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-17802

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how the rate of deaths in Scotland from (a) hepatitis C and (b) HIV acquired through contaminated blood (i) products and (ii) transfusions compares with the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S5W-17624

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 26 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that some patients are being advised by their GPs to seek private treatment due to the length of waiting times, particularly in relation to mental health services.

It is a matter for individual patients and their GPs whether to have a conversation about private healthcare options; clear guidance on the approach to NHS and private provision is available in cases where it is required. However, when an individual experiences mental ill health it is vital that they are able to access the support and help they need, when they need it. We remain determined to improve access to mental health services, and are continuing to work with Boards to make sure that this happens right across Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-17623

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 20 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether receiving private treatment for long-term therapies should impact on a patient's standing on NHS waiting lists.

Question reference: S5W-17642

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 06 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 20 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on prioritising adopted children on waiting lists for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), as is done in England.

Question reference: S5W-17641

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 06 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 20 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason medication to treat ADHD cannot be prescribed by a nurse practitioner who has diagnosed it, which can lead to a further wait to see a doctor.

Medication for ADHD should only be initiated by a healthcare professional with training and expertise in diagnosing and managing ADHD.

A range of non-medical healthcare professionals, including some nurse practitioners, can undertake additional training to enable them to prescribe medicines for patients. This includes the treatment of ADHD. These professionals are identified by an annotation next to their name in the relevant professional register and must always work within their own level of professional competence and expertise.

It is for local health boards to decide where this type of role would be required and where it would benefit the needs of the local population.

Question reference: S5W-17571

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 29 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its announcement of 13 July 2016 regarding paramedic training and recruitment, how many training places have been (a) available and (b) filled in each year since, and whether it is on course to meet its five-year target.

The Scottish Government, on the 13 July 2016, announced our commitment to supporting the recruitment and training of 1000 paramedics over the next 5 years to deliver care in the community.

The data tables below outline the paramedic and specialist paramedic training places available and filled in each year since 2016-17.

Details on intake numbers for 2018-19 are not yet available.

The tables also include detail on the number of places taken up on the undergraduate paramedic training programme at Glasgow Caledonian University

and the number of paramedics who have been directly recruited by the Service.

Year	Paramedic Training Places Available	Training Intake	Additional Qualified Paramedics Recruited	Undergraduate Programme	Total
2016-17	200	164	10		174
2017-18	200	127	15	50	192
2018-19	198	In process	8 at present	100	In process

Year	Specialist (Advanced) Paramedic Training Places Available	Training Intake	Additional Qualified Specialist Paramedics Recruited	Total
2016-17	51	49	24	73
2017-18	51	28		28
2018-19	51 (18)	In process	In process	In process

As these tables show, the ambulance service has recruited and trained a total of 247 paramedics in 2016-17 and 220 in 2017-18. The Service is on course to meet the five year target set out in the Scottish Government announcement.

Question reference: S5W-17403

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria the Edinburgh Division of Police Scotland uses when considering whether to deploy hand-held speed enforcement devices, and whether it will confirm on what streets these devices have been used over the last 12 months.

Question reference: S5W-17640

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 06 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 17 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on some parents reportedly being told that their children cannot be prioritised on waiting lists for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) following them threatening suicide, unless they make an active attempt.

Decisions about how urgently to assess referrals must be clinically driven, however any suggestion that services are not receiving or accepting referrals unless the individual is an immediate suicide risk is completely unacceptable. We are aware that young people and their parents not feeling that their case was deemed serious enough was a theme that emerged during the audit of Rejected Referrals to CAMHS.

It is important to hear the voices of children, young people and their families, even when what they have to say is difficult or uncomfortable. On the basis of what they have told us, we are taking strong and immediate action following the publication of the Rejected Referrals report on 29 June. We have announced a Task Force, chaired by Dr Dame Denise Coia, to examine the whole approach to children’s mental health services, and have committed to an initial £5 million of investment to help reshape provision.

We will continue to listen to the views and experiences of children and young people who use mental health services, in particular through Young Scot’s Youth Commission which will report in March 2019.

Question reference: S5W-17405

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the unit cost is of a new hand-held speed enforcement device, and how much it costs Police Scotland to train an officer on their use.

Question reference: S5W-17438

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing a nappy recycling scheme run by local authorities, similar to that available in local authorities in Wales.

The Scottish Government has considered a similar scheme. Zero Waste Scotland carried out a trial collection of disposable nappies for recycling in 2014. This was operated in 4 Council areas and the disposable nappies were recycled in the West Midlands, at a facility that is now closed. The availability of recycling infrastructure for these products is key to the success of any such scheme, and we remain open to discussions with any recycling / reprocessing companies who may be interested in investing on Scottish infrastructure.

The evaluation of the pilot is available at: https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/content/evaluation-absorbent-hygiene-products-collection-trials-Scotland .