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-21790

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the current pay claim by lecturers is in keeping with the current public sector pay policy and, if not, how it differs.

Question reference: S5W-21789

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the current pay claim from lecturers is the same as that already agreed for non-lecturing staff in colleges.

Question reference: S5W-21788

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Colleges Scotland and (b) EIS-FELA on current pay talks for college lecturers.

Question reference: S5O-02991

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £55 million it received in Barnett consequentials for 2019-20 to prepare for leaving the EU has been allocated and to what.

Question reference: S5W-21880

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 6 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the implementation of the learning disability strategy, The keys to life.

Many actions included in the strategy when it was published in 2011 have been delivered and others continue to be delivered through the work of the Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities and the Learning Disabilities Observatory.

I am delighted to announce that the new framework to support the strategy 'The keys to life: unlocking futures for people with learning disabilities " will be published on ‎ 13 March by the Scottish Government and COSLA.

The new framework sets out some of our achievements over the last few years and highlights our key priorities for the remaining period of the strategy. The framework takes a whole life approach with an emphasis on supporting people from childhood to adulthood and covers a range of priorities across the themes of living, learning, working and wellbeing. The framework consolidates our work and also reflects the feedback we received from a wide range of stakeholders and people with learning disabilities on what matters to them.

The Scottish Government firmly believes that people with learning disabilities can and do play a full part in our communities and looks forward to working with COSLA, Local Authorities, Health and Social Care Partnerships and the Third Sector on the next phase of our work.

Question reference: S5W-21879

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 6 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to draft a new learning disability strategy to follow the current strategy, The keys to life, which ends in 2021.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities, their families and carers.

The Scottish Government is pleased to announce that a new learning disability framework, 'The keys to life: unlocking futures for people with learning disabilities" will be published by the Scottish Government and COSLA on 13 March 2019. This framework will support the existing strategy.

The framework was produced following consultation and collaboration with people with learning disabilities and stakeholders. It identifies our key priorities and the commitment of the Scottish Government and COSLA to collaborate with public and third sector partners to deliver real change in the lives of people with learning disabilities.

This collaborative approach will also inform our actions beyond the life of the existing strategy.

Question reference: S5W-21875

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 6 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that the recommendations in its report, Coming Home, are implemented.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities, their families and carers and welcomes the findings of Dr Anne MacDonald's report: Coming Home.

The Scottish Government will be funding a post to support Health and Social Care Partnerships as they consider and take forward the recommendations of the report, including considering different models of care for people with learning disabilities and complex needs.

The Scottish Government will also be commissioning further work with Glasgow University to develop front line training resources around 'Positive Behavioural Support,' one of the forms of support, identified in the Coming Home report, that can be effective and appropriate for those with additional and complex needs.

Question reference: S5W-21610

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 5 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any delays in the processing of Peer Approved Clinical System (PACS) applications for the drug, Orkambi, in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

We are aware of the concerns that have been raised by patients and their families relating to some PACS Tier Two applications. Scottish Government health officials are actively working to investigate and resolve any issues.

We have been advised that a number of applications were returned to clinicians requesting additional clinical evidence relevant to individual patients. This is a valid request for local Boards to ask of applicants.

We are currently undertaking a 6-month review of PACS Tier Two, and the concerns expressed by patients and their families are feeding into that process.

Question reference: S5W-21611

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 5 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of reports that paediatricians are not using the Peer Approved Clinical System (PACS) to apply for the drug, Orkambi, and what action it will take to rectify this.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Medical Officer met with a number of cystic fibrosis clinicians on 27 November 2018, following concerns being raised, to talk through the PACS Tier Two process and to reaffirm that the cost of medicines should not be a decision-making criterion. On 7 January 2019, the Principal Pharmaceutical Officer wrote to all NHS Scotland Medical Directors and Directors of Pharmacy to advise that applications through PACS Tier Two could be accepted for all licensed indications of Orkambi with immediate effect, and that Vertex had agreed to offer a confidential discount to support any such applications.

We strongly encourage clinicians to make use of this system where they judge a medicine, such as Orkambi, to be appropriate for their individual patient’s needs and we expect NHS Boards to process applications appropriately as is set out in the national guidance.

Question reference: S5W-21722

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 27 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21178 by Kate Forbes on 5 February 2019, what discussions or correspondence regarding West Dunbartonshire Council's 2019-20 budget ministers have had with (a) the leader of the council and (b) representatives and members of the council's SNP group.

The Scottish Government has not had any discussions or correspondence with the leader of West Dunbartonshire Council or members of the council's SNP group regarding the 2019-20 Budget. However, as per my answer to question S5W-21178, negotiations on the annual local government settlement are officially conducted between the Scottish Government and COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities, including West Dunbartonshire Council.