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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S4W-07732

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the outbreak of Legionella in Edinburgh will have on NHS Lothian's ability to meet its waiting time targets.

The effect of the Legionella outbreak has brought a significant increase in the number of people requiring investigation and treatment in both primary and secondary care. However, NHS Lothian has confirmed that the actual number of elective procedures cancelled as a result of the impact on critical care has been minimal and the board will continue to monitor the impact until the end of the outbreak has been confirmed.

During the course of the week commencing 4 June NHS Lothian cancelled eight elective procedures, all of which have already been rescheduled.

Question reference: S4W-07731

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allocate additional resources to NHS Lothian to deal with the outbreak of Legionella in Edinburgh.

The Scottish Government Resilience Committee has considered NHS resource issues at every meeting. NHS Lothian is reporting that it is coping with the current pressures. Should the position change then the Scottish Government would ensure the required resources were available.

Additional specialist public health resources have already been provided to NHS Lothian from other boards, on a mutual aid basis.

Question reference: S4W-07734

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what organisations are responsible for carrying out further research regarding the identification of the source of the Legionella outbreak in Edinburgh.

Question reference: S4W-07737

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the outbreak of Legionella in Edinburgh, whether an outbreak control team has been established to protect public health and prevent further infection.

An Incident Management Team (IMT) was set up by NHS Lothian on 3 June when the fourth case of Legionnaires disease was confirmed. The IMT is led by NHS Lothian, and involves the Environmental Health Service of Edinburgh City Council, the Health and Safety Executive and Health Protection Scotland. Others are engaged as necessary in the work of the group, for instance the Met Office regarding weather patterns.

An Incident Management Team and Outbreak Control Team perform the same function - the terminology is interchangeable.

Question reference: S4W-07733

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what form the assessment will take to learn lessons from the Legionella outbreak in Edinburgh as referred to by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy on 7 June 2012 (Official Report, c. 9816).

It is standard procedure in all public health incidents and outbreaks such as this for a report to be produced at the end of outbreak by the lead NHS Board Incident Management Team. This is set out in guidance published in October 2011 Management of Public Health Incidents: Guidance on the Roles and Responsibilities of NHS led Incident Management Teams. This report, including its lessons learned, will inform handling of future public health incidents.

Question reference: S4W-07627

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients from the Lothian region will be treated at the new children’s hospital at the South Glasgow Hospitals Campus when it opens and, if so, how many.

Question reference: S4W-07626

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the new children’s hospital at the South Glasgow Hospitals Campus will open.

Question reference: S4W-07625

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh will open.

The opening of the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, in Edinburgh, is planned for physical completion by the end of 2016 and operation in spring 2017 following commissioning. This timetable is dependent on the full resolution of the current issues being negotiated with the funders of the existing PFI contract regarding land and associated commercial issues.

Question reference: S4W-07629

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when it first informed NHS Lothian that funding for the new (a) Royal Hospital for Sick Children and (b) Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh would be under the non-profit distributing model.

A change in funding route for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC) project was announced as part of the Draft Budget for 2011-12 on 17 November 2010. Given the real terms reduction of 32% of Capital DEL (Departmental Expenditure Limit) over the CSR (Comprehensive Spending Review) period, ministers agreed to maintain capital investment via a pipeline of revenue financed investment of £2.5 billion, of which £750 million related to health projects, either as stand-alone Non Profit Distributing (NPD) projects or via the hub initiative.

The announcement made on 17 November 2010 brought together the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN). This reinstates the board’s preferred strategic option and allows the generation of a number of physical and operational synergies that otherwise would not have been possible. Until that decision was taken it was not clear how and when the DCN project could be delivered.

Question reference: S4W-07628

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with (a) NHS Lothian and (b) Consort regarding delays to the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh.