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-20950

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the US Food and Drug Administration's announcement that mesh implants should be reclassified as "high risk", whether it will reclassify mesh implants and suspend their use pending an investigation of how many women are affected.

Regulation of medical devices, including implants, is a reserved matter dealt with by the UK Government.

I have written to both the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the European Commission asking that they urgently consider the US Food and Drug Administration’s proposed reclassification of surgical mesh for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse.

The European Commission is seeking further research and expert opinion. I have asked for assurance that it will act quickly once the research is available to reclassify these devices if the evidence points to that requirement.

Question reference: S4W-20991

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many people (a) have participated in and (b) are expected to complete the NHS programme, Life Begins at 40; what evaluation it has made of it, and what feedback has been received from (i) GPs, (ii) patients and (iii) other programme users.

Question reference: S4W-20993

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on delivering the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to introduce “health checks and individual health plans for all men and women when they reach the age of 40 with the aim to extend this initiative to Scots reaching retirement age.”

This Government believes in preventative action on health.

We are targeting scarce resources on those most at risk. We have introduced Anticipatory Care Plans through the GP contract and have launched the Links Worker pilot programme in selected Deep End Primary Care practices to support those with complex and multiple needs.

Work is being taken forward by NHS 24 and the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives to develop a web-based resource that will be targeted at people of working age providing advice on health and wellbeing as well as on returning to work from sickness absence.

Question reference: S4W-20996

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the health of people aged 40 and above.

The Scottish Government is taking forward a wide range of policies to improve the health and wellbeing of the population of Scotland, improving healthy life expectancy.

Many of our initiatives aim to improve the health of all, such as the promotion of physical activity. Others are targeted at specific groups. Older people, particularly those 40 years or older will benefit from our Detect Cancer Early and Bowel Cancer Screening programmes.

The Scottish Government is working with NHS24 and NHS Health Scotland to develop a new, web-based source of information for people of working age. This advice will include details of how to promote health and wellbeing in the workplace as well as return-to-work advice. The new web-based service is expected to launch next year.

Question reference: S4W-20997

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the NHS programme, Keep Well, and how many people have participated in it.

Question reference: S4W-20995

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government which of the country’s poorest communities use the NHS programme, Keep Well, and what progress it has made on delivering the 2011 SNP manifesto commitment to extend the programme “to cover all of Scotland’s poorest communities by 2012.”

Question reference: S4T-00695

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent reclassification of mesh implants as high risk in the United States, when mesh implants will be banned in the NHS in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-20797

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the NHS uses so-called zero-hours contracts.

NHS Scotland use ‘as and when required’ contracts in staff bank services to great effect. These arrangements have the dual benefit of providing a safe and reliable temporary workforce who can help NHS Scotland respond to unexpected circumstances, and allowing those who require it, the flexibility to continue to work without a fixed commitment that other contractual arrangements could not provide.

Question reference: S4W-20795

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) NHS and (b) NHS 24 staff are employed on so-called zero-hours contracts.

Question reference: S4F-02051

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2014

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on media reports that "hospital beds in Scotland are disappearing at a faster rate than in almost any country in the western world".