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: S4W-22683

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the terms of reference are for the independent review of the safety of mesh devices; who the members or the review group are; what the criteria for membership are, and whether it considers that the composition of the group represents a fair range of views.

The terms of reference and membership of the independent review group will be published on the ‘Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants’ website, which will be available from mid November 2014. The website address is as follows:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Review/Transvaginal-Mesh-Implants

Membership of the group is reviewed periodically and additional members invited to attend when necessary. This is to ensure the appropriate level of expertise and range of opinion is represented. The composition of the group has been developed to represent all interested parties, including:

One chairperson (retired public health consultant)

Two patients who have experienced complications

Two patients who have experienced a positive outcome

Four clinicians with a special interest in urogynaecology practicing in Scotland

One public health consultant

One researcher

Three professional bodies

Three Scottish Government officials (two clinicians and one policy officer)

One medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency official

Members attending periodically:

One physiotherapist

Two clinicians (unique device identifier project lead)

One Scottish Government public health consultant

Members to be confirmed:

One pain management consultant

One general practitioner

One clinician with a special interest in urogynaecology

One Information Services Division consultant in public health

Question reference: S4W-22668

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that its guidance on blacklisting in relation to public procurement contracts is adhered to.

The blacklisting guidance, published in November 2013, contains a commitment to meet with the Scottish Trades Union Congress and interested trade unions on a quarterly basis to review how the blacklisting guidance is being applied and to exchange information about compliance. These meetings are continuing.

As part of our ongoing work to develop the regulations and statutory guidance which will fully implement the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, we plan to review the effectiveness of the blacklisting guidance, with a view to placing it on a statutory footing.

Question reference: S4W-22669

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of each hubCo region's preferred contractors.

Question reference: S4W-22670

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of each (a) fully and (b) partly publicly-funded project that has been procured by each hubCo region, also broken down by the (i) name of funder and (ii) amount of funding.

Question reference: S4O-03628

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has suspended the use of transvaginal mesh implants.

Question reference: S4W-22565

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the 2014 and 2015 NHS Scotland staff surveys will not be carried out by the Information Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland.

To ensure best value for money the Scottish Government took the decision to run an open and transparent competitive tendering procurement exercise for delivery of the NHSScotland staff survey for 2014 and 2015. In accordance with procurement guidelines the Scottish Government published an advert in Public Contracts Scotland on 28 March 2014 for interested parties to tender for the stated requirement. On this occasion the Information Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland declined to submit a tender response.

Question reference: S4W-22563

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government (a) when and (b) by whom the decision was taken to appoint Capita Resourcing Ltd (Surveys and Research) to undertake the NHS Scotland staff surveys for 2014 and 2015.

Following an open competitive procurement exercise and assessment of tenders by an evaluation panel, the contract for the NHSScotland staff survey was awarded to Capita Resourcing Ltd (Surveys and Research) on 25 June 2014 based upon receipt of the most technically and commercially compliant offer.

The evaluation panel contained representatives from NHS Employers, Staff Side partners and the Scottish Government.

A decision on the 2015 staff survey, and whether to take up the option for Capita Resourcing (Surveys and Research) to continue to deliver the project, will be taken following assessment of 2014 survey contract deliverables, and will be subject to ministerial agreement.

Question reference: S4W-22564

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Information Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland was paid to carry out the NHS Scotland staff survey for 2013 and how much will be paid to Capita Resourcing Ltd (Surveys and Research) for the 2014 survey.

The Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland signed a service level agreement with the Scottish Government to deliver the 2013 NHSScotland staff survey at a cost of £278,417 (including VAT). Following completion of work, some savings were realised and the final total paid to ISD was £231,443 (including VAT). Under the terms of the contract with Capita Resourcing Ltd (Surveys and Research), the Scottish Government will pay £261,128.40 (including VAT) for the fieldwork and analysis of the 2014 NHSScotland staff survey. This is subject to satisfactory delivery of the contract.

Question reference: S4O-03569

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when work on the new Dumfries hospital will commence.

Question reference: S4W-22445

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 18 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS and other staff received the letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing entitled Public Sector Pensions after Independence; how it was distributed, and how much it cost to draw up, print and distribute.

The letter clarifying pensions policy in the event of independence was drafted by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency, based on previously published information in Scotland’s Future and Pensions in an Independent Scotland. This took around an hour of an official’s time, although exact costs are hard to quantify. It was then sent to each NHSScotland board chief executive’s office for onwards distribution to all staff. As this was distributed electronically, the costs were negligible.