Chamber and committees

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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-04503

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to identify people with hepatitis C who have not been diagnosed and whether it will consider introducing a targeted screening programme.

The Scottish Government published the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework in August 2011. This includes recommendations that early diagnosis of individuals affected by blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis C, are a priority area for activity for NHS boards and partners. This builds on very good activity and service expansion already delivered through the Hepatitis C Action Plan.

There were 2,030 and 2,122 new hepatitis C diagnoses made in Scotland during 2009 and 2010, respectively. This compares to an average of 1,580 new diagnoses made per year during 2005-08. There has been a real increase in testing, and therefore diagnosis, over this period. (Increases in diagnosis do not equate to an increase in transmission of the virus.)

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) reviewed available evidence in producing it’s guideline, SIGN 92 Management of Hepatitis: A National Clinical Guideline (2006). The guideline recommends population based testing, acknowledging that where the prevalence of HCV is low, economic modelling indicates that universal testing does not convey cost-effective clinical benefit.

The introduction of screening programmes in Scotland is follows advice from the UK National Screening Committee. The NSC does not currently recommend a national screening programme for hepatitis C.

Question reference: S4W-04507

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the implementation of the Hepatitis C National Action Plan by NHS boards.

The Hepatitis C Action Plan came to an end in March 2011. Government policy is now set out in the Sexual health and BBV Framework which was launched in August 2011. The Framework is monitored by a robust governance structure, regular reporting and annual multi-agency visits to each NHS board. A series of data indicators have been established to monitor progress against outcomes, and a National Monitoring and Assurance Group has been established to take forward and quality assure this work. This group is jointly chaired by Health Protection Scotland and NSS Information Services Division.

Question reference: S4W-04509

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS boards treat intravenous drug users who have hepatitis C.

It is estimated that 90% of Scotland’s hepatitis C infected population has injected drugs. It is a matter for individual clinical discretion and the patient concerned as to whether or not an individual is stable enough to commence treatment, however ongoing injecting drug use is not a contraindication of hepatitis c treatment. Many individuals who are current injecting drug users have been treated for hepatitis C in Scotland.

Data published in the UK Hepatitis C Report in 2011 (available from http://www.hpa.org.uk/Publications/InfectiousDiseases/BloodBorneInfections/1107HepCintheUK2011report/) shows that among people initiated on hepatitis C antiviral therapy in sixteen hepatitis C treatment centres across Scotland, and who had reported a risk factor for infection, the proportion who had reported having ever injected drugs increased from 58% among those initiated in 2000 and 2001 to 75% in 2008 and 2009. The proportion who had reported having ever injected drugs and were aged <35 years (an indicator of those who had recently injected drugs) also increased from 18% among those initiated in 2000 and 2001 to 26% in 2008 and 2009.

Question reference: S4W-04502

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are estimated to have hepatitis C and how many (a) have been diagnosed, (b) are receiving treatment and (c) are waiting for treatment to commence, broken down by NHS board.

In 2009, 39,000 people living in Scotland were estimated to be chronically infected with hepatitis C.

In terms of question (a), 16,500 (42%) of those estimated to be chronically infected were estimated to have been diagnosed by the end of 2009. More recent data is currently being collated by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) however, if it is assumed that infection rates have remained relatively stable, then the proportion estimated to have been diagnosed with hepatitis C by the end of 2010 will have increased to 45%. Table 1 shows the number of people reported to be diagnosed hepatitis C antibody positive in Scotland, broken down by NHS board. Approximately 70% of diagnosed positive cases will be chronically infected with hepatitis C.

Table 1: The number of people reported to be diagnosed hepatitis C antibody positive in Scotland by NHS board³, data to 31st December 2010: (a) annual number diagnosed by year of earliest positive specimen, (b) cumulative number ever diagnosed and (c) cumulative number ever diagnosed and not known to be dead.

NHS Board³

(A) Annual number by year of earliest positive specimen

<2005

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

(B) Cumulative number

Ayrshire and Arran	1,044	104	131	99	130	145	181	1,834	1,621
Borders	134	10	17	15	19	17	16	228	194
Dumfries and Galloway	422	66	49	44	54	54	58	747	688
Fife	508	64	50	83	48	52	47	852	748
Forth Valley	775	69	84	86	71	114	114	1,313	1,171
Grampian	2,150	174	187	145	176	207	171	3,210	2,883
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	7,925	597	556	596	623	846	852	11,995	10,144
Highland	553	28	43	33	58	74	49	838	745
Lanarkshire	1,211	158	102	95	116	146	142	1,970	1,678
Lothian	2,761	239	207	219	204	193	268	4,091	33
Tayside	1,291	100	103	126	126	178	222	2,146	1,780
Scotland²	18,824	1,612	1,532	1,545	1,632	2,030	2,122	29,297	25,060

Notes:

1. Identified through data linkage to GROS register of deaths, data to 31 December 2010.

2. Includes NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland and NHS Western Isles.

3. NHS board’ refers to the persons NHS board of residence, or where this is not known, the NHS board of source of referral.

In terms of question (b), the number of chronically infected people initiated on hepatitis C antiviral therapy in Scotland increased annually from 2007. The number of persons initiated has increased from 468 in the financial year 2007-08, to 591 in 2008-09 (exceeding a target of 500), 904 in 2009-10 (exceeding a target of 750) and a total of 1,049 in 2010-11 (exceeding a target of 1,000).

Table 2 shows the number of people initiated on hepatitis C antiviral therapy in Scotland, broken down by NHS board of residence.

Table 2: The number of people commencing a course of hepatitis C antiviral therapy in Scotland during 2010-11 (April 2010-March 2011), by NHS board of residence.

NHS Board of Residence	Number of Persons
Ayrshire and Arran	56
Borders	7
Dumfries and Galloway	31
Fife	46
Forth Valley	72
Grampian	122
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	372
Highland	35
Lanarkshire	92
Lothian	138
Tayside	76
Island boards (Orkney, Shetland, and Western Isles)	2
Scotland	1,049

In terms of question (c), data on the numbers of people waiting for treatment to commence is not held centrally.

Question reference: S4F-00357

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2011

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the balance of spending between administrators, beds and nursing staff in the NHS.

Question reference: S4O-00499

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will maintain the level of council tax benefit going to local authorities in any revised system from April 2013, despite a 10% reduction in the funding transferred by the UK Government.

Question reference: S4W-04101

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03257 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 October 2011, whether it will consider collecting information about the number of people with Down’s syndrome.

Whilst the Scottish Government has no plans, as present, to collect information on the number of people with a diagnosis of Down’s syndrome. General information on the number of people with a learning disability within each local authority is currently collated annually through eSAY. Numbers are collated annually from local authorities by the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S4W-04117

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has plans to close Blawarthill Hospital and, if so, whether this will be subject to ministerial approval.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has carried out a review of the future of continuing care provision in West Glasgow. As part of the review, the board propose to cease the provision of NHS continuing care on the Blawarthill Hospital site and to transfer inpatient beds to Drumchapel Hospital. I am advised by the board that negotiations are progressing positively between the NHS board and Glasgow City Council on the future provision of a 120 bed care home facility on the site.

The Scottish Government is of the view that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s plans for Blawarhill Hospital do not constitute major service change under the terms of CEL 4 (2010) Informing, Engaging and Consulting People in Developing Health and Community Care Services. As such, the NHS board’s plans will not be subject to ministerial approval.

Question reference: S4W-04097

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that all prisoners with learning disabilities will have access to a learning disabilities trained nurse.

Question reference: S4W-04102

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03258 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 October 2011, whether it will consider collecting information about the number of people with a dual diagnosis of Down’s syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.