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-22553

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 7 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how additional investment in patient flow will improve waiting time performance in NHS Lanarkshire.

Scottish Government has invested substantial resources in NHS Lanarkshire to improve emergency waiting times for patients and enhance local delivery at hospital level. The investment is closely aligned to the recommendations of the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Review.

The additional investment in terms of patient flow will focus on ensuring the sufficiency of senior decision makers within the emergency department and receiving units, delivering on the internal processes and good practice to maximise flow and reducing the level of patients delayed from hospital.

To support this, the board has successfully piloted a ‘rapid assessment team’ in the accident and emergency department at Monklands, and plans to build on this pilot to deliver sustainable services. Additional medical staff working over the weekend will maximise the discharge of patients, while fully utilising the discharge lounges across all sites. There will also be further development of ambulatory care pathways and a realignment of beds where appropriate.

These actions, along with the use of electronic whiteboards and daily ward rounds, will support the timely, safe flow of patients through the system.

Question reference: S4W-22560

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 3 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Lanarkshire to address the reported staff shortages in emergency medicine.

The Scottish Government is supporting NHS Lanarkshire in aligning its staff to meet patient demand and the implementation of a number of site-specific actions.

In NHS Lanarkshire, the number of A&E consultants has risen by over 300 per cent since 2006, from 8 whole time equivalent (WTE) to 32.2 WTE.

A recent international recruitment exercise for accident and emergency and acute medicine trainee doctors has led to NHS Lanarkshire successfully recruiting to an ST4 Emergency Medicine post.

Question reference: S4W-22552

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the World Health Organization's recommendation that the use of e-cigarettes indoors should be banned.

The Scottish Government agrees that electronic cigarettes need appropriate regulation. While we accept that the devices may potentially help people smoke fewer cigarettes, or even stop altogether, there is concern that they could also re-normalise smoking.

The Scottish Government has already said that we will introduce a restriction on the age at which an e-cigarette can be purchased to protect young people. We are exploring what more can be done in Scotland now that the European Tobacco Products Directive has set out its measures for regulation and we will consider all available options to protect public health. We will continue to monitor all evidence as well as advice from the World Health Organisation.

Question reference: S4O-03513

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it is addressing medical staffing issues in NHS Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S4W-22357

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 10 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many copies of the NHS Health Scotland leaflet, Recognise, Respond, Relieve,– Rheumatoid Arthritis have been (a) produced and (b) distributed; what assessment it has carried out of the effectiveness of the leaflet, including whether it has led to an increase in hospital referrals, and what plans it has to circulate further copies to (i) GP surgeries and (ii) community pharmacies.

The Scottish Public Health Network (ScotPHN) in conjunction with Arthritis Care and National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society developed the leaflet ‘Recognise, Respond, Relieve, - Rheumatoid Arthritis’ for the public to raise awareness of rheumatoid arthritis.

Twenty thousand leaflets were printed and distributed to GP practices, NHS Scotland health boards, Arthritis Care Scotland and the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.

Neither ScotPHN nor NHS Health Scotland plan to undertake an assessment of the impact of this leaflet.

The leaflet is available on the ScotPHN, NHS Health Scotland and voluntary sector websites and there is no plan to reprint the leaflet.

Question reference: S4W-22360

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to raise public awareness of rheumatoid arthritis in addition to the NHS Health Scotland leaflet, Recognise, Respond, Relieve,– Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The NHS Health Scotland leaflet, ‘Recognise, Respond, Relieve, - Rheumatoid Arthritis’ is available on the Scottish Public Health Network, NHS Health Scotland and voluntary sector websites.

NHS Inform provides comprehensive information on rheumatoid arthritis, including detailed information about the causes, symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment of the condition. The website also provides links to relevant stakeholders’ websites, where further information may be obtained.

Question reference: S4O-03450

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership for workers, public services and small businesses in Scotland.

The Scottish Government believes that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could deliver economic benefits for Scotland and has been engaging with the UK Government to maximise the benefits of TTIP for Scotland and to ensure that concerns about TTIP are addressed.

At the Joint Ministerial Committee on 26 March 2014 the Deputy First Minister highlighted the need for the UK Government to engage with the Scottish Government and the other devolved administrations on TTIP. Following that, my officials have been in regular dialogue with officials in the UK Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about the progress of the negotiations and the potential implications for Scotland. Officials in the Scottish Government’s EU team have also been keeping a watching brief on the European Commission’s approach to TTIP.

More specifically, given the vital importance of the NHS to the people of Scotland and concerns about the impact of TTIP on the NHS, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing has written to the Secretary of State for Health requiring cast-iron assurances that, whatever the approach to the provision of health services in the rest of the UK, TTIP will not affect the Scottish Government's ability to determine how NHS services are provided; that there will be no obligation to open the NHS in Scotland to private providers as is happening in England; and that decisions of the Scottish Government in respect of the NHS would not be open to potential challenge through investor-state dispute settlement.

Question reference: S4W-21625

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available in 2014-15 for community rail partnerships.

The Scottish Ministers have, since 2012-13, engaged the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) to support the creation, development and operation of community rail partnerships (CRPs) in Scotland.

Initially for a two year period, I announced at the Community Rail Conference held in February 2013 that funding would be extended for the year 2014-15, we have made £50,000 available to ACoRP, with up to an additional £50,000 available for project funding.

Bidders for the next ScotRail franchise are expected to demonstrate how they will support and encourage CRPs and community rail initiatives, such as Adopt a Station and Station Community Regeneration up to an annual value of £500,000.

Question reference: S4O-03362

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the set-up costs of an international development agency would be in the event of independence.

Question reference: S4W-21226

Asked by: Margaret McCulloch, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 30 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to local authorities to develop play provision in the community.