In addition, increases in the Minimum Income Guarantee will tackle pensioner poverty. Wider measures will promote social inclusion through fiscal measures to regenerate Scotland s urban areas, increasing employment opportunities, supporting families and tackling child poverty. A major new VAT package will ease the burden on many of Scotland s 230,000 small-medium sized enterprises. Scotland has also received a Barnett share of 17.7 million of additional monies for the New Deal for Schools and e-learning for this year. To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to allow patients to return unused and unopened medicines prior to the expiry date and to have prescription charges refunded.
Patients can take any unused medicines to their local pharmacy for safe disposal.
We have no plans to refund prescription charges collected on returned medicines. To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to allow Tobramycin to be prescribed for the treatment of cystic fibrosis and what guidelines will be issued to health boards regarding this medicine. Tobramycin is available on the NHS in Scotland and its use as a treatment for cystic fibrosis depends on the clinical judgement of the clinician concerned. It is for each health board to determine its prescribing policy on drugs, including Tobramycin, taking into account advice from local drug and therapeutic committees. To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the future funding of current Rough Sleeper Initiative projects.