged under 65 years.
3. The figures exclude centres with less than 4 places, as these are usually attached to residential homes.Number of People on Waiting Lists for Day Care Centre Facilities in East Lothian and Scottish Borders, 19981
| Local Authority | Number of people on waiting lists2 for day care centres3 |
| East Lothian | 4 |
| Scottish Borders | 11 |
Source: D1-B census form (Community Care Statistics Division)
Notes:
1. The most recent census was undertaken in the week ending 29 March 1998.
2. These figures are for all client groups - figures specifically for the elderly and frail people are not available but would be a subset of the total given.3. The figures exclude centres with less than 4 places, as these are usually attached to residential homes.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 29 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the upgrading of the A1 trunk route from Berwick to Edinburgh.
Answer
Construction of a new stretch of dual carriageway on the A1 between Spott Road and Oswald Dean in East Lothian is currently underway and this scheme is expected to be open to traffic next month. A proposed upgrading to dual carriageway between Haddington and Dunbar is one of the schemes under consideration in the Strategic Roads Review. Other improvements to the route will be implemented in line with the A1 Route Action Plan, as resources permit.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 15 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make to ensure payment is made immediately to the 60 students at the Galashiels Heriot-Watt campus who have not yet received their loan cheques.
Answer
The Student Awards Agency for Scotland is currently processing the vast majority of properly completed applications within its target of 28 days from the date of receipt and is passing the necessary information on loans to the Student Loans Company Limited. Neither the Agency nor the Company is aware of any particular problem relating to students attending the Galashiels Heriot-Watt campus, although some recently received applications will still be in the course of being dealt with.
If there are individual cases of particular difficulty, the Chief Executive of the Agency will be happy to make enquiries on receipt of the relevant details.Students who are experiencing financial difficulty because their loan cheque is not available can seek temporary help from the University's Access Funds.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 13 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government to ascertain exactly when they had information which indicated that Viasystems intended closing its Borders operations and whether it can confirm that members of Scottish Borders Enterprise board of directors knew of the closure plans as early as December 1997.
Answer
Officials in the then Scottish Office, in Locate in Scotland, and from Scottish Borders Enterprise maintained close contact both with Exacta Systems, and with Viasystems after their acquisition of the company. I understand that the Scottish Office was first informed of the company's closure plans on 29 September 1998.Scottish Borders Enterprise Board have confirmed that they had no knowledge of the closure plans by Viasystems in December 1997.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 11 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will propose to Her Majesty's Government that the appraisal methodology for Regional Selective Assistance be jointly reviewed in order to address the issues arising from the Viasystems case.
Answer
The Department of Trade and Industry, the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive administer Regional Selective Assistance to common guidelines. As part of the liaison between these Departments issues arising from unusual individual cases are considered carefully to ensure continual improvement in the operation of the scheme.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 7 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make provision of day care for elderly and frail people a statutory requirement.
Answer
Local Authorities are required under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to make provision for such facilities as they consider appropriate to meet the needs of people in their area.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 7 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make provision of day care for elderly and frail people a statutory requirement.
Answer
Local Authorities are required under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to make provision for such facilities as they consider appropriate to meet the needs of people in their area.
