Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30253 on 26 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30253 on 26 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The GP curriculum includes genetics in primary care, such as recessive single gene disorders e.g. haemochromatosis and haemoglobinopathies (thalassaemia). Doctors who are training to be GPs need to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in this area and show that they are competent to manage the primary contact with patients and deal with unselected problems. GPs are also supported by health boards, post graduate deaneries, NHS Education for Scotland and others to undertake continuing professional development to acquire up-to-date knowledge and skills to address the needs of their patients. Scottish Government Officials have offered to attend the next meeting of the Haemochromatosis Society in Scotland to discuss raising awareness of the condition''s symptoms and providing patients with self help advice.

The Scottish Government has committed to an evidence based approach to screening and is given expert, independent advice on screening programmes by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC sets out the criteria to assess screening programmes; the introduction of proposed new population screening programmes; the modification and withdrawal of existing programmes, and the quality and management of such programmes.

The UK NSC currently advises that a national screening programme for Haemochromatosis should not be introduced. However, this advice is currently under review. Consequently at this point we have no plans to introduce a pilot screening programme for haemochromatosis.

Information is not held centrally on the number of people who have haemochromatosis.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30253 on 26 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30253 on 26 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

It is not possible to undertake such an assessment as funding of services for individuals is primarily the responsibility of NHS boards to plan, in light of the needs of their resident population. NHS boards allocate funding to services based on these needs from the unified budgets which are made available to them from the Scottish Executive.

The implementation of Better Cancer Care: An Action Plan is overseen by the Scottish Cancer Taskforce. A number of sub groups have been established to take forward specific elements of the plan, including the Chemotherapy Advisory Group, the Scottish Radiotherapy Advisory Group, the Living with Cancer Group and the National Cancer Quality Steering Group. Each sub group provides an update of its progress at each Scottish Cancer Taskforce meeting and to date the taskforce has met five times.

A detailed work plan has been developed by the Scottish Cancer Taskforce to monitor implementation of the commitments set out in Better Cancer Care. The four sub groups also have individual detailed work plans to outline the activities they are undertaking to deliver their specific work streams.

More information on the work of the Scottish Cancer Taskforce and its constituent groups is available on the Scottish Government website at www.scotland.gov.uk/bettercancercare.

The Scottish Government is providing an extra £4.19 million to local authorities on top of the overall settlement to enable local authorities to deliver in full by 2010-11 the commitment in the concordat to progress towards delivering 10,000 extra respite weeks. This additional funding is being provided to local authorities in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

The whole 2010-11 local government finance settlement is provisional until the Parliament approves both the overall 2010-11 Scottish Budget Bill and the Local Government Finance Order 2010.

The allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11, broken down by authority, are provided in the following table:

Additional Allocation to Deliver 10,000 Additional Respite Weeks (additional to Concordat Funding for this Commitment) (£ Million)

Local Authority	2009-10	2010-11
Aberdeen City	0.053	0.109
Aberdeenshire	0.056	0.116
Angus	0.031	0.065
Argyll and Bute	0.027	0.055
Clackmannanshire	0.012	0.026
Dumfries and Galloway	0.044	0.092
Dundee City	0.044	0.089
East Ayrshire	0.033	0.069
East Dunbartonshire	0.025	0.051
East Lothian	0.026	0.053
East Renfrewshire	0.021	0.044
Edinburgh (City of)	0.118	0.242
Eilean Siar	0.009	0.018
Falkirk	0.039	0.080
Fife	0.098	0.203
Glasgow City	0.165	0.332
Highland	0.057	0.118
Inverclyde	0.024	0.049
Midlothian	0.020	0.041
Moray	0.023	0.047
North Ayrshire	0.038	0.079
North Lanarkshire	0.082	0.168
Orkney Islands	0.006	0.012
Perth and Kinross	0.040	0.083
Renfrewshire	0.045	0.092
Scottish Borders	0.032	0.065
Shetland Islands	0.006	0.012
South Ayrshire	0.034	0.070
South Lanarkshire	0.081	0.168
Stirling	0.022	0.045
West Dunbartonshire	0.026	0.053
West Lothian	0.035	0.074
Scotland	1.370	2.820

 

It is not within the remit of the Scottish Chemotherapy Advisory Group to assess geographical variations in the use of Scottish Medicines Consortium approved drugs. The remit of the group is to ensure that cancer medicines are delivered within a safe and quality assured framework.

A chief executive letter is currently being drafted which outlines how NHS boards should approach the introduction of newly licensed medicines into NHS Scotland and it will be the responsibility of boards to ensure this new guidance is implemented.

Information on survival rates by Scottish Parliament constituency and Scottish Parliament region is not held centrally.

Estimates of cancer survival for Scotland, including time periods from 1999, are available on the ISD Cancer Information website at:

(i) lung -http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1451.html.

(ii) breast (female) - http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1420.html.

(iii) prostate - http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1488.html.

(iii [sic]) haematological - http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1538.html.

(iv) bowel - http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1425.html.