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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-20202

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 31 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the appeals mechanism is for the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Question reference: S4W-20123

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 25 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19430 by Alex Neil on 19 February 2014, when it expects a decision to be made on the future of the fund.

On 6 March 2014 the Department for Work and Pensions announced their intention to continue with the closure of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) by the end of June 2015.

To date, we have not received formal notification and further information, including a revised financial settlement. This will be considered along with the analysis of the recent Scottish Government ILF consultation. This will form the decision of Scottish Ministers on the ILF and an announcement will be made in due course.

Question reference: S4W-20103

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to increase the number of patients self-testing/self-managing international normalised ratio (INR) testing as part of a stroke prevention programme.

<>There are no current plans to increase the number of patients self testing/self managing as part of a stroke prevention programme. Individual clinicians working with people on anticoagulants will decide on a case by case basis on the most appropriate approach in line with current evidence which can be found at: http://www.sign.ac.uk/guidelines/fulltext/129/index.html

and: http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/technologies_and_medicines/shtg_-_evidence_notes/evidence_note_50.aspx

Question reference: S4W-20102

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a national service delivery model for anticoagulation international normalised ratio (INR) testing in line with the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh consensus statement, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guideline 129 and the Scottish patient safety programme on improving warfarin safety and optimising warfarin management.

Question reference: S4W-20127

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-17494 and S4W-17495 by Alex Neil on 11 October 2013, whether and, if so, what new factor has led to the delay in publishing the inquiry report given that the warning letter process was noted at that time.

<>The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry is an independent inquiry. The procedure and the conduct of an inquiry, including the timing of the report, is determined by the inquiry’s chairperson in accordance with his or her duties under the Inquiries Act 2005. For further information please contact the secretary of the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry team at: information@valeoflevenhospitalinquiry.org

Question reference: S4W-20126

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19663 by Alex Neil on 4 March 2014, when initial warning letters were issued by the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry.

Question reference: S4W-20104

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to undertake a review and analysis of the uptake of patient international normalised ratio (INR) self-testing/self-management in comparison with rates in England and other European countries and identify any barriers to Scottish patients managing their own condition.

Question reference: S4O-03071

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reported underspend of discretionary housing payments by some local authorities.

Question reference: S4W-19884

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 7 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is an underspend in the Scottish Welfare Fund for 2013-14.

The Scottish Welfare Fund is a new scheme and an underspend in its early months is not surprising as local authorities adapted to their new welfare responsibilities. Action in recent months, including amending the guidance in October 2013 to give local authorities greater flexibility to make awards and working hard with the third sector to promote the fund, has resulted in a sharp rise in spend. Since October 2013 the fund has been spending broadly to profile.

Question reference: S4W-19886

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 7 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the Scottish Welfare Fund has been paid out (a) in cash and (b) as goods and what the value was of the goods.

Between 1 April 2013 and 30 September 2013, the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) spent or committed £9.2 million. Of this £9.2 million, a total of £8.6 million had been paid out to households and this was 94% of the spent or committed value. There is a lag between the amount spent or committed and the amount paid out to households, for example, due to households waiting for goods to be delivered.

Of the £8.6 million, around £1.3 million was paid out in cash and around £4.4 million were paid out in goods. Overall, cash payments accounted for 15% of the overall SWF spend by value, and goods accounted for 51% of the overall SWF spend by value. The remaining £2.9 million (34%) was paid out via other methods.

Details of all payments can be found in table 25a of SWF statistics, available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Social-Welfare/swf/AprilSept2013.