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-12296

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will require all NHS boards and integration authorities to routinely publish all board and committee meeting papers and minutes.

Question reference: S5W-12305

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comments from Audit Scotland that NHS boards’ approach to financial planning is "partly driven by one-year funding allocations from the Scottish Government [that] makes it difficult for boards to plan and invest in longer-term policy aims, such as developing more community-based services and treating people in homely settings".

As part of the approach to finance and performance, NHS Boards prepare plans over a medium term timescale and submit this information to the Scottish Government as part of their Local Delivery Plans.

The Budget Process Review Group was established by the Finance and Constitution Committee and the Scottish Government to carry out a fundamental review of the Scottish Parliament’s budget process. The Group published its Final Report on 30 June 2017, which included comment on spending reviews and multi-year budgets.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution has responded to this Report.

Question reference: S5W-12306

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will implement Audit Scotland’s recommendation that it "needs to consider giving NHS boards more financial flexibility" by allowing them to manage their finances to within plus or minus 0.5% of break-even and, if so, within what timeframe.

As part of the approach to finance and performance, NHS Boards prepare plans over a medium term timescale and submit this information to the Scottish Government as part of their Local Delivery Plans.

The Scottish Government recognises the need to offer Boards as much flexibility between years as possible, and this is already reflected in the Scottish Government’s approach. Brokerage arrangements and banking of funds to be drawn down in future years are examples of mechanisms from which Boards benefit.

The Scottish Government will consider how to improve on the mechanisms already used to provide financial flexibility for NHS Boards. This will require to be within the wider constraints in which the Scottish Government operates and the regulations set by HM Treasury.

Question reference: S5W-12314

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the national performance standard target for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) patients to be seen within 18 weeks is not being met on a regular basis, and when it expects to achieve this on a sustained basis.

Boards are continuing to reduce their waiting times below the standard, in the last quarter 13 of the 14 Boards in Scotland recorded an average waiting time within the 18 week standard with 8 of these recording an average wait of 9 weeks or lower - half the target waiting time. At the same time the increase in demand for CAMH services clearly shows that in the past there were far too many children who were unseen, and whose need was unmet and as the capacity and provision of services have increased we have seen a sustained increase in the numbers accessing treatment each quarter and this should be welcomed.

We remain determined to improve performance and we will continue to work with Boards to make sure that happens right across Scotland and announced an additional £150 million for mental health services up until 2020, and as part of this funding £4.6 million has been awarded to Healthcare Improvement Scotland to establish a Mental Health Access Improvement Support Team to work in partnership with Boards to deliver sustained improvements in access to CAMHS and psychological therapies services for all ages and ensure services are designed and delivered in the most efficient way.

Question reference: S5W-12299

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Audit Scotland's comment that "significant culture change for people providing care and the public" is required to achieve the 2020 Vision for transforming healthcare and the health of the population.

For nearly 70 years, our health and social care service have continually evolved with our society – and they must continue to do so. The Health and Social Care Delivery Plan with the oversight of the National Programme Board presents the actions that health and care services will take to further improve the care and health of our population. A programme of local, regional and national communications and engagement on the Delivery Plan is underway with staff, partners and the public, creating a culture for improved and sustainable health and care services.

Question reference: S5W-12300

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to Audit Scotland’s comment that "it is not yet clear how [healthcare] planning at each of the different [local, regional and national] levels will work together in practice".

The Scottish Government is encouraging Health Boards, Integration Authorities and other partners to take a more joined-up approach to improving services and patient outcomes. As part of this, three Regional Implementation Leads (North, East and West) are working together with local and national partners to plan and design better services for the populations in their areas. This will help to ensure that local, regional and national planning works together in practice and for the long term.

Question reference: S5W-12303

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Audit Scotland's comments that the approach "creates risks if planned savings do not materialise", whether it will ask NHS boards to forecast savings targets and financial break-even at a later stage in the financial year.

Question reference: S5W-12301

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards achieving its objective of having more information and better specialist advice available locally, and whether it considers that more investment in GP services is needed, including giving GPs an enhanced leadership role in primary and community care.

The Scottish Government is aware of the pressures facing general practice and are fully committed to supporting a model of sustainable general practice.

Today the Scottish Government has published the new GMS 2018 contract offer. It aims to re-invigorate general practice and to re-energise the core values associated with it. It aims to create a dynamic and positive career for doctors and ensure that patients continue to have accessible, high quality general medical services.

The Scottish GMS 2018 contract offer can be accessed here - http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/11/1343

We will invest £100m in 2018-19 to support the new contract. This investment is delivered as part of our commitment to increase funding in direct support of general practice by £250m by the end of this parliament.

The Scottish Primary Care Information Resource (SPIRE) will go live in April 2018 and will make a major contribution to the analysis of local health and social care systems and will significantly improve GP practices’, Integration Authorities and NHS Boards’ understandings of their local populations’ needs.

Question reference: S5W-12398

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in light of its recently-published figures suggesting that there has been an increase in the number of people smoking in the Scottish Borders, while there has been a corresponding decline in the number in the area using cessation services.

The relatively small decrease in the number of people using cessation services in the Scottish Borders last year was more than matched by a significant increase in the numbers of those who successfully quit using the service. The Scottish Government is working with NHS Scotland to launch a major national campaign in 2018 to encourage more smokers to use cessation services.

Since the launch of our tobacco control strategy, Creating a Tobacco-free Generation, in 2013 there has been a significant reduction in smoking prevalence in the Scottish Borders, where prevalence is well below the national average. However, there is still some way to go and the Scottish Government will be bringing forward new measures to tackle smoking rates in a refresh of our tobacco control strategy in 2018.

Question reference: S5W-12310

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 14 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what impact business rates rises in 2017-18 have had on NHS boards, and what its position is on granting rates relief to them.