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: S4W-12474

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how the implementation of self-directed support by local authorities is being monitored.

The Scottish Government is working with stakeholders, including the Care Inspectorate, to develop an outcomes-based framework for the monitoring and evaluation of self-directed support implementation.

Currently only data on the numbers of people taking direct payments is collected centrally. However from April 2013 the Scottish Government's new Social Care Survey will begin collecting data on the number of people choosing different self-directed support options.

Question reference: S4W-12471

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government where the residential pain service referred to by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing in a report in the Daily Express on 21 January 2013 will be located.

Question reference: S4W-12477

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will consult on the regulations regarding the removal of charges for carers for support services.

Question reference: S4W-12461

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 31 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to Health Board Elections and Alternative Pilots: Final Report of the Statutory Evaluation.

Question reference: S4W-12459

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 31 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the turnout was for the NHS board elections in (a) Dumfries and Galloway and (b) Fife.

Question reference: S4W-12037

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to ask the University of Sheffield to provide an update of its alcohol minimum price modelling research to take into account the most recent data included in Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland's Alcohol Strategy: Second Annual Report.

Question reference: S4W-12025

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage reduction in alcohol consumption it expects to achieve from the introduction of a 50 pence per unit minimum price of alcohol and how this compares with the reduction in alcohol consumption between 2009 and 2011 recorded in Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland's Alcohol Strategy: Second Annual Report.

In the Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: 2^nd Annual Report, analysis of the most recent data shows that per adult sales decreased by 5% between 2009 and 2011 (two year time period). This is a total reduction across adult sales and is not broken down by drinker type. The report does not estimate what impact the reduction in sales has had on harm. Caution is required when considering changes in alcohol sales over such short time periods; it is generally considered good practice to assess trends over as long a time series as the data allows. On this basis, alcohol sales have increased by 10% since 1994.

The Scottish Government is committed to introducing minimum unit pricing in order to help tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland. A key component of minimum unit pricing is that it targets a reduction in consumption of alcohol which is cheap relative to its strength. This is significant because it is these alcoholic products which are favoured and consumed by hazardous and harmful drinkers. Minimum unit pricing would, therefore, affect hazardous and harmful drinkers more than moderate drinkers, in terms of the amount they drink, how much they spend and how much they benefit from reductions in harm.

The University of Sheffield modelling estimates that a 50p minimum unit price will result in a reduction in overall alcohol consumption of 5.7% per annum. This is allocated differentially over drinker type with moderate drinkers estimated to reduce alcohol consumption by 2.8%, hazardous drinkers by 4.8%, and harmful drinkers by 10.7%.

Question reference: S4W-12457

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-11979 by Alex Neil on 9 January 2013, whether the £14.2 million allocated for people affected by thalidomide is index-linked.

Question reference: S4W-12367

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government who determines the membership of the Scottish Chronic Pain Steering Group and whether appointments to the group are regulated or supervised by any organisation.

The Scottish Chronic Pain Steering Group was convened by Scottish Government with the secretariat and support for the Group being provided by Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Membership is multidisciplinary and includes voluntary sector and patient representation. Additional advice and expertise is co-opted as required.

The method of selection of representatives to serve on groups may vary depending on the nature, remit, role and term of the group. In many cases no specific qualifications or specialist knowledge is required, beyond an enthusiasm to get involved in making things better.

Regular updates are provided on the work of the group are reported to Scottish Ministers. Updates on the work of the group are also publically available at:

http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/pain.

Question reference: S4W-12029

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the reduction in alcohol-related deaths has been as a result of the reduction in alcohol consumption of 5% between 2009 and 2011 as reported in Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland's Alcohol Strategy: Second Annual Report.