- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve co-operation and the co-ordination of resources and strategies between local government and the NHS.
Answer
Effective joint working between the NHSScotland, local authorities and other agencies is central to the Scottish Executive's Health and Community Care policies.Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change (December 2000), Rebuilding our National Health Service (May 2001), Modernising Community Care (1998), the Report of the Joint Future Group (December 2000) and the Learning Disability Review (June 2001) all set out a number of steps being taken to develop joint working with local government.The Executive has also recently consulted on proposals to remove legislative barriers to joint working, which we will introduce soon after Parliament resumes. We will issue guidance on joint resourcing and joint service management, initially covering services for older people, in the autumn, and work with agencies over the coming months on developing single shared assessment of people with community care needs, both to come into effect in April 2002.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action can be taken to protect young people from tobacco advertising given the evidence that tobacco marketing may assist in the recruitment of new smokers, the relation of smokers and the prevention of smokers quitting.
Answer
The Executive is taking forward a range of measures to reduce smoking levels and the appeal of smoking among young people.These include health education and promotion of a holistic approach to healthy lifestyles, for example the "Confidence to Learn" training package being developed by HEBS for primary school teachers in order to help younger children to develop decision-making skills and the ability to cope with peer pressure. In addition "Young Scot" have produced a pack aimed at teenagersteenagers to encourage healthy lifestyles including advice on smoking.HEBS has undertaken mass media advertising, including the highly acclaimed STINX advertisment, aimed at teenagers, which promotes the message that smoking is neither healthy nor "cool".A new advert and competition will be launched at the beginning of the school year. An element of the £26 million Health Improvement Fund, which was announced last August, will be used for a major education drive to cut the number of young people smoking.The new "Aliens" advert and competition, which was launched on 16 August, builds on the success of STiNX by continuing the continues the anti-smoking driveanti-smoking drive.Other measures to reduce smoking among young people, including a major education drive, are being developed, backed by additional investment from the Health Improvement Fund.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion will have on levels of (a) tobacco consumption and (b) morbidity and (c) the number of preventable premature deaths per year.
Answer
Reducing the incidence and impact of smoking requires action on a number of fronts. The UK Government estimates that a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion might lead eventually to a 2.5% reduction in the number of smokers. If this was achieved in Scotland it could lead to an annual reduction of some 830 hospital admissions. It could also save around 150 lives in the short term, building to 300 lives each year.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative measures it plans to introduce in the absence on a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion.
Answer
The Scottish Executive remains committed to achieving a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion. We recognise, however, that such a ban is just one element of a wide range of measures that together, will help reduce the incidence and impact of smoking. The Scottish Executive is continuing to take forward action to implement the 1998 White Paper
Smoking Kills and is working with a range of organisations to make progress on several fronts:
- NRT and Zyban are now available on prescription.
- Additional funding to improve and expand smoking cessation services and health education.
- A Scottish Voluntary Charter for the introduction of non-smoking areas in public places.
- The Lord Advocate is currently undertaking a review of test purchasing policy, linked to enforcement procedures for a range of age-restricted goods including tobacco.
The Scottish Executive is working with the UK Government in taking forward the implementation of the recent EU Directive on additives and labelling of tobacco.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government since 7 June 2001 regarding a Bill to ban tobacco advertising and promotion.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has made clear our disappointment that such a Bill was not included in the Queen's Speech. We have been in regular contact with her Majesty's Government since 7 June to press them to bring forward the Bill to ban tobacco advertising and promotion at the earliest possible date.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 22 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will give to Glasgow City Council to ensure it has enough sheltered and supported accommodation for elderly people, people with special needs and people with mental health problems.
Answer
In 2001-02 Glasgow City Council will have an estimated £75 million to spend on its housing stock. It is for the council to prioritise its housing needs and allocate this funding accordingly. However, Glasgow, like all councils, will be expected to address the issues raised in the question in its new local housing strategy.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 21 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it reconciles the figure of 70,000 children lifted out of poverty given by the First Minister on 1 February 2001 in the debate on Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government (Official Report, col.807) with the statement in the latest Household Below Average Income Survey by the Department of Works and Pensions that child poverty has fallen by 1% in Scotland since 1997.
Answer
The First Minister's remarks on children in poverty referred to the change in the estimated number of children living in low income households between 1996-97 and 1998-99, a more detailed explanation of which was given in answer to question S1W-13002. The drop of one percentage point referred to in the question relates to the percentage point difference in the proportion of children in low income households in Scotland between 1997-98 and the latest 1999-2000 figures. The Households Below Average Income Survey results demonstrate steady progress in reducing the proportion of children living in low income households.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 21 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the Chancellor of the Exchequer is consulted on, or otherwise involved in, policy issues.
Answer
Scottish Ministers work closely and constructively with their counterparts in the UK Government and, to that end, have regular discussions with United Kingdom Ministers on a wide range of subjects.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 30 July 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 21 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value was of the 10,568 gigawatt-hours of electricity transferred to England and Wales in 1999-2000, as shown in Key Scottish Environment Statistics.
Answer
This is commercial information, and as such is a matter for the power companies concerned.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 20 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10148 by Jackie Baillie on 15 November 2000, whether there has been any change in the funding arrangements for the central heating initiative and what progress there has been in discussions with Scottish Gas, Scottish Power, Scottish Hydro-electric and Transco.
Answer
A further £5 million is being put into the Central Heating Programme this year so that councils considering transfer to community ownership can install central heating systems on the same timescale as the other local authorities taking part. Good progress has been made in our discussions with the energy companies and they have agreed to support the programme through the Energy Efficiency Commitment. Support will also be provided by Transco through its Affordable Warmth Programme.