- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 14 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the centres where an integrated psychiatric service is available for people with dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental health problems.
Answer
The care and treatment of people with the dual diagnosis specified is in most areas tackled through close co-operation between substance abuse services and general adult psychiatry services. Substance abuse services are generally an integral part of wider mental health services. Some areas - for example Ayrshire and Arran - provide units and beds dedicated to the treatment of people with dual diagnosis. The extent to which services are integrated is determined by local need. Health boards, working with NHS Trusts, are responsible for assessing local health needs and for providing services to meet them.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures exist to ensure, in accordance with section 60(2) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, that education authorities establish which children in their area over two years old have special educational needs such as autism.
Answer
An education authority has a statutory duty to establish which children or young persons in their area have pronounced, specific, or complex special educational needs which require continuing review. This duty applies to children of school age or who are at least two years of age and have come to the attention of the authority as having or appearing to have special educational needs. An authority is required to open and keep a Record of Needs for such children and young people.
If an authority fails in its duty an individual can complain to Scottish Ministers under section 70 of the 1980 Act; or complain to the Local Government Ombudsman; or, if they have title and interest, take action through the courts by Judicial Review.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow parents to appeal against the provisions made by local authorities for the educational needs of autistic children in line with practice in England and Wales.
Answer
The National Special Educational Needs Advisory Forum, chaired by Peter Peacock, is reviewing all aspects of the Record of Needs process, including appeal procedures.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 10 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines currently exist as to weekly provision of speech therapy by the NHSiS for autistic children of pre-school age and what account is taken of the individual needs of such children.
Answer
There are no guidelines existing as to weekly provision of Speech and Language Therapy by the NHSiS for autistic children of pre school age.
Children with autism require a multidisciplinary team approach which would include speech and language therapy. Following referral, each child is assessed and provision made according to their individual needs.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which education authorities provide funding for home-based education programmes for children with autism.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 10 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is providing any additional funding for training of health sector staff in order to improve their awareness and understanding of the needs of people with an autistic spectrum problem disorder.
Answer
As recommended in the report of the Learning Disability Review, the Scottish Society for Autism and the National Autistic Society are co-ordinating the establishment of a national service network to improve awareness and understanding of the needs of people with autistic spectrum disorder. The network will provide access to specialist knowledge and training in health and other fields.
The report also recommended establishing a Scottish Centre for Learning Disabilities and that its remit should include support of the Scottish service network for people with autistic spectrum disorder and the delivery of training. A service specification for the centre is currently being developed.
Responsibility for ensuring that health staff have the training they need lies with the employing Trust or board.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure equal quality of treatment for all children with autism regardless of area of residence.
Answer
It is for the local authorities and health boards to decide how best to meet their statutory duties in relation to children's health and education. The Executive has issued guidance and advice including the Special Educational Needs Manual of Good Practice. The Executive will also support the Scottish Society for Autism, and the National Autistic Society, in the creation of a national service network for autistic spectrum disorders, as recommended in the recently published Review of Learning Disability Services Report. The network will help to improve awareness and understanding of autism and provide access to specialist knowledge, expertise and training.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why some GPs have not received an NHS superannuation annual statement since December 1997.
Answer
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency is responsible for the administration of the NHS Superannuation Scheme. The agency is having a new computer system developed and has consequently been unable to provide scheme members, including general practitioners, with a statement of their benefit entitlement since December 1997. The system development is nearing completion and the agency expects to meet its target to issue scheme members with benefit statements this year.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 7 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of meningococcal infection and viral hepatitis were recorded for the year 1999.
Answer
There were 352 statutory notifications of meningococcal infection reported to the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) in Scotland in 1999. These include cases which are laboratory confirmed and cases diagnosed on the basis of clinical appearance.Preliminary numbers of laboratory reports to SCIEH in 1999 for viral hepatitis types A, B and C were:
Type A | 61 |
Type B | 386 |
Type C | 2,012 |
Total | 2,459 |
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 7 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the 10% decrease in children registering for general and community dental services.
Answer
Patient registration figures at 31 May 2000 indicate that there has been an overall decrease of 1.7% in the number of children registered on the NHS with a general dental practitioner compared to the position in May 1999. The percentage of young children who are being registered with a general dental practitioner has risen by the same percentage over this period. Children do not register for treatment with a community dentist.
A number of measures are currently in operation. Scottish Ministers are continuing to approve salaried dentist posts for areas where patients are experiencing difficulty in obtaining treatment on the NHS. Enhanced monthly capitation fees are paid to dentists who register young children from deprived areas on the NHS. The Scottish Dental Access Initiative offers grants to dentists establishing or expanding NHS practices in areas of unmet patient demand or high oral health need.
