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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-14426

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that every graduate dentist has access to a vocational training place.

We are aware of a potential mismatch between Scottish dental school graduates and availability of vocational training (VT) placements, and are actively exploring through NHS Education for Scotland several options to increase VT capacity in Scotland, including:

the initiation of a further recruitment drive of dental practice trainers (DVT);

contacting clinical leads in the salaried dental service in each of the territorial health boards to determine the extent of capacity;

determining capacity within the hospital dental service;

the relaxation of current criteria requirements in aspects of the recruitment of DVTs which will not affect the quality and development of the training provided.

As dental students are about to sit their finals, the overall supply and demand position remains fluid at this time and we will have a clearer picture on this issue by end May 2013.

Question reference: S4W-14509

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people with learning difficulties have dementia.

Question reference: S4W-14510

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what services are provided specifically for people with learning difficulties who have dementia.

Everyone with dementia, including those with learning difficulties are entitled to receive care, treatment and support in line with the Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland (2011). People with dementia and a learning difficulty should receive a multi-disciplinary assessment of their care needs, including attention to removing any barriers to effective communication between the person with dementia and service providers. The Promoting Excellence dementia skills framework, which is designed to help services meet the dementia standards, requires staff working at “Enhanced” level and above to understand the potential impact of a diagnosis of dementia on people with learning difficulties.

The new national HEAT target on post-diagnostic support provides the commitment that all people newly diagnosed with dementia from 1 April 2013, including those with a learning difficulty, will receive a minimum of a year’s worth of detailed and personalised care, treatment and support, coordinated by a link worker.

People with learning disabilities have a higher risk of developing dementia compared to the general population, with a significantly increased risk for people with Down syndrome and at a much earlier age. As part of the second National Dementia Strategy, to be published in June 2013, we intend to undertake a specific piece of work looking at the need for national action around linkages between dementia and other disabilities and chronic conditions; and the need for national action around early onset dementia.

Question reference: S4W-14566

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the concern about "transparency of communications" as set out in the minutes of Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Staff Governance Committee meeting of 26 March 2013 applies internally as well as to external relations.

Question reference: S4W-14562

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the staff response to Healthcare Improvement Scotland's recent survey of how staff perceived the performance of the organisation.

The Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) staff survey and responses to it were intended for internal use and reference and as such there was no intention to publish the results. The key themes of the survey have been shared with the HIS Partnership Forum and Corporate Management Team and will be incorporated into the Staff Governance Action Plan for 2013-14. All HIS staff will be fully engaged in the implementation of the Staff Governance Action Plan.

Question reference: S4W-14564

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what is meant by "there is still a long way to go", "significant issues remaining include treating everybody with respect" and "variable experiences of leadership" as set out in the minutes of Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Staff Governance Committee meeting of 26 March 2013.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is a relatively new organisation which has gone through significant change and restructure over the past 18 months. Some staff have experienced a period of uncertainty as they move into new structures and teams and have experienced changes in leadership and management reporting lines. Since the staff survey took place, support has been provided for new teams to help them build team relationships and support leaders and managers in taking forward their new teams. These statements reflect a culture of transparency and a strong commitment to improving internal ways of working.

Question reference: S4W-14567

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government where the proposed away day for the executive team of Healthcare Improvement Scotland will be held; at what cost, and who will attend.

Question reference: S4W-14563

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to encourage "behavioural improvement" as set out in the minutes of Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Staff Governance Committee meeting of 26 March 2013 and whether this relates to accusations of workplace bullying.

This statement relates to work required to further embed the values and behaviours’ of Healthcare Improvement Scotland which are aligned to the 2020 Workforce Vision and does not relate to accusations of workplace bullying. Mechanisms are being put in place to ensure consistent cascading of information; further develop leadership and management and in engaging staff in difficult times and this will be reflected in the organisation’s Staff Governance Action Plan.

Question reference: S4O-02108

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are to recognise and promote Scotland’s cultural achievers locally.

Question reference: S4W-14417

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are registered with the chronic medication service, broken down by NHS board.

The number of people registered with the Chronic Medication Service (CMS), by NHS board, is set out in the following table:

CMS registrations by board, as at 29 April 2013:

NHS Board	Total
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	24,773
NHS Borders	6,122
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	8,581
NHS Fife	18,214
NHS Forth Valley	15,639
NHS Grampian	30,137
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	72,191
NHS Highland	15,892
NHS Lanarkshire	35,047
NHS Lothian	37,507
NHS Orkney	501
NHS Shetland	452
NHS Tayside	21,082
NHS Western Isles	441
Scotland Total	286,579

Source: NHS National Services Scotland, Practitioner Services Division.