Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-01152 on 18 July 2011. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

The Scottish Government is not currently considering decreasing the age range of the Scottish Breast Screening Programme.

NHS Boards currently meet the costs associated with the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme, therefore this information is not held centrally.

Information on the number of women, aged 20 to 25 years, who have taken up cervical cancer screening, is not held centrally.

The percentage of women who have a record of a previous screening test taken within the last 3.5 years is available on the ISD website at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Cervical-Screening/.

A review of the age range and frequency of the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme is currently taking place. The Expert Review Group undertaking this work is expected to report to the Breast and Cervical Screening National Advisory Group in the Autumn.

The Scottish Government is not currently considering changing the frequency of breast cancer screening.

A review of the age range and frequency of the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme is currently taking place. The Expert Review Group undertaking this work is expected to report to the Breast and Cervical Screening National Advisory Group for consideration in the Autumn.

Once received, this report will be published on the Scottish Government website.

Information on the number of women, aged 20 to 25 years, who have been offered cervical cancer screening, is not held centrally.

I met senior executives from Scottish Power on 8 June 2011. I expressed the Scottish Government's serious concerns over the impacts of their recent price rises on consumers, and vulnerable consumers in particular. I also met Alastair Buchanan the Chief Executive of OfGEM on 29 June 2011. I urged OfGEM to press ahead with their promised radical overhaul of the complex array of tariffs which exist in the retail energy market, and specifically to consider the possibility of compulsory tariffs for the fuel poor.

The last major reform of the NHS Superannuation Scheme (Scotland), which took effect on 1 April 2008, had the following key features:

an increase in the Normal Pension Age (the age a scheme member is normally able to draw their accrued pension benefits without penalties) from 60 to 65 for new members from April 2008;

introduction of tiered employee contribution rates, which become progressively higher the more scheme members earn;

introduction of ‘cap and share’ arrangements as a means of dealing with any future cost increases;

introduction of two-tier ill-health provisions.