Parliamentary questions

Helen Eadie

919 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

24 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to ensure that there are pupil counselling services in all secondary schools.

Answer · Keith Brown: All pupils at all stages of secondary education should be able to expect a high quality of personal support in school. The HM Inspectorate of Education report, Improving Scottish Education, published in January 2009 states, with regard to sec…

24 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to increase funding and staffing of university departments relating to children’s mental health.

Answer · Shona Robison: Improving the mental health and wellbeing for children and young people is a priority for the Scottish Government. We continue to encourage NHS boards to consider Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) workforce development within their workfor…

24 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address concerns of agencies involved in children and young people’s mental health policy development that levels of inter-agency working could be improved.

Answer · Shona Robison: We continue to work with NHS boards and their partner agencies to address the challenges of implementing such a large service agenda across multiple organisations and agencies. Getting it right for every child (Bib. number 46523) has …

24 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the capacity of the specialist child and adolescent mental health services workforce to the levels recommended in the report, Getting the Right Workforce, Getting the Workforce Right.

Answer · Shona Robison: We continue to encourage NHS boards to consider the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) workforce development within their workforce plans and reflect this priority agenda in local spending plans. We are also supporting them to reconfigure the…

24 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce waiting time targets for child and adolescent mental health services.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are currently working to establish a waiting time target for referral to treatment for specialist child and adolescent mental heath services for 2010-11. A Project Delivery Board has been established to support and inform this and attention is being focuss…

24 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what response there has been from NHS boards to the offer of an additional £2 million per year from 2009-10 to support the development of specialist child and adolescent mental health services, both for inpatients and in the community.

Answer · Shona Robison: Bids have now been received and accepted from NHS boards, on a regional basis. The bids focus on increasing access to specialist services. Additional funding was announced on 6 May to support further developments in the specialist child and adolescen…

20 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the NHS service level agreement with Atos Origin is regarding the time taken to answer telephone inquiries to its national helpline.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The NHS service level agreement with Atos Origin is to answer 80% of calls within 40 seconds.

20 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it appropriate for NHS staff with an IT problem related to Atos software to be kept on hold for over 45 minutes when calling the national helpline.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: ATOS Origin Alliance will investigate specific instances of poor performance if further details can be provided. Call monitoring records inspected over the last three months cannot identify a call of this duration.

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its views are of the six year waiting time for assisted conception services identified in an Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland report.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information on waiting times contained within the report of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland dates from 1998. More recent data is contained within the Review of Infertility Services in Scotland which demonstrat…

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set targets for NHS boards to deliver assisted conception services in each board area.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are currently considering options for infertility services in Scotland.

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of the cost of implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for infertility services.

Answer · Shona Robison: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline, published in 2004, was developed for those who work in or use the NHS in England and Wales. NHS boards in Scotland were given updated criteria in March 2007, which was informed in part …

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland is no longer an active group and last met in 2003.

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to assist NHS boards to implement its guidance in areas where waiting times have reached unacceptable levels.

Answer · Shona Robison: We will shortly be writing to NHS boards who have not yet implemented the guidance to better understand why this is the case and to ask if there is anything they can learn from NHS boards who have fully implemented the guidance. We know that waiting …

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it can take when its guidance is not implemented by NHS boards.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are subject to on-going performance management by the Scottish Government Health Directorates and are required to formally account to ministers at their Annual Accountability Review.

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS boards are required to submit plans on implementing guidance to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are responsible for the delivery of health care services to their resident population and are expected to take account of the latest clinical evidence and best practice. NHS boards are not routinely expected to submit plans for the implementation o…

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates guidance on infertility services was issued to NHS boards in each of the last five years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Report of the Review of Infertility Services in Scotland, including an update in criteria, issued to NHS boards in April 2007.

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times guidance on infertility services has been issued to NHS boards in the last five years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Report of the Review of Infertility Services in Scotland, including an update in criteria, issued to NHS boards in April 2007. A further letter issued in December 2008 with a recap of the updated criteria and a request for progress on implementation in ea…

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that 80% of couples have been required to pay for assisted conception services because of a lack of NHS provision.

Answer · Shona Robison: It is important to distinguish between those who are eligible for NHS treatment and those who do not meet the criteria. Many couples pay for assisted conception services as they are not currently eligible for NHS treatment. As there is no data held o…

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have received assisted conception services in each of the last five years.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not collected or held centrally in Scotland.

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have received IVF treatment in each of the last five years.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not collected or held centrally in Scotland as the data is owned by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

3 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agrees with the estimate that one in seven couples need help in conceiving and rely on treatment.

Answer · Shona Robison: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline on fertility, published in 2004, estimates that one in seven couples will be affected by fertility problems. In the general population “ including people with fertility problems “ around…

31 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what training it is providing Procurement Scotland in the reserved contracts procedure under regulation 7 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Answer · John Swinney: Procurement Scotland staff with a procurement role have attended over the last year, either a one day introduction or refresher course covering the application of the Regulations, including the provisions on reserved contracts.

31 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to make use of provisions for the reserved contracts procedure under regulation 7 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 for any future contracts led by Procurement Scotland.

Answer · John Swinney: Procurement Scotland require commodity strategies to consider and balance a range of policy and best practice considerations to ensure maximum contribution to Scotland in terms of best value. The reserved contracts procedure under regulation 7 of th…

31 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has (a) carried out internally, (b) commissioned and (c) conducted alongside the UK Government on the extent to which public bodies are using provisions for the reserved contracts procedure under regulation 7 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 or procurem…

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government plan to identify the extent to which reserved contracts are being used by public bodies at present, through engagement with their representative organisations. We will then commission research to identify any barriers preventing use of…

31 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what barriers it considers prevent the use of the reserved contracts procedure under regulation 7 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Answer · John Swinney: It is Scottish Government policy that every public body should aim to have at least one contract with a supported factory or business. We are currently developing a research project which will commence in September 2009 to identify barriers to the use of rese…

31 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is working to support companies, partnerships and consortia that are able to deliver community benefit or provide supported employment opportunities to compete effectively in the public sector procurement market.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government''s Enterprising Third Sector Action Plan recognised the contribution to economic growth that third sector organisations make and acknowledged that there is a need to help organisations compete effectively for public contracts. The acti…

25 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers have considered any reports on infertility and assisted conception services since 2007.

Answer · Shona Robison: The government last considered national guidance on the provision of infertility services in Scotland in March 2007. We are currently considering options on infertility services in Scotland.

25 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered examples of best practice from other EU countries in delivering infertility and assisted conception services.

Answer · Shona Robison: Where appropriate, we would consider examples of best practice from other EU countries in delivering infertility and assisted conception services. The government last considered national guidance, Report of the Review of Infertility Services in S…

25 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last had discussions with clinicians involved in the delivery of infertility services.

Answer · Shona Robison: A Scottish Government official last met with clinicians delivering infertility services in Scotland in August 2008. Additionally, informal telephone discussions take place on an ad hoc basis.

25 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives from Infertility Network Scotland.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government officials met with representatives from Infertility Network UK (Scotland) in August 2008 and a further meeting is arranged for May 2009.