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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-11619

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many forensic paediatric specialist doctors are expected to retire in the next five years, broken down by year.

Question reference: S4W-11611

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any third sector organisations receiving Scottish Government funding that would need to know before 31 December 2012 whether the funding will be renewed or extended beyond 31 March 2013 so as not to have to issue three-month redundancy notices to staff supported by such funding.

This information is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government supports the third sector to play a full role in meeting the Scottish Government’s purpose and also to make an important contribution to public service reform.

A variety of funding approaches are taken and although the three year funding approach is most common, short term funding also has an important role to play in terms of encouraging innovation. All funding, however, is time limited and subject to the ongoing achievement of outcomes.

The environment is fast changing and there needs to be flexibility to focus funding appropriately. Wherever possible, the Scottish Government will notify the outcome of funding applications well in advance of the start of the funding year, preferably giving at least three months notice.

Question reference: S4W-11614

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered ensuring that third sector organisations are never given less than six months' notice of the cessation of any Scottish Government funding that they are receiving.

We will always endeavour to give as much notice as is practicable, but there are no plans to extend notice of cessation of funding to six months in every case.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-11611 on 13 December 2012. 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.

Question reference: S4W-10722

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many posts were lost following the closure of the (a) Glasgow Caledonian, (b) Dundee and (c) Stirling midwifery schools.

Question reference: S4W-11617

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in achieving the recommendations on forensic paediatric services in respect of (a) workforce sustainability training, (b) training and skills of (i) paediatricians and (ii) forensic physicians and (c) governance, data collection and activity that are contained in the report, Forensic Paediatrics: A Report by the Short Life Working Group.

Question reference: S4W-11431

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued on NDM-1 infection and when.

Question reference: S4W-11430

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of NDM-1 infection reported since 2010 have not been associated with international travel.

Question reference: S4F-01039

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2012

To ask the First Minister what the maximum time is that a patient has waited beyond the cancer waiting times targets in 2012.

Question reference: S4W-11312

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken since 2006 to ensure that non-smoking prisoners are not exposed to second-hand smoke in (a) their cells, (b) communal areas and (c) workshops.

I have asked Colin McConnell, chief executive of the Scottish prison service, to respond. His response is as follows:

“Since 26 March 2006 prisoners have not been permitted to smoke in communal areas and workshops within Scottish prison service establishments.

Prisoners are allowed to smoke in cells as long as the governor has not designated the cell as a non-smoking cell in accordance with the prison rules. On admission to custody and when moving cells prisoners are asked for their smoking preference to minimise, wherever practicable non-smokers sharing cells with smokers.”

Question reference: S4W-11311

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 3 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken in the last three years to introduce a ban on smoking in psychiatric hospitals.

Smoking has been banned in public places in Scotland since 2006 by virtue of the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005. However, the law includes an exemption for residential mental health institutions and permits smoking in designated indoor rooms in such settings.

During 2009 the Scottish Government consulted with stakeholders, service users and the public on the best way to achieve smoke-free mental health services in Scotland. The smoke-free mental health services in Scotland implementation guidance was issued by NHS Health Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government in March 2011.

The guidance clearly articulates the benefits behind the drive for a change to smoke-free and the expectation that NHS boards will implement smoke-free policies in mental health services at a pace which suits the services’ particular needs and circumstances. For example, with the support of the guidance, the state hospital, Carstairs has managed a successful transition to its current smoke-free status.

The Scottish Government is committed to developing a new tobacco control strategy for publication early next year. As part of that work we will consider whether there is a need to review progress in this area.