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-32613

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 15 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-31793 by Adam Ingram on 11 March 2010, what is meant by “or otherwise” and whether specific timescales have been set to bring together representatives to ensure that local authorities are discharging their duties to looked-after children, including those in kinship care.

The Scottish Government is taking steps to help local authorities to benefit from each others'' experiences in relation to looked-after children, including those in kinship care, for example

We have written to local authorities following the release of the latest Children Looked After Statistics, reminding them of their obligations and asking what further support they need to deliver these. We will use this dialogue to arrange a meeting with elected members and senior officials to explore progress made and how this can be replicated.

In partnership with the Association of Directors of Social Work, we are organising a seminar to consider what our shared priorities should be in ensuring looked-after children, young people, care leavers and the people who look after them get the support they need.

We are funding the Corporate Parenting National Training Programme, developed by Who Cares? Scotland. The programme is aimed at improving awareness and capacity of elected members, community planning partners, health board members and relevant health professions of their corporate parenting responsibilities.

We have set up a Looked After Children Strategic Implementation Group to drive forward key elements of the agenda around improving outcomes for looked after children. This is a high level group with a membership which spans the looked after sector and local authorities will be represented by COSLA. The first meeting of this group will take place on 19 May 2010.

Question reference: S3W-32614

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 14 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what schools have been subject to three or more follow-up visits by HM Inspectorate of Education since 2000.

The following schools have been subject to three or more follow-through visits since August 2000.

Cademuir International School

Loirston Primary School

Craigston Primary School

St Roch''s Primary School

St Teresa''s Primary School

Miller Academy Primary School

Torridon Primary School

Kilmuir Primary School

Upper Achintore Primary

Newtongrange Primary School

Langlee Primary School

Kincorth Academy

Banff Academy

Fraserburgh Academy

Brechin High School

Braeview Academy

Castlebrae Community High School

Viewforth High School.

Question reference: S3W-33116

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures NHS boards have in place to ensure the containment of norovirus.

To ensure best practice in the prevention and treatment of norovirus outbreaks in health boards, Health Protection Scotland published, on 1 December 2009, revised guidance on norovirus outbreak, control measures and practical considerations for optimal patient safety and service continuation in hospitals. The document is available on their website at:

http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/haiic/ic/publicationsdetail.aspx?id=43440.

Question reference: S3W-32898

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were on dental waiting lists as at 1 March 2010, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S3W-32896

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were registered with dentists as at 1 March 2010, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S3W-32897

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were registered with dentists as NHS patients as at 1 March 2010, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S3W-32485

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 12 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what the initial revenue allocation was to NHS (a) Highland, (b) Orkney, (c) Shetland and (d) Western Isles in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10 and is for 2010-11, also expressed in real terms, and what the value would be expressed as an NHS Scotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) target allocation.

The initial revenue allocations to the four boards mentioned above were/are:

NHS Board	Baseline Allocations
	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
	(£ million)	(£ million)	(£ million)	(£ million)
NHS Highland	445.8	459.6	469.6	480.6
NHS Orkney	28.7	29.7	30.5	31.3
NHS Shetland	33.9	34.9	35.9	36.8
NHS Western Isles	53.6	55.2	56.6	58.1

Initial allocations expressed in real terms are:

NHS Board	Baseline Allocations in Real Terms
	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
	(£ million)	(£ million)	(£ million)	(£ million)
NHS Highland	476.7	479.4	480.1	480.6
NHS Orkney	30.7	30.9	31.2	31.3
NHS Shetland	36.2	36.4	36.7	36.8
NHS Western Isles	57.3	57.6	57.9	58.1

Note: The adjusted figures are shown at 2010-11 prices.

If allocations were made on the basis of the NHS Scotland Resource Allocation (NRAC) target, then they would have been:

NHS Board	NRAC Target Allocations
	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
	(£ million)	(£ million)	(£ million)	(£ million)
NHS Highland	447.3	459.9	455.1	470.0
NHS Orkney	29.1	30.2	30.3	31.6
NHS Shetland	31.6	32.9	31.8	33.3
NHS Western Isles	50.6	51.8	45.5	47.0

In real terms, the NRAC target would be:

NHS Board	NRAC Target Allocations in Real Terms
	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
	(£ million)	(£ million)	(£ million)	(£ million)
NHS Highland	478.3	479.7	465.3	470.0
NHS Orkney	31.1	31.5	31.0	31.6
NHS Shetland	33.8	34.3	32.5	33.3
NHS Western Isles	54.1	54.0	46.6	47.0

No board will receive less funding than it does at present and any changes will be phased in over a number of years as has been the practice under both the previous SHARE and Arbuthnott formulae.

Question reference: S3W-32486

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 12 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage share of total initial revenue allocation to territorial NHS boards has been given to NHS (a) Highland, (b) Orkney, (c) Shetland and (d) Western Isles for 2010-11 and what the NHS Scotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) target share was in each case.

The percentage share of total revenue allocations to territorial NHS boards for the four boards mentioned above and their NRAC target shares are:

NHS Board	Actual	NRAC
NHS Highland	6.46%	6.32%
NHS Orkney	0.42%	0.42%
NHS Shetland	0.49%	0.45%
NHS Western Isles	0.78%	0.63%

No board will receive less funding than it does at present and any changes will be phased in over a number of years as has been the practice under both the previous SHARE and Arbuthnott formulae.

Question reference: S3W-32182

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to prevent prisoners from sending unwanted letters to their victims.

Question reference: S3W-32184

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how measures to prevent prisoners from sending unwanted letters to their victims compare with those in England and Wales.

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

The Prison and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2006 enable governors to take steps to seek to prevent prisoners corresponding with persons or institutions that have made it known that they do not wish to receive correspondence.

The measures applied in Scotland are similar to those measures applied in England and Wales in so far as a recipient of correspondence from a prisoner in England and Wales may request in writing that no further letters should be sent.