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: S5W-12573

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve the Gogar roundabout to improve traffic flow eastbound.

The A8 and Gogar Roundabout do not form part of the Trunk Road Network and therefore this is a matter for City of Edinburgh Council as Local Roads Authority.

The Scottish Government has committed £20 million as part of the Edinburgh and South East City Region Deal to improving public transport infrastructure in West Edinburgh. Although the specific proposals have yet to be finalised, the Scottish Government understands that improvements to the A8 at Gogar Roundabout and the Maybury Junction are both being considered by City of Edinburgh Council.

Question reference: S5W-12601

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support people with MS to access autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT).

The role of the Scottish Government is to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS boards in order that they can deliver services that meet the needs of their local population. Within this context, it is for clinical audit and local clinical governance structures to monitor how well clinicians and NHS Boards are complying with existing clinical guidelines and to ensure that new and emerging evidence and good practice guidelines are considered at regular intervals.

NHS Boards take decisions on whether to adopt technologies based on evidence of their safety and proven clinical and cost effectiveness.

Question reference: S5W-12591

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many care residents have died following (a) admission and (b) readmission to hospital in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S5W-12571

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the plans to (a) upgrade the Sherriffhall junction and (b) (i) expand capacity and (ii) reduce congestion on the Edinburgh city bypass.

The Scottish Government remains committed to undertaking improvements at Sheriffhall and we are currently progressing the development and assessment of the preferred option which is due to culminate in 2019 with the publication of draft Orders. Delivery of the scheme itself can only commence when the scheme is approved under the statutory procedures and thereafter a timetable for construction can be set.

Further consideration to the rationale to reduce congestion on the Edinburgh City Bypass will be considered as part of the review of the Strategic Transport Projects Review, in line with commitments made in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.

Question reference: S5W-12572

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether using underpasses instead of roundabouts on the Edinburgh city bypass could improve traffic flow.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking the development and assessment of the preferred option for improvements at Sheriffhall Roundabout. This is due to culminate in 2019 with the publication of draft Orders. Delivery of the scheme itself can only commence when the scheme is approved under the statutory procedures and thereafter a timetable for construction can be set.

Further consideration of the rationale to improve traffic flow on the Edinburgh City Bypass will be considered as part of the review of the Strategic Transport Projects Review, in line with commitments made in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.

Question reference: S5W-12580

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many environmental health officers each local authority has employed in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S5W-12589

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many ministerial meetings have been held with each NHS board regarding potential budget overspends in each year since 2007.

The Scottish Government has regular contact and discussion with NHS Boards covering matters relating to finance and performance. Details of engagements undertaken by Ministers since 2008 is available on the Scottish Government's website at the following addresses:

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/?term=ministerial&publicationTypes=transparency_data

https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20170401123936/http:/www.gov.scot/About/People/14944/Events-Engagements/MinisterialEngagements

Question reference: S5W-12598

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many district nurses there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Since 1999 the data on the community nursing staff categories, including district nurses, has been subject to a number of reviews.

The number of district nurses by NHS Board, from September 1996 to September 2005,

can be found on the workforce statistics web site:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Historic-Data/WFE01_HB_REG.xls.

In 2006, recording of NHS staff was moved from Whitley to Agenda for Change. As a result statistics presented from 2007 onwards are not directly comparable to information prior to 2006. Information for 2006 is not available as this was a transitional year.

The number of district nurses by NHS Board, from September 2007 to September 2014, can be

found on the workforce statistics web site:

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2017-09-05/Non-Medical_Trend_J2017.xls.

A review of the data on community nursing staff categories, including district nurses, was undertaken in 2014 to ensure more accurate and consistent reporting for these staff groups. Data prior to the completion of the review is not comparable with data from 2015 onwards.

The number of district nurses by NHS Board, from March 2015 to June 2017, can be found on the workforce statistics web site:

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2017-09-05/Nursing_and_Midwifery_SIP_J2017.xls.

Question reference: S5W-12582

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many incorrect prescriptions have been issued in each year since 1999, and how much this has cost, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S5W-12602

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11658 by Shona Robison on 25 October 2017, when it will publish the timeline for the implementation of free personal care for people under 65 (Frank’s Law).

Scottish Government officials are working closely with Chief Officers and Chief Finance Officers of a number of Integration Joint Boards, along with COSLA to discuss the implementation of Free Personal Care for under 65's.

There has been a new webpage added to the Scottish Government website http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Support-Social-Care/Support/Adult-Social-Care/Free-Personal-Nursing-Care/Implementation-free-personal-care-under65 which will provide updates on the implementation of the extension to Free Personal Care to under 65's.

Immediately following the Programme for Government announcement on 5 September, we have said that the extension of free personal care will be in place by 1 April 2019.