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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 1015 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-21363

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 11 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its missing the 1 May 2014 introduction date, when it will introduce the new Patient and Clinician Engagement approval system.

Patient and Clinician Engagement now forms part of the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) evaluation process. Submissions from pharmaceutical companies received by SMC after noon on 7 April 2014 are eligible for this new approach, in line with what was set out in the Task and Finish Group report provided to me and published by the Health and Sport Committee. The first decisions from this new process are expected in autumn 2014.

Question reference: S4O-03345

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 11 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S4W-21598

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what weight is given to cognitive behavioural therapy in the provision of mental health services.

The Scottish Government is committed to creating a well-functioning mental health system, where all therapeutic interventions are based around the needs of the individual, and recognises the important role cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) plays within this.

NHS boards are working towards the HEAT target, ‘Deliver faster access to mental health services by delivering 18 weeks referral to treatment for Psychological therapies from December 2014’. CBT is one of the key psychological therapies delivered through this target.

We have published The Matrix: a Guide to Delivering Evidence-based Psychological Therapies in Scotland on what treatments are effective for which conditions. There is an evidence base to show that CBT is effective in the treatment of a range of conditions, including anxiety disorder, depression, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, and the management of chronic pain.

Question reference: S4W-21365

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding concerns raised by the scientific community that the recent amendments passed at the European Parliament to Articles 81 and 83 of the European Data Protection Regulation will harm the opportunities and benefits available as a result of Scotland’s health records data.

Data protection is a reserved area and the Ministry of Justice has made representations on behalf of all parts of the UK. The Scottish Government takes the view that it is not yet clear whether the conditions and safeguards set out in the amended Articles of Data Protection Regulation will have negative implications on research given that NHSScotland already has robust scrutiny and security controls in regard to requests to use patient-originated data for research. Article 83 (b) states that such processing must comply with all other relevant legislation, in each member state. As health is a devolved area, the Scottish Government will consider whether any statute or instrument through the Scottish Parliament, would assist in making clearer how health records are to be used by public bodies for research which directly benefits NHSScotland.

Question reference: S4O-03310

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the licensing of air weapons is a proportionate measure, given that offences involving such weapons have fallen by 75% since 2006-07.

Question reference: S4W-20928

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 15 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when guidance will be issued to NHS boards to update the current Guidance to Further Strengthen the Safe and Effective Use of New Medicines across the NHS in Scotland, as issued in Chief Medical Officer's letter CMO (2012) 1, and associated guidance, including the timescale and implementation of Scottish Medicines Consortium advice at a local level.

Question reference: S4W-20927

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 15 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20040 by Alex Neil on 17 March 2014, whether it will provide a breakdown by medicine of the £21.7 million Rare Conditions Medicines Fund expenditure.

Question reference: S4O-03252

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will develop appropriate outcome-based measures to assess the long-term benefits of modern apprenticeships, as recommended by Audit Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-20794

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent Cochrane Collaboration report on the effectiveness of the antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza.

In collaboration with colleagues across the UK, we will consider all new relevant scientific evidence on the effectiveness of Tamiflu and Relenza. This will include the Cochrane Collaboration reviews published on 9 April 2014, which considered data from the initial trials of Tamiflu and Relenza, dating back to the late 1990s. It will also include evidence from other studies carried out since the medicines were licensed, which support the view that they can reduce severe outcomes such as intensive care admission or death. The results of this review will inform our next steps.

Question reference: S4W-20496

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 30 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the ratio in the hospital consultant contract is for the time spent on direct clinical care compared with supporting professional activities; whether it plans to review the contract in this regard; what information it has on how the ratio compares with that for England, and what its position is on any difference between the Scottish and English figures.

Appointments to consultant posts in Scotland are generally based on nine programmed activities of direct clinical care and one programmed activity for supporting professional activity, which will include continuous professional development appropriate for annual appraisal and five yearly revalidation.

Individual job plans which are subject to agreement between the individual and their manager allow for amendment to the balance between these different forms of activity so in practice the balance varies and is dependent on the service to be delivered to patients as well as the needs of the employer and the individual consultant.

This practice is consistent with the basic 2004 consultant contract which makes provision for a full-time consultant to have 7.5 programmed activities of direct clinical care and 2.5 programmed activities of supporting professional activities unless agreed otherwise. The contract allows flexibility to agree a different balance of activities where this is in the interests of the doctor and of the service. The contract covers the UK so there is no difference in the ratio set out in consultant terms and conditions between Scotland and England.

Currently there are no plans to review the consultant contract in Scotland.