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-13127

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 4 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many compromise agreements each NHS board has made with employees in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S4O-01837

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning last met principals of further education colleges and what matters were discussed.

Question reference: S4W-12013

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether all aquifers are linked and, if so, how contamination can be contained in one area with no impact on the public water supply.

Question reference: S4W-12014

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it can ensure that contaminants used in the hydraulic fracturing process do not flow into an aquifer used for drinking water.

Question reference: S4W-12039

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how the abstracted flowback water that contains naturally occurring bicarbonates, sulphates, chlorides of sodium and potassium and radionuclides is dealt with during hydraulic fracturing.

The production of “flow-back” fluid from hydraulic fracturing is a mining waste activity. These activities would be controlled through planning permission for the site through an agreed waste management plan. Operators would need to have a waste management plan in place, and to be able to demonstrate to planning authorities how they would store and dispose of wastes safely without causing pollution to the environment. This would include a requirement to have a CAR authorisation for any discharge of any pollutants to the water environment.

It is likely that the fluids that might flow back to the surface after hydraulic fracturing would also contain naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). The production of oil and gas is classed as a NORM Industrial Activity for which the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (RSA93) provides threshold values for radioactive concentration. If the fluid is above the relevant threshold values then it would be classed as radioactive waste and would be subject to the requirements of RSA93.

Question reference: S4W-12038

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what chemical additives are used in the hydraulic fracturing process.

Fracturing fluids would consist primarily of water but would also include a variety of additives. The number of chemicals used would vary depending on the conditions of the specific well being fractured. Operators would have to provide details of the chemical additives contained in drilling and fracturing fluids which SEPA would use in their examination of any application to ensure that substances involved are of a type and concentration that would not cause pollution of the water environment.

Whilst site specific, a list of the most commonly used chemicals in shale gas fracking in the US can be found at:

http://fracfocus.org/chemical-use/what-chemicals-are-used.

Question reference: S4W-12012

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how additives used in the hydraulic fracturing process can be guaranteed not to spread contamination from one area of ground water to another.

Question reference: S4W-12011

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that hydraulic fracturing does not lead to contamination of (a) ground water or (b) surface water.

Any proposed hydraulic fracturing would involve the high pressure injection of water, often including additives, down a borehole. A SEPA licence under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) Regulations 2011 would be required to carry out this activity. SEPA would only issue a licence for this activity where appropriate information from the applicant had been received to demonstrate that any injection would not lead to unacceptable impacts on groundwater or surface waters. For example, operators would be required to provide details of the chemical additives contained in drilling and fracturing fluids, and the borehole to be used for fracturing would have to be of a suitable construction and integrity.

SEPA would also require monitoring of the fracturing operations and the surrounding groundwater and surface waters, and SEPA would audit the results. Baseline monitoring prior to any development taking place would be an essential requirement.

Low permeability layers are commonly found in the subsurface which restrict the flow of groundwater between aquifers. This means that there can be several distinct aquifers in any given location. SEPA would take this into account when considering if the injection of fracturing fluids would have unacceptable impact on groundwater and surface waters, especially with respect to the protection of public and private water supplies.

Question reference: S4W-12249

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that patients are treated in accordance with Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines.

The implementation of SIGN guidelines is the responsibility of NHS boards, who are responsible for the planning and provision of services to meet the needs of their population.

NHS boards are responsible for auditing and monitoring implementation of SIGN Guidelines locally. An audit tool forms part of the SIGN Guidelines issued to NHS boards and it is their responsibility to decide how it is used to monitor and audit implementation of any guidance.

Question reference: S4W-12248

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation it has made of the implementation of Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guideline 114, Non-pharmaceutical management of depression in adults.

The Scottish Government has established the HEAT target to “Deliver faster access to mental health services by delivering 18 weeks referral to treatment for psychological therapies from December 2014”.

We have published “The Matrix: a Guide to Delivering Evidence-based Psychological Therapies in Scotland” on what treatments are effective for which conditions. This takes into account the content of SIGN guideline 114, along with other sources of evidence, in its recommendations on the treatment of depression. The Matrix also emphasises that services must provide adequate supervision for staff delivering psychological interventions, to ensure patient safety and the delivery of evidence-based care.

Through NHS Education Scotland, we are working to assess and develop workforce capacity to ensure that a range of staff are equipped to deliver therapies. We are also building processes into the work to gather information on clinical outcomes.

In the Mental Health Stategy:2012-15 we set out a number of approaches which are consistent with the recommendations of SIGN guideline 114. There is a strong focus throughout the Strategy on actions that people can take for themselves, and in their communities, to maintain and improve their own health.

NHS boards continue to develop and deliver self-help services. Nationally, self-help services and resources include the NHS Living Life service, delivered through NHS 24, and the Steps for Stress resources, managed by NHS Health Scotland.

We have committed to work with partners to increase local knowledge of social prescribing opportunities, including through new technologies, and to develop, with NHS 24, a Scotland-wide approach to improving mental health through new technology.