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: S3W-21828

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Minister for Public Health and Sport has met European Commission officials in the United Kingdom since May 2007.

No such meetings have taken place, although I am keen to engage with Europe on important health issues for Scotland.

My officials are in the process of identifying a suitable opportunity and developing a programme for me to visit Brussels to discuss health matters, including key Scottish initiatives around health inequalities and health quality and safety, and how they relate, and can contribute, to current and on-going EU work programmes.

Question reference: S3W-21830

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Minister for Public Health and Sport has met (a) MEPs and (b) EU commissioners in Brussels since May 2007.

Question reference: S3W-21826

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing has met European Commission officials since May 2007.

No such meetings have taken place, although I am keen to engage with Europe, when appropriate opportunities arise, on important health issues including the proposals for a cross-border health care Directive.

I had planned to visit Brussels in January to meet with the Health Commissioner as well as officials from the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic, who currently hold the Presidency of the Council, to discuss a number of public health issues including the Directive on cross-border health care. However, that visit had to be cancelled due to business in the Scottish Parliament.

My officials are in discussions with the Health Commissioner''s office with a view to re-arranging that meeting to coincide with my attendance at the next Health Council meeting, scheduled for 8 to 9 June. The cross-border health care proposals are included in the draft agenda for the Health Council.

Question reference: S3W-21829

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Minister for Public Health and Sport has met European Commission officials in Brussels since May 2007.

Question reference: S3W-21831

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings have taken place between the UK Government and Scottish ministers on the financial impact assessment of the EU draft cross-border health care directive on Scotland.

No such meetings have taken place as any cost to Scotland in implementing the cross-border health care directive is primarily a matter for the Scottish Government.

The cost to treat patients abroad will ultimately fall on the home NHS board. The cross-border health care proposals, as they stand, state that the reimbursement to the patient cannot exceed the cost of the treatment had it been received in the home state health care system. Therefore, the cost should be limited to the expense that would have been incurred by the local NHS service provider.

The draft Directive does not seek to confer additional rights to treatment to which the patient is not entitled to receive at home. The UK Government is aware of, and agrees with, our view that it is essential that the Directive includes provision for prior authorisation from the home health care provider before a patient can travel abroad for treatment, and is negotiating on our behalf on that basis.

My officials are in the process of setting up an implementation group to inform the next stages of the negotiations and to begin to plan for implementation, including any financial impact.

Question reference: S3O-06087

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 5 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to investigate the severity of financial problems caused to individuals who have paid deposits for new-build houses by property developers failing to deliver on time.

Question reference: S3O-05684

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what will be on its list of priorities for development across Scotland when it next meets leaders of industry and local authorities.

Our priority is - and remains - our economic purpose: to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable growth.

We have published an Infrastructure Investment Plan and an Economic Recovery Programme. We have also set up the Scottish Futures Trust which is now actively engaged in realising the investment envisaged in our plan and included in the Recovery Programme. We will continue to work closely with business leaders and with local authorities with discussions taking place in many formal and informal settings.

Question reference: S3O-05473

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NHS Fife, Fife Council and nursing trade unions on training carers in homes for people with complex needs to replace fully qualified nursing staff.

Question reference: S3O-05403

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is confident of delivering its pledge of lower class sizes for P1 to P3.

Question reference: S3W-18659

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the rolling out of Keep Yer Shirt On, the pilot programme run in Tayside and Fife to heighten awareness of the dangers of sunlight.

The Keep Yer Shirt On sun awareness campaign was initiated by NHS Tayside and Fife and ran from April 2002 for two years with funding from the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) targeting carers of pre-school children. Following its success, further funding was provided from the BLF to extend the project to include primary school aged children and their carers.

Decisions on priorities for investment in local health programmes are taken by NHS boards.

The project ended in November 2007 and the NHS boards involved have no plans to roll out further, although resource packs are available to download at www.sunaware.scot.nhs.uk or:

www.scan.scot.nhs.uk.

The Scottish Government has committed to funding of £11,000 for 2008-09 to the UK‘wide Cancer Research UK Sunsmart campaign which highlights the importance of early detection, avoiding burning from sun exposure and the potential dangers of sunbeds.