Our next petition is PE674, which concerns funding for services for sufferers of motor neurone disease. The petitioner calls on the Scottish Parliament to consider the funding of services for those who suffer from motor neurone disease in the context of the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association's "Manifesto for the Scottish Parliament". At its meeting on 17 March 2004, the committee agreed to invite the petitioner's views on the Scottish Executive's response. The petitioner states in his response:"I appreciate the view of the Executive on condition specific organisations, however motor neurone disease (MND) in itself does not compair to many aspects of other fatal diseases."However, in its response, the Executive stated:"The Committee is also aware of the Executive's view that the planning and management of services is in general best carried out at local level, and that the unified budgets made available to NHS Boards should be maximised rather than holding back funds to be used for specific conditions."Do members have any views on how we should deal with the petition, now that we have had the responses?
Official Report · Committee
Current Petitions
Motor Neurone Disease (PE674)
Speakers
Choose an MSP to read only their contributions- Michael McMahon Lab 3
- Carolyn Leckie SSP 3
- John Scott Con 2
The record
8 contributionsMy general concern about all such issues, which takes us back to the earlier petition on learning disabilities, is the accountability framework and the need to ensure that services are provided. That leads to people asking for ring-fenced resources for specific conditions, because they do not see evidence of the services being delivered adequately. Politically and ideologically, we might not agree with the action for which the petitioner asks, but there is a problem, because there is a perception that motor neurone disease is not given adequate resources or priority. That is something that the Health Committee should consider at some stage in any relevant item in its work programme and I imagine that, in many matters that that committee considers, the problem will inform its discussions.
So you are asking not for an inquiry but that the Health Committee somehow take into consideration the way in which funds are administered or the fact that moneys that the national health service has are not made specific to particular illnesses.
There needs to be a way of addressing the matter through accountability. I do not agree with the idea of having national budgets for each specific condition. Although I do not think that that is the way to run the health service, I understand the problems that lead people to draw that conclusion. It is a question of ensuring, through accountability, that the resources on the ground are adequate to deal with all the specific conditions in the appropriate way. It is important that the Health Committee is aware of that when it considers a raft of issues.
Perhaps the action that we should take is to pass the petition on to the Health Committee for information rather than for it to take action on.
Yes. We should ask the Health Committee to keep it under consideration.
We should make the Health Committee aware of it, as there is probably nothing further that we can do.
We will make the Health Committee aware of the petition and the general concerns that Carolyn Leckie has expressed. For information's sake, it is worth while passing the petition on to that committee. We will then close our consideration of the petition. Is everyone happy with that?Members indicated agreement.
In this meeting
Everything on 9 Jun 2004 →- Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee Wednesday 9 June 2004 (Morning) Petitions · 1
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- Current Petitions Petitions · 12
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