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: S3W-28744

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 16 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fees for public entertainment licences were waived for free events and how many fees for market-operating licences were waived for non-commercial organisations in the last year.

Question reference: S3W-28759

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether GPs have all software in place required to help identify priority patients for the influenza A (H1N1) vaccine.

Given that the clinical priority groups for the influenza A (H1N1) vaccination are similar to those for the annual seasonal flu vaccination, GP practices are already able to identify these patients prior to the new specific software being rolled out.

Additionally, guidance was issued to practices on 19 October 2009 by the Chief Medical Officer on how to use their clinical software to identify priority patients for the influenza A (H1N1) vaccine.

Question reference: S3W-28757

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the software required by GP surgeries to help identify priority patients for the influenza A (H1N1) vaccine was not in place sooner.

Question reference: S3W-28758

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when it was decided to use GP surgeries to distribute the influenza A (H1N1) vaccine.

Question reference: S3W-28760

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether GPs are expected to start vaccinating priority patients against influenza A (H1N1) before their Directed Enhanced Services contract is in place.

No. The Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services “ Pandemic Influenza (H1N1) Vaccination Scheme) (Scotland) Directions 2009 came into force on Thursday 29 October 2009. Under these directions, health boards must offer primary medical services contractors the opportunity to participate in the scheme, and any such arrangement must be contractual. The directions set out timescales for this.

However, if any patients in the priority groups were vaccinated before these contractual arrangements with health boards were in place, then subject to certain conditions, contractors would be paid for these vaccinations.

Question reference: S3W-28104

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any research that establishes a link between higher educational attainment and the use of tinted glasses among people affected by Meares-Irlen Syndrome.

Question reference: S3W-28106

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to provide financial support for families who need to purchase tinted glasses for children affected by Meares-Irlen Syndrome.

Question reference: S3W-28105

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken steps to support families who have children affected by Meares-Irlen Syndrome.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28103 on 2 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 aims to ensure that all children and young people receive the additional support required to meet their individual needs and help them make the most of their education. The Act requires education authorities to identify, meet and review the additional support needs of pupils and tailor provision to their circumstances. This will be strengthened by the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 when it is commenced in autumn 2010.

The Scottish Government also funds the CALL Centre (Communications Aids for Language and Learning) which is currently working with Learning and Teaching Scotland to produce an online database of adapted curriculum material available via GLOW or SCRAN (Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network) that will enable teachers to make them available to any pupil in Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-28103

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that children requiring tinted glasses due to Meares-Irlen Syndrome do not receive support to purchase tinted glasses.

Help with the cost of glasses under the NHS is by way of a voucher scheme and is limited to certain categories of people, including children under 16. However, vouchers can only be provided where the patient requires glasses to correct, remedy or relieve a defect of sight, such as short or long sight. Meares-Irlen Syndrome is just one of a range of conditions that make use of tinted lenses that are not caused by a defect of sight.

There are no current plans to change the policy on entitlement to optical vouchers.

Question reference: S3W-27987

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in preparing the second stage strategy for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development Education, taking the first action plan for the first half of the decade to the end of the decade in 2014.

The second action plan for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development will be launched in 2010. Preparation for this is well underway with stakeholder engagement taking place in a variety of ways, including:

The UN Decade Action Plan Steering Group, organised and chaired by the Sustainable Development Commission in Scotland, providing advice to the Scottish Government through discussion with stakeholders from across education and lifelong learning sectors;

A conference in January 2009, hosted by the Scottish Government and CIFAL to celebrate the excellent progress being made across all sectors in education for sustainable development, and to discuss with a wide range of stakeholders what we should aim to achieve over the next five years;

The ongoing engagement by Scottish Government policy leads in schools, universities and colleges, community learning and development and greener Scotland with stakeholders, from individual meetings to national conferences and

A forthcoming event in January 2010, to discuss the emerging key messages and actions from the draft plan with stakeholders.