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-32260

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 23 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what concerns have been raised with Ministers by (a) health professionals and (b) trade unions regarding the surgical type two face masks being used by staff, and what action it has taken to rectify any problems.

1. In Scotland, we use Fluid Resistant Surgical Masks (FRSM), also known as Type IIR masks, which are different from Type II in that they provide protection for the staff member as well as 98% source control.

2. Staff are protected should they be caring for someone who is infectious but not wearing a mask and they are also protecting the person they are looking for if they themselves are isolating either pre or asymptomatically.

3. We are the only nation in the UK who have taken the approach in using FRSMs as part of the extended facemask use guidance for health and social care staff.

4. The Scottish Government holds a regular forum with a range of stakeholders including staff side representation which provides an opportunity for any issues with regard to PPE to be raised. In addition we also respond directly to correspondence received from both individuals and organisations.

Question reference: S5F-04449

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04422

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04400

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-30910

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the monthly running costs are of the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital, also broken down by cost category.

Question reference: S5F-04377

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-31301

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions NHS Information Services Division (ISD) has had with the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce and its sub-groups since July 2019.

Information services division ((ISD) became part of Public Health Scotland (PHS) from 1 April 2020. A range of officials from PHS have been actively involved in the work of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce and its sub-groups since its first meeting in September 2019.

As well as being represented on the main Taskforce, a PHS representative is leading the work of the Public Health Surveillance sub-group, whilst a representative sits on the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) sub-group. PHS is also supporting engagement on implementation of the MAT Standards with a range of partners as part of the MAT sub-groups work.

PHS further support the Taskforce and its sub-groups by providing briefings on a range of issues, including; data governance, timescales for delivery of statistical reports and other PHS projects, advice on the feasibility of research; and the impact of COVID-19 on people who use drugs.

Question reference: S5W-31303

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures suggesting that drug deaths in Scotland have risen by more than three times since 2005, and have been the world's worst since November 2008.

National Records of Scotland are responsible for publishing annual data on drug related deaths. The most recently published report reports on deaths in 2018. Information within the report confirms a total of 1187 drug related deaths in 2018.

I do not recognise the claim that Scotland has had the worst number of drug related deaths since November 2008 and I am not aware of any data that would indicate this. Data does show, however, that the number of drug deaths in Scotland has been on an upward trajectory since data collection began in 1992.

The number of drug related deaths, and the levels of drug related harm, that occur in Scotland is unacceptable, and it is a priority of this Government to do all we can to tackle this public health emergency that we are facing. I established a Drug Deaths Taskforce as part of our ongoing response, and we have invested around £895 million in services to tackle alcohol and drug use since 2008.

Question reference: S5W-31302

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on recommendation 9 of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse Drug-related Deaths Working Group's 2005 report, which stated that "priority must be given to greater development of the Single Shared Assessment (SSA11) as highlighted by the EIU in Integrated Care for Drug Users, Principles and Practice; improving and standardising clinical note taking, and developing effective methods for dealing with clients’ case files across Scotland. To support these efforts, it is essential that robust systems for sharing of information between local generic, specific and voluntary services are developed as a matter of urgency".

The Scottish Government (Executive) response to this recommendation can be found here - http://www.dldocs.stir.ac.uk/documents/0020632.pdf .

In that response areas of future action are highlighted which, building on work already in place, would deliver those information sharing systems. One of those specifically mentioned was the expansion of the Scottish Drugs Misuse Database (SDMD) to provide: information on numbers of people in treatment; the length of time they remain in treatment; and on outcomes and changes in behaviour. It would also follow clients within services through their individual treatment pathway.

As a result this expanded database provided further information on drug use and the wider social circumstances that underpin an individual’s recovery throughout the course of treatment, thus forming a valuable source of information on the outcomes of drug treatment for services, ADPs and the Scottish Government.

In 2013 the Drugs Strategy Delivery Commission (DSDC) published the Independent Expert Review Of Opioid Replacement Therapies. As part of its response to that document the Scottish Government commissioned Information Services Division ((Scotland) now part of Public Health Scotland) to develop an integrated drug and alcohol information system (DAISy).

DAISy will replace that existing SDMD database and the Drug and Alcohol Waiting Times Database. It will gather key demographic and outcome data on people who engage in drug/alcohol treatment services and will improve the way in which these services are planned and delivered.

Question reference: S5W-31305

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the Drug and Alcohol Intervention Service (DAISy) advisory or supervision committee has met, and whether it will publish (a) the minutes of and (b) a list of the attendees at each meeting.