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-00199

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 13 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued guidance on wind farm developments (a) in or adjacent to national parks and (b) in nature conservation areas.

Online planning guidance regarding onshore wind developments is available on the Scottish Government's website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/212607/0114118.pdf.

This does not address national parks or nature conservation areas specifically but does advise on the approach to be taken and issues to be addressed (including landscape and biodiversity) by Scottish ministers, planning authorities and developers in preparing policy or considering applications for planning consent. The Scottish Government's policy on wind farms can be found at paragraph 187-191 of Scottish Planning Policy, which is available on the Scottish Government's website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/02/03132605/12.

Scottish Natural Heritage are the Scottish Government’s advisors and statutory consultees on the impacts of windfarms on nature conservation areas. Further guidance on nature conservation areas is available in the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 which can be found at:

http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-areas/.

Question reference: S4W-00348

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the quality of (a) hip and (b) knee replacements and whether it plans to change this.

Question reference: S4W-00356

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is of the new review of transcatheter aortic valve implantation announced by the Cabinet Secretary Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy on 29 May 2011 and who will conduct the review.

There is emerging evidence on the use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation, and as agreed at the time of the original decision. I have asked for a further review to be carried out to assess whether this most up to date research provides more robust evidence about the clinical and cost effectiveness of the treatment.

The National Planning Forum has asked the Scottish Health Technologies Group to undertake a full analysis of the latest published research to enable further consideration of its current recommendation. The outcome of this will be announced due course.

Question reference: S4W-00276

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home was last inspected by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) or the Care Commission and what the result was.

Question reference: S4W-00277

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints have been received about the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home in the last four years and what action has been taken by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) or the Care Commission.

Question reference: S4W-00287

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that local authorities comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the disability equality duty when reducing services for disabled people.

Local authorities are subject to the Equality Act 2010 and the new public sector equality duty which it contains. This new duty came into force on 5 April 2011 and covers all of the relevant protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010. The duty requires public authorities to pay “due regard” to the need to eliminate discrimination, victimisation and harassment which are unlawful under the Act, to advance equality of opportunity and to foster good relations. It is for local authorities themselves to determine how they respond to the duty.

Question reference: S4W-00330

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when the National Scrutiny Group last met and what was discussed.

Question reference: S4W-00351

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the closure of ward 66 at the Southern General Hospital represents a service change that merits consideration by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy.

No. This is an interim move phased over the next 12 to 18 months prior to the opening of the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children on the new south Glasgow hospital site in 2015. The decision is based on the explicit recommendation of an independent expert clinical body and it is important to note that, this interim move aside, the service would always have been located at the New Southern General site from 2015.

Question reference: S4W-00328

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the First Minister means by "Our commitment is to seek to extend that [no-compulsory-redundancy deal]—first to the 160,000 workers in our national health service" (Official Report, c. 68).

Question reference: S4W-00332

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of prescribing has been in each year since 2007-08.

The data requested in respect of 2008-09 and 2009-10 is already published on the archived web site of the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland. The website can be reached at:

http://www.isdscotlandarchive.scot.nhs.uk/isd/2241.html.

Data for 2010-11 will be added in due course to the new ISD website which can be reached at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Prescribing-and-Medicines/Publications/.