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-05998

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people in Scotland may have vitamin D deficiency, broken down by age group.

Question reference: S5W-05995

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to encourage more people to take vitamin D supplements.

The Scottish Government has recently updated its advice on vitamin D supplementation for ages 6 months and over in line with the new Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommendations on vitamin D. The revised guidance is set out in full at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Healthy-Living/Food-Health/vitaminD

We are currently considering how best to raise awareness of the new recommendations amongst the general public, particularly those most at risk of vitamin D deficiency. In addition, healthcare professionals play an important role in raising awareness of the importance of vitamin D with their patients and we are working with NHS Boards and other partners to ensure that healthcare professionals are fully aware of the new recommendations.

Supplements containing vitamin D are already available free of charge for pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children eligible for the Healthy Start scheme. In addition, the Scottish Government will offer free vitamins, which contain the recommended daily dose of vitamin D, to all pregnant women from Spring 2017.

Question reference: S5W-05996

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to (a) the public, (b) NHS boards and (c) health professionals regarding the use of vitamin D supplements.

Question reference: S5W-05997

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to raise public awareness of any benefits of taking vitamin D supplements.

Question reference: S5W-05994

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the (a) physical and (b) mental health benefits of taking vitamin D supplements.

Current Scottish Government advice on vitamin D is based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), which advises all four UK administrations.

As part of its recent review on vitamin D, SACN considered all relevant evidence suggesting links between vitamin D and various health conditions. SACN concluded that the risk of poor musculoskeletal health (e.g. rickets, osteomalacia, fracture prevention) is increased with low vitamin D levels. SACN found insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions on the impact of low vitamin D levels for non-musculoskeletal health outcomes (including cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease and neuropsychological functioning, such as dementia, autism and depression).

Question reference: S5W-06074

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many night feeding machines are available for cancer patients, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S5W-05992

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on which hospitals (a) offer free, (b) charge for and (c) do not offer wifi for patients and visitors.

Question reference: S5W-06017

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Scotland hospitals generate income from advertising.

Question reference: S5W-06016

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much money NHS Scotland generates from advertising in hospitals.

Question reference: S5W-06020

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS hospitals have contracts with law firms and how long these are for.