- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5188 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 March 2000, whether the decrease in the number of prosecutions for littering offences between 1990 and 1998 has been accompanied by an actual decrease in littering and whether it will introduce a policy of 'ero tolerance of littering.
Answer
Information on the incidence of littering is not held centrally. Responsibility for enforcing litter law in public places generally lies with local authorities and it is for them to decide what priority to accord to keeping their areas free of litter. We expect them to follow the
Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, statutory guidance published jointly by The Scottish and Welsh Offices, Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions and Department for Education and Employment in 1999.
We consider that existing legislation is adequate to deal with offenders. We acknowledge that littering is a social problem which we believe is best tackled by educating the public as a whole. We pay core grant to Keep Scotland Beautiful (amounting to £234,000 for 2000-01) in recognition of the anti-litter and other community environment campaigns which it runs and to assist it in providing practical training to local authority personnel on combating litter and fly-tipping.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether specialist referrals are available for sufferers of organophosphate exposure; if so, what efforts have been made to ensure that GPs are aware of these services; if not, what action is being taken to address this situation.
Answer
The Department of Health issued a statement on 1 July 1999 providing guidance on the action to be taken in cases of complaint of organophosphate poisoning. A copy of this statement was sent to health boards, NHS Trusts and general practitioners in Scotland on 1 July 1999 under cover of a letter from the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland. The statement suggested that where a patient presented with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, doctors might refer to a consultant neurologist or discuss the case with the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). In Scotland, the NPIS in Edinburgh has agreed to consider such cases.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to ensure the best diagnosis and treatment for sufferers of organophosphate exposure.
Answer
As indicated in my answer to question S1W-6780, the Chief Medical Officer wrote last year to health boards, NHS Trusts and general practitioners to provide guidance on responding to patients suffering from, or claiming to suffer from organophosphate poisoning. The need for further guidance is kept under continuing review.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5066 by Susan Deacon on 21 March 2000, why it considers it unnecessary to hold information on measures to detect osteoporosis centrally and whether it will arrange for details of any measures taken to detect osteoporosis at a local level to be held centrally.
Answer
Strategies for the care of patients with a wide variety of conditions, including osteoporosis, are the responsibility of health boards and their associated NHS Trusts, who are best suited to assess local needs. If the Scottish Executive required detailed reports on every aspect of patient care for every condition from boards and Trusts it would be a very time-consuming and therefore costly exercise. I am not convinced that this would be a good use of NHS funds.
Guidance to help health boards devise their strategies was issued by the Health Department in 1997, in the form of a Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) on osteoporosis. This gave the conclusions of a group of experts drawn from within the NHS on the current situation in Scotland, a review of recent research, and options for the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will devise a national strategy on osteoporosis aimed in particular at preventing and improving detection of osteoporosis.
Answer
There are no current plans to develop a national strategy for osteoporosis. It is for local health boards to determine the services which are required to meet the needs of their local population within available resources. Guidance to help health boards devise their strategies was issued by the Health Department in 1997, in the form of a Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) report on osteoporosis. This gave the conclusions of a group of experts drawn from within the NHS on the current situation in Scotland, a review of recent research, and options for the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis.
This SNAP report concluded that the only measures known to prevent the development of osteoporosis are weight-bearing exercise, the reduction of alcohol consumption to moderate levels, the reduction of tobacco consumption and a balanced diet with a higher consumption of calcium and vitamin D and lowered consumption of sodium, protein and caffeine. These are measures which are actively promoted by the Executive, because they reduce the risks of developing many other conditions as well as osteoporosis.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any Scottish Minister could allow his or her name to be associated with any particular company or businesses by authorising the use of his or her photograph on its products.
Answer
Scottish Ministers are expected to behave in accordance with the provisions of the Scottish Ministerial Code. One of the provisions is that they are expected to order their affairs so that no conflict arises or is thought to arise between their private interests (financial or otherwise) and their public duties.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 5 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a progress report on the Digital Scotland Task Force.
Answer
The Digital Scotland Task Force published its report on the Internet on 22 May, and invited public comments on its recommendations. The public consultation period lasts until 30 June. The Scottish Executive will respond to the task force report as soon as possible thereafter, in the light of the results of the consultation.Full details of the task force report, relevant links, and arrangements for public consultation can be found on the Digital Scotland website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland/.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 5 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in what ways it supports the work of Young Enterprise Scotland and what measures it will introduce to allow secondary school pupils to gain experience in business.
Answer
The Executive is highly supportive of the work of Young Enterprise Scotland in its efforts to promote enterprise in schools and support the development of "core" skills. We are particularly encouraged by the degree of private sector involvement in the organisation. Education for Work and Enterprise in schools is delivered in a variety of ways and by a wide range of bodies. The agenda includes programmes offering practical work experience for secondary school pupils, curriculum guidelines on delivering enterprise education and support for the National Centre: Education for Work and Enterprise which provides strategic direction to the agenda.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4008 by Mr Jim Wallace on 28 January 2000, whether it will widen the remit of the Scottish Law Commission's (SLC) review of the law of the foreshore and seabed and, in particular, whether it will instruct the SLC to consider the interests of (a) local communities, (b) individual residents and (c) local businesses who may be affected by the law of the foreshore and seabed.
Answer
No change in the remit is necessary. Under the existing remit, the commission will take account of such issues in its review of what the existing law actually is, and in its recommendations for improving its clarity and consistency.And, as is usual, the commission will prepare and issue a discussion paper before drawing up its recommendations. Local communities, individuals and businesses will therefore have the opportunity to make their views known as part of the process.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish, for each of the last 10 years, the total public funds received, from all sources, including the Scottish Executive, The Scottish Office, Her Majesty's Government and other UK wide public bodies, by all charities registered in Scotland.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.