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-01764

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are diagnosed with pernicious anaemia.

The exact number of people who have been diagnosed with pernicious anaemia in Scotland is not available centrally. However, national estimates can be given of the number of patients consulting a GP or practice-employed nurse for this condition based on information obtained from a sample of Scottish general practices participating in PTI (Practice Team Information). This sample covers the full range of age, sex, and deprivation classes existing in Scotland. Based on PTI, there were an estimated 12,200 patients who had a face-to-face consultation for pernicious anaemia in Scotland in the financial year 2009-10 (the latest year available), with a 95% confidence interval of 9,200 to 15,100.

PTI estimates of the rate of patients consulting should not be regarded as identical to the population prevalence of a given condition. This is because PTI measures active problems; a lifelong or previous condition will not be recorded unless the patient had a contact with the practice that was directly related to that condition. If, for example, someone with pernicious anaemia consults because of a cold and not because of their anaemia, their anaemia will not be coded as a reason for consultation.

The confidence intervals provided indicate the uncertainty around the estimate provided. These are reasonably wide, reflecting among other things considerable variation between practices. This indicates that the estimate provided is not exact and should be treated as approximate.

Question reference: S4W-01757

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is addressing the 8.2% reduction in the psychotherapy workforce in NHSScotland's child and adolescent mental health services' workforce.

Question reference: S4W-01762

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out on to determine the recommended injection treatment for pernicious anaemia.

Question reference: S4W-01756

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards employ child psychotherapists and what contingency plans are there for those that do not.

Question reference: S4W-01763

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been given a self-management programme for the treatment of pernicious anaemia.

Question reference: S4W-01755

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how each NHS board ensures that children have access to psychotherapy services.

Question reference: S4W-01759

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to improve accuracy in diagnosing pernicious anaemia.

Healthcare professionals are expected to follow agreed local and national guidelines, and are supported by the agreed pathways in NHS boards for the management of various health conditions, including Pernicious Anaemia.

Doctors are expected and professionally required to keep up to date by their Regulatory Body, The General Medical Council (GMC), through Continuing Professional Development activities. Personal development needs are identified through the process of appraisal and reflect the healthcare service needs of their local population that is served by the doctors.

The education and training of doctors delivering care to patients is supported by the NHS boards where they are employed and contracted, as well as by other organisations such NHS Education for Scotland and the Medical Royal Colleges and peers. The training materials are available to them in various formats such as lectures, articles, e-learning modules and others. This will include any updates in the management of Pernicious Anaemia.

Question reference: S4W-01846

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 8 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide information on when it expects work on the construction of the new Highland prison to commence.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is seeking a suitable site for HMP Highland, which will replace the existing HMP Inverness.

The construction works for HMP Highland will commence following the acquisition of a site and planning permission for this development and the subsequent completion of a procurement process for the award of a construction contract. A date for the commencement of construction works will be set following completion of these events.

Question reference: S4W-01766

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 5 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out an audit on the need for rented sheltered housing for older people and, if so, what the level of unmet need is.

Question reference: S4W-01771

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive which of the recommendations of The Report of the Commission on Funding Care and Support, Fairer Care Funding, July 2011 it will adopt.

The report of the Commission on Funding of Care and Support – Fairer Care Funding makes recommendations to the UK Government on how to develop a fairer system of funding social care in England.

We will consider the recommendations as part of the Scottish Government’s work on funding of social care in Scotland, but on the basis that the solutions we adopt need to be appropriate and relevant to Scotland.