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: S4F-02444

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2014

To ask the First Minister what response the Scottish Government has received to its representations to the UK Government regarding the implications of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership for health services in Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-03771

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage people to attend further education courses.

Question reference: S4W-22798

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 5 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been referred to the Edinburgh transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) centre since October 2012; how many were approved to receive TAVI; how many reverted to conventional surgery, and how many reverted to no procedure and palliative care.

The information requested is provided in the following table:

Table 1: People referred to the national TAVI service since October 2012

Total referrals for consideration of TAVI	317
Those who need assessed	22
Those who need tests	26
Those who have had TAVI	127
Those suitable for TAVI	12
Those suitable for conventional surgery	45
Those not suitable for TAVI	85

Source: National TAVI service, October 2014

Question reference: S4W-22723

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 4 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a register of interests for all members of the independent review group considering the safety of mesh devices.

Question reference: S4W-22842

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 4 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the salary has been of each (a) university and (b) college principal or chief executive officer in each of the last five years, and what the annual change in salary has been expressed as a percentage.

Question reference: S4W-22683

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the terms of reference are for the independent review of the safety of mesh devices; who the members or the review group are; what the criteria for membership are, and whether it considers that the composition of the group represents a fair range of views.

The terms of reference and membership of the independent review group will be published on the ‘Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants’ website, which will be available from mid November 2014. The website address is as follows:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Review/Transvaginal-Mesh-Implants

Membership of the group is reviewed periodically and additional members invited to attend when necessary. This is to ensure the appropriate level of expertise and range of opinion is represented. The composition of the group has been developed to represent all interested parties, including:

One chairperson (retired public health consultant)

Two patients who have experienced complications

Two patients who have experienced a positive outcome

Four clinicians with a special interest in urogynaecology practicing in Scotland

One public health consultant

One researcher

Three professional bodies

Three Scottish Government officials (two clinicians and one policy officer)

One medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency official

Members attending periodically:

One physiotherapist

Two clinicians (unique device identifier project lead)

One Scottish Government public health consultant

Members to be confirmed:

One pain management consultant

One general practitioner

One clinician with a special interest in urogynaecology

One Information Services Division consultant in public health

Question reference: S4W-22690

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency regarding the independent review of mesh products initiated by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing and the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks working group looking at the safety of surgical meshes used in urogynecological surgery.

The Scottish Government has not had specific discussions regarding the independent review with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). I met with Sir Gordon Duff, Chairman of the MHRA, in June 2014 and following this meeting formally invited a representative of the MHRA to participate in the independent review, sharing the draft terms of reference.

The Scottish Government has corresponded with the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks to acknowledge that the commission is seeking further research and expert opinion on ‘The safety of surgical meshes used in urogynaecologial surgery’ and that we look forward to receiving the results in January 2015.

The Deputy Chief Medical Officer has also corresponded to seek reassurance of the declared interests of members of the working group and that any declared interests of members will not influence the work of the group or of its recommendations when the opinion is published. The European Commission have provided this reassurance.

Question reference: S4W-22692

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many pending litigations there are in Scotland in relation to defective mesh implants and against whom.

Question reference: S4W-22693

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) the manufacturers of mesh devices and (b) NHS boards about the potential financial implications of litigation.

Question reference: S4W-22687

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to form and resource a (a) self-help group and (b) helpline for victims of mesh devices.