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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 1153 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-04431

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures NHS boards have in place for the containment of norovirus.

Individual boards have their own procedures in place to contain norovirus. These will be based on the national guidance from Health Protection Scotland Norovirus Outbreak Preparedness, Control Measures & Practical Considerations for Optimal Patient Safety and Service Continuation in Hospitals which was first issued in 2007 and revised and reissued on 30 September 2011.

http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/hai/infection-control/toolkits/norovirus-control-measures-2011-09.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-04433

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients with underlying health conditions have died as a result of norovirus or had norovirus listed as a contributory cause of mortality in each winter since 2007, broken down by NHS board.

The information which is available is given in the following table. National Records of Scotland (NRS) statistics on winter mortality are based on the numbers of deaths which were registered between 1 December and 31 March, inclusive. The following figures are for deaths which occurred in hospitals. NRS produces its statistics from what is recorded on the medical certificate of the cause of death (MCCD), which should mention only medical conditions that caused or contributed to the death. As the MCCD should not mention medical conditions which did not cause or contribute to the death, NRS cannot know exactly how many patients had underlying health conditions. However, on the basis of what was recorded on the MCCDs, it would appear that very few (if any) of these people did not have other medical conditions.

Winter deaths in hospitals in Scotland for which “norovirus” or an equivalent term* was mentioned on the death certificate:

Winter in which the Death was Registered (1 December to 31 March)

NHS Board**	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Ayrshire and Arran	0	0	0	0
Borders	0	0	1	1
Dumfries and Galloway	0	0	0	0
Fife	1	0	2	0
Forth Valley	0	1	3	0
Grampian	0	0	1	2
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	1	0	1	0
Highland	0	0	0	0
Lanarkshire	0	0	0	0
Lothian	0	2	8	4
Orkney	0	0	1	0
Shetland	0	0	0	0
Tayside	0	0	1	3
Western Isles	0	0	0	0
All Scotland	2	3	18	10

Note: *This table counts all deaths for which any one of the following words or terms was mentioned in the death certificate: “norovirus”, “noroviral”, “Norwalk” (as this is what “norovirus” was originally called when it was identified in 1968), “small round structured virus” or “SRSV” (a term which was used later) and “winter vomiting” (as such illnesses are usually caused by norovirus). It also includes the deaths for which the underlying cause or any contributory cause was coded, in terms of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD10) as “A08.1 Acute gastroenteropathy due to Norwalk agent”.

**Deaths are counted against the area in which the hospital is located (rather than against the person’s area of usual residence, if in Scotland, which is the usual basis of NRS statistics).

These figures may underestimate slightly the true number of deaths to which norovirus has contributed, because they do not include deaths which were certified as due to (e.g.) gastroenteritis without any mention of norovirus (or one of the other terms referred above), perhaps because the presence of the virus had not been identified.

Question reference: S4W-04438

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what ward closures there were in Monklands Hospital in 2011 and for what reason.

NHS Lanarkshire have confirmed that, including the most recent outbreak of norovirus at Monklands Hospital (at certain points since 29 November wards 6,14 and 16 to 22 have been closed), the main reason for ward closures in 2011 to date has been appropriate infection control measures as a result of patients with Diarrhoea and Vomiting (D&V). The incidence up to the most recent outbreak is detailed in the following table. The NHS board has confirmed that some wards at the hospital have also been closed for a limited period in 2011 as a result of routine redecoration and maintenance.

Monklands Hospital: Ward Closures due to D&V up to November 2011

Date Range	Affected Ward	Additional Detail
4-8 April 2011	Ward 18	The ward was not completely closed but there were cohort restrictions on a four-bedded room and a single room.
25 April to 2 May 2011	Ward 21	Closed due to D&V
2-3May 2011	Ward 22	The ward was kept open but cohort restrictions were placed on one four-bedded room.
12–15 June 2011	Ward 20	Closed due to D&V

Source: NHS Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S4W-04435

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what factors contribute to outbreaks of norovirus in NHS hospitals.

The Health Protection document “Norovirus Outbreak Preparedness, Control Measures & Practical Considerations for Optimal Patient Safety and Service Continuation in Hospitals” was first issued in 2007 and then revised and reissued on 30 September 2011. Section 3 - “Why noroviruses cause outbreaks in hospitals settings” - provides the relevant information.

http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/hai/infection-control/toolkits/norovirus-control-measures-2011-09.pdf.

Question reference: S4O-00509

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to prevent hospital-acquired infections.

Question reference: S4O-00283

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote culture, heritage and the arts in Coatbridge and Chryston.

Question reference: S4W-03163

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-00297 by Keith Brown on 9 June 2011, when the consultation of stakeholders regarding the new contract for rail passenger services will begin and whether it will include the trade unions.

Question reference: S4O-00252

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that there are sufficient staffing levels at Monklands Hospital.

Question reference: S4W-02187

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what discretion ministers have in making planning decisions.

Question reference: S4W-02195

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what considerations were taken into account before appointing a reporter to examine the North Lanarkshire local plan.

Section 19(3) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 requires ministers to appoint a person to examine a proposed local plan if they have been requested to do so by the planning authority or it appears to them that there are outstanding representations on the proposed plan. Ministers were accordingly bound to hold an examination in relation to the North Lanarkshire Local Plan as there were outstanding representations about the plan.