- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what work is being conducted by the Scottish Medicines Consortium with the National Medicines Utilisation Unit, the Information Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland and other stakeholders to improve knowledge on the use of medicines across NHS Scotland.
Answer
In 2006, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) commissioned the National Medicines Utilisation Unit (NMUU) to explore how SMC has impacted on and engaged with its key stakeholders and to examine how SMC advice has shaped medicines use across NHSScotland. This work was completed in September 2008 and a summary and full reports can be accessed at:
http://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/smc/3865.21.26.html.
In response to the findings, the SMC made the following recommendations in relation to improving knowledge on the use of medicines within NHSScotland:
SMC will consolidate existing work with agencies such as the Information Services Division and NHS National Services Scotland to explore the feasibility and benefit of routinely monitoring the uptake of SMC advice and the publication of this information regularly to interested stakeholders. This will use the information to NHSScotland on the prescribing and use of medicines in secondary care available through the Hospital Medicines Utilisation Database.
SMC will continue to work with ISD to develop systems to assess uptake of new medicines. A priority may be those medicines included in the SMC horizon scanning report Forward Look subsequently accepted by SMC. Again, this work will use the information to NHSScotland on the prescribing and use of medicines in secondary care available through the Hospital Medicines Utilisation Database.
SMC is currently collaborating with ISD to take these recommendations forward. Discussions are also taking place regarding further work to evaluate the impact of SMC advice.
In addition, in relation to the framework being put in place for the assessment of patient access schemes (PAS), consideration is being given to processes to support monitoring of uptake of these medicines.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Hospital Medicines Utilisation Database will allow for comparisons in the uptake of medicines in Scotland and between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom and Europe.
Answer
The standardisation of the Drug Dictionary for Scotland will allow the Hospital Medicines Utilisation Database to show comparisons across NHS Scotland both in terms of the costs and volumes of medicines. Where possible, the Drug Dictionary for Scotland is standardised in line with the UK dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d) and is also mapped to the World Health Organization Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system to facilitate international comparison. Therefore comparisons may be made where compatible systems exist.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the letter to the Public Petitions Committee from the Deputy Director of the Scottish Government’s Healthcare Policy Strategy Directorate on 27 July 2009, how it will (a) continue to ensure that guidance to NHS boards is being implemented and (b) manage boards that do not implement the guidance in a timely fashion.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects NHS boards and clinicians to take full account of Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) recommendations in the planning and provision of NHS services. Where there is evidence that an SMC or NHS QIS accepted medicine (or its equivalent) is not being made available, or there are undue delays in reaching such decisions, these will continue to be addressed directly with the NHS board concerned in order that appropriate action is taken where necessary.
The decisions of individual clinicians in relation to patient care are a matter of professional judgement in line with clinical need. However, all NHS staff operate within the management framework of their employing organisations.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much Scottish Water charged for domestic water consumption in 2008-09, also broken down by property valuation band.
Answer
The total value of unmeasured household charges (water and sewerage) billed for 2008-09 is £710.36 million (at end October 2009).
Unmeasured charges for individual households in 2008-09 were as follows:
| Council Tax Band | A* | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
| Water | £99.00 | £118.80 | £138.60 | £158.40 | £178.20 | £217.80 | £257.40 | £297.00 | £356.40 |
| Waste Water | £111.85 | £134.22 | £156.59 | £178.96 | £201.33 | £246.07 | £290.81 | £335.55 | £402.66 |
| Both Services | £210.85 | £253.02 | £295.19 | £337.36 | £379.53 | £463.87 | £548.21 | £632.55 | £759.06 |
Households may receive up to 25% discount on the above charges depending on their circumstances.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish a forum to consider the affordability of water for low-income households.
Answer
No. The Scottish Government consulted on its policy on water and sewerage charges in 2008 for the 2010-15 period. Policy was subsequently set out in the Scottish Government''s
Principles of Charging Statement which was published on 27 October 2009.
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30648 on 26 January 2010 for further details of that policy. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Water has the power to write off debt.
Answer
Under Section 25 of the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002, Scottish Water can engage in any activity which it considers is not inconsistent with the economic, efficient and effective exercise of its core functions. Scottish Water can therefore write off debt and it does so in accordance with the debt write off policies of local authorities.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it cost Scottish Water to collect domestic water charges in 2008-09, broken down by property valuation band.
Answer
The total cost of billing and collection of unmeasured household charges via the 32 local authorities across Scotland was £14.06 million in 2008-09. Each local authority is paid a set amount for the billing and collection of water charges for every domestic property in their area, irrespective of its property valuation band.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is taking forward recommendations in the Waterwatch Scotland report, Affordability of Scottish Household Water and Sewerage Charges: Historic Trends and Current Position, and, if so, which recommendations.
Answer
The Scottish Government has already
responded to Waterwatch Scotland about this report on 10 September 2008. Following consultation in 2008 the
Scottish Government''s policy on water and sewerage charges for the 2010-15 period was set out in its Principles of Charging Statement which was published on 27 October 2009.
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30648 on 26 January 2010 for further details of that policy. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much debt Scottish Water accrued for domestic water consumption in 2008-09, also broken down by property valuation band.
Answer
Scottish Water accrued £17 million for household bad debt in 2008-09. This is not broken down across property valuation bands.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve the affordability of water for low-income households.
Answer
The
Scottish Government''s policy on water and sewerage charges for the 2010-15 period was set out in its Principles of Charging Statement which was published on 27 October 2009.
The Statement sets out the Scottish Government''s policy of charge caps that are affordable and do not rise above inflation across the period. It explicitly requires the bandings for household water and sewerage charges to replicate council tax bandings, with reductions on water and sewerage charges also mirroring the discounts that apply to council tax. It also provides for those in receipt of council tax benefit to receive up to 25% discount on their charges if they receive no other reduction or discount.
These measures to secure the affordability of water for low income households in Scotland can be compared positively to the rest of Great Britain where average household charges are greater than in Scotland, where charges are increasing at a greater rate over the next five years, where there is no mirroring of council tax reductions and where those on council tax benefit are not eligible for a discount.
The full details of the statement can be viewed at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/917/0088612.pdf.
