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-11597

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration the Scottish Medicines Consortium has given to the introduction of Kalydeco as a treatment for cystic fibrosis.

Question reference: S4W-11599

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what the benefits of Kalydeco are in the treatment of cystic fibrosis.

Scotland has its own robust arrangements for appraising the clinical and cost-effectiveness of newly licensed medicines through the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. The processes of these organisations operate independently from the Scottish Government.

The SMC will publish advice on Ivacaftor (Kalydeco) on 14 January 2013. A link to the forthcoming submissions section of the SMC website is attached:

http://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/SMC_Advice/Forthcoming_Submissions/ivacaftor_Kalydeco

Question reference: S4W-11598

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what contact the Scottish Medicines Consortium has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) concerning Kalydeco.

Scotland has its own robust arrangements for appraising the clinical and cost-effectiveness of newly licensed medicines through SMC and Healthcare Improvement Scotland and therefore there is no requirement for the SMC to contact NICE concerning Ivacaftor (Kalydeco).

The SMC is scheduled to publish advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Ivacaftor (Kalydeco) on 14 January 2013. NICE has not scheduled a single or multiple technology appraisal of this medicine.

Question reference: S4W-11600

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Kalydeco should be available for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.

The Scottish Government is committed to patients in Scotland receiving medicines of established cost-effectiveness and therapeutic value.

The SMC will publish advice on Ivacaftor (Kalydeco) on 14 January 2013. A link to the forthcoming submissions section of the SMC website is attached:

http://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/SMC_Advice/Forthcoming_Submissions/ivacaftor_Kalydeco

Question reference: S4W-11535

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 26 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons the NHSScotland Chief Executive's Annual Report 2011-12 was published on Saturday, 24 November 2012, and not on a weekday.

Question reference: S4W-11220

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the sustainability of the horticultural use of peat.

The Government wishes to see the extraction of peat for use in horticulture reduced and eventually phased out. We value our peatlands both for biodiversity and for their carbon storage, but we also recognise that there needs to be an adequate supply of suitable alternative products for gardeners and for the industry. The Scottish Government believes that a growth in composting can provide alternatives to the use of peat for horticultural purposes, which accounts for the overwhelming majority of peat extraction.

Question reference: S4W-11215

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how the greenhouse gas emissions that would result from horticultural peat extraction are calculated and assessed in the planning process.

The UK inventory report describes how GHG emissions are estimated. In the latest UK inventory report:

http://naei.defra.gov.uk/report_link.php?report_id=693 Annex 3 at pages 568-570 describes the method used to estimate GHG emissions from peat extraction for use both as a fuel and for horticulture. Local authorities are required under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 to consider the climate change implications of their decisions, and they must consider whether an Environmental Impact Assessment will be required in connection with any planning application.

Question reference: S4W-11224

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what the benefit for a zero waste Scotland would be of a greater use of alternatives to peat for horticultural purposes.

Question reference: S4W-11221

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of horticultural peat sold in Scotland has been displaced by more environmentally sustainable alternatives.

Question reference: S4W-11216

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what the carbon implications are of the exploitation of existing planning consents for horticultural peat extraction and what the implications are for Scotland's greenhouse gas targets.

The emissions associated with horticultural peat extraction in Scotland are estimated at 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. There would thus be a carbon saving if peat were no longer to be extracted. However, if such quantities were sourced elsewhere, the emissions would be accounted for in other countries’ inventories. The carbon implications of peat-free alternatives would depend on the composition of the alternatives.