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: S5F-03443

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2019

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-23621

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it provided to each education institution in each of the last three years for (a) medical student and (b) nurses’ training places, and how much it plans to provide in each of the next three years.

The Scottish Government has provided over £325 million in funding for medical, nursing and midwifery places in the last three years.

Table 1: Funding for Medical students’ places	2016-17 (£)	2017-18 (£)	2018-19 (£)
Aberdeen, University of	9,074,682	9,451,262	9,553,772
Dundee, University of	8,070,006	7,826,073	8,039,271
Edinburgh, University of	10,247,245	10,375,802	9,777,119
Glasgow, University of	13,239,634	13,474,532	13,980,763
St Andrews, University of	1,540,618	1,598,536	1,862,677
Total	42,172,187	42,726,206	43,213,604

Includes Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGem) places, clinical training cost for rUK students and assumed level of fees for SAAS.

Includes pre-clinical and clinical training costs

Table 2: Funding for Nursing and Midwifery students’ places	2016-17 (£)	2017-18 (£)	2018-19 (£)
Abertay Dundee, University of	998,445	1,162,070.	1,270,566
Dundee, University of	8,168,202	8,074,563	8,591,081
Edinburgh Napier University	11,488,785	11,798,514	12,269,807
Edinburgh, University of	944,160	1,064,637	1,081,073
Glasgow Caledonian University	11,273,157	11,397,736	12,905,092
Glasgow, University of	1,108,989	1,346,478	1,383,599
Highlands and Islands, University of the	0	936,390	1,905,846
Open University in Scotland	287,835	357,720	554,489
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh	973,049	1,252,377	1,421,411
Robert Gordon University	6,498,954	7,010,290	8,013,933
Stirling, University of	7,051,737	5,784,009	5,340,801
West of Scotland, University of the	13,880,181	14,283,549	15,867,276
Total	62,673,494	64,468,333	70,604,974

Source: SFC

Includes, cost of honours year paid directly to institutions, pilot course delivered by the Open University in Scotland and assumed fees paid via SAAS.

Intake numbers for Nursing and Midwifery for 2019-20 will not be confirmed until the end of this financial year in March 2020 and Medical places for the same academic period will be confirmed by the end of this calendar year. Future intake figures for 2020-21 and 2021-22 have not been agreed and are not available.

Question reference: S5O-03402

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther.

Question reference: S5W-23526

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 12 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20424 by Joe Fitzpatrick on 18 December 2018, which NHS boards have a backlog for breast screening (a) examinations and (b) results, broken down by length of backlog, and whether it will provide a breakdown of the reasons given by each centre for the delays in breast screening results.

Information on delays within the Scottish Breast Screening Programme are recorded by six regional Breast Screening centres.

As of April 2019, the delays range from 9 weeks ahead of schedule to 16 weeks over. A full breakdown is tabled below. Tolerances of 3 months over or under the 3 year invitation cycle for breast screening are currently accepted, which allows for flexibility and changes in practice scheduling and invitees availability for appointments.

Centre	Static Centre Waiting Times	Mobile Waiting Times	Waiting Times from screening to routine results (Target=2 weeks)
East	4 weeks ahead of schedule	1 Unit is 3 weeks ahead of schedule. 1 Unit is 2 weeks behind schedule.	Out with target (6 weeks)
West	7 weeks ahead of schedule	4 Units are 4 weeks ahead of schedule. 1 Unit is 5 weeks ahead of schedule. 1 Unit is 6 weeks ahead of schedule. 1 Unit is 9 weeks ahead of schedule.	Out with target (3 weeks)
North East	3 weeks behind schedule	1 Unit is 2 weeks behind schedule. 1 Unit is 3 weeks behind schedule	Within target
South East	8 weeks behind schedule	1 Unit is 7 weeks behind schedule 1 Unit is 9 weeks behind schedule 1 Unit is 11 weeks behind schedule 1 Unit is 13 weeks behind schedule 1 Unit is 16 weeks behind schedule	Within target
South West	3 weeks behind schedule	1 Unit is 7 weeks behind schedule 1 Unit is 10 weeks behind schedule	Within target
North	4 weeks ahead of schedule	1 Unit is on schedule	Within target

Reasons for delays are multi-factorial and may include increases in the eligible population to be invited, changes at GP practice level, staffing or equipment issues and adverse weather events. However, there is no centrally held information on the breakdown of reasons given by each centre for delays.

Question reference: S5W-23528

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 11 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of 49% of people reportedly having poor mental health while dealing with cancer, how it plans to reduce this number.

Our vision for mental health is of a Scotland where people can get the right help at the right time, expect recovery and fully enjoy their rights, free from discrimination and stigma. This includes people who are experiencing physical health problems such as cancer and who may also experience poor mental health.

We recognise that timely access to psychological support is an important element of this. Our Mental Health Strategy is investing £150 million in services over five years, including £54 million to help NHS Boards improve their performance against waiting time standards for access to psychological therapies and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. This is being invested in workforce development, recruitment and retention, and service improvement support.

Our 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 a quarter of a billion pounds of additional investment.

At a local level, the Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to respond to the physical and mental health needs of their population. However, mental health is not simply a matter for the NHS – it is everyone’s business, and a cross-sectoral approach is the best way of improving general mental health and wellbeing, as well as of supporting those who need treatment or other help when experiencing mental health problems.

If anyone living in Scotland needs help for mental health issues – whatever the perceived cause - they should in the first instance consult their local GP. GPs are well place to diagnose and treat mental health problems. Out of hours, support can be obtained from NHS 24 on 111, and from Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87.

Question reference: S5W-23529

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 6 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) longest and (b) average waiting time has been in each year since 2010 for a breast screening appointment, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S5W-23527

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 6 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20424 by Joe Fitzpatrick on 18 December 2018, what action is being taken to reduce the backlog, and by what date it expects it to be dealt with.

Information on delays within the Scottish Breast Screening Programme are recorded by six regional Breast Screening centres. Tolerances of 3 months over or under the 3 year invitation cycle for breast screening are currently accepted, which allows for flexibility and changes in practice scheduling and invitees availability for appointments.

Delay is monitored locally and reported monthly to National Services Division who commission and manage the programme. Where delays are significant, screening centres are required to submit a robust action plan detailing the initiatives and timescales to reduce delays.

There is no centrally held information on the date each centre is expected to operate without delay.

Question reference: S5F-03388

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2019

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5O-03340

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the fishing industry regarding compensation arrangements in relation to impact of offshore wind farm developments.

Question reference: S5F-03367

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2019

Question to be taken in chamber.