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-27530

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 24 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) consultant and (b) senior consultant vacancies there are, broken down by (i) speciality and (ii) NHS board.

We currently have the highest medical staffing levels ever, with record numbers of consultants. Under this government, consultant numbers across Scotland have increased by 1,387.8 whole time equivalent (WTE), or 38.2%, from 3,636.5 WTE in September 2006 to 5,024.3 WTE in June 2015.

The number of vacant consultant posts broken down by (i) specialty, and (ii) NHS Scotland board as at June 2015 is published by Information Services Division Scotland at:

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2015-09-01/Medical_Trend_J2015.xls.

Any fluctuation in consultant vacancies is linked to our efforts to increase capacity by recruiting even more staff. Information on the number of senior consultant vacancies is not held centrally.

Question reference: S4O-04616

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to receive the interim conclusions of the independent review into polypropylene mesh implants and what progress the expert group has made in developing pathways of care for women experiencing complications.

Question reference: S4O-04604

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the recommended routes are for people travelling on public transport from East Renfrewshire to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and how long, on average, it is anticipated that these routes should take.

Question reference: S4W-27154

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 3 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether alternative processes to screen for bowel cancer have been considered or deemed practical.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport announced earlier in 2015 that a new type of test would be introduced to the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme over the next two years. The Quantitative Faecal Immunochemical Test will replace the current Faecal Occult Blood Test. The new test is deemed to be more user friendly than the current test and is expected to help increase participation in the programme.

Additionally the ‘Bowel Scope Study’ is currently underway within three health boards in Scotland to determine if offering a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy to participants would be a beneficial addition to the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme. The study is due to complete in March 2016, the resulting data will then be analysed and a decision taken upon recommending inclusion to the Bowel Screening Programme.

Question reference: S4W-27153

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 3 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when the process for gathering material for screening for bowel cancer in 50-year-olds and over was (a) established and (b) last reviewed.

The Scottish Bowel Screening Programme commenced a phased roll out in June 2007 and by December 2009 all NHS boards in Scotland were participating in the programme. The UK National Screening Committee regularly reviews national screening programmes against international evidence and technology to ensure they remain relevant and fit for purpose. Bowel cancer screening was last reviewed in April 2011 and is currently under review by the committee as part of the regular review cycle. The Scottish Government works closely with the independent expert advisory group, who advise ministers and the NHS in the four UK countries about all aspects of screening.

Question reference: S4W-27155

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 1 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the report commissioned by Public Health England, E-cigarettes: an evidence update, and, if so, what (a) its position is on the findings and (b) implications the report will have on the advice provided by NHS Scotland's smoking cessation services.

The Public Health England report is a welcome addition to the evidence base around e-cigarettes as the Scottish Government continues to develop its overall policy around e-cigarettes. Current evidence suggests e-cigarettes are far less harmful than tobacco and if using them helps smokers quit entirely then that is to be welcomed. Anyone using an e-cigarette to help them quit will most likely see the best results if they do this alongside the support of their local stop smoking services. Scottish Government is working with smoking cessation services in Scotland to explore how they can best help users of e-cigarettes to quit tobacco for good. Further research on the long-term health impacts of e-cigarettes is needed, and we will continue to monitor evidence. Our Health Bill strikes a balance between regulating e-cigarettes and helping those who wish to use them to help stop smoking. By doing so we hope both to prevent smoking from appearing normal again, but also gain the public health benefits from reductions in the use of cigarettes.

Question reference: S4W-27157

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 1 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the comment in the report, NHS Smoking Cessation Services (Scotland) that "the rise in the use of electronic cigarettes is a plausible explanation” for the decrease in quit attempts using NHS smoking cessation services.

Evidence suggests that increased use of e-cigarettes has contributed to a reduction in the popularity of other methods of quitting smoking. Nevertheless, NHS stop smoking services continue to support significant numbers of smokers to give up this deadly habit. Anyone using an e-cigarette to help them quit will most likely see the best results if they do this alongside the support of their local stop smoking services. Scottish Government is working with smoking cessation services in Scotland to explore how they can best help users of e-cigarettes to quit tobacco for good.

Question reference: S4W-26697

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 11 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS boards regarding mental health policy in prisons.

Question reference: S4W-26696

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what sentencing targets there are for offenders with a history of mental illness.

In any given case, sentencing decisions are a matter for the court based on the facts and circumstances of each case in line with the overall legal framework. There are no sentencing targets for judges including in relation to how different categories of offenders should be treated when sentencing.

One of the disposals available to Scottish courts is the Community Payback Order, which ensures offenders pay back to the community, whilst also addressing the underlying causes of their offending behaviour. This can include providing support for mental health issues.

Question reference: S4W-26699

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that NHS boards with a prison in their area include data on mental health provision in that prison in their annual report as responsibility for the physical and mental health of prisoners was transferred from the Scottish Prison Service to NHS boards by the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.

The health care of prisoners transferred to the NHS as of November 2011. As part of this transition all prisoner health care records and mental health service management information also transferred from Scottish Prison Services to NHSScotland. Health boards are expected to undertake the assessment of healthcare needs in the prisons in their areas, prioritise them, and address them over time, as they would do for other services in the community. We would expect boards to be transparent about any data they have used to materially inform their
decision-making.