- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 14 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to improve the public image of children and young people in foster care to reduce any perceived stigma attached to them, encourage inclusiveness and highlight the value to the community of fostering.
Answer
The Fostering Network undertakesan annual Foster Care Fortnight campaign to raise awareness of the role of fostercare and its importance to vulnerable children and young people.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 14 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that all children in foster care are guaranteed information relating to a proposed foster placement and that no such placement will be made without a pre-placement visit.
Answer
Volume 2 of the Children (Scotland)Act 1995 Regulations and Guidance sets out the preparation that should beundertaken by local authorities with a child prior to any foster placement. Theguidance makes clear that the child’s views must be taken into account whenconsidering a foster care placement and that methods to prepare children forplacement should be suited to their age or development.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 14 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children are in foster care, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The number of children looked after in foster care on 31 March 2002 is in the following table.
| Local Authority Area | Children Looked After in Foster Care |
| Aberdeen City | 130* |
| Aberdeenshire | 115 |
| Angus | 85 |
| Argyll and Bute | 30 |
| Clackmannanshire | 35 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 125 |
| Dundee City | 120 |
| East Ayrshire | 65 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 15 |
| East Lothian | 75 |
| East Renfrewshire | 10 |
| Edinburgh - City of | 320 |
| Eilean Siar | 5 |
| Falkirk | 85 |
| Fife | 185 |
| Glasgow City | 715 |
| Highland | 105 |
| Inverclyde | 25 |
| Midlothian | 45 |
| Moray | 55* |
| North Ayrshire | 55 |
| North Lanarkshire | 140 |
| Orkney Islands | 10 |
| Perth and Kinross | 65 |
| Renfrewshire | 85 |
| Scottish Borders | 80 |
| Shetland Islands | 15 |
| South Ayrshire | 50 |
| South Lanarkshire | 75 |
| Stirling | 55 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 70 |
| West Lothian | 120 |
| Scotland | 3,170 |
Note:
Cells marked with anasterisk are where estimates have been made, figures rounded to the nearest fiveto preserve confidentiality.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 14 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce guidance to ensure (a) that foster placements are not made in locations too remote from family members and (b) access between fostered children and their families and that such access is of sufficient frequency to allow family links to be maintained.
Answer
Volume 2 of the Children (Scotland)Act 1995 Regulations and Guidance already provides guidance on these matters. Itmakes clear that reasonable proximity to the child’s birth family, or at leastconvenient public transport services, are desirable in placement where contactwith the child’s family is part of the care plan. The foster carers should beable to accommodate contact at the frequency the child needs, make birth familymembers welcome and help them feel relaxed with their child. Where a fosterhome is not within easy travelling distance, the social worker may need toorganise transport so that contact is not reduced by factors outside the birthfamily’s control.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2498 by Cathy Jamieson on 23 September 2003, whether the outline agreement on sheriff court provision in Peebles includes the provision of a sheriff clerk's office.
Answer
The outline agreement betweenofficials of the Scottish Court Service and the Scottish Borders Council relatingto the use of the council building at Rosetta Road, Peebles, for court hearingsdoes not include the provision of a public office for the Sheriff Clerk Depute.However, in tandem with the discussions on the use of the building for hearings,officials of both organisations are involved in detailed discussion on a partnershipagreement which would see much of the public office services of the sheriffcourt being delivered through the district court office at Rosetta Road.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive which ScotRail routes would have passed the business case test to be applied to the proposed Waverley railway line.
Answer
In most cases investment in theScotRail routes was made many decades ago. It is not possible to determine how suchinvestments would perform under current appraisal techniques. All new proposalsfor rail investment in Scotland are appraised under the Scottish Transport AppraisalGuidance.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 8 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1687 by Euan Robson on 18 August 2003, when it was anticipated that the report by the Chief Inspector of Social Work would be available and when that report is to be published.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-1687 on 18 August 2003. 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/search_wa
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the role of the Waiting Times Co-ordination Unit is in respect of the length of waiting time for a first appointment for a hearing test, and other audiology tests, before referral to a consultant.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2908 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.We are determined to tackle waitingtimes for first out-patient appointments, including waits for audiology. The Executivehas included a commitment in the white paper Partnership for Care and thePartnership Agreement Partnership for a Better Scotland, that no patientwill wait longer than 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment following GPreferral, by 2005.
The National Waiting Times Unithas agreed plans with each NHS board which include local out-patient waiting timestargets which demonstrate the progress they are expected to make towards deliveryof the 26-week target. In addition, I launched the Out-patient Action Plan on 13 June 2003 and theCentre for Change and Innovation will drive forward its implementation through aco-ordinated programme of service redesign and the promotion and dissemination ofgood practice across NHSScotland.
The Executive is committed tothe modernisation of audiology services and £8 million is being made available between2003-04 and 2006-07. On 1 October 2003, we announced the issue of £9 million over the nextthree years to meet the Partnership Agreement commitment to allow the routine issueof digital hearing aids and support where they are the most clinically effectiveoption.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2315 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 September 2003, what the average waiting time has been from referral by a GP for an appointment with ear, nose and throat departments for a hearing test, and other audiology tests, prior to referral to a consultant in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
Information on waiting timesfor a hearing test or other audiology test is not available. Data onout-patient waiting times are collected centrally at specialty level only.
Audiology services are in thespecialty of ear, nose and throat, hearing and other tests will normally be conductedat a first out-patient appointment at a consultant-led clinic in this specialty,following referral by a general medical practitioner.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2315 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 September 2003, whether the median waiting times given in that answer include the waiting period for a hearing test following a GP referral but prior to referral to a consultant and, if not, what the total median waiting time period has been including that waiting time in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2908 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
