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-02281

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 August 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 August 2014

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government's economic strategy will help achieve the aims of its Arbroath "declaration of opportunity".

Question reference: S4W-22124

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported shortfall in psychiatry numbers.

The Scottish Government has increased the numbers of core specialty trainees in Scotland for the 2014 recruitment round and is continuing to work closely with the Royal College of Psychiatry, NHS Education for Scotland and other stakeholders.

It should be noted that the funded establishment of psychiatric specialties has increased from 497.4 whole time equivalent (WTE) as at September 2006 to 569.0 WTE as at March 2014. Over this time period the total per cent of vacancies has decreased from 10.6% to 9.8% with a decrease from 7.8% to 1.4% for vacancies of six or more months.

Information on the psychology services workforce can be found on the Information Services Division website at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/index.asp

Question reference: S4W-22130

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many children with (a) attention deficit hyperactive disorder and (b) an autistic spectrum disorder were prescribed Ritalin in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14.

Question reference: S4W-22132

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many children per 10,000 population have been prescribed Ritalin in each year since 2009.

The number of children in Scotland, aged 0-18 years, prescribed Ritalin and the rate per 10,000 population by calendar year (2009-13) are shown in Table 1.

This data relates only to Ritalin and does not include its equivalents with the non-proprietary name methylphenidate hydrochloride.

Table 1:

Year	Item Name	Dispensed Items	Number of Patients	Population	Rate
2009	Ritalin	1,545	417	1,121,777	3.72
2010	Ritalin	1,427	367	1,115,497	3.29
2011	Ritalin	1,442	429	1,108,561	3.87
2012	Ritalin	1,404	314	1,104,046	2.84
2013	Ritalin	1,199	269	1,099,669	2.45

Question reference: S4O-03442

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to privatise NHS services.

Question reference: S4W-22063

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 25 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its news release of 26 June 2014, £220 million for schools and health facilities, when it will announce similar new investment in primary and community health premises.

Question reference: S4W-22005

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 25 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that a new system on access to medicines has not been brought in on time.

Question reference: S4W-21913

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have submitted applications under the individual patients treatment request system and how many were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful.

Individual patient treatment requests (IPTRs) are made by clinicians rather than individual patients. The Scottish Government is compiling the most recent information on IPTRs in order to provide an update to the Health and Sport Committee before Parliament enters recess on 23 August 2014. I will ensure that this information is also placed in SPICe. There has been a significant increase in the number of IPTRs approved in the transitional period ahead of decisions by the Scottish Medicines Consortium under their new process.

Question reference: S4W-21914

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the average length of time has been between the receipt of an application under the individual patient treatment request system and a decision.

Question reference: S4W-22003

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it would seek to change the appeals process for complainants unhappy with initial decisions made by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman in an independent Scotland.