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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: S4O-03331

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what progress the NHS is making in recording and reducing the levels of boarding out.

Question reference: S4W-21451

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what tendering process NHS boards undertake when disposing of or transferring assets and services to the independent sector, and whether such disposals require to be advertised locally, nationally and EU-wide.

The NHSScotland Property Transactions Handbook sets out the mandatory requirements for NHSScotland bodies in relation to the lease, acquisition or disposal of property holdings. This requirement was set out in CEL 8 (2011) which was issued on 22 February 2011. Mandatory guidance regarding the disposal of assets including valuation and marketing can be accessed at:

http://www.pcpd.scot.nhs.uk/PropTrans/PTHome.htm

Primary day-to-day responsibility for ensuring that NHS property is bought, sold and leased at a price and on other conditions which are the best obtainable for the public interest at that time rests with the Chief Executive of the NHSScotland holding body. This is a significant responsibility and he/she is answerable to the accountable officer, to ensure that procedures are followed. It is essential that the management of transactions is based upon best commercial practice informed by public accountability requirements.

Question reference: S4W-21401

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the NHS in England regarding how much an independent Scotland would pay it for patients' access to specialist (a) hospitals and (b) services.

There are already a range of service level agreements in place between NHS National Services Scotland’s National Services Division (NSD) and NHS England Specialised Commissioning and NHS Trusts in England, covering a wide range of specialist services not routinely available in Scotland due to their low volume and highly specialised nature.

The costs of these services will continue to be met by NSD through these arrangements, which will be unaffected by independence.

Question reference: S4O-03251

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the level of gender segregation in certain industries.

Question reference: S4W-20776

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 7 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to amend the guidance for the management of influenza pandemics, in light of the recent review by the Cochrane Collaboration on the effectiveness of Tamiflu and Relenza.

Question reference: S4W-20778

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to implement each of the recommendations set out in the 2011 report, A TB Action Plan for Scotland.

The Scottish Government published the first annual report of the TB Action Plan for Scotland in November 2013. The report sets out the progress made towards implementation of the action plan’s 42 recommendations and includes key recommendations following on from the action plan.

These include the development of a strategic monitoring framework to manage implementation and measure progress towards the achievement of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) target ‘To eliminate, by 2050, TB as a public health problem (incidence <1 per million population)’. A suite of key performance indicators has been developed to track progress with Scottish recommendations and this is in addition to annual reporting against ECDC indicators. To facilitate implementation a national multidisciplinary TB network has been set up and is chaired by an NHS board.

The report can be viewed at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0043/00437667.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-20774

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what it has done to ensure that falls coordinators in each NHS board encourage people at risk of falls to take an eye test.

The importance of including vision assessment in a multifactorial approach to falls prevention is highlighted in two national documents produced by the National Falls Programme. Both documents aim to support the local development of co-ordinated, integrated and person centred falls prevention and management pathways:

Up and About, Pathways for the prevention and management of falls and fragility fractures. Produced by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (2010)

The Prevention and Management of Falls in the Community: A Framework for Action for Scotland 2014-2015 (currently out for consultation, expected date for publication June 2014)

Question reference: S4W-20764

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been for carrying out unregulated teeth whitening in each of the last five years.

An unregulated person carrying out tooth whitening is considered to be unlawfully holding themself out as practising, or being prepared to practise dentistry, contrary to sections 38 (1) and (2) of the Dentists Act 1984. This legislation is a reserved matter, however the General Dental Council has provided the following information.

2014: five prosecutions, five convictions;

2013: three prosecutions, three convictions;

2012: two prosecutions, two convictions;

2011: two prosecutions, two convictions.

No information is available prior to 2011.

Question reference: S4W-20771

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much it costs to administer the continuing limited eligibility registration process for the minor ailments scheme.

Question reference: S4W-20772

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve the uptake of eye tests by people (a) with learning difficulties, (b) with impaired capacity, (c) from deprived households, (d) whose first language is not English and (e) from ethnic minority communities.

In recognition of the additional needs of some groups optometrists can visit certain approved day centres to provide NHS eye examinations for patients who would have difficulty in obtaining services from practice premises because of their particular needs. The types of patients who could be seen include, those whose first language is not English who are new to the UK and require the service of an interpreter.

Optometrists may also undertake domiciliary visits to patient’s homes or residential homes in order to provide NHS eye examinations where the patient cannot leave home unaccompanied because of their particular needs, such as people with dementia or other disability.

GPs are also promoting optometrists as the first point of contact for eye related problems, with them now referring 33% more patients annually for NHS eye examinations than in 2007.

A patient information leaflet Your guide to free NHS eye examinations in Scotland is also available for display in optometrists, GP practices, and pharmacies.

Finally, training packages to support all optometrists in Scotland have been produced via the UK Directorate of Optometric Continuing Education and Training , supported by the Scottish Government. These include:

Making a Difference: Professional Eye Care for People with Learning Disability

Dementia and Optometry

Optometry and Ethnicity