- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 1 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be provided for the Choose Life programme in 2011-12.
Answer
Funding for Choose Life in 2011-12 is wrapped up within the total funding allocation to NHS Health Scotland of £1.4 million. Based on previous budget allocation, approximately 50% of this will be spent on Choose Life.
Under the concordat between the Scottish Government and COSLA, funding for local suicide prevention action is wrapped up in general allocations to local authorities.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27498 by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 September 2009, how many GP practices have reopened negotiations with premium rate telephone line providers to drive down costs to callers.
Answer
We do not hold any information on how many GP practices have re-opened negotiations with premium telephone providers.
We have however written to chief executives of NHS boards on 23 February 2011 reiterating the Scottish Government''s policy that patients should not incur charges above the normal telephone call rates. We have also requested that they encourage GP contractors to review their current telephone arrangements.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-27498 and S3W-27499 by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 September 2009, how many GP practices have set up premium rate telephone lines since the Cabinet Secretary announced that guidance would be issued to NHS boards that would require them to press practices using premium rate numbers to reopen negotiations with service providers.
Answer
We are not aware of any additional GP practices using premium rate telephone numbers and we want to encourage those which do so to review their current telephone provider arrangements.
We have written to chief executives of NHS boards reiterating the Scottish Government''s policy that patients should not incur charges above the normal telephone call rates. I have also requested that they encourage GP contractors to review their current telephone arrangements.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27498 by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 September 2009, when the guidance to NHS boards on the use of premium rate telephone lines was issued.
Answer
We wrote to chief executives of NHS boards on 23 February 2011 reiterating the Scottish Government''s policy that patients should not incur charges above the normal telephone call rates. We have also requested that they encourage GP contractors to review their current telephone arrangements.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is legal to charge VAT on the cost of social care services
Answer
The provision of what are termed welfare services is exempt from VAT when provided by designated organisations. These include public bodies such as government departments, local authorities and NHS boards.
In most cases social care services would be classified as welfare services and as NHS boards are a designated bodies for the purposes of these rules, it is likely that any such charges would be exempt from VAT.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the view of the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry that 60 people were affected during the outbreak and that 38 people subsequently died
Answer
The inquiry''s investigations are ongoing and I understand that they are currently investigating the treatment of 60 patients at the Vale of Leven Hospital, including 38 deaths. That does not mean that the inquiry has concluded that the outbreak caused 38 deaths. The terms of reference provided the inquiry with a wide discretion to investigate the matter thoroughly.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of people affected by Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven hospital has changed since originally reported
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39515 on 23 February 2011. 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/Apps2/business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 17 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth will allocate Supporting People funding based on the decision reached at the COSLA leaders meeting on 19 November 2010.
Answer
With effect from 1 April 2008 the former ring-fenced Supporting People funding was rolled-up into the general local government finance settlement and distributed as part of the block grant which the Scottish Government provides to local authorities. There are, therefore, no separate Supporting People allocations of funding for the years 2008-12 although the distribution of this provision, including the updating of the indicators for 2011-12 as agreed at the Council Leaders meeting on 19 November 2010, has been retained within the needs-based formula.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 17 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has refused to meet West Dunbartonshire Council regarding its budget settlement for 2011-12.
Answer
I did not refuse to meet West Dunbartonshire Council. Following a request from the council, my office notified it that I would not be able to meet before the requested date of 27 January 2011 due to my other diary commitments.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 17 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how much Supporting People funding would be allocated to each local authority for 2011-12 based on the decision reached at the COSLA leaders meeting on 19 November 2010.
Answer
With effect from 1 April 2008 the former ring-fenced Supporting People funding was rolled-up into the general local government finance settlement and distributed as part of the block grant which the Scottish Government provides to local authorities. There are, therefore, no separate Supporting People allocations of funding for 2011-12 although the distribution of this funding has been retained within the needs-based formula.
The distribution of this former ring-fenced funding was based on a number of needs-based indicators agreed in 2004. These indicators were, as agreed at COSLA''s leaders meeting held on 19 November 2010 updated for the 2011-12 distribution. The effects of using the 2004 indicators were dampened by an interim adjustment, introduced for the period 2005-08, which ensured that no local authority would lose more than 18 per cent of its funding over the period 2005-08 compared with it''s allocation in 2004-05. This adjustment was not retained in the 2011-12 calculations. In recognition of the impact that the dampening had on individual local authority funding allocation for 2011-12 I announced as part of the debate on the 2011-12 Scottish Budget on 9 February 2011 that I intend to allocate an additional £5 million to tackling the problem and have invited COSLA to match that amount. The distribution, once agreed with COSLA, will be included in the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Amendment Order 2011 to be tabled March 2011.
