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-20693

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will use the recommendations in the Taskforce for Lung Health report, A National Five Year Plan for Lung Health in England, to help develop its respiratory action plan.

Question reference: S5W-20527

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kezia Dugdale on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, in light of reports that the use of electrical safety socket covers can lead to an increased risk of electrocution, what its position is on the use of these in the Parliament complex.

Question reference: S5W-20773

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on allowing interim access to the cystic fibrosis treatment, Orkambi, through the Cystic Fibrosis Trust’s clinical data registry.

There is an established process for licensed medicines to be appraised through the Scottish Medicines Consortium and we expect companies to follow this route. I am pleased that Vertex Pharmaceuticals have announced that it will make a new submission to the SMC for Orkambi.

Meantime, PACS Tier Two allows clinicians to apply for individual patient access to medicines which would otherwise be routinely unavailable to them, such as Orkambi. I welcome Vertex’s commitment to make Orkambi available to the NHS through PACS Tier Two at a discounted price and would strongly encourage clinicians to make use of this system if they judge this medicine as appropriate for their individual patient’s needs.

Question reference: S5W-20774

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many requests have been made by clinicians through the Peer Approved Clinical System (PACS) Tier Two for patients to access the cystic fibrosis treatment, Orkambi.

Question reference: S5W-20521

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the use of electrical safety socket covers can lead to an increased risk of electrocution, what its position is on banning their use in (a) health, (b) social care and (c) other premises.

On the 30 June 2016, NHS National Services Scotland issued to NHS Scotland an 'Estates and Facilities Alert' about electrical socket covers/protectors. The alert is available online: http://www.hfs.scot.nhs.uk/publications/1481217513-EFA%202016%20002.pdf

All other safety alerts are available on the Health Facilities Scotland website: http://www.hfs.scot.nhs.uk/publications-/iric-safety-alerts/

This alert stated that in certain circumstances, the use of plastic 13A electrical socket inserts (sold as safety accessories), can overcome the safety features designed into socket outlets. The alert was distributed to Estates Managers, Risk Managers, Health Centres, Health & Safety, Care Home Services, Community Care, Learning Disability Units, Loaned Equipment Stores, Safety Representatives, Social Services, Supplies/Procurement, Wards, All users.

The alert actioned the following to be complete by December 2016:

13A electrical socket inserts should not be used in health or social care premises, nor supplied for use in a home or residence
Any socket inserts currently in use should be withdrawn and responsibly disposed of.

Question reference: S5W-20522

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the use of electrical safety socket covers can lead to an increased risk of electrocution, what (a) its position is on holding a public awareness campaign regarding their use and (b) action it can take to ban these devices.

The regulation of product safety is reserved to the UK Government. Under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, all products placed on the UK market must be safe. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring consumers have access to reliable information to help them make safe buying choices. The Office for Product Safety and Standards position is that there is evidence to the contrary:

It does not support the ban
It does not promote their use

This view is in line with that of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Child Accident Prevention Trust and Electrical Safety First.

Question reference: S5W-20283

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 14 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, should the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommend raising the internationally-advised minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 from February 2019, whether it considers that this would (a) necessitate a pause to the legislative process for the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill to allow further consultation on an uplift to 14 rather than 12 and (b) would impact on its ambition to make Scotland "the best place to grow up" if it sets a minimum age of criminal responsibility of 12.

Question reference: S5W-20284

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 14 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will to bring forward legislation to deliver the commitment in its Programme for Government to "incorporate the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law".

Question reference: S5W-20281

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 14 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response to the report, Kilbrandon Again, which has recommended that the age of criminal responsibility should be raised to 16.

Question reference: S5W-20282

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 14 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it was made aware of consultation by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child regarding whether to raise the internationally-advised minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 from February 2019; whether this was before it published the draft Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill, and what its response is to the consultation.

The Scottish Government was made aware of the consultation on 14 November 2018, the day after the Scottish Parliament’s stage 1 debate on the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill.

Recommendations on the age of criminal responsibility from United Nations Committees to the UK Government have previously been formally responded to by the UK Government.

As set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between UK and Scottish ministers as it concerns international relations, the UK Government invites Scottish Ministers to contribute to reports to international organisations regarding the UK's compliance with international obligations which touch on devolved matters. We were contacted by the UK Government on 11 December 2018 regarding the response to this consultation, and we will provide our contribution in due course.