Chamber and committees

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-26430

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out the advice it received from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation for the girls’ HPV vaccination programme prior to its introduction in 2008, and specifically whether it indicated that the programme should be implemented with a single school year of girls only, or via a catch-up programme.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) made a recommendation to introduce the HPV programme for girls on the 18 July 2008. The JCVI recommended a universal HPV vaccination programme for girls aged 12 to 13 years and a time-limited ‘catch up vaccination of girls aged 13 to 17 years.

The JCVI statement can be found at the following link:

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120907095410
/http://www.dh.gov.uk/ab/JCVI/DH_094744

Question reference: S5W-26428

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has in place to publicise and promote the uptake of HPV vaccinations among S1 boys.

Question reference: S5W-26431

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of oropharyngeal cancer rates in Scotland reportedly being the highest in the UK, are increasing, and are projected to increase further, whether it will introduce an HPV catch-up vaccination programme for boys.

Vaccination policy in Scotland, as with the rest of the UK, is based on recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI has not recommended a catch-up approach for the HPV Boys programme at this time.

As with all vaccination programmes, the JCVI keeps its recommendations under review. If at any time the JCVI updates its recommendation around HPV vaccination the Scottish Government will give this due consideration.

Question reference: S5W-26429

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what specific advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation statement in July 2018 it used to decide that the boys' HPV vaccination programme should not be implemented via a catch-up vaccination programme.

I asked Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer to write to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to seek their expert view on the policy of no HPV catch up programme for boys and the rationale behind this.

The JCVI responded on 26 June confirming that they would be content not to make a recommendation that a catch up programme should be introduced on the basis that:

the success of 10 years of the girls’ programme has established good levels of herd protection which means that there would be limited additional benefits to be gained from a catch-up programme in boys;
the priority should be establishing the extension of the routine programme to include adolescent boys and ensuring high uptake in boys whilst maintaining the high uptake in the girls;
under standard economic methodology a catch up in older boys would not be cost effective.

Question reference: S5O-03847

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when the health secretary last met the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and what was discussed.

Question reference: S5O-03854

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5O-03707

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish an assessment of the possible economic impact on Scotland of it leaving the UK.

Question reference: S5O-03671

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the eligibility criteria for the HPV vaccine.

Question reference: S5O-03615

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to ScotRail failing to meet its customer satisfaction targets for the second year running.

Question reference: S5O-03549

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the criteria will be for the allocation of funding for the pilot scheme for first-time buyers.