Chamber and committees

The Executive has no plans to investigate the prescribing of steroid creams on the NHS.It is not possible to monitor repeated use of steroid creams in children from data collected centrally. These data relate to prescribed items dispensed in the community and are not patient-specific. Guidance on the use of these products is available to doctors from a number of sources. Importantly, the British National Formulary, issued free to doctors, provides prescribing advice, which includes advice on topical corticosteroid use in children. The use of these treatments depends on the clinical judgement of the doctor concerned, informed by advice and evidence about their use.

Comprehensive standards and conditions for the welfare of farm animals, reflecting European and domestic legislation, are in place, in the form of Welfare Codes and leaflets and these are reviewed regularly.A new Welfare Code for sheep has recently been issued and, subject to parliamentary approval, it is proposed to issue new Welfare Codes for meat chickens and laying hens in the coming months. In addition, consultation exercises, seeking comments from all interested parties on proposed new Welfare Codes for cattle and pigs, will be undertaken in due course.

Yes. There is extensive European and domestic legislation and comprehensive guidance in place setting out standards and conditions for the welfare of farmed animals. All producers must meet these conditions. Regular inspections are undertaken and breaches of the legislation can result in prosecutions.

The Medicines Control Agency received eight reports of suspected adverse drug reactions through the Yellow Card Scheme, in association with HRT use from GPs in Scotland in 1999 and 2000 and nine reports in 2001.

There are no clinical standards for the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The decision to prescribe a drug for a patient is a matter for the clinical judgement of the patient's doctor based on the patient need, and is informed by the advice and guidance about the drug contained in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) and the Patient Information Leaflet. The SPC contains information on the safe and effective use of a product and provides the health professional with information that may help in determining a patient's possible susceptibility to the known side effects of HRT.

Clinicians with responsibility for treating a patient are also responsible for monitoring their progress and the effects of that treatment, including ensuring that any appropriate follow-up action is taken.

The Scottish Executive has supported NHS trusts by pump-priming the development of nurse consultant posts and in providing £6 million for a specialist nurse initiative to train an additional 210 specialist nurses.I expect NHS trusts to address their current needs and to determine the staffing requirements to meet these.

This information is not held centrally.

Where parents are separated their respective rights to information about their child's health or treatment depends on whether they have parental rights and responsibilities under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. It may also depend on the child's age, maturity and capacity to consent both to treatment and the disclosure of information about their care. In deciding whether or not to share information with a parent, the child's welfare should be the paramount consideration for NHS boards and trusts.Guidelines for health professionals on children's capacity to consent and confidentiality are included in Protecting Children - A Shared Responsibility: guidance for health professionals, issued by the Health Department in 2000. The recently published final report of the Confidentiality and Security Advisory Group for Scotland provides further advice on access to medical and health-related information. The Executive has no current plans to issue guidance on access to information specifically for separated parents.

There are 13 consultant nurses/midwives currently practising in NHSScotland.