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: S4O-03125

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether raising the threshold for civil cases in the Court of Session from £5,000 to £150,000, as proposed in the Courts Reform (Scotland) Bill, will harm access to justice.

Lord Gill recommended in the Scottish Civil Courts Review that only the most complex and legally difficult cases should be heard in the Court of Session, whereas most routine litigation should be conducted in the sheriff court by sheriffs using enhanced case management powers.

Lord Gill restated his belief that £150,000 was the appropriate level to achieve this at his appearance at the Justice Committee on Tuesday, 22 April 2014.

I agree with the Lord President and believe that this will ensure that the resources of the court are used efficiently and that the cost of litigation is reduced for all parties and the public purse, which will improve rather than harm access to justice.

Question reference: S4W-20035

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce pulse oximetry screening for all newborns to detect heart conditions early.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce pulse oximetry screening for all newborns to detect heart conditions early.

The Scottish Government takes its advice on screening policy from the UK National Screening Committee (NSC). The most recent review of screening for congenital heart defects (CHDs) from July 2013, did not recommend introduction of routine pulse oximetry screening.

The NSC keeps its policies under regular review and is currently undertaking a review of screening policy for CHDs. That review is expected to conclude in March 2014, after which it will be considered by the NSC.

Question reference: S4O-03061

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4W-19996

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendations in the report by the charity, Bliss, It’s not a game: the very real costs of having a premature or sick baby.

The Bliss report contains a number of recommendations on reserved issues such as extending maternity leave and advice for employers which are, therefore, a matter for the UK Government. Neonatal Care in Scotland: A Quality Framework, published on 5 March 2013, sets out the requirements for the provision of high quality dedicated family friendly facilities appropriate for parents and families of babies in neonatal care.

We expect boards to determine how to meet those requirements as they work towards full implementation of the framework over a five to 10 year timescale.

Question reference: S4W-19507

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what submission it has made to the independent review of standardised packaging for tobacco, which is being carried out by Sir Cyril Chantler.

Question reference: S4W-19505

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has sought on whether standardised tobacco packaging could result in it paying compensation to manufacturers because of an impact on intellectual property rights.

The tobacco industry has a history of challenging public health measures as it did, unsuccessfully, with the tobacco display ban. The Scottish Government is committed to achieving our vision of a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034. Scottish Ministers are clear that standardised packaging has a role in achieving this and on 28 January 2014 the Scottish Parliament agreed a Legislative Consent Motion allowing the Scottish Government to work with the UK Government to legislate on tobacco packaging.

Question reference: S4W-19506

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made on whether its proposed introduction of standardised tobacco packaging could impact on the UK's world trade obligations.

Question reference: S4W-19452

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when the report of the independent review on how continuing healthcare is being applied will be published and when it will respond.

Question reference: S4W-19492

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19228 by Michael Matheson on 29 January 2014, whether it plans to retrospectively reclaim payments for duplicate dental registrations from NHS general dentists who have retired since 2006 or are otherwise no longer in business and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Practitioner Services, which has the responsibility for making recoveries for duplicate registration payments, will not be seeking to make recoveries from retired and deceased dentists.

Practitioner Services have applied to Scottish Ministers to exempt retired and deceased dentists from the recovery process. This exemption has been granted. On the advice of Practitioner Services the cost and effort of recovering these overpayments, in comparison to other groupings of dentists, does not warrant the recovery of overpayments from retired and deceased dentists.

Question reference: S4W-19361

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 31 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what training the NHS provides on the diagnosis of the condition, progressive supranuclear palsy.

While policies, frameworks and resources are provided by the Scottish Government, individual NHS boards are responsible for planning and funding services in their area and for securing the staff to deliver them. It is for NHS boards to determine their workforce requirements, including training, based on the clinical needs and service developments in their area.

In determining workforce requirements, NHS boards must take into account their role in providing an appropriate training environment in which postgraduate medical trainees can gain the skills, knowledge and experience they require in order to fulfil the requirements of postgraduate training programmes. Such standards and requirements of such programmes are developed by relevant Medical Royal Colleges, and approved and monitored by the General Medical Council. This includes neurological conditions such as Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).