- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many undernourished patients admitted to hospital continued to lose weight whilst in hospital in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. However, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland published Clinical Standards on Food, Fluid and Nutritional Care in Hospitals in September 2003. These were developed in response to research which showed that patients in hospital could be at risk of malnutrition. The standards cover patient assessment on admission to hospital; the delivery of food and nutrition, and education and training of staff. The standards are published at:
www.qualityimprovementscotland.com/nhsqis/files/Food,%20Fluid%20Nutrition.pdf.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were classified as undernourished in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area and expressed both in real terms and as a percentage of the child population.
Answer
The information requested is not available centrally for all years or for all local authority areas.
The Scottish Parliament Information Centre holds tables (Bib. number 38938) which show, those local authority areas available:
Tables 1a, 1b & 1c: Children identified as undernourished (the 2% of the population with the lowest BMI) for those who have received a 39 to 42 month pre-school review, by local authority area and year of birth.
Tables 2a, 2b & 2c: Children identified as undernourished (the 2% of the population with the lowest BMI) for those who have received a primary 1, 7 and secondary 3 review (aged approximately four to five, 11 to 12 and 14 to 15 years respectively), by local authority area and year of birth.
It should be noted that there is no set international definition for undernourished children, hence the tables offer an indication only. Although underweight for their age, such children do not necessarily suffer from any health problems.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has funded into malnutrition in the general population in each year since 1999 and how much funding was allocated in each case.
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.
Since 1999, the CSO has funded one research project in 2002 on the impact of malnutrition in Scottish school children and adolescents at a cost of £16,748.
In this time, the CSO has also funded a number of research projects on nutrition and nutrient deficiencies in groups of people at risk from malnourishment. In particular, the CSO has funded four research projects on nutrition in older people at a total cost of £424,502 including a recently funded trial on whether oral nutritional supplements to malnourished older people after hospital discharge can reduce disability.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the prevalence of malnutrition in people aged (a) under 15, (b) 16 to 35, (c) 36 to 50, (d) 51 to 75 and (e) 76 and over in each year since 1999, broken down by (i) NHS board area and (ii) parliamentary constituency.
Answer
Centrally held information can provide details for patients where malnutrition is identified on their hospital records. These figures
may represent an undercount of the true number of cases because malnutrition could be an underlying reason for admission to hospital and, as such, will not always be recorded.
The Scottish Parliament Information Centre holds tables (Bib. number 38937) which present the number of patients discharged from acute hospitals in Scotland with a diagnosis of malnutrition broken down by NHS board of residence (table 1) and Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (table 2). Patients with more than one discharge in a year are only counted once.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will monitor Scottish Borders Housing Association’s performance in meeting its proposed £70 million programme of investment in its 6,728 properties over the next 10 years.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:
Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA)’s performance in investing in its stock is being monitored on ministers’ behalf by Communities Scotland within a regulatory framework that puts tenants’ interests at its heart. This includes: frequent liaison meetings; inspection; monitoring of SBHA’s business plan, and assessment of its capacity to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.
SBHA is due to be inspected by the regulation and inspection division of Communities Scotland this year with the on-site period scheduled for mid-summer. Its performance against business plan assumptions, the physical quality of housing and areas, progress in delivering planned maintenance and area renewal and arrangements for meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard will be examined as part of this inspection.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can review the underwriting of a £38 million residual loan debt in respect of former Scottish Borders Council houses in the event that Scottish Borders Housing Association attempts to recover the deficit resulting from its stock transfer agreement in March 2003.
Answer
Treasury has undertaken to provide funding to redeem residual housing debt remaining with a council on the transfer of its housing to community ownership. In the case of Scottish Borders Council, Treasury met this commitment in March 2003 when the council received £80.6 million to redeem its residual debt and associated breakage costs.
Any borrowings currently held by Scottish Borders Housing Association are a matter for the association.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the average price of £3,061 per house paid by Scottish Borders Housing Association to Scottish Borders Council as part of the stock transfer programme in 2003 represented value for money.
Answer
The valuation prepared by the independent valuer sought to achieve a price which delivered fair value to the public purse and which would enable the purchaser to prepare a fundable business plan. On this basis, the Executive was satisfied that the purchase price of £23.3 million represented value for money.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that any attempt by Scottish Borders Housing Association to recover the deficit resulting from its stock transfer agreement in March 2003 with Scottish Borders Council will undermine public confidence in housing stock transfers.
Answer
As previously stated, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the detail of the claim currently being pursued by Scottish Borders Housing Association. However, I do not believe that it will undermine public confidence in the stock transfer process. It is clear that across Scotland transfers to community ownership are now delivering substantial new housing investment, rent guarantees and much more say for tenants in the management of their homes and estates.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of the Scottish Borders Housing Association’s statement that it is seeking £4 million from Scottish Borders Council to address the association’s financial deficit and the impact of such action on Scottish Borders Council’s reserves and its council tax payers.
Answer
Claims under the indemnities contained in the sale and purchase agreement are primarily a matter between Scottish Borders Council and Scottish Borders Housing Association. It would be inappropriate for the Executive to comment on any action currently being taken by the association.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what contractual conditions are in place with regard to writing off the housing debt of housing associations.
Answer
There are no contractual arrangements in place with regard to writing off the housing debt of housing associations.
