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-02717

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether changes to the procurement of prescription drugs is saving all NHS boards money.

Question reference: S4W-02716

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact of global price pressures on generic drugs has been on the NHS’s prescribing bill in the last three years.

Prescription drugs dispensed in the community are purchased by community pharmacists, who are then reimbursed.

Reimbursement arrangements for community pharmacists for all drugs, including generics, are subject to regular review to encourage them to seek out prices which deliver value for money to NHS Scotland. The prices they pay for generic drugs change monthly and vary from product to product and with market conditions.

The reimbursement arrangements for proprietary (branded) drugs are subject to the provisions of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme which applies across the United Kingdom. This was updated in 2009 and is delivering recurring savings to NHS Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s Efficiency Programme over the period 2009-10 to
2010-11 has included savings in the costs of drugs dispensed by the NHS in Scotland. The total savings achieved in respect of each of the programme in respect of drugs purchasing are published at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/Outturn2008-09

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/10/Outturn2009-10

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/09/Outturn2010-11.

Year on year prescribing costs for all NHS boards including generic drugs are published by the Information and Statistics Division of NHS National Services Scotland at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Prescribing-and-Medicines/Community-Dispensing/Prescription-Cost-Analysis/.

Question reference: S4W-02719

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost of prescribing Pradaxa is to the health budget.

Dabigatran Etexilate (Pradaxa) is licensed for two main indications within hospitals. It is therefore likely that the vast majority of the drug’s administration will occur in secondary care.

Information on the total annual cost of prescribing Pradaxa to the health budget is not held centrally. The budget impact estimates for Pradaxa for both its indications are available on the Detailed Advice Documents within the SMC advice published on their website http://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk.

Question reference: S4W-02718

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what savings it will make as a result of new prescription procurement guidelines, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S4O-00235

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many of its staff, including those employed through agencies, are paid less than the living wage of £7.20 an hour.

Question reference: S4W-02476

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the report by Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, Not seen, not heard, not guilty 2011, whether it will ensure that the Scottish Prison Service records official figures for the number of children affected by the imprisonment of a parent, including those on remand.

Question reference: S4W-02338

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to local authorities for the provision of cycle proficiency training to schoolchildren.

The Scottish Government provides grant funding to Cycling Scotland for the cycle training programme called Bikeability Scotland, which allows local authorities to make bids to Cycling Scotland for resources which enables more cycle training to take place.

Additionally, local authorities will receive £7.458 million of Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets grant this year for local projects. If local authorities wished to invest this funding on cycling infrastructure and training resources they would be free to do so.

Question reference: S4W-02341

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on (a) cycling and (b) cycle training being incorporated into PE lessons.

Question reference: S4W-02340

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in the establishment of the Cycle Training Standards and Delivery Support Group, and what the expected outcomes of this group will be.

The newly named Bikeability Scotland Delivery Group first met last September to formulate a delivery plan which was published by the end of the 2010. The plan includes four main outcomes:

a 2.5 percentage points increase annually in the number of pupils receiving on-road cycle training (currently around one third of P6 pupils);

an increase in the number of volunteers available to deliver the training;

the development of a volunteer support network in partnership with Volunteer Development Scotland, and

to provide continued support to local authorities offering the three levels of cycle training.

The group has since met twice and going forward it is the intention to meet quarterly to review progress.

Question reference: S4W-02335

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that cycle proficiency training should be mandatory for all schoolchildren.

The provision of cycle proficiency training for schoolchildren, re-launched by Cycling Scotland earlier this year as Bikeability Scotland, is a valuable resource for all schools. Its provision is planned by a partnership of schools, police and local authority road safety units. The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce regulations to require local authorities to provide mandatory cycle training for all schoolchildren.

Local authorities are responsible for road safety on the local road network. The 1988 Road Traffic Act puts a ‘statutory duty’ on local authorities to deliver an appropriate road safety education service and for the provision of a safe local road network. This includes education and facilities for all road users including pedestrians and cyclists.