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-11435

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what methodology the Scottish Medicines Consortium uses to factor the views of (a) the Patient and Public Involvement Group and (b) patients' interest groups into its appraisal process.

The Patient and Public Involvement Group (PAPIG) has three public partners who are members of the Scottish Medicines Consortium and contribute to the decision making. Where there are Patient Interest Group submissions for medicines under assessment, these are included in the meeting papers sent to all members and one of the public partners presents a summary of the Patient Interest Group submissions verbally to the committee at the monthly SMC meeting. Further information on these arrangements are set out on the SMC website. A link is attached:

http://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/Public_Involvement/SMC_Explained/Further_Reading.

The SMC website provides information on how patient interest groups can participate in the SMC appraisal arrangements. A link is attached:

http://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/Public_Involvement/Template_and_Guidance_Documents.

Question reference: S4W-11446

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many students have enrolled at each university nursing school in each of the last five years and what the attrition rate has been.

The total number of students enrolled at each of the university nursing schools in each of the last five years and the attrition rates for those cohorts completing in each of the last five years are as detailed in the following tables:

Enrolled	Napier	GCU	RGU	Dundee	Stirling	UWS
2007	472	469	273	471	334	847
2008	491	524	238	422	343	789
2009	560	562	262	430	368	787
2010	532	533	293	410	382	762
2011	501	436	274	378	301	672

Attrition rate, year commencing	Napier	GCU	RGU	Dundee	Stirling	UWS
2003	30%	22%	38%	34%	26%	26%
2004	29%	23%	40%	38%	28%	26%
2005	28%	25%	39%	37%	34%	30%
2006	30%	25%	38%	30%	40%	29%
2007	29%	25%	34%	38%	25%	37%

Source: Data from NHS Education for Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-11448

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on the recruitment of specialist nurses in (a) neonatal paediatrics and (b) other specialisms of the reduction in the nursing student intake in the last two years.

Since 2009, there has been an increase in the number of qualified nurses graduating because more students than ever before are successfully completing their studies. The student intake is set every year to make sure we have the right number of nurses and midwives for the future.

The number of Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) has increased in recent years as detailed in the following table.

Specialist	2009	2012
All CNS	1,460	2,048
Neonatal CNS	6	24
Paediatrics CNS	27	45

Question reference: S4W-11441

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Strategic Engagement Group referred to in Health and Wealth in Scotland: A Statement of Intent for Innovation in Health, has been established and what its terms of reference are.

Question reference: S4W-11444

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessment was carried out of the impact on each university school of nursing and midwifery before making the decision to (a) close the (i) Glasgow Caledonian, (ii) Dundee and (iii) Stirling midwifery schools and (b) reduce the nursing student intake in each of the last two years.

Recommendations regarding the numbers of commissioned places for nursing and midwifery education and training are made by Scottish Ministers on an annual basis and aim to ensure that the right number of nursing and midwifery students are being trained for our NHS. The decision to move to three pre-registration education midwifery education providers aimed to ensure a sustainable national model of pre-registration midwifery education provision and to further develop centres of excellence with a strong research and post graduate presence.

Mechanisms were agreed with relevant Universities to manage the impact of changes in intakes to pre-registration nursing and midwifery programmes; and to enable the transition to three pre-registration midwifery education providers. The Universities not selected to provide pre-registration midwifery education programmes were able to recruit additional nursing students; additional funding was also provided to Universities to expand the provision of post-registration education for NHS board nurses and midwives.

Question reference: S4W-11430

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of NDM-1 infection reported since 2010 have not been associated with international travel.

Question reference: S4W-11431

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued on NDM-1 infection and when.

Question reference: S4F-01039

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2012

To ask the First Minister what the maximum time is that a patient has waited beyond the cancer waiting times targets in 2012.

Question reference: S4W-11313

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints the Scottish Prison Service has received from prisoners regarding passive smoking since 2006.

Question reference: S4W-11312

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken since 2006 to ensure that non-smoking prisoners are not exposed to second-hand smoke in (a) their cells, (b) communal areas and (c) workshops.

I have asked Colin McConnell, chief executive of the Scottish prison service, to respond. His response is as follows:

“Since 26 March 2006 prisoners have not been permitted to smoke in communal areas and workshops within Scottish prison service establishments.

Prisoners are allowed to smoke in cells as long as the governor has not designated the cell as a non-smoking cell in accordance with the prison rules. On admission to custody and when moving cells prisoners are asked for their smoking preference to minimise, wherever practicable non-smokers sharing cells with smokers.”