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-03511

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-38676 by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 January 2011, whether it will consider taking action regarding direct-to-consumer genetic testing, in the light of the British Medical Journal editorial of 28 May 2011 on this issue.

Question reference: S4W-04770

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commission a study on the effects of the discounting ban on alcohol consumption and, if so, whether this will compare the consumption of match-paired Scottish and English groups.

The limits on discounting introduced by the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 will form part of the Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy (MESAS) portfolio being led by NHS Health Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. MESAS is a portfolio of seven studies aimed at evaluating the extent to which the actions set out in our Alcohol Framework, the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 are effective in delivering the intended outcomes.

The MESAS portfolio includes the analysis of Scottish and English / Welsh alcohol sales data. Over time, monthly sales data will allow us to consider whether there was a shift in sales in Scotland compared to England / Wales following the implementation of the discounting limitations in October 2011. We anticipate that Health Scotland will publish 2011 sales data later this year but 2012 data will also be required to allow robust estimations of the impact of the changes on longer term trends in consumption.

Question reference: S4W-04771

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commission a study on the effects of introducing a minimum unit price for alcohol and, if so, whether this will compare the consumption of match-paired Scottish and English groups of hazardous drinkers.

Once implemented, minimum pricing will form part of the Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy (MESAS) portfolio being led by NHS Health Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. MESAS is a portfolio of seven studies aimed at evaluating the extent to which the actions set out in our Alcohol Framework, the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 are effective in delivering the intended outcomes. Consideration is currently being given to how MESAS can be extended to ensure that it robustly evaluates the impact of minimum pricing in reducing alcohol-related harm.

The Chief Scientist Office is already funding a research study by Queen Margaret University that will examine the extent and ways in which Scotland’s heaviest drinkers change their habits as a result of the introduction of minimum pricing, and involves a North of England arm.

Question reference: S4W-04769

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ask the University of Sheffield to reapply the data to its formula for its alcohol pricing model for the periods (a) 2002 to 2005 and (b) 2005 to 2008.

We are clear that pricing interventions will reduce alcohol consumption – there are in excess of 100 separate studies that evidence this. The emerging empirical evidence from Canada on the impact of minimum pricing is also demonstrating reductions in consumption.

The purpose of the Sheffield alcohol pricing model is to estimate the likely future impact of minimum pricing in Scotland based on the most robust data currently available. We have no plans to ask Sheffield to run the model retrospectively.

There is a monitoring and evaluation process in place for our alcohol policies and this will include minimum pricing once it is implemented.

Question reference: S4W-04721

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff have participated in the BT Vital Vision programme since 2007 and how much it cost.

Question reference: S4O-00594

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to compensate households affected by noise and vibration from coal freight trains on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line or to ameliorate the disturbance.

Question reference: S4W-04610

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has seen of (a) outcomes agreed and (b) progress made from the meeting on 27 September 2011 between sportscotland, Sport England, Scottish Swimming and the Swimming Teachers' Association.

<>I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04609 on 11 January 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx but given the operational nature of the meeting I have asked Stewart Harris Chief Executive of sportscotland to respond.

Question reference: S4W-04690

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation the Finnish Government's acceptance of a link between the influenza vaccine, Pandemrix, and narcolepsy and its decision to pay compensation to those affected.

The Scottish Government has had no discussions with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) about the Finnish Government’s stance on the issue of Pandemrix and narcolepsy.

Following the link to very rare cases of narcolepsy in young people in Finland and Sweden, EU regulatory action was taken in July 2011 to restrict the use of Pandemrix in those people under the age of 20, unless another seasonal flu vaccine is not available and there is a need to immunise against the H1N1 virus. A similar risk to that reported in Finland and Sweden has not been confirmed to date in other countries, including the UK, and further studies are ongoing to assess this association.

The Pandemrix vaccine has not been used in Scotland since 2009-10.

Question reference: S4W-04609

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what update it has received from sportscotland on the meeting on 27 September 2011 between sportscotland, Sport England, Scottish Swimming and the Swimming Teachers' Association.

I understand from sportscotland that the meeting held on 27 September was reasonably productive but that both British Swimming, its home country members and the Swimming Teachers Association agreed that further discussions on the content and format of their qualifications would be helpful.

Both British Swimming and the Swimming Teachers Association agreed to meet to discuss the implication for establishing one single qualification for the teaching of swimming.

The group agreed to reconvene a meeting of appropriate parties in late January 2012 to review progress and I have asked sportscotland to keep me updated on the outcome of that meeting.

Question reference: S4W-04612

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has seen notes from the meeting on 27 September 2011 between sportscotland, Sport England, Scottish Swimming and the Swimming Teachers' Association and, if so, whether they will be made public.