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-13247

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2017
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Aberdeen City reportedly receives the lowest funding per head from the General Revenue Grant of all local authorities.

Local authority funding is allocated using a needs-based formula which is kept under constant review and agreed each year with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).As a result of Aberdeen City Council having the lowest relative need they receive the lowest funding per head but because of this they will receive an extra £10 million in 2017-18 and an extra £8.7 million in 2018-19, over and above their needs-based formula share as a result of the 85% funding floor introduced by the Scottish Government in 2012.

Since the introduction of the 85% funding floor Aberdeen City Council has been allocated more than £50 million over and above their needs-based formula funding allocations.

Question reference: S5W-13244

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Aberdeen City reportedly experienced an almost £7 billion loss in revenue from sales in primary industries in 2016-17, in light of its news release of 13 September 2017 in which the Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy states that the approximate sales value of oil and gas in that financial year is estimated to be 15.2% higher than in 2015-16.

The £7 billion figure referred to in the question would appear to have been calculated using turnover data from the Scottish Government Business in Scotland 2017 publication. The primary purpose of this publication is to provide information about the number of enterprises operating in Scotland as at March each year. The Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) is the main data source for the publication. The IDBR is a database of all businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE, maintained by the Office for National Statistics.

The latest Businesses in Scotland 2017 publication is based on a snapshot of the IDBR as at March 2017. However, there are significant time lags associated with the IDBR employment and turnover data. On the IDBR, turnover for the majority of registered enterprises is based on VAT returns for a 12 month period. For 2017, these tend to relate to a 12 month period ending in December 2015, or January/February 2016, depending on the reporting pattern of the business. More information on this is available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate/Methodology

The latest Oil and Gas Production Statistics include the period 2016-17, which saw a year-on-year increase in the approximate sales value of oil and gas by 15.2%. This increase reversed four years of approximate sales value declines and was largely due to the increase in the wholesale price of oil across this period, complimented by small increases in production. This figure is more up to date than the turnover information provided in the Businesses in Scotland 2017 publication for the reasons listed above. More information on the Oil and Gas Production Statistics 2016-17 is available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy/oilgas1617

Question reference: S5W-13245

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its plan is for responding to long-term population growth and the increased burden that this may have on (a) public services and (b) welfare.

The National Records of Scotland project that based on current trends, the population of Scotland will rise to 5.7 million by 2039, and that the population will age significantly, with the number of people aged 65 and over increasing by 53% between 2014 and 2039. The number of people of pensionable age per 1000 people of working age is projected to increase from 311 in 2015 to 397 in 2039. This will present a number of challenges in terms of both the structure of the economy, and the way we innovate to deliver public services to meet these demands.

The Scottish Government ‘s Economic Strategy (2015) sets out our approach to ensuring that our labour market, our public services and welfare system are resilient and successful both now and in the future. In turn, Scotland’s Labour Market Strategy (2016) builds on the Economic Strategy and highlights the link between employment and improving outcomes across a number of dimensions of Scotland’s social and economic performance. Taking account of changing demographics and ensuring our labour market is able to respond to new demand on both public services and welfare is a key part of this co-ordinated response.

Question reference: S5W-13522

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is giving NHS Grampian to recruit additional clinical staff, particularly those specialising in children's mental healthcare, in light of it reportedly being the worst performing board in terms of the 18-week waiting time standard, meeting it in only 33.1% of cases.

The Scottish Government remain determined to hit the target of 90% of people seen within 18 weeks from referral to treatment for Psychological Therapies. We will continue to work with Boards, including NHS Grampian, to make sure that happens right across Scotland.

As part of the £54.1m package of support announced by the First Minister in January 2016, £24.6 million has been awarded to NHS Education Scotland (NES) to improve workforce supply and train existing staff to deliver services for children and young people, as well as psychological therapies for all ages.

Following a series of commissioning visits, in June 2016 NES wrote to all Boards setting out an individual, tailored offer of funding and workforce development. A significant proportion of the funding from NES is for service posts, intended to support service delivery by providing training, coaching and supervision in evidence-based interventions. This package of funding also includes £24.7m to be provided to NHS Boards to improve their capacity to see more people more quickly, which could include additional staff, with NHS Grampian receiving an allocation totalling £427,219 in the first year.

In addition funding will reach £35 million by 2022 for 800 additional mental health workers in key settings such as GP surgeries, ensuring local provision and support is at the heart of our plans.

Question reference: S5W-13224

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what factors are considered in the calculation of the NRAC formula’s Morbidity and Life Circumstances (MLC) Index in relation to (a) Care of the Elderly and (b) Mental Health & Learning Difficulties.

Extensive statistical testing for the NRAC formula determined that the impact of Morbidity and Life Circumstances on the need for health services, under these two care programmes, was best captured using the following indicators of need:

(a) Care of the Elderly: All-cause Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR) for ages 0-74; and, the Limiting Long-Term Illness Rate.

(b) Mental Health and Leaning Difficulties: (i) for the under 65 age cohort - Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) (employment domain); SIMD (crime domain); hospital admissions due to alcohol; and, Standardised Mortality Ratio for ages 0-64 with mental health as a cause of death; (ii) for the over age 64 cohort - hospital admissions due to alcohol; Standardised Mortality Ratio for ages 65 and over.

Question reference: S5W-13562

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-13225

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the rate of delayed discharge bed days per 1,000 of population aged 75+ in Aberdeen City, in light of reports that it is 37% higher than the Scottish average.

Question reference: S5W-13226

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason NHS Grampian’s rate of delayed discharge bed days as a proportion of all occupied bed days is higher than the Scottish average.

The delayed discharge bed days as a proportion of all occupied bed days, as published in the annual report (link) shows NHS Grampian (10%) as slightly above the Scottish average (8.2%). However, the health board has made good progress reducing delays across the region, with data for 2014 and 15 showing this figure at 16.2%, with the Scottish average remaining around 8%.

The partnerships within Grampian have faced significant challenges recruiting and retaining care staff across the region, and have had to think innovatively about how to provide care within the community. This has included the up-scaling of Intermediate Care services.

Question reference: S5O-01554

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of children living in material deprivation.

Question reference: S5W-12673

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that NHS Grampian does not receive lower funding per head than other territorial NHS boards.

Population level is only one of a range of factors taken into account when calculating NRAC shares, which are used to inform allocations to NHS Boards. Other factors include, for example, relative deprivation.

NHS Grampian has received an additional £16.2 million in 2017-18, an increase of 1.8% which brings the board’s overall funding to £898.6 million and within 1 per cent of its target share of funding.

Since 2015-16 NHS Grampian has received additional funding of £47 million for the specific purpose of accelerating NRAC parity.