Chamber and committees

In Scotland, uptake rates of one dose of MMR by five years have remained above the World Health Organisation's 95% target since 2009. In addition to the MMR vaccine offered to infants, the MMR status of secondary school pupils is checked during routine teenage vaccinations and the MMR vaccine is offered if appropriate. We are not complacent and continue to make every effort to promote and encourage uptake of the MMR vaccination.

This information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to consider contacting individual health boards to obtain this information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-20315 on 13 December 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

There have been a further 18,556 voluntary sector short breaks provided to carers during the period 2018-19. Please see the breakdown in the following table. These figures are for the number of breaks funded and there may be more than one carer benefiting from each break. It should be noted that Shared Care Scotland figures for 2018-19 are estimated and figures from April 2019 are not yet available.

Number of short breaks provided through the voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund in 2018-19, and total since 2010

This information is not held centrally.

However, Information Services Division Scotland publish quarterly statistics on treatment waiting times and types of treatment undertaken which shows how many residential detoxification and rehabilitation treatments were started in that period. This information is available here - https://www.isdscotland.org/index.asp .

It should be noted, however, that it isn’t possible to say that the number of treatments started equals the number of individuals undertaking them as the same individual may drop-out and re-start a treatment.

I commend the National Short Life Working Group for its report on Hepatitis C Virus Case Finding and Access to Care which was published in November 2018. Scotland has long been known as a world leader in tackling hepatitis C, and this report is an example of the expertise and collaborative working that have built that reputation.

The report gives evidence-based recommendations on how to find and provide treatment to people infected with the hepatitis C virus, and I know that NHS Boards and Third Sector Organisations have been working to implement those recommendations.

Ministers rejected South East Scotland Strategic Development Plan 2 as it was not informed by an adequate and timely transport appraisal, and did not sufficiently take account of the relationship between land use and transport. The Planning Bill as passed introduces a duty for planning authorities to work together to undertake strategic planning. It is now the responsibility of the constituent authorities to decide the next steps and the Scottish Government has offered to support them with this.

The Access Support Team is an internal Scottish Government department which is made up of performance and improvement staff who work closely with NHS Boards to ensure best practice is instilled across all hospital sites, and to share good practice and innovation across NHSScotland.

The team works closely with the Clinical Priorities Unit who coordinate the National Advisory Committee for Chronic Pain, and that includes NHS staff as well as Scottish Government officials along with third sector and patient representatives.

Data on Audiology service waits is included as part of the 18 weeks referral to treatment waiting time data which is published quarterly by ISD. The 18 weeks referral to treatment performance information is based on an aggregate return from NHS Boards and does not provide specialty level data.

This information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to consider contacting individual health boards to obtain this information.