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-25113

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-24399 by Jamie Hepburn on 7 August 2019, what systematic change has taken place, and what inequalities have been overcome as a result of the Workplace Equality Fund.

The Workplace Equality Fund 2018-19 has three main outcomes:

1) Employment opportunities and progression in the workplace are improved for the priority groups and improvements are embedded into the workplace to ensure lasting change;

2) Knowledge, skills, policies and practices are improved in order to address employment inequalities, discrimination and barriers/challenges within the workplace; and

3) A more inclusive working environment is created and continued through employees and employers working in partnership to address employment inequalities and introduce positive practices.

The fund administrator, Impact Funding Partners, suggest (based on end of project reports) that 95% of projects have achieved or partially achieved outcome 1, 91% have achieved or partially achieved outcome 2 and 81% have achieved or partially achieved outcome 3.

The Workplace Equality Fund 2018-19 encourages systematic change in organisations by supporting innovative employer-led projects to review and improve their workplace structures, practices and policies to support an inclusive environment and diverse workforce.

Practices have included: the introduction of family friendly flexible working practices that accommodates workers with care or other commitments and improves work-life balance; reviewing and changing recruitment practices such as implementing an online recruitment tool with a rail company that seeks to open up employment opportunities to groups currently locked out of the employment market. This is achieved by removing barriers in the recruitment process such as bias and inequalities in job design to increase the number of women, disabled people and older workers applying for jobs; improved employer and employee knowledge and understanding of disability related issues such as through the launch of RNIB’s ‘Let’s Work Together’ retention pack for workers experiencing sight loss; the implementation of mental health initiatives in organisations such as an equalities toolkit to educate employers with the aim of those with mental health conditions gaining work experience placements, work trials and paid employment, where possible; the implementation of improvement plans and action plans focussing on older workers such as Age Scotland’s Age Inclusive Matrix which is a tool that helps companies ensure they are age optimal to a level necessary for their need; and race equality and unconscious bias training for employers and staff to remove discriminatory practices through capacity building employers to review policies and practices in place.

The examples of support above will help to tackle the inequalities faced by women, older workers, disabled people and ethnic minority people when entering, re-entering and progressing in work.

Question reference: S5O-03547

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde about the closure of the out of hours service at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Officials have been in regular contact with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde regarding plans for the future sustainability of the services from the Vale of Leven - in particular the activity around the engagement with key partner organisations including local clinicians, GPs, NHS24 and the Scottish Ambulance Service. I have asked to be kept updated on progress made which aims to make out of hours service at the Vale of Leven more sustainable.

Question reference: S5W-24815

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to reduce paediatric surgery waiting times at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow and when it expects these to improve.

As part of the Waiting Times Improvement Plan we are making available more than £102 million in 2019-20 to increase capacity in the system, of which more than £22 million has been made available to Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board.

The Scottish Government is aware the Paediatric Service at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow is under significant pressure which has resulted in longer waiting times. This investment will enhance capacity through for example, increased staffing, evening and weekend clinics and additional theatre sessions to ensure progress towards delivering the Waiting Times Improvement Plan.

This will contribute towards having a positive impact on waiting times for patients and this investment will see phased and sustained improvement with the aim that no patient will wait more than the waiting standards and guarantee.

Question reference: S5W-24983

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 13 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage school pupils to study medicine.

Our education system aims to provide young people with experiences and with careers information, advice and guidance to raise awareness of opportunities and support informed choices. Skills Development Scotland, our national skills body, works in partnership with every school and with employers to ensure school pupils can access the support they need to consider their future. Advice is impartial and encourages young people to identify their interests, strengths and aspirations, and in turn identify the career option that is right for them.

In addition, targeted schools programmes have been developed to encourage and support young people into careers in health and medicine in particular.

Question reference: S5W-24968

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the information on mortality rates was contained in annex 1 to A Summary of the Health of the Nation and not in the body of the main document, Personalising Realistic Medicine: Chief Medical Officer for Scotland's Annual Report 2017-2018.

In previous years, the Health of the Nation Summary Report, has been included at the end of the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report. This year, they were published separately, as they cover two complementary, but distinctly different topics.

The Chief Medical Officer’s latest Annual Report, Personalising Realistic Medicine was published on 25 April, and is available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/personalising-realistic-medicine-chief-medical-officer-scotland-annual-report-2017-2018/ .

The Health of the Nation Summary Report was published on 25 April, and is available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-health-nation-annex-chief-medical-officer-scotlands-annual-report-2017-2018/ .

Question reference: S5W-24810

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many poultry holdings with egg laying hens failed inspections in each year since 1 January 2012, and how many of these were due to breaches in (a) egg marketing, (b) salmonella testing, (c) hygiene standards and (d) failings in welfare.

Question reference: S5O-03499

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when the Crown Office will release its findings from the investigation into the fatal fire at Cameron House in December 2017.

Question reference: S5W-24809

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many welfare inspections have been carried out annually since 1 January 2012 on poultry holdings with egg laying hens that contain (a) more and (b) fewer than 1,000 birds.

APHA conducts inspections for welfare non-compliance issues at poultry holdings on behalf of the Scottish Ministers and maintains the records of such inspections. The Scottish Government understands, from figures provided by APHA, that 144 inspections of poultry holdings with egg laying hens has been carried out since 2014 and is not broken down by flock size. Due to the change in systems of recording outcomes by APHA, records are not readily available for 2012 and 2013.

Question reference: S5W-24814

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time is for dental paediatric surgery at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.

The following tables show the average (median wait) and, as per ISD practice, the 98 th percentile wait for the Dental Paediatric Surgery Specialty at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow for quarter ending 30 June 2019.

Table 1: Waiting Times for Inpatient or Day Case Admission

Hospital

Specialty

Median Waiting Time (Days)

98 th Percentile

Royal Hospital for Children

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

116

281

Royal Hospital for Children

PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

171

216

Source: ISD Waiting Times Warehouse

Table 2: Waiting Times for New Outpatients

Hospital

Specialty

Median Waiting Time (Days)

98 th Percentile

Royal Hospital for Children

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

Royal Hospital for Children

PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

Source: ISD Waiting Times Warehouse

Question reference: S5W-24820

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the costs relating to the judicial review brought by the former First Minister, Alex Salmond, were reduced as a result of the “extensive negotiation” referred to by the Scottish Government spokesperson in the Sunday Mail article of 18 August 2019 and if so, by how much.