- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any evidence that Johne's disease is transmissible to humans.
Answer
It has been claimed for many years that Johne's disease, caused by Mycobacterium avium var paratuberculosis (MAP) is at least part of the cause of Crohn's Disease in people. The evidence is inconclusive. The UK Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens reviewed the evidence in 1992 and 1998. On both occasions they concluded that a causal link could not be established on current evidence.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence of Johne's disease has been in cattle in those years for which figures are available.
Answer
No figures are available for Johne's disease, as it is not a notifiable animal disease.However, the Surveillance Group on Diseases and Infections of Animals has set up a working group and part of its remit will be to look into the prevalence of the disease in the national herd.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to eradicate Johne's disease in cattle.
Answer
The Surveillance Group on Diseases and Infections of Animals has set up a Surveillance Working Group to look into Johne's disease in the national herd. As part of their remit the group aims to determine:the prevalence of the disease in the national herd;the consequences of the disease in animal health and welfare, andthe development of control measures.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32920 by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 January 2003, whether it has any plans to collate information on the percentage of children in private residential care homes that have been prescribed Ritalin and similar class drugs.
Answer
The Executive has no plans to collate information on the percentage of children in private residential care homes that have been prescribed Ritalin and similar class drugs.The decision on whether or not to prescribe a drug for a patient is always a matter for the clinical judgement of the patient's doctor, informed by advice and guidance about the drug.The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (the Care Commission) in regulating services against the legislative requirements and the relevant national care standards requires providers of care homes for children (independent and local authority), to keep accurate up-to-date records of all medicines for the use of service users. These records are kept on the premises from which the care service is provided.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what biomedical research into medical problems such as hyperkinetic disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism it is funding and where any such research is being conducted.
Answer
The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), within the Scottish Executive Health Department, has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland. CSO is currently funding two biomedical research projects on autism. They are being conducted at the University of Aberdeen and Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. In addition, CSO will be contributing £250,000 to the Medical Research Council's UK-wide programme of research on autism, the strategy for which is currently being developed.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 20 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to develop a centralised day or residential patient service for patients of all ages with behavioural or biomedical conditions such as hyperkinetic disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism and, if so, where and in what timescale.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no such plans. The provision of services to meet the needs of people with these disorders is a matter for local health and social care organisations.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 20 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of inmates in young offenders institutions are prescribed Ritalin and/or other neuroleptic and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The information requested is not available.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of prisoners that have committed suicide in prison in each of the last five years have been on prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and neuroleptic drugs and/or Ritalin.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The information requested is not available.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what auditing is done of neuroleptic and similar class drugs prescribed to children in private residential care homes.
Answer
Prescription data collected centrally are not patient-specific.Care homes for children are now regulated by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (the Care Commission). The commission regulates services by inspecting them against the legislative requirements and the relevant national care standards. The Regulation of Care (Requirements as to Care Services)(Scotland) Regulations 2002 require providers of some care services, including providers of care homes for children (independent and local authority), to keep a record of medicines for the use of service users which are kept on the premises from which the care service is provided.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies are being conducted in prisons and other custodial and residential centres into the relationship between nutritional deficiencies and biomedical problems and violence and anti-social behaviour.
Answer
So far as is known, no such studies are currently under way. An application for a study of this kind has, however, been made to the Scottish Prison Service, and is being considered for funding in competition with other research proposals in the normal way.
