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-24815

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to reduce paediatric surgery waiting times at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow and when it expects these to improve.

As part of the Waiting Times Improvement Plan we are making available more than £102 million in 2019-20 to increase capacity in the system, of which more than £22 million has been made available to Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board.

The Scottish Government is aware the Paediatric Service at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow is under significant pressure which has resulted in longer waiting times. This investment will enhance capacity through for example, increased staffing, evening and weekend clinics and additional theatre sessions to ensure progress towards delivering the Waiting Times Improvement Plan.

This will contribute towards having a positive impact on waiting times for patients and this investment will see phased and sustained improvement with the aim that no patient will wait more than the waiting standards and guarantee.

Question reference: S5W-24983

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 13 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage school pupils to study medicine.

Our education system aims to provide young people with experiences and with careers information, advice and guidance to raise awareness of opportunities and support informed choices. Skills Development Scotland, our national skills body, works in partnership with every school and with employers to ensure school pupils can access the support they need to consider their future. Advice is impartial and encourages young people to identify their interests, strengths and aspirations, and in turn identify the career option that is right for them.

In addition, targeted schools programmes have been developed to encourage and support young people into careers in health and medicine in particular.

Question reference: S5W-24968

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the information on mortality rates was contained in annex 1 to A Summary of the Health of the Nation and not in the body of the main document, Personalising Realistic Medicine: Chief Medical Officer for Scotland's Annual Report 2017-2018.

In previous years, the Health of the Nation Summary Report, has been included at the end of the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report. This year, they were published separately, as they cover two complementary, but distinctly different topics.

The Chief Medical Officer’s latest Annual Report, Personalising Realistic Medicine was published on 25 April, and is available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/personalising-realistic-medicine-chief-medical-officer-scotland-annual-report-2017-2018/ .

The Health of the Nation Summary Report was published on 25 April, and is available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-health-nation-annex-chief-medical-officer-scotlands-annual-report-2017-2018/ .

Question reference: S5W-24810

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many poultry holdings with egg laying hens failed inspections in each year since 1 January 2012, and how many of these were due to breaches in (a) egg marketing, (b) salmonella testing, (c) hygiene standards and (d) failings in welfare.

Question reference: S5O-03499

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when the Crown Office will release its findings from the investigation into the fatal fire at Cameron House in December 2017.

Question reference: S5W-24817

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any problems with settlement at Brimmond School in Aberdeen; whether Hub North Scotland Ltd or Aberdeen City Council have instructed reports to investigate any such issues, and, if so, from whom reports have been commissioned and when they were instructed.

The Scottish Government has taken the allegations about settlement issues at Brimmond School very seriously.

Aberdeen City Council, as the owner of the building, categorically assured us that the claims are untrue. over past few years, Aberdeen City Council and Hub North Scotland has sought independent engineering advice by two separate engineers: Ramsay & Chalmers and Fairhurst; as well as the project Engineer, Buro Happold, and all three categorically refute the claims.

Question reference: S5W-24814

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time is for dental paediatric surgery at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.

The following tables show the average (median wait) and, as per ISD practice, the 98 th percentile wait for the Dental Paediatric Surgery Specialty at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow for quarter ending 30 June 2019.

Table 1: Waiting Times for Inpatient or Day Case Admission

Hospital

Specialty

Median Waiting Time (Days)

98 th Percentile

Royal Hospital for Children

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

116

281

Royal Hospital for Children

PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

171

216

Source: ISD Waiting Times Warehouse

Table 2: Waiting Times for New Outpatients

Hospital

Specialty

Median Waiting Time (Days)

98 th Percentile

Royal Hospital for Children

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

Royal Hospital for Children

PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

Source: ISD Waiting Times Warehouse

Question reference: S5W-24818

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation by The Cole Inquiry that the use of visual inspection reports of schools should cease, for what reason a visual inspection report is reported to be being relied on in the case of Brimmond School in Aberdeen.

The visual inspection report on alleged defects at Brimmond School was commissioned by Hub North Scotland and Aberdeen City Council.

Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage and maintain the school estate across Scotland. Accordingly, the question on the relevance of the use of visual inspections as part of those Brimmond School investigations should be directed to the building owner, Aberdeen City Council.

Question reference: S5W-24821

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government who was responsible for negotiating the settlement of costs relating to the judicial review brought by the former First Minister, Alex Salmond, and whether the First Minister was advised.

Question reference: S5W-24813

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time is for paediatric surgery at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.

The average and longest waiting time for inpatient paediatric surgery is 88 and 529 days respectively. For new outpatients it is 30 and 54 days respectively. The longest waiting times provided in the following tables is the 98 th percentile figure in keeping with ISD accepted practice.

Inpatient/Day Case and Outpatients for the Paediatric Surgery Specialty at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow for quarter ending 30 June 2019.

Table 1: Completed waits for Inpatient or Day Case Admission

Hospital

Specialty

Average (Median) Waiting Time (Days)

98 th Percentile

Royal Hospital for Children

Paediatric Surgery

529

Source: ISD Waiting Times Warehouse

Table 2: Completed waits for New Outpatients

Hospital

Specialty

Average (Median) Waiting Time (Days)

98 th Percentile

Royal Hospital for Children

Paediatric Surgery

Source: ISD Waiting Times Warehouse