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: S3W-02166

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 31 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1774 by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 July 2007, what action is being taken to reduce the average waiting time for fertility treatment in NHS Grampian from five years.

Question reference: S3W-02126

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 31 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how Agenda for Change has benefited (a) ambulance technicians and (b) ambulance paramedics.

Agenda for Change hasfundamentally restructured pay and terms and conditions for nearly allnon-medical staff in NHS Scotland and benefited the vast majority financially. Byreplacing the old “Whitley” system (which had each staff group working underdifferent terms and conditions) with one unified system it has broughtdifferent benefits to each group.

Many staff groups, includingambulance staff, have benefited from a reduction in the hours of the workingweek, additional holiday entitlement and enhancements around occupational sickpay and maternity pay.

The key impact of Agenda forChange for Paramedics and Technicians has been an increase in take home pay forthe majority of staff in these roles. This has been achieved by:

Increasing significantly thepayments made to staff for working unsocial hours.

Enabling staff to selecteither the new Agenda for Change on-call reimbursement system or retain theircurrent one, whichever was more financially beneficial.

Increasing the reimbursementfor on-call working (for those who choose to move to Agenda for Change On-callarrangements) from plain time to time and a half.

Increasing the overtime ratefrom plain time to time and a half.

Reduction in working hoursmeaning that overtime enhancements kick in more quickly than previously.

Introducing an additionalpayment where shifts are changed with short notice.

Agenda for Change is alsodesigned to support the improvement of all aspects of equality and diversityfor staff (especially in the areas of career and training opportunities) andprovide working patterns that are flexible and responsive to out of workcommitments.

Question reference: S3W-02156

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 31 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1495 by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 July 2007, whether the Healthcare Associated Infections Task Force will issue guidelines to NHS boards on the inclusion of MRSA as a contributory factor to, or the underlying cause of, death in order to ensure a consistent approach.

It is not within the remitof the Healthcare Associated Infections Task Force to give recommendations onthe recording of causes of death, for which the General Register Office forScotland (GROS) has sole legal responsibility.

The GROS guidance oncompletion of death certificates clearly sets out the principles of how medicalconditions should be recorded. However, no specific recommendations are made oncauses that should be included. The conditions recorded are explicitly a matterfor the doctor’s clinical judgement.

Question reference: S3W-02064

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will assist local authorities to fund single status agreements in the future.

Question reference: S3W-02063

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance it will provide to local authorities to settle claims for equal pay.

Question reference: S3W-02171

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many doctors have been recruited from outwith Scotland to fill GP vacancies in each of the last five years.

The information availablerelates to general practitioners new to NHSScotland by country of qualificationoutwith Scotland. This is only available for the following years asfollows:

Year	Number
2001-02	45
2002-03	55
2003-04	27
2004-05	44

Question reference: S3W-02175

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many places are being made available this year and in the next five years to train GPs.

Question reference: S3W-02127

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether naltrexone implants are offered on the NHS for drug addicted people and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Naltrexone implants are notlicensed for use in the UK. However, naltrexone hydrochloride in tablet form isused in the treatment of formerly opioid-dependent patients.

Medicines legislation allowsfor the use of unlicensed medicines if it is considered to be an appropriatetreatment for an individual patient. In these circumstances the prescriberbears a greater degree of responsibility for the use of the medicine.

Question reference: S3W-02173

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs (a) are due to retire and (b) have indicated that they will take early retirement in the next five years.

In estimating the rate ofleavers in future years for general practitioners, planning assumptions arebased on historical patterns of leaving. Based on these assumptions thefollowing number of leavers are estimated:

Source of Demand Headcount	Leavers under age 60	Leavers aged 60 plus
2007-08	133	49
2008-09	137	46
2009-10	139	44
2010-11	142	38
2011-12	137	32

There is no centrally helddata from GPs on early retirement.

Question reference: S3W-02172

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 July 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost has been of recruitment from outwith Scotland to fill GP vacancies in each of the last five years.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

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