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-15371

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 27 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take up the European Commission’s School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme funding and, if so, how much will be involved.

The European Commission has put forward a proposal to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament for a European Union-wide scheme to provide free fruit and vegetables to school children. A decision on whether the scheme will go ahead is expected by the end of the year. We are awaiting the outcome of this decision. More information on the proposal can be found on the European Commission website at:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/markets/fruitveg/sfs/index_en.htm.

Question reference: S3W-15323

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 26 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the proposals in Getting it Right for Every Child, to avoid creating false incentives to make a child subject to competing measures and classifying them looked after and to ensure that children’s needs are identified and acted on, are implemented.

The implementation of Getting it right for every child is continuing through pathfinding activity and in partnership with agencies, including development of assessment of children''s risks and needs. Better, earlier identification of risks and needs leading to appropriate, proportionate, timely support should over time lessen the proportion of children requiring support whose needs and risks develop to the point where they require to be looked after children in terms of section 17 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

Question reference: S3W-15369

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many hits the Choose Life website has received, broken down by six month periods since the website was established.

The Choose Life website has received the following numbers of hits, in six-month periods, since it was established in May 2005:

May 2005 to October 2005	14,559
November 2005 to April 2006	28,804
May 2006 to October 2006	41,974
November 2006 to April 2007	54,073
May 2007 to October 2007	90,070
November 2007 to April 2008	161,298
May 2008 to July 2008 (Three Months)	77,314
Total	468,092

Question reference: S3W-15441

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, following two reports published on 7 August 2008, why all isolates of Clostridium difficile are not classified into types.

Most diagnoses are made by standard local laboratory testing for Clostridium difficile toxins, not culture/isolation of the organism. The latter is required for typing, which is carried out at the Scottish Reference Laboratory. The Reference Laboratory has specific guidance setting out the criteria for when to culture and submit specimens for typing which cover those situations where typing can contribute to the management and investigation of cases. Presently, there are insufficient numbers of typed isolates to allow any kind of meaningful national analysis.

Question reference: S3W-15442

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ascertain why the rate of deaths at Vale of Leven Hospital between December 2007 and June 2008 was higher than normal.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) is taking forward an epidemiological study with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to better understand why the data on deaths due to Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital appeared to show unusual limits.

This study is one of a number of actions that appear in our National Action Plan, in response to the recommendations arising from the publication of the HPS Report on Review of Clostridium difficile Associated Disease Cases and Mortality in all Acute Hospitals in Scotland from December 2007 - May 2008 and the Independent Review Report on the Clostridium difficile Outbreaks at Vale of Leven Hospital. The National Action Plan is available from the HAI Task Force website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/19529/2005/actionplans.

Question reference: S3W-15445

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the two reports on Clostridium difficile published on 7 August 2008, what steps it is taking to ensure that (a) guidance on antibiotic policy is put in place and properly audited across Scotland and (b) the voluntary system of use of the Health Protection Scotland guidance in the bundle for tackling cross-transmission of Clostridium difficile is made mandatory or a similar bundle is implemented in each NHS board.

On a) the Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan (ScotMARAP) launched by me in March outlines the national programme for Scotland in tackling antimicrobial resistance and prudent prescribing over the next five years. This was followed by CEL(30) 2008 on 8 July 2008, which sought the immediate implementation of our national policies in this area and set out the funding of £40,000 for each mainland NHS board and £20,000 for Island Boards for 2009-10 and 2010-11, with pro-rata funding for 2008-2009.

The Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) will monitor progress by overseeing national surveillance of resistance and antibiotic use, and driving improvements in prescribing practice. An array of supporting materials for the prevention and control of both Clostridium difficile and antimicrobial resistance are available on the Health Protection Scotland website:

http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/haiic/index.aspx

On (b) we are discussing how best to implement the care bundle with the Scottish Patient Safety Alliance and Health Protection Scotland. This is a key feature of our National Action Plan which can be viewed at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/19529/2005/actionplans

Question reference: S3W-15440

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to NHS boards on the management of laundry in hospitals where Clostridium difficile has been detected.

Question reference: S3W-15311

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all (a) disused hospitals and medical premises owned by the NHS and (b) sold, but not demolished, hospitals and medical premises.

The following table provides an overview of those hospital and medical facilities which are no longer required for operational purposes but which remain in the ownership of Scottish Ministers.

Surplus properties currently remaining in NHSScotland ownership

NHS Board	Disused hospital and medical centres owned by the NHS	Date Closed, Sold or date of expected sale
NHS National Services Scotland	Protein Fractionation Centre, Ellen''s Glen Road, Edinburgh	A small part of site remains operational but the major production facility being on site is being decommissioned “ there are no plans to sell the vacated part in short term.
NHS Borders	Sister Margaret Cottage Hospital, Jedburgh	Closed October 2006 Currently being marketed
	Princes Street Clinic, Hawick	Closed 2006
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	Garrick Hospital, Stranraer	Missives due to conclude: 2008-09
	Ladyfield East, Glencaple Road, Dumfries	Property to be marketed: 2008-09
	Ladyfield West Glencaple Road Dumfries	Property to be marketed: 2008-09
NHS Forth Valley	Airth Clinic
	2 Clinics, Callendar
NHS Grampian	Cove Clinic, Aberdeen	Closed 2007 Expected sale date: March 2009
	Upper & Lower Hospitals, Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen	Closed March 2004
NHS Tayside	Irvine Memorial Hospital, Pitlochry	Closed 2008 Expected sale date 2009-2010
	Armitstead Children''s Development Centre, Dundee	Closed 2008 Expected sale date 2009-2010
NHS Lothian	Broxburn Health Centre, Broxburn	Closed 2002. Expected sale date: 2009
	Bangour Village Hospital, West Lothian	Closed 2004
NHS Lanarkshire	Law Hospital	Closed 2001. Expected sale date: 2009
	Alexander Hospital - one building only remains on site	Closed: March 2006, Expected sale date: 2008
NHS Fife	Alison Street Clinic, Kirkcaldy	Closed 2004. Expected sale date: 2008

It is not possible to provide details of properties which have been sold but not demolished as health boards have no operational responsibility for such premises once a sale has been completed.

Question reference: S3W-15314

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS board control of infection committees have carried out a walk-through audit of each hospital for which they are responsible and whether the results of such audits will be made public.

Infection Control Committees report to the board through a Governance framework. All NHS board meetings are open to the public. The Governance section of our new National Action Plan sets out our plans for introducing a standard reporting template in January 2009 and all NHS boards will be required to follow it. The new National Action Plan can be viewed at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/19529/2005/actionplans.

Question reference: S3W-15444

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the two reports on Clostridium difficile published on 7 August 2008, whether it will examine the feasibility of a linkage of outcomes to cases, as is now reported as being in place at the Vale of Leven Hospital, being put in place across Scotland and when it will report to the Parliament on this matter.

I refer the member to the Policies and Procedures section of our new National Action Plan and the action that will be taken forward by Health Protection Scotland and NHS Boards to develop a Clostridium difficile Root Cause Analysis tool by November 2008 which will be used by boards to investigate adverse outcomes including death. The National Action Plan is available from the HAI Task Force website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/19529/2005/actionplans.

I will keep the Parliament informed of progress of all aspects of the Action Plan as and when required.