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: S4F-01538

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2013

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government will take to address child poverty, in light of the findings in the Annual Report for the Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland 2013.

Question reference: S4W-16712

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to people experiencing long-term chronic health problems as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning

Exposure to carbon monoxide, a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas can be fatal. Early symptoms and signs are non-specific and can be mistaken for common viral illnesses or food poisoning. Early symptoms include headache, dizziness, lethargy and nausea. Higher level exposures can cause symptoms such as confusion, breathlessness, chest pain, drowsiness, collapse, loss of consciousness and seizures.

People affected by high level exposures are admitted for urgent hospital treatment. Patients who are exposed to low level carbon monoxide are generally managed in primary care, with the exception of pregnant women who are advised to undergo assessment in hospital. In addition, those with pre-existing cardiac or respiratory conditions, anaemia and children and the elderly may benefit from assessment in hospital.

Clinicians follow best practice professional guidance for the management of carbon monoxide poisoning. Survivors of carbon monoxide poisoning may experience long term chronic symptoms such as balance problems or memory loss. Such patients are referred on for specialist follow up in appropriate clinics. Services for people experiencing long-term chronic health problems that may be a result of carbon monoxide poisoning are managed through existing general medical services, with appropriate treatment guided by best practice.

It is important to re-emphasise the need for prevention of carbon monoxide exposure through raising awareness, advising appliance checks, installing carbon monoxide alarms and ensuring people are removed from the exposure to prevent further harm.

Question reference: S4W-16711

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise awareness of the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning

The Scottish Government is committed to raising awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide and issues advice to doctors and health professionals to help raise awareness of the risks associated with carbon monoxide, seeking greater vigilance of the signs and symptoms of exposure in their patients.

The Scottish Government will issue health advice for the public to coincide with the onset of winter when fires and central heating boilers are being switched on.

The Scottish Government has also worked with Health Protection Scotland to produce a carbon monoxide factsheet aimed at the general public, available at: http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/enviro/nonhpspublicationsdetail.aspx?id=39585.

Question reference: S4W-16713

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have (a) been affected by and (b) died from carbon monoxide poisoning in each year since 2008.

The total number of people that have (a) been affected by carbon monoxide poisoning in each year since 2008 is not available from ISD. The number of emergency hospital admissions in Scotland with “Toxic effect of carbon monoxide” recorded as main or other diagnosis for 2008-11 is provided in Table 1. The data represent admissions and not patients and therefore a patient could be counted more than once if they have had more than one admission in a calendar year.

Table 1. Emergency hospital admissions with “Toxic effect of carbon monoxide” as “Main” or “Other” diagnosis, Scotland, 2008-11

Calendar Year*	Number of Hospital Admissions
2008	55
2009	34
2010	46
2011	42

Source: ISD Scotland

Note:* data for 2012 not yet available

The number of people that have (b) died from carbon monoxide poisoning is available from the National Records of Scotland (see:

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/ve-reftables-2011/ve-ref-tables-2011-section6.xls#'6.12'!A1.)

Some cases resulting in death due to carbon monoxide poisoning will have involved a hospital admission. These cases will appear in both the data for admissions in addition to the data for deaths.

Question reference: S4W-16664

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many people failed to complete the 2013 Higher Mathematics exam.

Question reference: S4W-16668

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decline in the number of passes in Higher Mathematics in 2013, what its position is on statements suggesting that the 2013 Higher results are the "best ever".

Question reference: S4W-16658

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the pass mark was for each Higher Mathematics grade in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.

Question reference: S4W-16662

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the 2013 Higher Mathematics papers were remarked and how this compares with each of the last three years.

Question reference: S4W-16661

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether additional people were hired to ensure that the 2013 Higher Mathematics papers were marked on time.

Question reference: S4W-16657

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many questions there have been in each Higher Mathematics paper in each of the last three years.