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-25415

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 14 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether any general dental practitioner has (a) failed to deliver the required level of NHS dental services and (b) repaid financial assistance to an NHS board.

Question reference: S4W-25416

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 14 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what mechanism is in place to ensure that dentists receiving financial assistance to deliver NHS dental services deliver the required level of NHS provision.

NHS boards are responsible for monitoring grant-aided projects throughout the grant period, including visiting the practice annually to ensure that the grant conditions are being complied with, preparing an annual report, confirming the number of patient registrations against target numbers and ensuring that an accountant’s certificate verifying the percentage of the practice’s gross income derived from NHS general dental services is received annually.

Question reference: S4W-25417

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 14 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what role NHS boards have in investigating patient complaints relating to general dental practitioners.

Those who provide NHS general dental services are required under their NHS terms of service to have arrangements in place in accordance with Section 15 of the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011, and any Regulations or Directions made under that Act. The Regulations associated with the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 include a requirement for health service providers, including general dental practitioners, to appoint a Feedback and Complaints Officer who is responsible for the management and handling of feedback, comments, concerns and complaints operationally. The Feedback and Complaints Officer, or staff authorised to act on their behalf, will normally oversee the investigation of a complaint and provide the main point of contact for the person making the complaint.

The Scottish Government’s ‘Can I Help You?’ guidance for handling and learning from feedback, comments, concerns and complaints states that, where the person making a complaint is uncomfortable making the complaint directly to the health service provider, the complaint can be made to the appropriate relevant NHS board directly. As a matter of best practice the board and health service provider should agree locally the management of the complaint under these circumstances, and advise the person making the complaint accordingly.

Question reference: S4W-25352

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 30 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25107 by Jamie Hepburn on 21 April 2015, when the review of national care standards will be published and its recommendations implemented.

Question reference: S4O-04291

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors proceedings at the European Parliament.

Question reference: S4W-25083

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 28 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24516 by Jamie Hepburn on 26 February 2015, how it will ensure that the review will take into account reports that patients from the Highlands and Islands are experiencing difficulty in travelling to the single site in Edinburgh to access the Scottish Driving Assessment Service.

Question reference: S4W-25082

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 28 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24516 by Jamie Hepburn on 26 February 2015, whether it considers it appropriate for (a) stroke patients and (b) others in the Highlands and Islands to have to travel to a single site in Edinburgh to access the Scottish Driving Assessment Service.

Question reference: S4W-25081

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 28 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Driving Assessment Service for (a) stroke patients and (b) others is based at a single site in Edinburgh.

Question reference: S4W-25080

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 28 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24516 by Jamie Hepburn on 26 February 2015, what consideration was given to (a) stroke patients and (b) others in the Highlands and Islands when the decision was made to base the Scottish Driving Assessment Service at a single site in Edinburgh.

The decision to rationalise the driving assessment service was agreed by all Scottish NHS board chief executives, as recommended by the NHS Board Directors of Planning who had looked at options to reduce the growing list and waiting times for this service.

NHS board chief executives carefully considered these recommendations to improve the service and provide more assessments for patients across all of Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-25139

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 28 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS psychologists specialise in weight loss behavioural therapies.

Guidance issued by the government to accompany its funding of NHS weight management programmes recommends these programmes should include physical activity, dietary change and behaviour change components. Health boards decide what approach to take locally across primary care, specialist weight management or specialised surgical services, the government is aware that boards have incorporated psychological interventions listed in the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) clinical guidelines 115 on the management of obesity.

Information on how many NHS psychologists specialise in weight loss behavioural therapies is not held centrally. Our understanding is that boards have incorporated behaviour interventions listed in SIGN 115 guidance. Approaches differ depending on the patient and who is referring them as they may already be engaged with a psychology service when they are referred to a weight management programme. The service is generally delivered by dieticians who have received training and it is usual for a health board team to include a clinical psychologist and a psychology assistant. Patients can be seen individually or as groups dependent on an assessment of their required level of support.