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-21571

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 21 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment by the head of the Scottish Public Health Observatory comment regarding life expectancy rates that, "What we see [in Scotland] is a worrying trend. Life expectancy not only gives an indication of how long people are likely to live, but also serves as a 'warning light' for the public's health."

Over the long term life expectancy and healthy life expectancy have increased. The latest data are of concern. We have a range of strategies to address inequalities in health and their underlying drivers. Health inequalities are a symptom of wider income inequality. That is why we have taken action such as setting in statute our ambition to eradicate child poverty, and outlining concrete action to make progress on this goal through our first Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan.

Question reference: S5W-21413

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 21 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18206 by Christina McKelvie on 10 September 2018, whether it will provide an update on the appointment of a new Independent Race Equality Adviser.

Question reference: S5W-21525

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 17 August 2018, 9% pay rise for NHS workers, by what date it will publish the details of the proposed changes to the terms and conditions of the "Agenda for Change" staff.

Question reference: S5W-21450

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20933 by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019, whether it will provide the same information for the (a) Edinburgh and (b) Aberdeen endometriosis centre.

Question reference: S5W-21452

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21123 by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019, whether it will provide the same information for the (a) Edinburgh and (b) Aberdeen endometriosis centre.

Question reference: S5W-21451

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20934 by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019, whether it will provide the same information for the (a) Edinburgh and (b) Aberdeen endometriosis centre.

Question reference: S5T-01494

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that school menus in around three quarters of council areas include processed meats containing nitrites.

Question reference: S5W-20937

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 13 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated to support the endometriosis centre in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Aberdeen.

There are two specialist centres open in Edinburgh (based at the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh and the Royal) and in Aberdeen (Royal Infirmary). It is the responsibility of local NHS Boards to ensure patients are able to access the appropriate care for endometriosis funded through existing NHS budgets.

Scottish Government has been working closely with the West of Scotland to progress the business case and establish a centre in the West. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde have confirmed their costs are in line with other centres.

Question reference: S5W-21110

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the ISD report, Body Mass Index of Primary 1 Children in Scotland School Year 2017/18, which records an increase in the overweight and obesity gap between children from rich and poor backgrounds, and how the diet and healthy weight delivery plan will aim to alleviate this.

Health inequalities are a symptom of wider social inequalities. That is why the Scottish Government is taking action to address underlying causes, including ending poverty, fair wages, supporting families, and improving our physical and social environments.

We are also reforming public health. In June 2018, with COSLA, we published Public Health Priorities for Scotland. Creating a Scotland where we all eat well and have a healthy weight and level of physical activity is one of these six interlinked priorities. In 2019 we will establish of a new national public health body, which will have a leading role in supporting work to tackle health inequalities.

The Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan is clear in its ambition to significantly reduce diet related health inequalities. The wide range of actions includes population level measures and targeted interventions such as:

- restricting the in-store marketing and promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar but with little or no nutritional value in order to reduce the public health harm associated with poor diet.

- Food Standards Scotland’s Out of Home strategy which includes better information for consumers, currently out for consultation.

- Early intervention and targeted support for children, young people and families delivered by Health Boards and their partners to help them to achieve a healthy diet and weight.

The Public Health Priorities can be accessed here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-public-health-priorities/pages/0/

The Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan can be accessed here: www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781787810556 .

Question reference: S5W-21109

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not implemented the recommendation by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in Scotland that the BMI of all children over five is measured.

In July 2018, the Scottish Government published ‘A healthier future: Scotland’s diet and healthy weight delivery plan’. The plan sets out our vision for everyone in Scotland to eat well and have a healthy weight, and our ambitions to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and significantly reduce health inequalities.

ISD currently publishes annual statistics on the proportion of children in Primary 1 in schools across Scotland who have healthy, high, and low body mass index (BMI). As part of the Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan we have committed to exploring current practice, evidence and cost-effective options for improving the tracking, support and data beyond Primary 1. This work is underway and we will make decisions about next steps later this year.

The Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan can be accessed here: www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781787810556 .

The Body Mass Index of Primary 1 Children in Scotland School Year 2017/18 publication is available here: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Child-Health/Publications/2018-12-11/2018-12-11-P1-BMI-Statistics-Publication-Report.pdf