- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 March 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will spend in the next financial year on publicity to make people aware that they may be entitled to dental treatment that is free or at a reduced cost.
Answer
It is estimated that approximately £5,000 will be spent on the following public information leaflets: HCS1 Help with Health Costs (web only) and HCS2 A Quick Guide to Help with Health Costs (booklet). Both include information on eligibility to the costs of dental treatment.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 5 March 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new secure units are planned for detaining children aged under 16 on remand.
Answer
Children under the age of 16 on remand are currently placed in secure accommodation in most cases. Children appearing on a charge before a criminal court can be remanded in prison custody under an unruly certificate. The Scottish Government has announced plans to abolish unruly certificates, which, if approved by Parliament would see all children remanded in existing secure units. There are no new secure units planned for this purpose.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 5 March 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many secure units are available for children aged under 16 on remand and where such units are located.
Answer
All seven secure units in Scotland are available for children aged 16 and under on remand:
Kibble, Paisley
St Philip's, Airdrie
Good Shepherd, Bishopton, Renfrewshire
Rossie, Montrose, Angus
St Mary's, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow
Edinburgh
The Elms, Dundee.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 4 March 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what new initiatives it will introduce in 2008-09 to offer increased access to NHS dental services in Orkney and what financial resources will be allocated to each initiative.
Answer
There are no current plans to introduce new initiatives in 2008-09 to increase access to NHS dental services specifically in Orkney.
NHS Orkney are planning to increase their dental premises but this will take some time to put in place as this is being taken forward as part of the board's property strategy.
The board is also considering whether dental surgeries should be included as part of the refurbishment of the Balfour hospital at the first phase of this project. This proposal is currently with the Scottish Government Health Directorates for approval.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 29 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the net expenditure was on NHS dental care per head in Orkney in the most recent year for which figures are available and how this compared with the net expenditure per head in Scotland.
Answer
In the financial year 2006-07, net expenditure on NHS dental care per head in Orkney was £104
1,2 and in Scotland was £73
1,2.
Notes:
1. Expenditure on NHS hospital, community and family health dental services.
2. Includes specialties dental and oral surgery and medicine, and Allied Health Professionals (AHP) out-patient service provided by dental ancillary staff.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 29 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of Orkney residents aged 18 and over have visited an NHS dentist in the most recent period for which figures are available and what the comparative figures are for Scotland as a whole.
Answer
The specific information requested is not collected centrally. However, figures on the number and percentage of people aged 18 and over in Orkney and in Scotland who are registered with dentists under NHS general dental services arrangements are available and are published at
http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/4680.html.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 29 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the percentage of people in Orkney who visit a private dentist and what the comparative percentage is for Scotland as a whole.
Answer
Information on the percentage of people who visit a private dentist is not available centrally.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 29 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists there are in Orkney per head of population and how this compares with the number of dentists per head of population in Scotland as a whole.
Answer
At 30 September 2007, there were 6.6 NHS dentists
1 per 10,000 population in Orkney and 5.7 NHS dentists
1. per 10,000 population in Scotland as a whole.
Note: 1. Head count of dentists working in the sectors of NHS general, community and hospital dental services (not the whole-time equivalent number, as information on the working hours of each dentist is not collected). A dentist may work in more than one sector of NHS dentistry.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 26 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list its initiatives in place in 2007-08 to offer increased access to NHS dental services in Orkney and the financial resources allocated to each initiative.
Answer
A number of grants and allowances have been introduced over the years to recruit and retain dentists within general dental services in Scotland, including Orkney. These are:
commitment payments
grants for new and existing vocational training practices
remote areas allowance
recruitment and retention allowance
practice allowances
reimbursement of practice expenses
deprived areas allowance.
In addition, the Scottish Dental Access Initiative, which was first introduced in 1997, provides grants for those dentists wishing to establish new or expand existing NHS dental practices. This scheme was revised in 2007 to provide for the purchase or relocation of current NHS dental practices and to include specialist orthodontic practices. The financial assistance available under this scheme has also been revised.
NHS boards are also able to appoint directly salaried dentists to fill gaps in provision.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 26 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its initiatives in place in 2007-08 to offer increased access to NHS dental services in Orkney will continue in 2008-09 and what financial resources will be allocated to each initiative.
Answer
All of the initiatives in place to recruit and retain dentists to general dental services in Scotland, including Orkney, will remain in place in 2008-09.