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-03307

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-02856 by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 October 2011, what the timescale is for the review of the evidence on transcatheter aortic valve implantation and what steps are being taken to ensure that it takes account of the updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the health technology assessment commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research.

The National Planning Forum is charged with making recommendations on the provision of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). As part of this process the Scottish Health Technologies Group has responsibility for monitoring and reviewing the evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of TAVI. Reports to be published by the National Institute for Health Research and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will be considered as part of this process. The timing of the review of the evidence is dependent upon the date of publication of any new information, plus the time required for consideration and consultation within Scotland.

The National Institute for Health Research’s Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme previously indicated that work on the cost effectiveness of TAVI for aortic stenosis in patients who cannot undergo surgery would be made available in December 2011. However, an extension to the HTA review process is now expected to cause the forecast publication date to be delayed. The Interventional Procedures Programme (IPP) guidance on TAVI is expected to be published by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in November 2011.

Question reference: S4O-00308

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is being given to further education colleges to help unemployed people back into work.

Question reference: S4W-02897

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the Minor Ailments Service is not available to people in care homes for older people.

The Minor Ailment Service (MAS) is not available for people resident in a care home setting because the service is predicated on a face to face consultation with a community pharmacist and residents in care homes tend not to be able to visit a community pharmacy. They can, however, access medical care and medical advice in respect of minor ailments from their GP practice, who can prescribe any treatment which may be required in the normal way.

Question reference: S4W-02856

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason transcatheter aortic valve implantation is available as an NHS treatment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland.

We are keen that people in Scotland should have ready access to new treatments and technologies once they have demonstrated their effectiveness.

The most recent review of TAVI found that there was limited evidence to support its introduction in Scotland however.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently consulting on draft Interventional Procedures Programme (IPP) guidance on the safe and efficacious use of TAVI in the UK. The guidance is expected to be made available in November 2011.

The National Institute for Health Research has also commissioned a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) looking at cost effectiveness, which is due to be published in December 2011.

NHSScotland will take this emerging evidence into account in its future consideration of the provision TAVI.

Meantime, we expect that NHS boards should continue to ensure that local arrangements are in place so that people with severe aortic stenosis get access to appropriate clinical treatment. As part of those arrangements, where it is considered clinically appropriate by their doctors, patients can get access to TAVI treatment through consideration by an individual case panel.

Question reference: S4W-02755

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary care professionals have been trained to develop a better understanding of obesity and how to manage the condition since 2008.

Question reference: S4W-02751

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many healthy weight intervention programmes as outlined in Healthy Eating, Active Living: An action plan to improve diet, increase physical activity and tackle obesity (2008-2011) had been delivered for obese children between the ages of five and 15 by the end of 2010-11 .

Question reference: S4W-02749

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) existing and (b) new targets are by which progress will be monitored in implementing the strategies in Healthy Eating, Active Living: An action plan to improve diet, increase physical activity and tackle obesity (2008-2011) and which of these targets have been met.

There were a total of 44 targets in Healthy Eating Active Living, out of these 36 have been completed this includes;

“We will work across government and with all sectors of Scottish society, to develop a longer term strategy to tackle obesity”. This resulted in the publication of the Obesity Route Map in 2010 followed by the Obesity Action Plan in 2011.

I have attached links to the Route Map, Action Plan and the Indicators paper.

Another target was to introduce Scotland’s first Cooking bus, the bus has now been visiting schools across Scotland for the last three years and has to date taught 8,619 pupils involving 207 schools, 1,354 teachers trained and 1,378 community members involved.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/02/17140721/0

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/20155902/0

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/03/17104639/1.

Question reference: S4W-02756

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what gaps in current research and knowledge the National Physical Activity Research and Evaluation Group has identified and what action has been taken to address these gaps.

NHS Health Scotland leads on the management of the Scottish Physical Activity Research Collaboration (SPARColl). The research priorities for 2011-12 are as follows:

economic analysis of secondary data sources to help investigate the cost-benefits of physical activity;

assessment of current data collected on physical activity of older adults, and

assessment of current data collected on physical activity of adolescent girls.

I have asked NHS Health Scotland to write to you with further details on SPARColl’s work plan for 2011-12.

Question reference: S4W-02759

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive in which sustainable travel demonstration towns Smarter Choices, Smarter Places has been introduced.

Question reference: S4W-02750

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what dietary targets in Healthy Eating, Active Living: An action plan to improve diet, increase physical activity and tackle obesity (2008-2011) have not been achieved.

The Scottish Dietary Targets for a balanced diet are now some 15 years old, but evidence shows that little progress towards achieving them has been made. The Scottish Government undertook (in Healthy Eating, Active Living 2008) to review them, this work is underway with Food Standards AgencyFSA Scotland and we expect to conclude by end March 2012. The revised Dietary Goals will be used to assess implementation of National Food and Drink Policy Recipe for Success (2009) and also the Obesity Route Map (2010).