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-06778

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are waiting for transcatheter aortic valve implantation treatment and what the (a) maximum and (b) average length of wait is, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S4W-06779

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any consultants in Scotland have experience of providing transcatheter aortic valve implantation treatment.

Question reference: S4W-06777

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many reviews of transcatheter aortic valve implantation treatment have been carried out since April 2008; when; by whom, and what the conclusion was in each case.

<>A review was undertaken by TAVI Short Life Working Group in 2010. Based on the recommendations of this subgroup of the National Planning Forum, a decision was taken in February 2011 not to establish a TAVI service in Scotland, pending further evidence becoming available. The report of the working group is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00392167.pdf

The TAVI Short Life Working Group was supported by the Scottish Health Technology Group (SHTG). The SHTG was subsequently asked to maintain an overview of the evidence base for TAVI and to highlight to the National Planning Forum any significant new developments. To date the SHTG have published three reports on TAVI. In line with SHTG policy, the oldest reports have been withdrawn.

Advice Statement 001/10 (August 2010) - now superseded.

Evidence Note 33 and Advice Statement 001/11 (March 2011) - now superseded

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/clinical__cost_effectiveness/shtg_-_evidence_notes/evidence_note_33.aspx.

Evidence Note 38 and Advice Statement 005/11 (September 2011)

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/clinical__cost_effectiveness/shtg_-_evidence_notes/evidence_note_38.aspx.

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/clinical__cost_effectiveness/shtg_-_advice_statements/advice_statement_005-11.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-06780

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support is provided for patients accessing transcatheter aortic valve implantation treatment outwith Scotland.

NHS boards have discretion to reimburse reasonable travelling expenses incurred by patients who are referred to hospitals outwith their own area, because the treatment is not available within their area. Where medically beneficial, this may include reimbursement of an escort's reasonable travel expenses.

In cases where a patient is being transferred from one hospital to another as part of their treatment, the costs are met directly by the local health board.

Question reference: S4W-06774

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

Question reference: S4W-06776

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason transcatheter aortic valve implantation treatment is not routinely provided in Scotland as it is in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Question reference: S4W-06781

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent providing patients with transcatheter aortic valve implantation treatment outwith Scotland in each year since April 2008, broken down by NHS board.

Cost of TAVI procedures undertaken outwith Scotland by NHS Board, 2008-09 to 2011-12:

NHS Board Areas	2008-09 (£000)	2009-10 (£000)	2010-11 (£000)	2011-12 (£000)
Ayrshire and Arran	0	0	0	(*)
Borders	0	0	0	0
Dumfries and Galloway	0	0	0	0
Fife	0	0	0	(*)
Forth Valley	0	0	0	(*)
Grampian	0	231	243	203
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	0	32	0	99
Highland	0	0	0	30
Lanarkshire	0	0	0	32
Lothian	0	0	0	0
Orkney	0	0	0	0
Shetland	0	0	0	0
Tayside	0	0	113	0
Western Isles	0	0	0	0

Note: (*) Invoice not yet received.

Question reference: S4W-06775

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason transcatheter aortic valve implantation treatment has not been available in Scotland for selected patients for the last four years as it has in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

With any new treatment, there is a need for caution until there is clear evidence, preferably from randomised control trials, to show that it is safe and effective. In the case of TAVI, the National Planning Forum set up a process to review the evidence, taking on board clinicians’ views, the available research and world wide experience. This research, combined with the evidence reviews from the Scottish Health Technologies Group, was debated and found to provide insufficient evidence to proceed to a TAVI service in NHSScotland, based on safety in numbers, and clinical and cost effectiveness.

Whilst the evidence for TAVI and the case for establishing a TAVI centre in Scotland have been under review, TAVI has been available to Scottish patients through consideration by an individual case panel. Patients who are considered suitable for TAVI are referred by their local health board to an appropriate provider.

In light of the growing body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of TAVI – most recently the updated guidance issued by NICE – it has now been decided that a TAVI service should be established in Scotland. Work is underway to progress this as quickly as possible.

Question reference: S4O-00954

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance is provided to West Dunbartonshire Council to tackle unemployment.

Question reference: S4W-06453

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-06255 by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2012, when it expects the Howe Report to be published.