Questions · Elaine Smith

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget for assisted conception services has been in each year since 2000, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. No specific funding is made available for assisted conception services in NHSScotland. NHS boards receive an allocation to meet the health care needs of their resident population. It is for boards to decide how…

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there is an appropriate age limit to restrict access to assisted conception services for women and, if so, what this is.

Answer · Shona Robison: Current national criteria states that the female partner should be aged less than 40 years at the time of treatment. This is one of a number of issues being looked at by the National Infertility Group. The group will provide an initial progress report to mini…

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for couples referred to the tertiary fertility services, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally, but the most up to date information on waiting times is contained within the NHS board survey carried out by Infertility Network Scotland. The survey is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numb…

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that there is a consistency of access to assisted conception services across Scotland.

Answer · Shona Robison: The remit of the National Infertility Group includes working towards the development of equitable and high quality infertility services across Scotland. The group will provide an initial progress report to ministers within the agreed timescale.

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there is consistency of access to assisted conception services across Scotland.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36969 on 10 November 2010. I am aware that there are inconsistencies of access to assisted conception services across Scotland and that is why I have established the National Infertility Group to revie…

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the relaxation of non-clinical criteria in guidelines on access to assisted conception services.

Answer · Shona Robison: This is one of a number of issues being looked at by the National Infertility Group. The group will provide an initial progress report to ministers within the agreed timescale.

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards restrict access to assisted conception services solely to couples with no children resident in their household.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally, however the most up to date information on access to assisted conception services is contained within the NHS board survey carried out by Infertility Network Scotland. The survey is available in the Scottish Parliament …

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what considerations NHS boards are required to make when developing a policy on access to assisted conception services.

Answer · Shona Robison: The policy on access to NHS assisted conception treatment is a matter for individual NHS boards and will be informed by local protocols, funding decisions and current national policy guidelines.

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it provides to NHS boards regarding access to assisted conception policies.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland (EAGISS) developed national criteria in 2000 to be implemented by NHS boards. The guidelines, along with the 2007 review can be found on the Maternity Services website at <a href="http://www.matern…

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to alter its guidelines on access to assisted conception services and, if so, when.

Answer · Shona Robison: This is one of a number of issues being looked at by the National Infertility Group. The group will provide an initial progress report to ministers within the agreed timescale.

18 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current eligibility criteria are for the provision of assisted conception services.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS funded assisted conception should be available to couples who meet all of the following national criteria developed in 2000 by the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland: 1. Infertility with an appropriate diagnosed cause …

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence of secondary cancer has been in (a) Scotland and (b) NHS Lanarkshire in each year since 2000, also broken down by type of original cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not routinely collected. Scotland is in a similar position to many other countries in that the Scottish Cancer Registry collects information on primary tumours or secondary tumours only when the origin of the primary tumour is unknown. Col…

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to ensure that GPs are suitably equipped to diagnose secondary cancer in patients who formerly had breast cancer but are no longer receiving treatment.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: GPs are trained to gather and interpret information from their patient based on history, physical examination and investigations relevant to the presenting problem. They are expected to be familiar with how patients present in the early stages of illness, and…

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what medical guidance is in place regarding the diagnosis and treatment of secondary cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: No specific medical guidelines exist regarding the diagnosis and treatment of secondary cancer, however, SIGN guidelines: http://www.sign.ac.uk/index.html exist in relation to many specific cancer types which include advice on management of different…

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines there are for the identification of patients who are at high risk of secondary cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: No specific guidelines exist regarding the identification of patients who are at a high risk of developing secondary cancer however, SIGN guidelines (<a href="http://www.sign.ac.uk/index.html">http://www.sign.ac.uk/index.html</a>) exist in relation to many sp…

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether follow-up checks are carried out for breast cancer patients.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Breast cancer patients who have undergone surgery as their primary treatment are subject to clinical follow up in the form of post operation checks and the provision of advice; this type of support is also from oncologists following radiotherapy or chemothera…

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for which types of cancer patients are routinely screened for secondary cancers.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Irrespective of initial cancer type, no patients are routinely screened for secondary cancers. The national screening programmes for cancers (breast, bowel and cervical) are set up to identify pre-cancers and early cancers. Following identification …

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what type of cancer patients are considered as being at a high-risk for developing secondary cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Numerous factors, for example, stage of disease at initial presentation, other co-morbidities, lifestyle factors and tumour biology, can all influence the likelihood of patients developing secondary cancer. Therefore, this level of risk cannot be linked speci…

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used to determine which patients are routinely scanned for secondary cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Patients are not routinely scanned for secondary cancer, however, clinicians may decide to undertake further investigative tests if individuals are displaying symptoms that suggest their disease has metastasised.

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all cancer patients are routinely scanned for secondary cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Cancer patients are not routinely scanned for secondary (metastatic) disease. At the point of initial diagnosis, clinicians undertake diagnostic tests to ascertain the spread of the disease, the result of which influence both the treatment pathway f…

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is given to NHS boards regarding the provision of support services for patients who have undergone treatment for breast cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: SIGN guidelines and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland Standards for Breast Cancer, include guidance and standards on supportive care for patients with breast cancer. In addition to this, work is underway to inform health boards of the newly establishe…

7 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what aftercare treatment is available for breast cancer patients.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Depending on the type of treatment received, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of these, a patient will be supported by oncologists, clinical nurse specialists, surgical teams or other members of the multi-disciplinary team (physiotherapis…

20 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ministerial engagements have been held in the Coatbridge and Chryston parliamentary constituency since 1 January 2010, broken down by (a) ministerial portfolio, (b) date and (c) location.

Answer · John Swinney: The Information requested is not routinely recorded and therefore not held in the format requested. Systems were put in place on 8 March 2010 to collect this information more easily and we have provided this below. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadd…

19 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is Scottish legislation that prevents an arm’s length publicly owned company from directly and permanently operating ScotRail services once the current franchise expires and, if so what that legislation is.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35775 on 13 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…

19 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is Scottish legislation that prevents it or Transport Scotland directly and permanently operating ScotRail services once the current franchise expires and, if so, what that legislation is.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35775 on 13 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…

19 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is UK legislation that prevents an arm’s length publicly owned company from directly and permanently operating ScotRail services once the current franchise expires and, if so, what that legislation is.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35775 on 13 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…

19 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is UK legislation that prevents it or Transport Scotland directly and permanently operating ScotRail services once the current franchise expires and, if so, what that legislation is.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35775 on 13 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…

19 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is European legislation that prevents an arm’s length publicly owned company from directly and permanently operating ScotRail services once the current franchise expires and, if so, what that legislation is.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35775 on 13 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…

19 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is European legislation that prevents it or Transport Scotland directly and permanently operating ScotRail services once the current franchise expires and, if so, what that legislation is.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The provision of rail passenger services in Scotland is regulated by UK and European legislation. A primary aim of the legislation is to ensure that the right to provide such services is open to competition. Scottish Ministers as franchising authority must th…

26 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, since the extension of the ScotRail franchise, it or Transport Scotland have been advised by First ScotRail of the existence of correspondence between the company and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers confirming that conductors would not be moved from any…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Both ScotRail and the RMT made the correspondence available to Transport Scotland. ScotRail as the employer and operator of the service are of the view that trains already operate with Driver and Ticket Examiner and the new Airdrie to Bathgate sectio…