- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 14 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government to ensure that workers who lost their jobs at the Millennium Cellular Services in Glasgow receive outstanding wages and redundancy payments.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including closures and redundancy policy.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 14 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to investigate the closure of the Millennium Cellular Services call centre at Rosemount Business Park, Royston, Glasgow.
Answer
The Scottish Executive regrets the closure of Millennium Cellular Services. Our sympathies are with those who have lost their jobs. We understand that the decision to close in no way reflects on the quality or productivity of the workforce.Following the closure the Executive has been in contact with Scottish Enterprise and the local economic development agency.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 14 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will eliminate postcode prescribing of the three Al'heimer's disease drugs, Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl following the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's cessation of the practice in England and Wales.
Answer
The Health Technology Board for Scotland is currently working on a process to comment on all final appraisals from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). Treatments for Alzheimer's disease will be the first topic to go through the process and their comment is expected in the next few weeks.As an interim measure, the Scottish Executive has asked local Drug and Therapeutics Committees to re-examine their advice to their own clinicians about the use of their drugs, taking into account the NICE guidance.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 14 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much untreated sewage has entered the River Clyde in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answer
No untreated sewage is discharged into the River Clyde down to the Erskine Bridge except through combined sewer overflows (CSOs) which discharge dilute screened sewage at times of high rainfall. It is not possible to accurately quantify the volume of these intermittent discharges.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 14 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to allocate additional resources to health boards to ensure that drugs effective in the treatment of Al'heimer's can be prescribed without impacting on other services.
Answer
Health boards' unified budgets include provision for the cost of prescribed drugs and are set to allow for the introduction of new drugs and the greater use of existing therapies. It is for health boards to agree with Primary Care Trusts the amount to be set aside for prescribing and the contingency arrangements for any unexpected expenditure fluctuations.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 14 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Millennium Cellular Services received any assistance from it in the current financial year or in 1999-2000.
Answer
Millennium Cellular Services have received no financial assistance from the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 13 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to extend the life expectancy of males in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is dedicated to improving the health of all Scots and, in particular, to tackling health inequalities. Our National Health: A plan for action; a plan for change, published on 14 December 2000, sets out fully the policy framework which provides the focus for our work to tackle the root causes of ill health. Implementation of these policies at local level will lead to improvements in health with consequent improvements in life expectancy rates for both men and women. Greater Glasgow Health Board (GGHB) is involved with partner organisations in a wide variety of initiatives aimed at improving the health of all of its population. Information about the specific actions being taken by the board can be obtained from their Health Promotion Department.The Executive has recognised the high levels of morbidity and deprivation in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area in implementing the recommendation of Fair Shares for All. This means that GGHB will receive in 2001-02 an increase of 7.7% in its allocation for hospital and community health services, compared with an average increase of 6.5%.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied in deciding whether to provide financial assistance to professional football clubs for the establishment of football academies.
Answer
The criteria applied to the funding available through sportscotland are the Policies and Procedures of the Scottish Lottery Fund Football Academy Strand. These criteria are based on the proposals drawn up and endorsed by the Scottish Football Partnership established by the Scottish Executive. Criteria for other sources of funding have yet to be established.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive which professional football clubs will receive financial assistance to establish football academies in the next three financial years, specifying the amount each club will receive in each year.
Answer
Awards of financial assistance will be determined by assessment of applications received. It is not possible, therefore, to say which clubs will benefit and to what extent. I do expect, however, to be able to announce shortly the first sportscotland awards for football academies.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 9 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it plans to have with Scottish Gas on the impact on the Executive's fuel poverty strategy of Scottish Gas's decision to free'e electricity prices in Scotland while cutting them by 3.7% in England and Wales and to increase gas prices in Scotland by 4.7% while not increasing them in England.
Answer
Although responsibility for policy on energy pricing is a reserved matter, the Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Scottish Gas on a range of issues, including concerns about fuel poverty in Scotland. The current rise of 4.7% in the price of gas must be seen in the context of a fall in gas prices over the last five years of around 20% in real terms. The effect of the rise on domestic consumers will be to cause a marginal increase in fuel poverty, but this will be mitigated by a number of programmes across Government aimed at helping low-income households.
