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-30478

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 22 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has made available to develop high level diagnostic and therapeutic skills in child and adolescent mental health specialists to increase capacity to meet the mental health needs of 0 to 3-year-olds.

NHS boards are responsible for ensuring they have the correct numbers and skill mix to meet the needs of all children and adolescents.

The Scottish Government has invested £16.3 million over the last six years to increase the number of psychologists working in specialist child and adolescent mental health services, with a further £3.5 million committed in 2015-16.

In addition the First Minister announced a £54.1 million package of support to improve access to mental health services for adults and children on 12 January 2016. This investment includes £24.7 million to improve capacity to see more people more quickly, £4.8 million through Healthcare Improvement Scotland to help redesign local services to be more efficient, effective and sustainable and £24.6 million to improve workforce supply and train existing staff to deliver services for children and young people, as well as psychological therapies for all ages.

Question reference: S4W-30585

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when the review of NHS merit awards will be completed and a new scheme established.

Question reference: S4W-30558

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in delivering its New Clinical Strategy, it will require NHS board teams to participate fully in regional managed care networks where there is evidence that specialised teams have a better outcome.

Question reference: S4W-30565

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its budget for ehealth, published in its 2015-16 budget, was £90.7 million but, in its 2016-17 budget, the figure for the same year was shown as £9.9 million.

The 2016-17 budget includes a new budget entitled Outcomes Framework. This provides a single source of funding to NHS boards which will provide greater local flexibility on decisions on how to maximise the value from this resource against clearly defined outcomes with a focus on delivering strategic priorities such as reducing inequalities.

The Outcomes Framework budget includes values previously scored against other budget lines, including ehealth, and as such the prior year figures have been restated to ensure consistency across financial years. £80.8 million of the 2015-16 ehealth budget has been transferred to the 2015-16 Outcomes Framework budget within the published 2016-17 budget such that the majority of the ehealth budget is now included in this new budget.

Question reference: S4W-30568

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many of (a) its and (b) each NHS board's senior managers (i) hold and (ii) do not hold an ICT qualification.

The Scottish Government hold no information on the ICT qualifications of NHS board’s senior managers. It is the responsibility of NHS boards to ensure appropriately qualified staff are in place. All Scottish Government staff within the ICT profession are required to participate in an externally accredited career development scheme and make use of this system to record any ICT qualifications.

Question reference: S4W-30587

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of consultant appointment boards has been (a) cancelled and (b) cancelled more than once due to lack of suitable applicants in each of the last three years.

Information has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh External Advisors Co-ordinators, who hold the data in relation to consultant boards.

In 2013 there were 424 Scottish consultant panels. Of these, 130 (30%) were cancelled. Of those cancelled, 46 (35%) were cancelled at the closing date stage due to no applicants, 20 (15%) were cancelled because of candidates withdrawing, and 16 (12%) were cancelled at shortlisting or interview stage due to the candidates not being suitable for appointment.

In 2014 there were 546 Scottish consultant panels. Of these, 202 (37%) were cancelled. Of the cancelled panels, 97 (48%) were cancelled at the closing date stage due to no applicants, 27 (13%) were cancelled because of candidates withdrawing, and 28 (14%) were cancelled at shortlisting or interview stage due to the candidates not being suitable for appointment.

In 2015 there were 627 Scottish consultant panels. Of these, 225 (36%) were cancelled. Of the cancelled panels, 123 (55%) were cancelled at the closing date stage due no applicants, 24 (11%) were cancelled because of candidates withdrawing, and 30 (13%) were cancelled at shortlisting or interview stage due to the candidates not being suitable for appointment.

Data on individual appointment boards which have been cancelled more than once is not available.

Question reference: S4W-30566

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether all Caldicott guardians in each NHS board are medically qualified.

Since 1997 boards have appointed Caldicott guardians as the senior advisors on how patient information is used internally and externally. Although there is no absolute requirement for the person to be medically qualified, the Scottish Government understands that they are directors of public health or in senior clinical roles. In addition, boards are appointing Senior Information Risk Owners (SIROs) who cover the whole information risk landscape (patient, employee and corporate information). A SIRO must be at executive level, but can be from a medical or non-medical background.

Question reference: S4W-30584

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many consultants on (a) A, (b) B and (c) C merit awards have been transferred to the Scottish scheme from the rest of the UK.

Distinction awards in Scotland are monitored on the basis of A+, A and B Awards. The answers are given in the following table:

Year	A+ Award holders	A Award holders	B Award holders	Total
2006-07	1		2	3
2007-08	2		2	4
2008-09	1		2	3
2009-10	1		3	4
2010-11		1		1
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14		1	2	3
2014-15		2	1	3
2015-16
Total	5	4	12	21

Question reference: S4W-30579

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many new consultants have been appointed in each year since 2013 on a (a) 9:1, (b) 8:2, (c) 7:5, (d) 2:5 and (e) other contract.

Question reference: S4W-30437

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which acute hospitals provide both a seven-day alcohol specialist nurse service and an assertive outreach alcohol service to care for (a) frequent hospital attenders and (b) long-stay patients.