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: S4O-02000

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many part-time students have enrolled in colleges in Fife since 2007.

Question reference: S4O-01975

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4W-13441

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will receive the report from Health Protection Scotland on the incidence of radioactive substances at DaIgety Bay and the effect on residents.

Health Protection Scotland has no role in relation to the radioactive contamination at Dalgety Bay. However, in October 2012, the Health Protection Agency published its risk assessment and advice on the health risks at Dalgety Bay.

A full risk assessment is expected to be published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in May 2013. In the meantime, protection measures at Dalgety Bay including signage and monthly monitoring are considered to provide an appropriate level of protection.

Question reference: S4O-01931

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4W-13442

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS boards regarding the number of unwanted pregnancies and how to reduce it.

Achieving fewer unintended pregnancies is one of the five outcomes of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework. As part of the performance management of the framework, officials in the sexual health and BBV team carry out annual visits to local areas to discuss with NHS boards, local authorities and third sector partners their delivery of the aims and outcomes of the framework.

Such discussions include examination of the rates of unintended pregnancies and how multi agency partners are working to reduce them.

The last Framework visits took place 2012 and will be repeated in 2013.

Question reference: S4W-13443

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of the Review of Community Pharmacy Public Health Service for Smoking Cessation and Emergency Hormonal Contraception, whether it will update the nationally-funded provision of emergency hormonal contraception.

The Community Pharmacy Public Health Service has improved access to emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) and complements the provision in other services where EHC is given out without prescription.

As part of the review, NHS boards and community pharmacists made some limited recommendations, however their overall view was that the service is working well and needs little adjustment. In particular, it provides a crucial service to more remote and rural communities.

There are currently no plans to update the service.

Question reference: S4O-01700

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the health risks of the radioactive material at the foreshore at Dalgety Bay.

Question reference: S4W-12147

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4O-01675

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of NHS Fife.

Question reference: S4W-11111

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 14 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) EU and (b) non-EU students started studying at Scottish universities, colleges and language schools in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and are expected to start in 2013.

Data on entrants to Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Colleges is not yet available for academic years 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14. The latest data for entrants to Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Colleges is for the academic year 2010-11.

A breakdown of these data by domicile is provided in Tables 1 and 2. Data for the academic year 2011-12 will be available in the first quarter of 2013.

Data on entrants to language schools is not held centrally.

Table 1: Entrants to study Higher Education² at Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) by domicile

Year	EU¹	non-EU
2010-11	7850	15730

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) (data rounded to nearest 5)

¹EU : non-UK EU students

²Includes entrants at all levels of Higher Education i.e. undergraduate, post-graduate taught and post-graduate research

Table 2: Entrants to study Further or Higher Education at Scottish Colleges by domicile

Year	EU¹	non-EU
2010-11	934	2447

Source: Scottish Funding Council (SFC)

¹EU : non-UK EU students