- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the response times of the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Answer
The Scottish Executive along with health boards and NHS Trusts work in partnership to ensure the delivery of a responsive, high quality ambulance service. A range of measures with the Scottish Ambulance Service have been or are being taken to improve the service given to patients including:
- changes to crew shift patterns and working practices
- new radio and communications and control system
- investment in ambulances and ambulance station and front line staff
For the future, the Ambulance Service's revenue allocation for 2000-01 provides new development funding, including an extra £500,000 to put 20 more frontline staff into Glasgow, £115,000 in further support of the improvements being made to the Air Ambulance Service, and £485,000 to enable the service to train an extra 75 paramedics in the coming year. This is in addition to the funding being provided to enable the service to investigate the case for introducing a priority-based dispatch system for emergency ambulances. Plans are also being progressed to provide new ambulance stations in Edinburgh.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 22 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the level of funding over the last five years provided to organisations specifically involved in tackling poverty among disabled people.
Answer
An annual grant of £10,150 was awarded to the Disablement Income Group Scotland from 1995-96 until 1998-99. This funding ceased at the end of March 1999 because of the decision to establish a new disability information service, UPDATE. UPDATE will receive funding of £227k in 1999-2000, £238k in 2000-01 and £235k in 2001-02.
People with disabilities will also benefit from a wide range of policy initiatives including our Social Justice programme addressing the multiple causes of poverty and social exclusion.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what is the timescale for the implementation of a priority-based dispatch system for the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Answer
I refer Mr Matheson to my answer to his question S1W-5172.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to tackle increases in male unemployment in the Falkirk area.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is very conscious of the particular problems of areas such as Falkirk and we shall seek to ensure through investing in jobs and skills, fostering enterprise and encouraging the growth of new businesses that we create sustainable economic growth and employment opportunities for all members of the community.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the level of new funding provided to Scottish police forces for the purchase of stab-proof vests.
Answer
Police forces' budgets are set by their respective police authorities. It is for chief constables to decide how to allocate resources on operational equipment such as the provision of stab proof vests.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 10 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of West of Scotland Water Authority's centenary launch on 31 October 1999 will be and what the cost of any similar events held by other water authorities in the last three years was.
Answer
West of Scotland Water Authority did not hold a centenary launch on 31 October. But later this month the authority plan a centenary launch of the SS Sir Walter Scott, owned by the authority and which sails on Loch Katrine, which supplies Glasgow's drinking water. WoSWA estimate the average cost of one of the steamer's sailings with catering to be around £1,000-£1,500.There have been no events by the other water authorities of the type referred to above.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 14 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 28 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to assist owner occupiers of Orlit homes who are experiencing difficulties in selling their properties due to their inability to obtain prefabricated reinforced construction certificates.
Answer
The Orlit house type was designated as defective under the Housing Defects Act 1984. The Act provided financial assistance for the owners of defective houses bought from a public sector authority before 26 April 1984. The assistance was well publicised and was available for a ten-year period ending on 30 November 1994. No further assistance is available.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding is provided to police forces to ensure that they adequately comply with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answer
It is for Scottish police forces to comply with the law, including any relevant provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, from within the resources available to them.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 16 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in order to reduce the time taken for the completion of assessments for special educational needs.
Answer
Current Scottish Executive guidance to education authorities recommends that the assessment and recording process should not exceed 6 months.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the number of hospices in Scotland whose NHS funding between 1998-99 and 1999-2000 has increased, remained the same or decreased.
Answer
NHS funding as a percentage of running costs compared to 1998-99 has increased for four hospices, remained the same for two hospices and decreased for six hospices.Total NHS funding for the 12 hospices has increased from £7,289,800 in 1998-99 to £7,921,800 in 1999-2000 which represents a cash increase of 9%.
