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I am aware that the allegations to which you refer are being investigated by the Scottish Ambulance Service. This is a matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service to take forward.

The New Medicines Review, which is considering all aspects of access to new medicines, was established on 14 January 2013.

We have received regular updates on the progress of the review since its inception.

Lothian and Borders Police have confirmed that a report was submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) on 27 December 2012. It will be for the COPFS to decide if any further action is required.

The Equality Act 2010, places duties on NHS boards to reduce inequalities in access to health care and improve health outcomes for people. On 1 October 2012, new provisions in the Equality Act 2010 came into force, introducing a ban on unjustifiable age discrimination.

The equality team within NHS Health Scotland, are working to strengthen equality of access for all in NHS Scotland through their health inequalities impact assessment (HIIA). Impact assessment is an important tool for NHS boards to check their policies and services do not inadvertently exclude or discriminate groups within the population and it is an opportunity to promote equality of opportunity and good relations.

The Scottish Medicines Consortiums(SMC) processes for appraising orphan medicines are the same as that for any other medicine. However, in recognition of the small patient populations involved, the SMC can consider application of its modifiers which allow greater flexibility in its decision-making to allow consideration of additional factors such as accepting more uncertainty in the health economic case or a higher cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY).

The Scottish Government has funded the Chartered Institute of Housing to provide guidance to social landlords on the UK Government’s reforms to housing benefit. This includes guidance on the collection of arrears specifically and asks landlords to identify whether there are other ways of collecting unpaid rent which do not risk the tenancy. The guidance is published at:

http://www.cih.co.uk/resources/PDF/Scotland%20Policy%20Pdfs/Bedroom%20Tax/CIH_Bedroomtax_e.pdf.

We are supporting landlords to consider, and where necessary, adapt their practice in response to the UK Government’s housing benefit reforms. The guidance will be updated as required to reflect changes in this respect.

<>The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that eviction is the last resort. In August 2012, it introduced regulations under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 which require landlords to have exhausted all attempts to resolve the arrears with the tenant before taking action to evict. In June 2012 we published guidance for social landlords on these pre-action requirements. The guidance is published at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/06/2337. We will update the guidance to take account of the introduction of Universal Credit in due course.

We have also recently funded the Chartered Institute of Housing to provide guidance to social landlords on the UK Government’s reforms to housing benefit. This guidance highlights the challenges landlords are likely to face and asks landlords to identify whether there are other ways of collecting unpaid rent which do not risk the tenancy. The guidance is published at:

http://www.cih.co.uk/resources/PDF/Scotland%20Policy%20Pdfs/Bedroom%20Tax/CIH_Bedroomtax_e.pdf

The information requested on the number of NHS staff in West Scotland there are to provide patients being treated for cancer with follow-up health checks following surgery is not held centrally.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13013 on 5 March 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The information requested on how many staff each NHS board has to ensure that patients being treated for cancer are provided with follow-up health checks following surgery and whether it considers these numbers are sufficient is not held centrally.

It is for each NHS board to decide how best to plan and deliver their services to meet the needs of their population. This includes how best to utilise funding and staff, taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs. The Scottish Government does not advocate minimum staffing levels.