- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2018
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2018
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking in response to reports that two-thirds of teachers do not feel that they have been sufficiently trained in supporting the mental health needs of pupils.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2018
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 18 January 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to meet with local health groups to discuss palliative care in the Highlands.
Answer
I am meeting with local campaigners, Caithness Health Action Team & locally elected representatives, on 7 February to listen to their concerns regarding care provision, including Palliative Care. NHS Highland have also confirmed that palliative care patients will remain in Caithness.
In addition Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with a wide range of organisations, including the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care (SPPC) the umbrella organisation for palliative care charities, to discuss palliative care across Scotland.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 12 January 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering rebranding the Forestry Commission in Scotland and, if so, how many staff are employed with this; what their terms of reference and remit are, and when they will report their conclusions to ministers.
Answer
As set out in the Policy Memorandum (paragraph 66) and the Financial Memorandum (paragraphs 44 and 45) for the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Bill, there will need to be some rebranding of Forestry Commission Scotland and Forest Enterprise Scotland assets on completion of the devolution of forestry.
The approach will be proportionate and low-cost, the activity will be spread over a period of time and it will make maximum use of existing allocated budgets for the usual replacement of assets such as vehicles and signage on the National Forest Estate. It is anticipated that any additional costs can be subsumed within the overall budget provision.
Three existing members of staff in Forest Enterprise Scotland are, as part of their current responsibilities, contributing to this work. A design graduate placement has also been established in Forest Enterprise Scotland, to provide an opportunity for a new entrant to gain first-hand experience in the development process of a new visual brand.
This work falls under the auspices of the Forestry Devolution Programme, which has been established to oversee all work related to completing the devolution of forestry.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 21 December 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that patients who require prosthetic limb replacements are treated locally.
Answer
Prosthetic limb replacements are fitted in one of 5 mobility centres in Scotland – in Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These assess and fit patients with a range of standard limbs and in most cases will offer every support that the patient needs to ensure mobility is maximised, this includes support at home if the patient’s circumstances indicate this is required.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2017
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 December 2017
To ask the Scottish Government how many business reference numbers (BRN) have been issued with correct payment and reduction letters in each year since 2015, and how this compares with the number of BRN claims each year under the Basic Payments Scheme.
Answer
The following tables set out the number of claims for the Basic Payment Scheme for 2015 and 2016, the number of claims paid, and the number of claims still to be paid.
All businesses that have received their Basic Payment Scheme payment have also received their Basic Payment Scheme payment letter.
In any claim year not all Businesses that submit an application will be found to be eligible for a Basic Payment Scheme Payment, and some ineligible claims will not be formally withdrawn.
SAF 2015
|
Claims Received for BPS that haven't been withdrawn or deleted
|
18,935
|
|
Total BPS payments made and letters issued
|
18,418
|
|
Eligible BPS Balance payments left to make
|
0
|
Figures accurate as of 12 December 2017 13:00
SAF 2016
|
Claims Received for BPS that haven't been withdrawn or deleted
|
18,496
|
|
Total BPS payments made and letters issued
|
17,834
|
|
Eligible BPS Balance payments left to make
|
5
|
Figures accurate as of 12 December 2017 13:00
As mentioned in response to S5W-11154 on 21 September 2017, we have not yet issued any reduction and exclusion letters for Basic Payment Scheme. Final testing and development of the functionality required to issue the letters is close to completion. We expect to be able to start distributing Reduction and Exclusion letters for 2015 and 2016 in the near future. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2017
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government takes to acknowledge seasonal workers and companies that operate over the festive season.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2017
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Funding Council’s statistics on teacher vacancies, particularly regarding the Highlands.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2017
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 September 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 2 November 2017
To ask the Scottish Government how much NHS Highland has paid other NHS boards in the UK in each of the last three years, broken down by the (a) board paid and (b) treatment category.
Answer
It is not unusual for patients to move to other health boards for specialist treatment. Some specialist services, such as plastic surgery and neurosurgery, are provided on a regional basis. NHS Highland has service level agreements with other NHSScotland Boards in the central belt and Aberdeen for tertiary services such as specialist paediatrics and transplant surgery.
NHS Highland paid other NHSScotland Boards £100.9m in 2016-17; £98.4m in 2015-16; and £92.5m in 2014-15. The breakdown by Board is provided in the following table.
NHS Highland made payments to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in excess of £68 million in 2016-17. This primarily related to Acute Services in the Argyll and Bute area provided by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde under a service level agreement with NHS Highland.
The Scottish Government does not hold data on treatment category.
|
NHSScotland Board
|
|
2016-17
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2015-16
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2014-15
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
|
|
NHS Ayrshire and Arran
|
311
|
329
|
300
|
|
NHS Borders
|
73
|
59
|
36
|
|
NHS Dumfries and Galloway
|
35
|
28
|
32
|
|
NHS Fife
|
252
|
242
|
237
|
|
NHS Forth Valley
|
151
|
135
|
163
|
|
NHS Grampian
|
6,969
|
7,319
|
6,522
|
|
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
|
68,030
|
65,987
|
61,998
|
|
NHS Lanarkshire
|
183
|
197
|
164
|
|
NHS Lothian
|
4,687
|
5,103
|
5,609
|
|
NHS Orkney
|
40
|
31
|
44
|
|
NHS Shetland
|
43
|
20
|
24
|
|
NHS Tayside
|
3,830
|
2,965
|
2,405
|
|
NHS Western Isles
|
58
|
69
|
59
|
|
NHS National Services Scotland
|
13,605
|
13,485
|
12,736
|
|
NHS Scottish Ambulance Service
|
421
|
406
|
356
|
|
NHS Education for Scotland
|
14
|
13
|
21
|
|
The State Hospitals Board for Scotland
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
NHS 24
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
NHS Health Scotland
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
NHS National Waiting Times Centre Board
|
2,189
|
2,018
|
1,831
|
|
Total
|
100,891
|
98,407
|
92,540
|
|
Health bodies outside Scotland (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
|
599
|
936
|
933
|
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 30 October 2017
To ask the Scottish Government when the post in NHS Highland for the radiologist who retired in June 2017 was publically advertised; whether the board has written to other NHS boards to request assistance with the provision of radiologists, and what additional employment incentives have been offered and implemented to attract radiologists to the region.
Answer
While the Scottish Government sets strategic policies for the NHS in Scotland, it is the responsibility of NHS Boards – including NHS Highland – to plan and recruit their workforce to ensure that enough professional staff and facilities are available to provide the best possible care for patients in a variety of settings.
NHS Highland have advised that they currently have 5 vacant radiology posts, which are advertised on a rolling basis. The vacant posts cover a variety of sub-specialty interests. The individual who occupied the radiology post which became vacant in June has now returned to work in the Board on a part-time, fixed-term basis.
A national working group, is currently exploring the potential for an international recruitment campaign to attract more radiologists to come and work within NHSScotland.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 September 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 27 October 2017
To ask the Scottish Government how much NHS Highland spent on (a) agency and (b) locum staff in each of the last three years.
Answer
In the last three years NHS Highland has spent the following on both agency and bank staff:
|
Nursing
|
Agency *
|
Staff Bank
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
|
2016-17
|
1,296.3 *
|
6,585.6
|
|
2015-16
|
1,017.8 *
|
6,411.8
|
|
2014-15
|
730.2 *
|
6,811.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Medical
|
Agency ^
|
Staff Bank
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
|
2016-17
|
11,742.2 ^
|
2,993.3
|
|
2015-16
|
12,229.3 ^
|
2,948.0
|
|
2014-15
|
8,673.3 ^
|
1,626.9
|
* source: ISD Scotland (ISD(M)18)
^ sources: NHS Boards and Managed Agency Service Network (MASNet)
