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: S5W-02104

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 14 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns in the independent care home sector regarding the viability of businesses in the sector, and what recent discussions it has had with independent care home sector representatives on these concerns.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the quality of care in Scotland and we meet regularly with COSLA, Scottish Care, Coalition of Care and support Providers in Scotland and other key stakeholders in order to do this.

As part of this partnership approach the Scottish Government is a member of the National Contingency Planning Group, which includes providers and is chaired by COSLA. The group works with stakeholders in identifying potential risks which could lead to the disruption of adult social care provision in Scotland.

We are also working with COSLA and care providers to deliver a major programme of reform to adult social care. These reforms will maintain the continuity, stability and sustainability of residential care provision while embedding greater local flexibility, maximising efficiency, improving quality, enhancing personalisation and promoting innovation.

Question reference: S5W-02029

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of Lyme disease have been recorded in each year since 1999.

The following table shows the number of laboratory confirmed diagnoses of borrelia infection each year but there will be cases which are not captured by surveillance. This is because current guidance states that if a patient presents to their healthcare professional with a history of a tick bite and erythema migrans (rash), antibiotic treatment should be recommended immediately. This treatment renders subsequent samples non-diagnostic and therefore not recorded by surveillance systems.

Year	Borrelia (Lyme Disease) Notifications
1999	11
2000	27
2001	17
2002	40
2003	42
2004	57
2005	96
2006	171
2007	230
2008	285
2009	228
2010	308
2011	229
2012	207
2013	176
2014	224
2015	200 (provisional)

Question reference: S5W-02014

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many libraries have closed in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

The information requested is not held centrally. The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Library and Information Council to provide independent advice to the Scottish Government on library and information services and to act as a leadership body for the sector. Details of library closures for all parts of the UK since 2010 is provided in the following table:

	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	Change over the period	Percentage (%)
Scotland	619	610	606	609	602	-17	-2.75
England	3469	3320	3261	3226	3169	-300	-8.65
Northern Ireland	126	127	122	122	*	-4	-3.17
Wales	378	327	324	325	288	-90	-23.81
UK	4592	4384	4313	4282	4059	-533	-11.61

*No return in 2014-15. Libraries across NI operate as single service. Confirmed current figure is 98.

(information provided by SLIC utilising CIPFA data)

SLIC can provide information on the local library landscape in Scotland, and can be contacted using the details below:

Pamela Tulloch

Chief Executive Officer

Scottish Library and Information Council

Suite 2.4

Turnberry House

175 West George Street

Glasgow

G2 2LB

t: 0141 202 2999

e: [email protected]

w: www.scottishlibraries.org

Question reference: S5W-02016

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the guidance to NHS boards regarding the provision of fertility preservation and the cryopreservation of eggs, sperm, and embryos for cancer patients.

NHS funded fertility preservation is currently offered to patients diagnosed with cancer on a case-by-case basis. This is for clinical reasons, and referring clinicians should take into account a patient's diagnosis, prognosis of cancer treatment and age.

A Scottish Government led working group is being set up to look at access and draw up protocols for fertility preservation for patients with serious medical conditions, prior to fertility compromising treatment or surgery.

Question reference: S5W-02363

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise awareness of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Question reference: S5W-02105

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01490 by Aileen Campbell on 26 July 2016, to what factors it attributes the decline in care home places since 2000, and what its position is on this matter.

In line with our vision, Scottish Government policies are enabling more people to live longer and more independently in their own homes, which results in fewer people needing residential care.

Our legislation to integrate health and social care has provided a platform for health boards and local authorities, along with third and independent sectors, to work together to ensure people are supported to live as independently as possible, for as long as possible, in their own homes.

Question reference: S5W-01938

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a full breakdown of the cost to NHS Grampian of the suspensions of Professor Zygmunt Krukowski and Doctor Wendy Craig.

Question reference: S5W-02031

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 9 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent announcement by the UK Government, whether it plans to cap the salary of its special advisers.

Appointments of special advisers will continue to be made in line with the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 and the Scottish Government Ministerial Code. There are no plans to change these arrangements. This is consistent with practice in the UK Government.

A list of special advisers in post, their paybands and the total salary cost is published on an annual basis. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00837 on 20 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5O-00131

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the quality of urban broadband.

Question reference: S5W-01937

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 7 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to remove the barriers that prevent patients from Scotland being able to access addiction Tier 4 facilities in the (a) rest of the UK and (b) European Economic Area.