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: S4O-04438

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the review of provision of NHS services on Skye.

Question reference: S4W-25607

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when it will take forward plans to support the provision of lessons in BSL to parents of newborn deaf children, as set out in the 2011 SNP manifesto.

We are taking forward plans to support the provision of British Sign Language lessons for parents of new-born deaf children, in line with our 2011 manifesto commitment.

Over £0.5 million (2011-16) has been provided to the National Deaf Children’s Society from 2011 to March 2016 to develop resources to help parents understand how to communicate with their deaf baby or toddler from birth through to starting school, support families and provide language skills for the child at a critical age, and develop the sign language and communication skills of the rest of the family through the Your Child, Your Choices project.

Question reference: S4O-04402

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 3 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what management structures it considers would be the best model for the Crown Estate rural holdings following responsibility being devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S4W-25605

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 2 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to gather information on pupils with a (a) visual and (b) visual and other impairment.

The national annual pupil census collection includes information on pupils reported by education authorities as receiving additional support in school. This includes information on pupils whose additional support needs arise from a broad range of reasons, including visual impairment and being deafblind.

This information is available from:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/dspupcensus and is also published each year as part of the annual report to Parliament on the implementation of additional support for learning.

Question reference: S4W-25654

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the results of the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy 2014 (Literacy) report at P4, P7, and S2 by local authority area.

In line with the survey’s key objective, the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy 2014 (Literacy) results are used to monitor and report achievement in reading, writing, listening and talking at P4, P7 and S2 at a national level. The survey was designed to minimise the assessment burden on teachers and pupils and, whilst the sample size is sufficient to build a national picture of pupil performance in literacy and numeracy across Scotland, too few pupils are assessed to produce reliable local authority results.

Question reference: S4O-04427

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what evaluation has been done on the effectiveness of its training courses.

Question reference: S4W-25483

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 21 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address (a) floodwater issues, (b) overgrown vegetation, (c) road alignment, (d) the road camber, (e) the road crossfall and narrow width and (f) opportunities for overtaking on the A82.

Since 2007, the Scottish Government has invested more than £79.5 million in maintaining and improving the A82, including works at Pulpit Rock and Crianlarich Bypass. In addition, more than £1 million is being spent realigning the A82 at Glen Gloy between Fort William and Fort Augustus. The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) recommended a targeted programme of measures to improve road standards on the A82 between Glasgow and Oban/Fort William. There is currently a study underway between Tarbet and Inverarnan, due to report in summer 2015, to determine a preferred route for a major improvement over this length.

The STPR also identified the need to investigate carriageway widening at selected locations between Corran Ferry and Fort William.

The present A82 includes stretches built in the 1930s, when standards were less rigorous than today. However, all improvement schemes are now carried out to modern standards which address the alignment, width, crossfall or camber and drainage issues referred to. Overtaking opportunities are also an important requirement of modern standards.

Our operating company has a contractual obligation to inspect the A82 at seven day intervals, primarily to identify defects that require prompt attention, such as potholes, flooding or overhanging vegetation because they present an immediate hazard to road users. Other defects and general deterioration which do not need such an immediate safety-led response are then considered with findings from our annual testing of the network to determine future programmes of work. These are then assessed against competing priorities across the network.

Question reference: S4W-25445

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the contract for retained firefighters, and what impact reducing the commitment of them being on call for up to 120 hours each week would have on the numbers taking up the role.

Employment issues, such as recruitment, contracts and conditions of service are primarily a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), although clearly the Scottish Government recognises the challenge that recruitment and retention of retained duty system (RDS) staff presents, not only in Scotland but also across the United Kingdom. The creation of a single SFRS has provided an opportunity to address this matter in a way that was difficult to do previously and a programme of work has been initiated within SFRS to review and reform RDS provision across the country.

SFRS has already developed faster recruitment and assessment procedures for RDS -with the entire process from application to appointment being streamlined to around 16 weeks, and will be considering other issues, such as eligibility criteria, and terms and conditions of employment under the wider programme of RDS reform.

SFRS are actively pursuing various employer engagement opportunities in relation to maintaining a suitable workforce in remote and rural areas, and the Scottish Government will work with them on this.

The Scottish Government regards addressing this issue as being a high priority.

Question reference: S4W-25417

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 14 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what role NHS boards have in investigating patient complaints relating to general dental practitioners.

Those who provide NHS general dental services are required under their NHS terms of service to have arrangements in place in accordance with Section 15 of the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011, and any Regulations or Directions made under that Act. The Regulations associated with the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 include a requirement for health service providers, including general dental practitioners, to appoint a Feedback and Complaints Officer who is responsible for the management and handling of feedback, comments, concerns and complaints operationally. The Feedback and Complaints Officer, or staff authorised to act on their behalf, will normally oversee the investigation of a complaint and provide the main point of contact for the person making the complaint.

The Scottish Government’s ‘Can I Help You?’ guidance for handling and learning from feedback, comments, concerns and complaints states that, where the person making a complaint is uncomfortable making the complaint directly to the health service provider, the complaint can be made to the appropriate relevant NHS board directly. As a matter of best practice the board and health service provider should agree locally the management of the complaint under these circumstances, and advise the person making the complaint accordingly.

Question reference: S4W-25418

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 14 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards are notified when a dental practice is being investigated following a complaint.

In accordance with the Patient Rights (Feedback, Comments, Concerns and Complaints) (Scotland) Directions 2012, relevant NHS bodies including NHS health boards have a responsibility to gather and review information from their health service providers, including general dental practitioners, on a quarterly basis in relation to complaints, and those providers have a duty to supply this information to their relevant NHS body as soon as is reasonably practicable after the end of the three month period to which it relates. Those who provide NHS general dental services are required under their NHS terms of service to have arrangements in place in accordance with these Directions.

In the event of a patient complaining directly to the General Dental Council (GDC) about a general dental practitioner delivering NHS care, the GDC would normally contact the relevant NHS board to advise that a complaint had been received about NHS care and ask the board if they knew of any fitness to practise concerns. In the event of a GDC disciplinary hearing finding a dental professional in breach of the GDC’s required standards of conduct, performance and ethics, the result would be a matter of public record.