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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: S5W-21988

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) nursing and (b) midwifery vacancies there have been in each year since 1999.

A table on the number of nursing and midwifery vacancies for staff working in NHSScotland from 2007 onwards has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre- Bib reference number 60524

The number of nursing and midwifery vacancies for staff working in NHSScotland as at 1999-2005 is available on the ISD website historic tables: Nursing and midwifery vacancies by level of qualification and specialty - total vacancies - trend

Please note: The information in these tables should be treated with caution. The non-submission of data is not thought to have a major impact on the vacancy rates shown but the underlying vacancy and establishment numbers will be undercounts of the real total. Figures from 2003 (shaded in the table) are considered to be the most reliable.

The information requested on nursing and midwifery vacancies for staff working in NHScotland for 2006 is not centrally available.

Question reference: S5W-21952

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with NHS Lothian regarding the reported long-term sick leave among its glaucoma consultant team, and what support it is being providing to the board to ensure that this staffing issue does not have an adverse impact on waiting times.

The Scottish Government Access Support Team is in regular contact with NHS Lothian glaucoma team. There is currently a member of the glaucoma team on long-term sick absence, a locum consultant has been employed to provide cover.

NHS Lothian are identifying the highest risk patients to ensure they are reviewed without delay. New ways of working are being developed within the glaucoma team, such as virtual glaucoma clinics where lower risk patients undergo a series of images which are then reviewed at a dedicated clinical session by the consultant. This enables a higher number of patients to be reviewed virtually and consequently frees up consultant time to review patients at the highest risk of sight loss. In addition, the Board are developing the roles of the non-medical profession (optometrists and orthoptists) to support the service.

I am aware that some aspects of performance across ophthalmology services within NHS Scotland, are below the level expected. The Scottish Government is working closely with health boards to improve Ophthalmology services across Scotland. Additionally on the 23 October 2019 I published our £850 million Waiting Times Improvement Plan.

The first allocation of £26.7 million has been allocated to all territorial NHS Boards and the Golden Jubilee National Hospital. This funding will be used to improve waiting times in the face of rising demand for services.

Question reference: S5W-21989

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) nursing and (b) midwifery training places there have been in each year since 1999.

The number of nursing and midwifery training intake numbers since 2000-01 are listed in the following table and have been sourced from ISD Scotland publications:https:--www.isdscotland.org-Health-Topics-Workforce-Publications-data-tables2017.asp

Year	Nursing Training intake Places	Midwifery Training intake Places	Total intake
2000-01	3,036	206	3,242
2001-02	3,160	205	3,365
2002-03	3,183	212	3,395
2003-04	3,422	186	3,608
2004-05	3,513	185	3,698
2005-06	3,419	173	3,592
2006-07	3,233	172	3,405
2007-08	3,181	181	3,362
2008-09	3,116	195	3,311
2009-10	3,291	182	3,473
2010-11	3,307	198	3,505
2011-12	2,948	101	3,049
2012-13	2,606	107	2,713
2013-14	2,768	143	2,911
2014-15	3,024	161	3,185
2015-16	2,986	178	3,164
2016-17	3,094	172	3,266
2017-18	3,268	203	3,471

Numbers for 1999-00 are unavailable and data for 2018-19 will be published in December 2019.

Question reference: S5O-03012

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of a tourist tax on the tourism sector in Edinburgh and Lothian.

Question reference: S5W-21797

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment it has made of the proposed workplace parking levy policy.

Question reference: S5W-21961

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 13 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what most recent estimate it has made of how many smokers there are in each local authority area.

Question reference: S5W-21604

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 12 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates has been spent on preventative health in each year since 1999.

There is a large range of actions and activities delivered across a large number of organisations which contribute, directly and indirectly, to preventative health. As we noted in our response to the Health and Sports Committee's recent report on preventative action and public health, the Scottish Government does not seek to dictate a single concept of prevention and does not require accounts based on that. Our approach is across a significant number of strategies and policies which – from minimum unit pricing for alcohol to proposals to restrict the marketing and promotion of high fat, salt and sugar foods right through to the reporting of Integration Authorities – are clearly about maximising quality and sustainability in current care arrangements and preventing future harm. It is not, therefore, possible to estimate spend on preventative health.

Question reference: S5W-21597

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what the average number of patients per GP has been in each practice in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S5W-21801

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of its call for views on the review of the Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities, which concluded in September 2017.

The review included engagement with key stakeholders including the Patient Advice and Support Service, Scottish Human Rights Commission, Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance and Mental Welfare Commission, and with around 2,500 individuals and groups across Scotland through the Scottish Health Council’s area office network.

An analysis of responses highlighted that the Charter should be revised to include changes in legislation and the publication of new standards since its publication. The review also highlighted that the revised Charter should be effectively promoted so that people are better informed about their rights and responsibilities in relation to health care and health services. As a result the Ministers agreed that the Charter should be revised.

Scottish Government officials have subsequently consulted key stakeholders on the revision of the Charter and are now fact-checking the content and working with NHS Inform to prepare effective promotion of the Charter. Further engagement with external stakeholders and service users to seek their views on the revised document is planned in April and May.

Question reference: S5W-21798

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government which health and social care organisations it has met to discuss the proposed workplace parking levy.