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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: S3W-33212

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are likely to be made redundant in the (a) prescription pricing and (b) NHS fraud division as a result of (i) the ending of prescription charges and (ii) changing to electronic prescriptions.

National Services Scotland: Practitioner Services Division (PSD) administers the processing of all prescription forms in Scotland. At the abolition of prescription charges, this process will continue. Due to careful forward planning, no redundancies will be made as a result of either the planned abolition of prescription charges or the electronic transfer of prescriptions (ETP) as affected staff will be redeployed into vacancies elsewhere across the organisation. All changes in work patterns have been fully discussed in partnership with the unions.

Similarly, any effect on staff numbers at NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services is likely to be minimal due to their involvement in other workstreams.

Question reference: S3W-33209

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 April 2010

Question reference: S3W-33210

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment of the cost savings, the logistics and possible timing for introduction it has made in switching from paper-based to electronic prescriptions.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16220 on 22 September 2008 which explains that paper cannot be eliminated completely from the prescriptions process in Scotland at this stage. While the electronic transfer of prescriptions (ETP) brings a range of benefits we do not expect, overall, to see a substantial financial saving. ETP began implementation in April 2008 and is now fully in place.

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.

Question reference: S3W-33156

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the law does not discriminate against people with mental health problems and, with reference to section 141(8) of the Mental Health Act 1983, whether it will make representations to the UK Government to end the situation whereby an MSP might lose his or her seat as a result of being detained under mental health legislation.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), which is reserved to Westminster, protects disabled people from discrimination in employment, access to goods, facilities and services, the buying, renting or selling of land or property, education, transport and the exercise of public functions. The (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Enforcement of the DDA is a matter for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the courts and tribunals

Elections for membership of the House of Commons, the European Parliament and the Scottish Parliament are matters reserved to Westminster under Schedule 5, Head B3 of the Scotland Act 1998. Accordingly the Mental Health Act 1983, section 141(8), which was amended by the Scotland Act 1998 relates to Members of the Scottish Parliament suffering from mental illness.

In such a case the Presiding Officer will arrange for two registered medical practitioners to be appointed to report back to him/her on whether a member is suffering from a detainable mental disorder. If the report is to the effect that the member is suffering from mental disorder and authorised to be detained the Presiding Officer will arrange for the member to be visited and examined by two registered medical practitioners six months after the date of the original report. If the second report is that the member is suffering from mental disorder and authorised to be detained the Presiding Officer will lay both reports before the Scottish Parliament, whereupon the seat of the member will become vacant.

The Scottish Government is committed to the principle of non-discrimination. The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, which is the basis of Scottish mental health law, is based around a set of principles which provide for non-discrimination, equality and diversity and respect.

Question reference: S3W-33217

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-15370 and S3W-29664 by Kenny MacAskill on 15 August 2008 and 14 December 2009 respectively and in light of English prison service instructions and the latest HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on Perth Prison, whether the Scottish Prison Service has reviewed its previous decision not to use body online security scanner chairs to increase the detection of mobile phones to further control the supply of drugs into prisons.

I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

Further to Dr Simpson''s previous two questions on the use of Body Orifice Security Scanner (BOSS) chairs, I can confirm that - at this time - we have no intention to use this equipment in visitor waiting areas. However, the Scottish Prison Service is strongly committed to reducing the volume of drugs entering prisons and continually reviews the front-end security processes as they apply to visitors.

BOSS chairs will continue to be used on prisoners.

Question reference: S3W-33215

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents were associated with drivers smoking in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S3W-33176

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-29334 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 December 2009, whether two-view mammography breast screening has now been rolled out across all NHS boards.

Question reference: S3W-32725

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cochlear implants have been performed on adults in each year from 2000 to date.

The number of adults receiving a cochlear implant in each year from 1999-2000 to 2009-2010 is shown in the following table.

Number of Cochlear Implants (Adults)

1999-2000	33
2000-01	24
2001-02	24
2002-03	22
2003-04	24
2004-05	23
2005-06	21
2006-07	27
2007-08	32
2008-09	51
2009-10	56

Question reference: S3W-32726

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cochlear implants have been performed on children in each year from 2000 to date.

The number of children (age 0-16 years) receiving a cochlear implant in each year from 1999-2000 to 2009-10 is shown in the following table.

Total Number of Children (0-16 years)

1999-2000	24
2000-01	20
2001-02	18
2002-03	20
2003-04	19
2004-05	25
2005-06	23
2006-07	31
2007-08	32
2008-09	42
2009-10	55*

Note: *The figure for 2009-10 includes 27 children receiving a sequential implant.

Question reference: S3W-32483

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 14 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to The Gathering 2009 Ltd since its inception, including funding from partner bodies in the public sector.

A range of public sector partners provided grant support to The Gathering 2009 Ltd for delivery of The Gathering event. The financial support provided by the public sector was £100,000 from Scottish Government, £100,000 from EventScotland, £80,000 from Homecoming Scotland, £100,000 from the City of Edinburgh Council, £100,000 from Scottish Enterprise and £10,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In addition to this, Scottish Government provided The Gathering 2009 Ltd with a loan of £180,000.

Although the event was a success, The Gathering 2009 Ltd encountered serious financial difficulties and, given the circumstances of the company, the judgement was taken that its debts where irrecoverable. As a result, the Scottish Government, Historic Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service took the decision not to seek to recover £180,000, £72,600 and £11,700 respectively. Lothian and Borders Police also took the decision not to seek to recover the amounts owed to them.