- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what actions are being taken through the cancer strategy for children and young people to ensure that all children and young people are enrolled on a clinical trial where possible.
Answer
The Scottish Government/Cancer Research UK funded Paediatric Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) in Glasgow has been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at maximising the number of opportunities for children and young people with cancer to participate in clinical trials.
The Glasgow Paediatric ECMC leads the Northern Paediatric ECMC Network that includes all Scottish Principle Treatment Centres (PTC’s), together with centres in the North of England and Northern Ireland. The Network holds weekly Regional Relapse Discussion Panel (RRDP) meetings which facilitate the identification across an extended geographical area of clinical trials suitable for individual patients.
This approach has been extended to clinical trials in the Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) patient cohort, with the Glasgow ECMC a participant in the UK ECMC TYA Network. This group is currently actively considering the development of a UK-wide national complex case TYA multi-disciplinary team (MDT) approach to enable availability of early phase trials across as wide a patient population base as possible.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Royal College of Radiologists' 2023 Clinical Radiology Workforce Census, what its plans are to ensure that the 26% shortfall of consultant radiologists in Scotland (a) is addressed and (b) does not impact patient safety or the quality of care.
Answer
There has been an expansion of 68 posts in Clinical Radiology specialty training since 2014. Clinical Radiology is a competitive specialty which has historically filled posts at 100%. The 2025 expansion process is currently underway and will conclude later this year. This will consider the need for expansion in all medical specialties, including clinical radiology and clinical oncology, with the overall aim of ensuring Scotland has a sufficient supply of trained doctors coming through the system to meet anticipated future demand.
Consultant radiologists have increased by 34.2%, from 304 headcount ten years ago (March 2014) to 408 headcount in March 2024 .
An Oncology Task and Finish Group was established in May 2024 to improve access to safe, quality oncology services by planning, on a population basis across Scotland, a safe and sustainable operating model for NHS Scotland Oncology Services.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council regarding the development of the skills passport for offshore energy workers in Scotland.
Answer
SOWEC routinely discusses skills and jobs as part of its agenda. During the SOWEC meeting of 13 May, it was agreed that SOWEC would issue a letter of support for the Skills Passport. A letter has been drafted and this will be issued in due course once approved by SOWEC. It is important to note that SOWEC is not delivering the Skills Passport and is not directly involved in its development.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the appointment of members to the proposed Strategic Public Engagement Delivery Partnership as set out in its Heat transition: public engagement strategic framework, which was published on 13 December 2023.
Answer
Development of the Partnership is progressing, with work on-going to identify membership from a wide range of organisations from across the Public, Private and Third Sector. As outlined in the Heat in Building’s Public Engagement Strategic Framework, we have made a commitment to set-up the Partnership during 2024 and will provide further details in the coming months.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on expected timescales for its Heat transition: public engagement strategic framework, which was published on 13 December 2023.
Answer
The Framework sets out a longer-term approach on how we will engage with homeowners, tenants and landlords over the next decade. In addition, we have outlined a number of shorter-term actions over the next three years to help build a strong foundation of public awareness. As follows:
? Continued and expanded marketing and communications activity.
? Exploring options for extending the reach of platforms like the Greener Homes Network so that people can share experiences and learn from each other.
? Streamlining customer journeys and ensuring people and organisations know where and how to access advice and support available.
We have committed to undertake a review and evaluate the impact of the strategic framework during 2026.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care will meet with (a) the Royal College of Radiologists and (b) NHS England to discuss the recommendations that were made in the 2023 Clinical Oncology and Clinical Radiology Workforce Census reports.
Answer
The Chief Medical Officer met with the Royal College of Radiologists on 14 December 2023 and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer met with them on 16 May 2024. A representative of the Royal College of Radiologists is a member of the Oncology Task and Finish group that is developing a sustainable operating model for NHS Scotland oncology.
There are no meetings arranged with NHS England.
- Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to amend the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 to make explicit the obligations of public authorities to act should any individual experiencing forced marriage contact them for support.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no current plans to amend the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011. Forced Marriage is illegal in Scotland and there are protections under civil and criminal law for any victims or potential victims.
Section 11 of the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 imposes a duty on Scottish Ministers to give guidance on the effect of Part 1 that Act. Section 11(3) states that a person exercising public functions to whom guidance is given under section 11 must have regard to it in the exercise of those functions.
The statutory Forced Marriage Guidance, which is currently being refreshed, outlines the responsibilities of relevant public authorities for developing and maintaining local procedures and practices to enable their practitioners to handle cases of forced marriage effectively. The guidance makes clear that staff may have limited opportunity to speak to a potential victim and as such, must be aware of their responsibilities when they come across forced marriage cases.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the interventional radiology workforce, in light of the reported 24% shortfall in interventional radiologists in Scotland, according to the latest workforce census from the Royal College of Radiologists.
Answer
As previously stated in answer to S6W-28165 on 25 June 2024, The Scottish Government has been increasing the number of available specialty training places for junior doctors in Clinical Interventional Radiology training programmes. Since 2014 we have funded the creation of 10 additional posts in Clinical Interventional Radiology. The 2025 expansion process is currently underway and will conclude later this year. This will consider the need for expansion in all medical specialties, including clinical radiology and clinical oncology, with the overall aim of ensuring Scotland has a sufficient supply of trained doctors coming through the system to meet anticipated future demand.
More junior doctors are joining NHS Scotland than ever before, with more than 1,100 recruited throughout 2023, according to data from 26 March 2024. A total of 1,231 posts were advertised during the 2023 recruitment cycle and 94% filled successfully.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the number of interventional radiologists, in light of the estimate in the Royal College of Radiologists’ Clinical Radiology Workforce Census report that Scotland only has 9.5 interventional radiologists per million of the population, compared with 11.6 across the UK as a whole.
Answer
The Scottish Government has been increasing the number of available specialty training places for junior doctors in clinical interventional radiology training programmes. Since 2014 we have funded the creation of 10 additional posts in Clinical Interventional Radiology. The 2025 expansion process is currently underway and will conclude later this year. This will consider the need for expansion in all medical specialties, including clinical radiology and clinical oncology, with the overall aim of ensuring Scotland has a sufficient supply of trained doctors coming through the system to meet anticipated future demand.
More junior doctors are joining NHS Scotland than ever before, with more than 1,100 recruited throughout 2023, according to data from 26 March 2024. A total of 1,231 posts were advertised during the 2023 recruitment cycle and 94% filled successfully.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 25 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to expand the clinical radiology workforce, in light of projections in the Royal College of Radiologists’ 2023 Clinical Radiology Workforce Census that the shortfall of clinical radiologists in Scotland could rise to 36%, or 263 radiologists, by 2028.
Answer
As stated previously in answer to S6W-28153 on 25 June 2024, there has been an expansion of 68 posts in Clinical Radiology specialty training since 2014. Clinical Radiology is a competitive specialty which has historically filled at 100%. The 2025 expansion process is currently underway and will conclude later this year. This will consider the need for expansion in all medical specialties, including clinical radiology and clinical oncology, with the overall aim of ensuring Scotland has a sufficient supply of trained doctors coming through the system to meet anticipated future demand.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .