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-40569

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has made since May 2007 in relation to the incidence and prevalence of alcohol-related brain damage.

Since May 2007, the Scottish Government has continued work to translate the principles and recommendations of Mind the Gaps (2003) and A Fuller Life (2004) reports into practical advice on action needed to move the joint agenda forward and support joined-up local delivery to improve the awareness, support and service provision for people who have both mental health and substance misuse problems.

The Closing the Gaps “ Making a Difference report, published in December 2007, sets out six recommendations to be implemented by a range of partners including: NHS boards, Alcohol & Drug Partnerships (ADPs) (formerly Alcohol and Drug Action Teams (ADATs)) and local authorities.

In 2010, the Mental Welfare Commission (MWC) Missed Opportunities report set out two recommendations for the Scottish Government in relation to alcohol-related brain damage. We have sought and received the advice of the Scottish Ministerial Advisory Committee on Alcohol Problems (SMACAP) Essential Services Working Group on these recommendations and are currently considering next steps.

Question reference: S3W-40568

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made since May 2007 of the incidence and prevalence of alcohol-related brain damage.

Question reference: S3W-40574

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to deliver the recommendations in Eating for Health: A Diet Action Plan for Scotland.

Over the 15 years since Eating for Health: a Diet Action Plan for Scotland was published, work between government, stakeholders and the food industry has continued moving towards delivering the 71 recommendations. Full details of progress up to 2005 was published in the review of the Scottish Diet Action Plan.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to the themes set out in the original plan and continues to support these through policies like the Obesity Route Map, Recipe for Success: the National Food and Drink policy, Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition: A Framework for Action and through our work with the Food Standards Agency Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-40579

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what reduction there has been in the salt content of bread since the publication of the report, A Scottish Diet, in 1993.

The Food Standards Agency in Scotland advises that a survey carried out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in 2001 estimated that the average salt content of bread fell from 1.4g/100g in 1998 to 1.2g/100g in 2001, an average fall of 13%.

Working with the food industry, in 2006 the FSA published the first set of voluntary targets for 85 categories of food including bread. The target for bread, set for achievement in 2010 was 1.1g/100g. A review of the salt targets carried out in 2008 to assess progress, indicated that most of the major supermarkets had already achieved the 2010 salt targets. Therefore, new more challenging targets were set for industry to work towards and achieve by 2012. The 2012 target for bread is 1.0g/100g.

Question reference: S3W-40580

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what further reduction in salt the Food Standards Agency Scotland is seeking in (a) bread, (b) biscuits, (c) snacks and (d) processed foods and by what date these targets are to be achieved.

Question reference: S3W-40573

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what outcome measures the Food Standards Agency Scotland applies to its strategic objectives of (a) achieving an improvement in the health of the Scottish population and (b) reducing inequalities.

The Food Standards Agency in Scotland advises that it employs a number of diet and nutrition outcome measures relating to health improvement. For example:

In working to improve messaging about healthy eating, an FSA in Scotland project is being carried out by the University of Glasgow to develop a resource designed to help consumers (and health professionals) understand what eating a healthy diet over the period of a week entails. Continuing from this project FSA in Scotland will further explore the attitudes and understanding of both health professionals and consumers in relation to specific messages associated with healthy eating.

To measure the diet of the Scottish population, FSA in Scotland runs a programme of diet and nutrition surveillance designed to measure progress towards the Scottish Dietary Targets. Outputs from this programme includes, where possible, breakdown by deprivation using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.

To track progress made by the food industry to lower salt, fats and sugars in products, FSA in Scotland are currently working with Scottish Government to explore the analysis of market research data relating to retail food and drink purchases.

Question reference: S3W-40575

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on achieving the dietary targets listed in Annex B of Eating for Health - meeting the challenge: Co-ordinated action, improved communication and leadership for Scottish Food and Health policy 2004.

Work on monitoring progress towards the Scottish Dietary Targets is carried out by the Food Standards Agency in Scotland and is on-going.

Food/nutrient changes to the Scottish Dietary Targets from 2001 to 2008

Target Food / Nutrient	Scottish Dietary Target	1996^*	2001	2008	Change Between 2001 and 2008
Fruit and Vegetables	More than 400g per day	249g	239g	264g	Up
Bread (all types)	154g per day	133g	101g	85.9g	Down
Brown/Wholemeal Bread	More than 77g per day	26.5g	16.2 g	21.2g	Up
Breakfast Cereals (all types)	34g per day	18.2g	19.5g	21.5g	No Change
Oil Rich Fish	88g per week	35.1g	28.2g	31.8g	No Change
White Fish	No decrease	107g	92.9g	89.1g	No Change
Fat	‰¤35% food energy	39.6%	39.2%	39.3%	No Change
Saturated Fat	‰¤11% of food energy	15.6%	15.7%	15.5%	No Change
NMES	Adults - No increase	13.6%	15.6%	15.1%	Down
Total Complex Carbohydrates	155g per day	143g	138g	137g	No Change

^*Figures for 1996 were taken from Wrieden et al., 2006 and were calculated using a different methodology, which included different waste figures.

Question reference: S3W-40572

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Care Commission has taken to ensure that appropriate care and personal plans are in place for people in care homes, supported accommodation or hostels with alcohol-related brain damage.

There is a statutory requirement for registered care services for adults to prepare a personal plan which sets out how the health and welfare needs of the person using the service will be met. This requirement is reflected in the National Care Standards.

How to ensure that this requirement is met by care services is an operational matter for the Care Commission. The acting chief executive of the commission can be contacted for details at:

Mr David Wiseman

Care Commission

Compass House

11 Riverside Drive

DUNDEE

DD1 4NY

T: 01382 207100

E: [email protected].

Question reference: S3W-40555

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the Scottish Trauma Audit Group is spending additional money on Cisco 1900 series routers.

Question reference: S3W-40566

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what local needs assessments have been carried out regarding alcohol-related brain damage since the publication of A Fuller Life: Report of the Expert Group on Alcohol Related Brain Damage.