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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: S5W-12686

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it will implement the new assessment and approval pathway for ultra-orphan medicines.

Question reference: S5W-12717

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board that locally-contracted social care providers are experiencing staff turnover rates of up to 50%.

It is the responsibility of Integration Joint Boards working with partners and commissioned services to deliver and to manage all aspects of the resources, including staff, which are required to deliver the services.

Attracting and retaining the right people, and raising the status of social care as a profession, is key to delivering quality care. We have taken action to protect social care services, including investment for paying the Living Wage to adult social care workers.

We are working with COSLA and other key partners to deliver major reforms to adult social care and on a jointly owned workforce plan, both of which will support collaborative work on workforce issues.

Question reference: S5W-12600

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time has been for an NHS-funded wheelchair in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S5W-12586

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether every pupil is able to access water when at school.

Question reference: S5W-12596

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many school coordinators for young carers have been appointed by each local authority.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data.

We are aware of a number of different approaches to supporting young carers in schools across Scotland. This includes dedicated young carer workers from the third sector working across a number of schools in an area.

The Scottish Government is working to support young carers to continue with their education in school, college or in university and not to lose out due to the demands of their caring role. Under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 every young carer will be offered or will be able to request a young carer statement from 1 April 2018. The young carer statement will set out each young carer’s personal outcomes so that their eligible needs are supported to enable them to continue to care, if they so wish, and have a life alongside caring.

Question reference: S5W-12578

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in each local authority area have received respite breaks under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2017.

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 is due to come into effect on 1 April 2018. There is currently no centrally held data for the number of people receiving respite breaks.

The Scottish Health Survey for 2012-2015 shows that around 2% of carers aged 16 and over said they received support through a short break or respite care service. This is equivalent to over 15,000 carers in Scotland.

I also refer the member to the answer to question S5W-11158 on 21 September 2017. 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

Question reference: S5W-12582

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many incorrect prescriptions have been issued in each year since 1999, and how much this has cost, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S5W-12579

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many DS1500 forms have been issued by GPs each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally as this is a matter for the Department of Work and Pensions. A DS1500 form is issued when there is a terminal illness and the prognosis is that the patient may live less than 6 months, it is provided by a GP to the patient, or patient's representative, and it is for them to forward to the Department of Work and Pensions to fast tracks claims when applying for certain benefits.

Question reference: S5W-12594

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in allowing people with rare diseases better access to drugs.

I wrote to the Health and Sport Committee on 16 November to provide an update on the Scottish Government’s progress on implementing the recommendations of the Montgomery Review of Access to New Medicines.

Since publication of the Montgomery Review in December 2016, we have been working closely with relevant partners, stakeholders, patient representatives, the third sector and the pharmaceutical industry to consider the most appropriate and effective way to take forward the recommendations.

Copies of the letter are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 59333)

Question reference: S5W-12602

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11658 by Shona Robison on 25 October 2017, when it will publish the timeline for the implementation of free personal care for people under 65 (Frank’s Law).

Scottish Government officials are working closely with Chief Officers and Chief Finance Officers of a number of Integration Joint Boards, along with COSLA to discuss the implementation of Free Personal Care for under 65's.

There has been a new webpage added to the Scottish Government website http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Support-Social-Care/Support/Adult-Social-Care/Free-Personal-Nursing-Care/Implementation-free-personal-care-under65 which will provide updates on the implementation of the extension to Free Personal Care to under 65's.

Immediately following the Programme for Government announcement on 5 September, we have said that the extension of free personal care will be in place by 1 April 2019.