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: S4F-00610

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 April 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 April 2012

To ask the First Minister what representations the Scottish Government has received from charities and other organisations regarding the UK Government’s planned abolition of council tax benefit.

Question reference: S4O-00882

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an assessment of the likely impact of UK Government welfare reforms on carers in Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-00877

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the availability of donated breast milk in neo-natal units.

The Scottish Government is aware that breast milk is the recommended form of enteral nutrition for all infants, especially those born pre-term and we recognise the valuable service that donor milk banks provide. The Scottish Emergency Rider Volunteer Service (ScotsERVS) now supports the transportation of processed donor milk to requesting units and provides a local ongoing and sustainable service across the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Board area and into neighbouring health boards. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is currently exploring options to provide equitable access to donor breast milk across all of Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-06135

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 23 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to meet officials from Aberdeen City Council to discuss lessons that can be learned from the recent referendum held in the city.

Question reference: S4W-06136

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 23 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to investigate the future use of secure internet and telephone voting following the recent referendum in Aberdeen.

Question reference: S4W-06155

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 21 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures it has in place to monitor and record instances of alleged racial harassment and discrimination in schools.

The triennial Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research, which is a national study of behaviour in publicly funded schools, reports on teachers’ views of serious indiscipline in the classroom, including incidences of racist abuse towards pupils or teachers. The research is currently underway in a sample of schools across Scotland and the results will be published later in 2012. The 2009 report is available on the Scottish Government website www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/20101438/.

The Equality Act 2010 places duties on local authorities to actively deal with inequality, which may include discrimination, harassment or victimisation of pupils on the basis of their religion or belief, race or sexual orientation. Local recording, monitoring, analysis and understanding of these incidents are essential if local authorities are to reduce the number of racist, sectarian and homophobic incidents.

Question reference: S4O-00769

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Commission on the Delivery of Rural Education will report its findings to ministers.

Question reference: S4W-04834

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last reviewed the procedures for testing people for dementia.

Question reference: S4W-04836

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what training is offered to health professionals to help them identify the signs of dementia.

A major part of the change programme in Scotland’s National Dementia Strategy is around up skilling and developing the workforce, including in identifying the signs of dementia.

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the Scottish Services Council (SSSC) are implementing Promoting Excellence, the knowledge and skills framework for the entire health and social services workforce. It outlines various levels of knowledge and skills from a baseline that all staff are required to achieve to expert levels of practice in a range of areas including screening for, identifying and diagnosing dementia. Implementation of the framework includes the development of educational resources, delivery of training programmes and establishing educational infrastructures to ensure sustainability.

To support diagnosis, NES commissioned accessible online learning materials in the administration and scoring of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) – an evidence-based dementia screening tool. This will improve staff skills in the detection of dementia.

The Standards of Care for Dementia state that assessment should be by skilled, confident and well-trained staff using recognised diagnostic tools. SIGN Guideline 86 on the management of patients with dementia recommends the use of the ACE-R to improve traditional cognitive screening using the Mini Mental State Examination, for individuals suspected of developing dementia. ACE-R is being introduced in specialist memory assessment and community mental health services around Scotland.

Psychiatrists must acquire skills in specialist assessments, including on dementia, as part of attaining the Certificate of Completion of Training for old age psychiatry. GP training includes a requirement to acquire skills and knowledge in psychiatric conditions often associated with old age, such as dementia.

Last year, we delivered our national target to increase the level of dementia diagnosis. This has now evolved into a national standard.

Question reference: S4W-04835

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the procedures for testing people for dementia.