- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 15 May 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there is a link between excessive sugar consumption and the increase in the number of autistic people.
Answer
There is no body of scientific evidence to support the hypothesis that there is a link between excessive sugar consumption and the increase in the number of autistic people.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 15 May 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what research it plans to undertake into the reasons for the rise in the number of autistic people.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of autistic people, their families and carers through the Scottish Strategy for Autism .
There are no current plans to undertake further research into the number of autistic people in Scotland. The Micro segmentation Project published in March 2018 has established a robust national Scottish autism prevalence rate of 1.035%. More information can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/03/3640 .
The Scottish Government have recommended that this prevalence figure should be used as the most accurate prevalence estimate available. The report provides accurate data for the number of autistic individuals, together with numbers with and without an intellectual disability, in every age range for the whole of Scotland and for every Council or Health Board area.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 May 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes were built in 2018-19, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The following table shows the number of affordable homes delivered in 2018-19 between 1 April 2018 and 31 December 2018. Figures for the final quarter, 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019, will be published in June 2019 and may differ slightly from the figures previously published by the Scottish Government More Homes Division for a number of reasons, including: differences in data extraction dates and changes made to the historical data after the original publication.
All published quarterly figures for 2018-19 can be found at the following link: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration
Please note that as well as new build homes, the Affordable Housing Supply Programme includes rehabilitation projects, off the shelf purchases and homes for low-cost home ownership from existing housing stock:
Council | New Build | Off the Shelf | Rehabilitation | TOTAL |
Aberdeenshire | 138 | 85 | 0 | 223 |
Angus | 57 | 15 | 0 | 72 |
Argyll & Bute | 62 | 3 | 0 | 65 |
City of Aberdeen | 232 | 205 | 0 | 437 |
Clackmannanshire | 31 | 6 | 0 | 37 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 59 | 28 | 0 | 87 |
Dundee | 99 | 38 | 0 | 137 |
East Ayrshire | 46 | 1 | 0 | 47 |
East Dunbartonshire | 8 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
East Lothian | 63 | 87 | 0 | 150 |
East Renfrewshire | 8 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
Edinburgh | 453 | 137 | 0 | 590 |
Falkirk | 30 | 51 | 0 | 81 |
Fife | 167 | 104 | 0 | 271 |
Glasgow | 389 | 86 | 41 | 516 |
Highland | 418 | 152 | 4 | 574 |
Inverclyde | 41 | 4 | 0 | 45 |
Midlothian | 83 | 80 | 0 | 163 |
Moray | 32 | 12 | 0 | 44 |
North Ayrshire | 180 | 12 | 0 | 192 |
North Lanarkshire | 193 | 39 | 0 | 232 |
Orkney Islands | 28 | 2 | 0 | 30 |
Perth & Kinross | 102 | 216 | 0 | 318 |
Renfrewshire | 127 | 17 | 0 | 144 |
Scottish Borders | 126 | 48 | 0 | 174 |
Shetland | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
South Ayrshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
South Lanarkshire | 98 | 20 | 10 | 128 |
Stirling | 47 | 13 | 0 | 60 |
West Dunbartonshire | 84 | 12 | 0 | 96 |
West Lothian | 336 | 230 | 0 | 566 |
Western Isles | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
TOTAL | 3,757 | 1,708 | 58 | 5,523 |
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 May 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what research it (a) has conducted and (b) plans to conduct into excessive sugar consumption and its suppression of the enzyme, glutamine synthetase.
Answer
The Scottish Government funds research through the Chief Scientist's office.
Researchers can apply to the Chief Scientist Office for funding. The CSO's Translational Clinical Studies Committee and the Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committees each meet twice per year to consider funding applications. Details of the application process are published on the CSO website. http://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/funding-2/
Applications looking at excessive sugar consumption and its suppression of the enzyme, glutamine synthetase may be submitted to the CSO funding committees. In common with all other applications, these would go through the CSO's standard independent peer review process.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 April 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 May 2019
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards commission a multidisciplinary tier (a) 3 and (b) 4 weight management service.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information about which NHS Boards commission tier 3 and 4 weight management services. It is for NHS Boards to determine what services are required to meet local needs and whether these should be commissioned or delivered directly.
NHS Boards report annually on child and adult weight management services, including tier 3 but there is no requirement to state whether services are commissioned or delivered directly. In terms of tier 4, ISD collects data on the number of bariatric surgeries undertaken annually by NHS Board.
In order to improve quality and equity of access across Scotland, NHS Health Scotland will soon publish minimum standards for child and adult weight management services. Best practice guidance for Tier 4 bariatric provision is already in place.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 May 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it awards to the Primary Biliary Cholangitis Foundation.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the third sector in providing valuable support to those with Primary Biliary Cholangitis.
To date, the Primary Biliary Cholangitis Foundation has been awarded £73,340 by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 May 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports people with primary biliary cholangitis.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to provide high quality, person-centred care for all people, including those with suspected, or confirmed diagnosis of Primary Biliary Cholangitis.
Scotland has an implementation plan for rare diseases, published 2014, which includes 51 commitments. A progress report, published 2018, sets out progress towards meeting these commitments http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/02/8601 .
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2019
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 16 May 2019
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Scottish Heart Failure Nurse Forum's warning of a “potential crisis in care delivery".
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 16 May 2019
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 April 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 8 May 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consider the applicability of recommendations from the review of England's cancer screening programmes to help improve similar services in Scotland.
Answer
The review of England’s cancer screening was commissioned by NHS England and is expected to culminate in recommendations about future commissioning and delivery of cancer screening programmes in England. The independent review is being conducted by Professor Sir Mike Richards and is expected to report in Summer 2019. The Scottish Government has not had any direct involvement in the review of England's cancer screening.
The Scottish Government is advised on all aspects of screening by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) and the Scottish Screening Committee. Both Committees will consider any recommendations which come from the review, and advise Scottish Government on any implications for cancer screening services in Scotland.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 8 May 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the significant decrease in the number of people from Scotland aged 16 to 24 who self-assessed as having good or very good health, according to the Scottish Core Questions Survey 2017.
Answer
We have noted this decrease in self-reported wellbeing. Evidence suggests that the underlying causes are an increasing proportion of this age group reporting long-term conditions and lower levels of mental wellbeing.
Mental health is an absolute priority for this Government. We have put in place a ten year strategy to improve access to mental health services, backed by an additional £150 million over five years. Additionally, the 2018-19 Programme for Government has mental health at its very heart. It contains a package of measures to support positive mental health and prevent ill health. These new actions build on the Mental Health Strategy and will be backed by £250 million of additional investment.
