- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 2 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average total fees charged by a registrar will be (a) for attending a place outside a registry office, including the costs of approving that place, to conduct a marriage ceremony and otherwise processing the marriage application and (b) for authorising a minister of religion to be an authorised celebrant of marriages in Scotland and processing an application for a couple to be married by that minister of religion.
Answer
The fees for the attendanceby a registrar at a place other than a registration office to conduct a civilmarriage, and for the approval of that place for civil marriages are notprescribed by the Registrar General for Scotland or the Scottish ministers. The fees are set by eachlocal authority on a cost recovery basis and vary between local authoritiesaccording to the circumstances of each local authority and the type of place.
The average fee for theattendance of a registrar at a place approved for civil marriages on Mondays toFridays is £154. Similarly, the average fee that would apply to attendance on Saturdays,Sundays and public holidays is £210.
The Marriage (Scotland)Act 2002 allows for either a periodic approval of a place (for up to three years)or a temporary approval for a single wedding. The average fee across 32 localauthorities is £348. The average fee for a temporary approval is £383.
There is no fee set instatute or regulations relating to the authorisation of a minister of religionas an approved celebrant. Nor is there a fee for the authorisation of aregistrar to conduct civil marriages. However, there are fees which applynationally that are prescribed by the Registrar General for Scotland with theapproval of the Scottish ministers relating to the legal formalities that mustbe completed for marriage in Scotland, whether a civil marriage or a religiousmarriage. There is a fee of £20 when each person submits notice of intention tomarry. Also, if the couple wish to have an extract from the marriage register(a marriage certificate), the charge is £8.50 per extract. If the couple wishto have a civil marriage, the prescribed fee for the solemnisation of a civilmarriage by a registrar is £45. A religious celebrant will often charge a feeto cover his expenses for conducting a religious marriage.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 2 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding, and other support, it has provided to the Scottish Civic Forum in each year of its operation and what funding, and other support, it will provide to the forum in 2004-05.
Answer
The Executive has provided core funding to the Scottish Civic Forum as follows:
| Year | Amount (£000) |
| 1999-2000 | 40 |
| 2000-01 | 130 |
| 2001-02 | 130 |
| 2002-03 | 180 |
| 2003-04 | 200 |
| 2004-05 | 200 |
We also support the Scottish Civic Forum (SCF) through two full-time secondments and awarding contracts for specific pieces of work outside the scope of its core funding agreement. For example, in 2003-04, contracts were awarded worth £12,600 for events to support the Executive’s consultation on Sexual Health Strategy, £3,500 to support a consultation on planning and £8,200 to support the consultation on anti-social behaviour. A contract for £15,000 has been awarded for work in 2004-5 for the consultation on smoking. The SCF’s accounts for 2002-03 included “other SE grants” totalling £5,860.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 1 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-665 by Mr Tom McCabe on 30 October 2003, whether GP prescribing of portable oxygen has ensured that an effective means of supply and distribution is in place to meet the needs of all patients in Scotland who can benefit.
Answer
Portable oxygen has been availableon GP prescription since 1 April 2004. The arrangements we have put in place are designed toensure that GPs will be prescribing on the basis of specialist advice. The supplyand distribution of oxygen cylinders and associated equipment remain subject tolocally negotiated agreements between NHS boards and the community pharmacists intheir areas.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 1 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were issued with portable oxygen cylinders on prescription in April 2004, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
Statistical information aboutitems dispensed on the NHS does not include the number of patients for whom prescriptionswere written. Portable oxygen has been prescribable by GPs since 1 April 2004. The CommonServices Agency will record the number of portable oxygen cylinders provided onNHS prescription but final data for April 2004 are not likely to be available beforethe end of June.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, if the Civil Partnership Bill is enacted in its current form, people of faith who wish to manifest their faith in the creation of their civil partnership will be able to request that their minister of religion be appointed as a registrar for the sole purpose of conducting that ceremony.
Answer
The Civil Partnership Bill doesnot allow for a minister of religion to be appointed as a registrar for thesole purpose of conducting a Civil Partnership Registration.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-665 by Mr Tom McCabe 30 October 2003, whether the study to consider the possible benefit to patients of alternative methods of supply and distribution of portable oxygen is complete and, if so, what the results of the study were.
Answer
The study on alternative supplyarrangements has yet to commence. A prerequisite for starting the study is receiptof data on how the new arrangements, which came in from 1 April 2004, are impactingacross the NHS in Scotland.
Arrangements for collection of the necessary data are now in place and the intention is to feed the results intoa wider review of the revised Domiciliary Oxygen Service which is to take placein 2005-06.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current (a) target, (b) average, and (c) actual median waiting time is in each NHS board area for a first consultation at an ear, nose and throat clinic following referral from a general practitioner, showing the differences between routine and non-routine referrals where applicable.
Answer
The mean and median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in the specialty of ear, nose and throat (ENT), following referral by a general medical practitioner, by NHS board area of residence, in the year ended 30 September 2003, are given in the table. This information is compiled from discharge data, and it is not possible to separately identify routine and non-routine appointments.
Partnership for Care: Scotland’s Health White Paper and A Partnership for a Better Scotland include our commitment that, bythe end of 2005, no patient will wait more than 26 weeks for a first out-patientappointment, following referral by a general medical/dental practitioner.
The Centre for Change and Innovation are leading a £3.5 million national redesign of ENT outpatient services, launched on 7 May. This redesign is supporting frontline clinicians to test and implement new ways of delivering out-patient services that reduce waiting times and improve quality.
NHSScotland: Mean And Median Waiting Times For A First Out-patient Appointment With a Consultant In the Specialty of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS Board of Residence, Year Ended 30 September 2003
| NHS Board | Mean Waiting Time (Days) | Median Waiting Time (Days) |
| Argyll and Clyde | 76 | 64 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 54 | 47 |
| Borders | 73 | 34 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 52 | 46 |
| Fife | 102 | 82 |
| Forth Valley | 80 | 63 |
| Grampian | 143 | 85 |
| Greater Glasgow | 110 | 84 |
| Highland | 51 | 43 |
| Lanarkshire | 117 | 98 |
| Lothian | 87 | 55 |
| Orkney | * | * |
| Shetland | 44 | 45 |
| Tayside | 122 | 55 |
| Western Isles | 73 | 69 |
| Scotland | 97 | 66 |
Source: ISD Scotland SMR00.
Note: *Information not shown due to small numbers.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-665 by Mr Tom McCabe on 30 October 2003, whether a decision has been taken regarding the possible benefits of making conservation devices available on the NHS.
Answer
No decisions have been takento date. A scoping study to establish the clinical suitability of the devices forpatients, and the possible cost and supply implications, has just commenced. Theresults of the study will be available later this year.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, what information it has circulated to GPs, pharmacies and hospitals regarding the prescribing of portable oxygen.
Answer
The three Health Department Letters(HDLs) listed were issued to all NHS boards earlier this year for distribution tofamily health service staff and health care professionals, including GPs and communitypharmacists. Hospital staff with a clinical responsibility for Domiciliary OxygenTherapy Service patients also received copies and their attention was drawn to theclinical criteria by which a patient's suitability for portable oxygen should beassessed.
NHS HDL(2004)01 dated 12 January 2004
Addendum to NHS HDL(2004)01 dated9 February 2004
NHS HDL(2004)11 dated 15 March 2004
All HDLs may be accessed on theNHS net at http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has taken on whether, if the Civil Partnerships Bill is enacted in the form currently proposed, it would be acting contrary to Articles 9(1) and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms by allowing mixed-sex couples to manifest their faith in the creation of the civil status of marriage while not giving same-sex couples the freedom to manifest their faith in the creation of the civil status arising out of the Civil Partnerships Bill.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is satisfied that the devolved provisions in the Civil Partnership Billcomply with the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights.
