- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 24 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many whole-time equivalent anaesthetists currently provide a service to the NHS as part of a rota.
Answer
Information on the number ofwhole-time equivalent anaesthetists who currently provide a service as part of arota is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 5 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in ensuring that appropriate education and training is in place, at the appropriate time, to enable practising denturists to maintain their livelihoods following implementation of the amendment to the Dentists Act 1984.
Answer
Since 31 July 2006 clinicaldental technicians (denturists) have been required to register with the GeneralDental Council (GDC) before they can practise. Registration is on the basis of qualificationsapproved by the GDC.
Registered dental technicianswho wish to practise as clinical dental technicians will have to undertake furthertraining to gain the clinical skills they need to register as such with the GDC.Discussions continue with NHS Education for Scotland, aimed at setting up acourse in Scotland from as early as possible in 2007. This course will require GDCapproval, and its viability will need to be demonstrated for the Scottish educationsector. Interest to date has been low.
For those who already have theCanadian George Brown qualification there is a “top-up” course available in England. Althougha Scottish satellite of this course was planned, only one candidate has been identified.Discussions are on-going with a view to agreeing the best way of ensuring that thisindividual can pursue the course.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has, and what resources it will allocate, to implement first aid education for pupils in schools.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28580 on 4 October 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools and pupils will be included in any plans to implement first aid education for pupils in schools.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28580 on 4 October 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the British Red Cross campaign for first aid education for pupils in schools.
Answer
Health education is an importantelement of every young person’s education. We expect all schools to provide healtheducation within a comprehensive programmeof personal and social education. However, it is for individual schools and localauthorities to decide the content of the health education programmes they deliverand how they allocate their resources.
Thecurrent review of the curriculum, A Curriculum for Excellence, recognisesthe need for young people to develop the knowledge and understanding, skills andabilities necessary for their physical, emotional and social well being. Reviewwork to date has demonstrated that space can be found in the curriculum for learningin depth and for wider experiences such as first aid. We will be publishing verysoon the first of a series of documents which pave the way for full implementationof the new curriculum.
We are currently consideringtoo how best to recognise the wider achievements of all young people across Scotland. Workis on-going to consider these issues and we shall publish a package of proposalsin due course.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the release of information showing that 25 English and Welsh hospitals used potentially contaminated body parts, allegedly stolen in the United States of America, for orthopaedic surgery, whether any Scottish hospitals have received and used such body parts and, if so, what action has been taken to identify and recall patients who received treatment using the body parts or products.
Answer
No hospitals in Scotlandreceived such body parts.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 28 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the announcement by the Department of Health in England of the development of a national service framework for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it intends to direct NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to design and implement clinical standards of care for COPD to ensure that patients across Scotland have equal access to high standards of care.
Answer
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS)has independent status and determines its own work programme, taking fullaccount of NHS Scotland priorities.
Implementation of the modelof long-term conditions management set out in Delivering for Health willlead to services which are fully responsive to the needs of all those affectedby a condition such as COPD.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 19 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24555 by Mr Tom McCabe on 19 April 2006, what advice it has given to local authorities with regard to implementing the Equal Opportunities Commission’s Code of Practice on Equal Pay.
Answer
As stated in my previous response,“the Executive has not issued any specific guidance to local authorities in relationto their obligations under equal pay”.
The answer to question S2W-28118is relevant with regards to the Equal Opportunities Commission Code of Practiceon the Gender Equality Duty.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 19 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the provision of additional funding to assist local authorities to meet their obligations under equal pay legislation and the Equal Opportunities Commission’s Code of Practice on Equal Pay.
Answer
The core local government financesettlement includes provision for the salariesand wages paid by local authorities. Thesettlement is largely unhypothecated and it is for councils themselves to determinehow they spend this in line with local needs and priorities. The pay and conditions of local government staff arematters for local authorities who have an obligation, like other employers, to ensurethat they comply with all employment legislation.
By the end of the current spendingreview period the core local government finance settlement will have increased byover £3 billion compared with 1999-2000, an increase of 55%. While the Executive’soverall spending plans in the period up to 2007-08 have been announced, we havesaid that within the overall total we remain prepared to look again at the fundingfor local government for 2007-08, and that remains the position.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 14 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in reaching agreement with local government unions on the future of the Local Government Pension Scheme, particularly in relation to the Rule of 85, and what the Executive’s intentions are in respect of this issue.
Answer
Discussions between the Scottish Executive, Unions and COSLA on proposals for a new Local GovernmentPension Scheme are on-going. The last meeting was on 23 August 2006 and furthermeetings are scheduled on a regular basis.
On the related issue of theremoval of the Rule of 85, a consultation exercise on draft regulations, carriedout between 29 June and 31 July 2006, proposed full transitional protection for allexisting members until 2008, and to 2020 for existing members who will be age60 or more and who satisfy the Rule by that date. The comments received throughthe consultation exercise are being considered and an announcement will be madeshortly. The draft regulations also proposed incorporating significant new flexibilitiesinto the scheme to reflect the simplified tax regime provided by the FinanceAct 2004. Regulations to implement these changes were laid in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 14 September 2006.
