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-21344

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20607 by John Swinney on 30 April 2014, what equality impact assessment was conducted to determine that the systems and processes are (a) appropriate and (b) likely to bring about change.

The Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme have the core aim of improving the diversity of public and private boards in Scotland. Activities undertaken to date have been informed by an analysis of the evidence relating to women and people from other under-represented groups. We will continue to consider the equality implications of our proposed interventions, including any changes to systems and processes, throughout the life of the programme and will publish the results of equality results as appropriate on the Scottish Government's website in due course.

Question reference: S4W-21348

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20607 by John Swinney on 30 April 2014, for what reason diversity data has not been captured for members of the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme Board.

Diversity data for those programme board members who are Scottish Government employees is captured on our electronic HR system. We are currently exploring methods of capturing this information for our non-Scottish Government employees on our electronic HR system. In addition, the Scottish Government does not publish sensitive personal data for numbers less than five to protect individual confidentiality.

Question reference: S4W-21346

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20607 by John Swinney on 30 April 2014, what powers the commissioner for ethical standards will have at the decision making stage.

Appointments to the boards of public bodies are the responsibility of Scottish Ministers and each minister will appoint the person he or she considers to be best qualified for the position, based on specific, published criteria. In making this decision, the minister adheres to the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland, issued by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland. The code sets out the principles on which all appointments are made: merit, integrity and diversity and equality. In addition, for many of those appointments regulated by the commissioner, a public appointments adviser, appointed by him, undertakes contemporaneous scrutiny of the appointment process to ensure these principles are upheld. Where the principles of the code are not upheld, the commissioner has the power to intervene. Depending on the circumstances, the commissioner may advise the appointing minister so that action can be taken to address the issue, or to report directly to the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S4W-21299

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action the National Steering Group on Chronic Pain will take to address (a) increased waiting lists, (b) staff shortages and (c) an underfunding of the services provided at chronic pain clinics, as identified in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland report on Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?, and for what reasons these issues have arisen.

Question reference: S4W-21297

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether the National Steering Group on Chronic Pain will, as a matter of urgency, raise with NHS boards the staff shortages and significant waiting lists at chronic pain clinics that were identified in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?

I refer the member to the answer to the question S4W-21177 on 28 May 2014, which advises that it is for each NHS board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet the needs of their population. This includes how to utilise funding and staff, taking account of national and local priorities, to meet local health needs. As such the recommendations within the Healthcare Improvement Scotland report relating to staffing and the provision of services are directed at NHS boards. All NHS boards Chief Executives were sent a copy of the report for their consideration.

The role of the National Chronic Pain Steering Group is to provide oversight and direction to support local Service Improvement Groups and Managed Clinical Networks in the implementation of the Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain. We expect that implementation of the model will contribute to improved access and lead to reductions in waiting times. A key part of the programme will be working with primary care colleagues to improve the early stages of the patient journey and access to supported self-management to help to reduce chronicity and the need for more specialist input.

Question reference: S4W-21298

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what priority local service improvement groups for chronic pain give to raising with their local NHS boards staff shortages and significant waiting lists for chronic pain services, which were identified in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?

Question reference: S4F-02161

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2014

To ask the First Minister when the Vale of Leven Hospital inquiry will be published.

Question reference: S4W-21191

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20607 by John Swinney on 30 April 2014, how the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme Board will ensure that the views of disabled people and staff are considered.

The scope of the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme Board encompasses diversity in its wider sense, and this includes disabled people. However, the primary focus will be on women in the early part of the programme, with the learning from improving the gender balance of boards being used to increase participation of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics.

The Scottish Government works with a range of key partners to ensure that the views of disabled people and staff are heard. Our focus is on working across the Scottish Government to develop a disability delivery plan which will contribute to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and our Shared Vision on Independent Living. Within the Scottish Government we ensure that the views and opinions of all our minority groups of staff, including our disabled staff, are considered by consulting regularly with our Staff Diversity Networks and our Diversity Champions.

Question reference: S4W-21121

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19746 by Alex Neil on 3 March 2014, whether it has completed its collation of the information that it holds on the costs of the inquiry and, if so, when it will publish this.

Question reference: S4W-21120

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-19746 and S4W-19663 by Alex Neil on 3 and 4 March 2014 respectively, what recent discussions it has had with Lord Maclean regarding when the report of the inquiry will be published.

The inquiry has now received the last of the responses to warning letters, however, the report will not be finalised until the inquiry Chairman has considered each of the responses and made any necessary amendments to the report.

As it is for the inquiry Chairman to decide the timetable, as soon as this final stage has been reached the Chairman has undertaken to inform me of the timetable for publication and I will inform Parliament at the earliest opportunity.