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-05880

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the introduction of alternative telephone numbers for non-urgent (a) health, (b) fire and (c) police matters similar to that recently piloted by some NHS trusts in England.

The Scottish Government is currently considering the adoption of the “111” number for access to non-emergency healthcare services and work is ongoing to fully understand the technical, financial and service implications of adopting this number in Scotland. We will discuss with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland the results of their planned work on the potential for a single non-emergency police number once this work is complete. We will also discuss this issue with the new fire and rescue service.

Question reference: S4W-05758

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of patients requiring treatment for immunological and allergy conditions being sent to Newcastle and, if so, for what reason this treatment cannot be accessed in Scotland.

Our generic approach to the management of all long-term conditions is about making sure people get services which are responsive to their needs and which can be provided as locally as possible, with ready access to specialist services where necessary.

In Scotland, consultant-led adult immunology and allergy services are available in Aberdeen, Dundee, and Glasgow. They deal with a very small number of people who experience near-fatal allergic reactions, or those that occur under a general anaesthetic. They provide highly specialist investigations, such as skin testing and the investigation of specialist antibodies and immune cell function. These services also take referrals from other areas across Scotland.

There is also a small consultant-led allergy service available in Edinburgh. However, NHS Lothian has said that adults living with immunological and allergy conditions in Lothian can also be referred to The Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle under out-of-area referral arrangements for specialist opinion.

In addition, NHS Lothian has said that it is currently exploring options for the extending provision of locally managed and delivered specialist allergy and immunology services.

Question reference: S4O-00779

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools in Clackmannanshire, Stirlingshire and Perthshire have asked for further support in implementing the Curriculum for Excellence.

Question reference: S4W-05736

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Dolby Medical can guarantee full coverage of oxygen supply to patients at home in all areas of Scotland, especially in remote and rural areas.

Question reference: S4W-05737

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether community pharmacists will be required to provide a role for NHS boards in the emergency supply of oxygen for use at home.

Question reference: S4W-05472

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend its advice on vitamin D supplements to include older people (a) in care homes or (b) who are confined to home.

Question reference: S4W-05473

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it takes 13 months from the end of one year to publish the figures on perinatal mortality.

<>Figures on perinatal mortality are published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) on a quarterly basis, usually three months after the end of the relevant quarter. These figures are published here: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/general/bmd-quarterly/index.html.

More detailed information on these mothers and babies is subsequently published annually by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and Information Services Division (ISD) in the Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report (SPIMMR). The interval before publication is fairly standard and similar to the equivalent figures for England and Wales.

The 13 month gap for the SPIMMR to be published from the end of the relevant calendar year is due to the time required to match the additional information in this report to the NRS data. For each infant death and stillbirth recorded by NRS, Healthcare Improvement Scotland contacts the relevant hospital or general practice to ask them to complete the Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey (SSBIDS) form and to provide any additional information relating to the event (e.g. postmortem/histology/cytogenetic reports and perinatal meeting summary reports). They also receive information on late fetal deaths directly from maternity units. All cases in the SPIMMR are reviewed by the Reproductive Health Clinical Advisor from Healthcare Improvement Scotland who then assigns a cause of death. More information on the process involved is available here:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Maternity-and-Births/Stillbirth-and-Infant-Deaths/SPIMMR-Background-Information.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-05474

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how its recently published figures on perinatal mortality compare with those for the rest of Europe.

Perinatal deaths are defined in Scotland as stillbirths and deaths in the first week of life. The most recently published full-year figure on perinatal mortality in Scotland is 6.9 perinatal deaths per 1,000 live and still births

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/general/bmd-quarterly/index.html.

The 2010 UK Health Statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) gives comparable figures across the UK for 2009 for the perinatal mortality rate per 1,000 live births (rather than live and still births, as calculated by National Records of Scotland):

	2009
UK	7.6
England	7.6
Wales	7.4
Scotland	7.4
Northern Ireland	7.8

Source: ONS : http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ukhs/united-kingdom-health-statistics/2010/edition-4--2010.pdf.

There are variations in the definitions of stillbirth and neonatal death between countries. It is not possible to assess how Scotland’s recent perinatal mortality figures compare with other European countries as figures which take account of these differences have not been calculated.

The EURO-PERISTAT project, which works to develop valid and reliable indicators to monitor perinatal health in the EU, produced a report in 2004 which does provide comparable data.

Perinatal mortality per 1,000 births

Belgium	1.68
Denmark	1.51
Germany	0.83
Spain	0.48
France	0.94
Ireland	2.37
Italy	0.25
Malta	2.56
Netherlands	1.1
Austria	0.76
Poland	1.48
Portugal	0.22
UK	1.1
Norway	0.48
Total	0.93

Source: Europeristat: http://www.europeristat.com/publications/european-perinatal-health-report.shtml.

Figures on perinatal mortality up to 2007 can be also selected from the European Health for All database, but some of the differences in rates relate to variations in definition, particularly whether very low birthweight babies are included, whether late terminations of pregnancy should be counted and whether pre-viable fetuses who show some signs of movement should be included.

http://www.scotpho.org.uk/comparative-health/scotland-and-european-hfa-database.

Sources: National Records of Scotland, Office for National Statistics, Europeristat, ScotPHO.

Question reference: S4W-05475

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with its audit and research on foetal alcohol (a) syndrome and (b) spectrum disorder.

The Scottish Government and Chief Scientist’s Office have co-funded a four year surveillance study on fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) only. This study has just entered its third year of operation and is collecting and collating information on the incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome in children under six years of age. The study group is also funded to raise awareness of fetal alcohol harm and enhance the ability of clinicians to recognise and diagnose the condition more effectively.

Question reference: S4W-04960

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the Public Participation Forum was not represented on the investigatory group on waiting times in NHS Lothian.