- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 11 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the consequences of any variation in the Scottish rate of income tax in 2016-17.
Answer
The Scottish rate of income tax for 2016-17 has to be applied equally across all the existing tax bands.
A Scottish rate at a level other than 10p, therefore, would either see an increase or a decrease in the tax bills of all those liable to pay income tax. For the tax year 2016-17, this will be everyone with income over £11,000.
Similarly, a rate at a level other than 10p would generate either less or more revenue for the Scottish Government's budget.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 January 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the outcome of Operation Alexander in December 2015, what plans it has in 2016 to prioritise the targeting of shops that sell new psychoactive substances.
Answer
Operation Alexander is a co-ordinated enforcement operation by local authority trading standards services against new psychoactive substance suppliers. Further action is a matter for local trading standards authorities.
The Scottish Government are working closely with the UK Government on the detail of the UK-wide psychoactive substances bill which is due to become law in April 2016. The legislation will make it an offence to produce, supply, offer to supply, possess with intent to supply, import and export psychoactive substances. The Bill will also create an offence for possession of psychoactive substances within a custodial setting.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 January 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it provided for Operation Alexander in December 2015, which targeted shops selling new psychoactive substances.
Answer
The Scottish Government did not directly fund Operation Alexander. The Scottish Government provided funding of £21,450 to Trading Standards Scotland to assist in removing barriers in tackling new psychoactive substances (NPS). This included the development of an operational toolkit and guidance, as recommended by the expert review group. The funding has also been used to build a national intelligence picture of NPS suppliers. In addition, the funding helped meet the costs of the forensic analysis of seized products during Operation Alexander.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 January 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what action NHS boards take to collate data on hospital admissions caused by the ingesting, inhaling or injection of new psychoactive substances and what analysis it has carried out to determine whether this information has been recorded adequately.
Answer
NHS Scotland patient recording systems do not currently include a code to capture new psychoactive substance (NPS) use. Collection of data on NPS prevalence and harms within the NHS, therefore, is limited. These problems are not restricted to Scotland, but are common across Europe and internationally, where the systematic collection of data on NPS in healthcare settings is scarce.
The NPS Evidence Group have acknowledged the importance of data on NPS use from emergency departments. They are exploring options on how to improve the collection of NPS data within the NHS.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 January 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out the effectiveness of its strategy in dealing with new psychoactive substances.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to engage with the sector to review a range of interventions to tackle new psychoactive substances (NPS) and the dangers they pose. The NPS Evidence Group is comprised of key stakeholders from a range of sectors including health, enforcement, academia, and the third sector, amongst others.
The Scottish Government established an expert review group in August 2014 to consider the powers available in Scotland to tackle the sale and supply of NPS. The group published its report on 26 February 2015. The report makes six recommendations which we are taking forward. The full report can be accessed via this link: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/02/3802.
The Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, Paul Wheelhouse MSP, led a parliamentary debate on 29 September 2015, where an update was given on progress to implement the NPS Expert Review Group recommendations. Members supported the motion. The Official Report from the debate can be accessed via this link: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=10118.
A NPS cross party working group has been established and chaired by Paul Wheelhouse, MSP. The group have been asked to build upon the existing cross party census and to work together to address the challenges NPS present. The group are examining the current work underway and are contributing ideas to a range of themed work on NPS. The group are due to publish a report in February 2016.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 13 January 2016
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and what issues were discussed.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 13 January 2016
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 21 December 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to implement the recommendation by the Scottish Public Inquiry into Hepatitis C/HIV acquired infection from NHS treatment in Scotland with blood and blood products (Penrose Inquiry) that all reasonable steps be taken to offer a hepatitis C test to everyone who had a blood transfusion before 1991.
Answer
The single recommendation of the Penrose Inquiry report was that the Scottish Government should offer a hepatitis C test to everyone in Scotland who had a blood transfusion before September 1991 and who has not already been tested. A short life working group has been established by Health Protection Scotland to take this recommendation forward involving key stakeholders such as patient representatives, the Scottish Government and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service. It will consider what further action should be taken and oversee the implementation of any additional interventions. Initial scoping work has been carried out with regard to the estimated size of the target group and an options appraisal is in progress on possible future actions.
Anyone who considers themselves to be at risk of hepatitis C infection, or who believes they may have been infected via NHS blood or blood products, can receive a test for hepatitis C from their GP practice at any time.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 21 December 2015
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the question S4W-28639 by Maureen Watt on 2 December 2015, how much recurring funding has been provided to NHS boards, and what proportion of this has been spent on new hepatitis C therapies.
Answer
£9,625.6 million was given to NHS boards in 2015-16. The amount within that which is spent on hepatitis C treatment is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 December 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what reviews of admissions policy for patients requiring specialist care at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre have been carried out in each year since 2010, in particular for patients taken ill during evenings or at weekends, and what the outcomes were.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects all NHS boards to keep services under regular review to ensure that they are of the highest quality, and meet the needs of local people.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that a review of patients requiring unscheduled care admissions was undertaken in 2012 and resulted in the opening of the Acute Oncology Assessment Unit (AOAU) in 2013. This included a detailed review of patients with cancer attending emergency departments for unscheduled care requirements. The AOAU was developed and opened to address this need.
The health board has also confirmed that unscheduled care activity including telephone contact via the dedicated AOAU and national cancer helpline continues to be monitored on a regular basis. Revised consultant on-call arrangements were implemented in 2014 to take account of unscheduled admissions over the seven day period. The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre has an admissions/bed management policy, updated in 2009 and reviewed bi-annually.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 December 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what reviews of staffing levels at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre have been carried out in each year since 2010 and what the outcomes were.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects all NHS boards to have robust workforce planning arrangements in place, and that these are subject to regular review.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that reviews of medical staffing at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre occur on an annual basis. As a regional centre these reviews reflect the needs of all West of Scotland NHS boards. As all oncologists in the West of Scotland are employed through the Beatson Centre, this has an overall impact on the medical staff distribution and allocation of sessions.
The Beatson Centre has conducted reviews of the oncology wards primarily to consider the impact of the introduction of the Acute Oncology Assessment Unit (2012-13), increased daycase activity (2012-13) and the introduction of the four bedded High Acuity Unit (2015). In 2014, the service also undertook a focussed review of the provision of clinical nurse specialists and their input to the management of patients. A review of staffing overall was undertaken in advance of the Satellite Radiotherapy Unit opening on 30 November 2015.
As a consequence of the above reviews, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that staffing at the Beatson Centre has increased from 657 whole time equivalent (WTE) in March 2010 to 726 WTE in November 2015.
