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-10371

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has provided on the issuing of steroid warning cards to patients on steroid treatment.

Guidance on issuing steroid treatment cards was disseminated in a joint letter by the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Pharmaceutical Officer on 26 July 2006.

The guidance reminds all healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of patients receiving steroid therapy of the importance of issuing steroid treatment cards where appropriate.

The guidance can be found at http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/cmo/CMO(2006)10.pdf.

Question reference: S3W-10323

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many computers were lost or stolen in the NHS in 2007 and what the value was of those items.

Question reference: S3W-10370

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on outside consultancy firms by each NHS board in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Question reference: S3W-10071

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers an estimated total cost to NHS Fife of £333,000 for baby Ryan Turner to remain in hospital after he was declared fit to go home to be an efficient use of public resources.

Question reference: S3W-10051

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to provide details of inpatient and outpatient waiting times for treatment for glaucoma and cataracts in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

On 31 December 2007, no patient waited more than 18 weeks for a first out-patient consultation, or for in-patient and day case treatment. Also on that date NHSScotland effectively delivered a 18 weeks total journey waiting time from General Medical Practitioner/Optometrist referral to cataract surgery

Retrospective analyses of waiting times for first out-patient consultations are only available at specialty level and exclude patients who held an availability status code. Information on waiting times for a first out-patient consultation in the speciality of ophthalmology showing the median wait and the percentage of patients seen within 18 weeks following referral, for the years ending 31 December 2005, 2006 and 2007 has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 44909). Waiting times information is also collected from a monthly waiting list census and information on the number of patients without an availability status code who had waited more than 18 weeks for a first out-patient consultation in the speciality of ophthalmology on 31 December 2005, 2005 and 2007 has also been provided.

Retrospective analyses of waiting times for in-patient and day case treatment are based on data that does not record whether patients have had an availability status code applied. The information requested on treatment for glaucoma and cataracts showing the median wait and the percentage of patients treated within 18 weeks of being placed on the in-patient and day case waiting list for the years ending 31 December 2005, 2006 and 2007 has also been provided; it includes the waiting times of patients who were exempted from the guarantee. In-patient and day case waiting times information is also collected from a monthly census. As data is collected for cataract surgery but not for glaucoma treatment, information on the number of patients with a waiting time guarantee waiting more than 18 weeks for in-patient and day case treatment in the specialty of ophthalmology and for cataract surgery on 31 December 2005, 2006 and 2007 has been provided.

The new approach to defining and measuring waiting “ referred to as new ways “ came into effect on 1 January 2008. Unlike the previous system where patients who had an availability status code applied could have exceedingly long waits - in some cases of over 12 months - all patients will be covered by the maximum waiting time standard. It is intended to publish as much information as possible about patients waiting times experience including periods of unavailability. Information for the three months ending 31 March 2008 will be published at the end of May 2008.

Question reference: S3W-10042

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients on outpatient waiting lists were seen within 13 weeks in each year since 1993.

The percentage of patients seen within 13 weeks for a first out-patient consultation following referral for the years ending 31 December 1998 to 2007 is provided as follows. Similar information for 1995 to 1997 is available only for the years ending 31 March and this is also provided.

Due to changes in data collection in the 1990s it is not possible to provide comparable data prior to 1995.

NHSScotland: Percentage of Patients^* Seen Within 13 Weeks for a First Out-Patient Consultation Following Referral

Year Ending 31 March	% Seen Within 13 weeks
1995	84
1996	84
1997	83

Year Ending 31 December	% Seen Within 13 weeks
1998	80
1999	76
2000	74
2001	71
2002	67
2003	68
2004	68
2005	66
2006	72
2007	72

Source: SMR00.

Note: ^*Excludes patients with an availability status code.

Question reference: S3W-10069

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of the estimated cost to NHS Fife of £155,000 for baby Ryan Turner to remain in hospital 10 months after clinicians considered him fit to return home because suitable alternative accommodation has not been provided for him and his family.

Question reference: S3W-10074

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish all its agreements with COSLA that are not already available online.

Question reference: S3W-10076

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate why the leadership of Fife Council will not meet the Rosyth Waterfront Liaison Group to consider the proposed £500 million development for Rosyth.

Question reference: S3W-10372

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Dunfermline East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many new homes building work has been started by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations since May 2007.

The information requested is published on the Scottish Government website at

(a) http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuildLA.

(b) http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuildHA.

These tables show the number of units started/approved to the end of September 2007, the most recent date for which information is available. The housing association figures are for approvals during the reporting period as the performance of the Affordable Housing Investment Programme is reported in terms of approvals. Data for other sectors are provided by local authorities' building control departments and refer to construction starts during the quarter. The data are collected on a quarterly basis and do not include the actual month when the start/approval occurred.