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-29429

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what investment is planned to recruit more staff in mental health services.

NHS boards and local authorities will invest in staff to ensure an appropriately skilled workforce is in place to deliver efficient and high quality mental health services from the overall funding they receive from the Scottish Government.

We have made available an additional £150 million to 2020 to improve mental health services across Scotland. As part of this funding, we announced a £54.1 million package of support to improve access to mental health services for adults and children. This included £24.6 million to 2020 to support the development of the mental health workforce to enhance supply and training of staff to deliver evidence-based therapies, delivered by NHS Education for Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-29109

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 21 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new mental health strategy will include services being made accessible to (a) further and (b) higher education students.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with mental health problems can access high quality mental health services. Further and higher education students can continue to access these services through their local NHS board.

We are working on the development of the next mental health strategy and expect to produce it after the May 2016 election, subject to the next administration's priorities.

Question reference: S4W-29108

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 21 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that NHS mental health services are available to students attending university.

The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies – including NHS boards and local authorities – to support implementation of policy.

The management of local actions in implementing national policy, and decisions on local spending priorities, are the responsibility of relevant local agencies. It is therefore the responsibility of NHS boards and local authorities to work with their partners and regularly review spending decisions to ensure they deliver fit for purpose services which respond to the needs of their local population, including students attending university.

Funding on mental health services for students attending university will continue to be drawn from the overall funds allocated to NHS Scotland and local authorities by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S4W-29113

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 18 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28834 by Maureen Watt on 17 December 2015, whether the NHS is legally responsible for poor quality dental services carried out by contracted general dental practitioners.

Question reference: S4W-29213

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many alternative budget proposals the Scottish Executive considered between 1999 and 2007 and from which party groups.

An account of engagement between previous administrations and other party groups around successive budget Bills is available through the Scottish Parliament's Official Report, which documents the discussions that took place during the annual budget Bill process in each year since 1999. The search facility for the Official Report can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/13595.aspx?mode=a.

I have in every year since 2008 met representatives from each political party represented in the Scottish Parliament to discuss their alternative budget proposals. It would be a matter for members of previous administrations to account for their conduct in engagement with other political party groups prior to that.

Question reference: S4W-29212

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many miles of the A9 from Perth to Inverness are (a) dual carriageway, (b) single carriageway, (c) dual carriageway under construction and (d) planned for dual carriageway.

Question reference: S4W-29211

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when the A9 from Perth to Inverness will be completed.

Question reference: S4O-05253

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 13 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to address neglect and abuse in residential care homes for older people.

No care home resident should ever be subject to any form of harm or abuse, and it should be remembered that the vast majority of residential care homes provide high-quality care. The Care Inspectorate investigates complaints against registered care homes and carries out a rigorous inspection programme. Complaints about registered social service workers are investigated by the Scottish Social Services Council.

Through the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Bill, we are legislating to introduce new offences of ill-treatment or wilful neglect. That will improve current powers and complaints procedures, and it will ensure that effective legal action can be taken against a care worker or care provider whenever necessary.

Question reference: S4W-29099

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 6 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28834 by Maureen Watt on 17 December 2015, whether NHS boards are responsible for any poor quality dentistry services carried out by general dental practitioners contracted by the NHS.

NHS boards are responsible for the delivery of NHS general dental services in their area, and will take action in response to instances of poor quality dental services.

Actions available to health boards include:

(i) asking dental practice advisers to provide pastoral advice and support.

(ii) referral to the health board reference committee for consideration.

(iii) referral to a NHS Tribunal.

(iv) referral to the General Dental Council.

Question reference: S4W-29100

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 6 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28835 by Maureen Watt on 17 December 2015, how many dental practices have been designated as unfit for the delivery of services as a result of the inspection process in each of the last eight years.