- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-1704 by Euan Robson and the members' business debate (Official Report; Vol 1 No 64 (Session 2), c 7177 and c 7178) on 25 March 2004, what plans it has to progress the proposed code of guidance on school closures with COSLA.
Answer
Following discussion with COSLA,we will prepare new guidance for parents, to improve understanding of the processesand of the respective rolls of local authorities and ministers.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the members' business debate (Official Report; Vol 1 No 64 (Session 2) c 7178) on 25 March 2004, what plans it has to adopt policy, against the closure of rural schools in line with the presumption in England.
Answer
When the presumption was announcedin England in 1998, ministers in Scotland declined to follow suit but, rather, drewthe attention of Scottish local authorities to the importance of balancing all theeducational, financial and community issues which particular school closure proposalscan raise, and of taking account of representations made during the statutory consultationprocess before reaching decisions.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2901 by Sarah Boyack on 14 December 1999, what progress has been made in diagnosing sleepiness as a factor in road accidents.
Answer
A road safety research reportlooking at sleepiness as a factor in road accidents was published by the UK Governmentin 2001. The report suggests that sleep could be a factor in a tenth of all roadaccidents across the whole of the road network and up to 20% on “monotonous” roads,especially motorways.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered reviewing its guidance on NHS responsibility for continuing health care contained in MEL (1996) 22 and whether these guidelines are prescriptive or allow for variation of practice between NHS boards.
Answer
NHS bodies are expected to ensurethat their policies, eligibility criteria and protocols for decisions on the provisionof health services to meet continuing care health needs are consistent with ManagementExecutive Letter (1996) 22.
That guidance, however, is currentlyunder review and will be updated over the coming months.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27527 by Mr Frank McAveety on 8 August 2002 and the report by the 25% ME Group, Severely Affected ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) Analysis Report on Questionnaire Issued January 2004 - Analysis Report, published on 1 March 2004, what steps will now be taken to introduce specific guidelines to local authorities regarding provision of social services to people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answer
The Executive has no plans toissue specific new guidelines for local authorities about the provision of socialservices to people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome or anyother chronic illness. Guidance on the assessment of needs and care management forall people in need of social services is already in place.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to instruct NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) to carry out a study into GP attitudes and practice with regard to people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, with particular emphasis on the production of guidelines on the use of home visits and attitudes towards people affected, in light of the report by the 25% ME Group, Severely Affected ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) Analysis Report on Questionnaire Issued January 2004 - Analysis Report, published on 1 March 2004.
Answer
It is for NHS QIS itself to deviseits own work programme and set priorities within it. The National Institute forClinical Excellence, the English equivalent body to NHS QIS, has agreed to developgood practice clinical guidelines for the care of people with CFS/ME. These willbe available to clinicians in Scotland, who are encouraged to make use of all well-founded clinicalguidelines.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to instruct NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to undertake research into treatments for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome with a view to providing guidelines into the most effective forms of treatment and care, in light of the report by the 25% ME Group, Severely Affected ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) Analysis Report on Questionnaire Issued January 2004 - Analysis Report, published on 1 March 2004.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to S2W-7584 on 4 May 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to improve access to allowances and assistance for carers of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, in light of the report by the 25% ME Group, Severely Affected ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) Analysis Report on Questionnaire Issued January 2004 - Analysis Report, published on 1 March 2004.
Answer
The Community Care and Health(Scotland) Act 2002 gives significant new rights for carers, including an assessment,at any time, of their own support needs, independent of the needs of the personfor whom they are caring. NHS boards and local authorities are required to informcarers of their right to assessment and to provide this to all carers, irrespectiveof the condition affecting the person cared for. The act also places duties on theNHS to provide information to carers on their rights of support, including financialsupport. This will help carers to access services and support earlier.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many organisations, registered with the Care Commission, failed to comply with one or more national care standards in each year since the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 came into force, detailing the standards involved in each case.
Answer
This is an operational matterfor the Care Commission. The commission are currently setting up an advisory workinggroup to develop a system which will report to both the public and ministers onthe quality of regulated care services. Details can be found at:
http://www.carecommission.com/.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 22 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Borders Railway to be operational.
Answer
Subject to the successful passage of the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill, the promoters of the Borders Railway estimate that it could be operational by 2008.
