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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-12593

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

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its suicide prevention strategy.

In Autumn and Winter 2017-18, the Scottish Government will engage with stakeholders with a view to developing a new suicide prevention action plan for publication in 2018. The key themes of the existing Suicide Prevention Strategy namely improving responses to distress, improving the NHS response to suicide, talking about suicide, and developing the evidence base remain pertinent to continuing efforts to reduce the suicide rate; we continue to work with stakeholders to implement the commitments under these themes.

Question reference: S5W-12599

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 how many NHS employees have received the flu vaccination in each year since 2007, broken down by NHS board.

The vaccination of NHS staff against seasonal flu is an occupational health responsibility of NHS Boards. NHS Boards provide high level data to Health Protection Scotland on flu vaccine uptake amongst their healthcare workers, and this allows an estimate to be calculated.

Flu uptake rates for healthcare workers by NHS Board are available for the 2011-12 flu season onwards and can be viewed at: http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/re sp/seasonalinfluenzavisualisation.aspx . It is important to highlight that calculating uptake of vaccination by NHS staff is complicated for a number of reasons. NHS Boards use different occupational health systems, there are limitations within the data provided by NHS Boards to Health Protection Scotland and some staff will be vaccinated through the core vaccination programme by their GP due to risk factors.

Question reference: S5W-12687

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 publish a revised definition of true ultra-orphan medicines.

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.