Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Independent Living Fund will be transferred to the Scottish Government; who will administer it, and on what criteria.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Department for Work and Pensions have taken the decision to close the Independent Living Fund from June 2015. Therefore there is no transfer. The Scottish Government will establish a Scottish Independent Living Fund (SILF) from the 1 July 2015. Discussion…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much the (a) UK Government and (b) Scottish Government will provide for the Independent Living Fund.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is awaiting the settlement details from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in regards the devolved settlement. The DWP have committed to providing funding in lieu of existing users. The Scottish Government fully intends to pass …
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much was provided by the (a) UK Government and (b) Scottish Government when responsibility was devolved for (i) the Scottish Welfare Fund, (ii) information and advice provision on recent welfare changes and (iii) the council tax reduction scheme.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: (i) The UK Government provided £23.8 million for 2013-14 and 2014-15 to the Scottish Government for the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF). Scottish Ministers decided to use the full allocation from the UK Government to provide local welfare assistance and provided…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review for accuracy the data provided by NHS boards for the Health Improvement Scotland report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21020 on 14 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been notified by NHS Lanarkshire that the correct figures for waiting times for nursing are 24 to 28 weeks, and not two weeks as stated in the Health Improvement Scotland report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?
Answer · Michael Matheson: This is a matter for Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). HIS advise they were made aware that there was an error in the data submitted by NHS Lanarkshire to them subsequent to the publication of the report, relating to the waiting time for second appointm…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been notified by NHS Forth Valley that the correct figure for waiting times for pain psychology are 124 weeks, and not 64, as previously stated in the Health Improvement Scotland report, Chronic Pain in Scotland: Where are we now?
Answer · Michael Matheson: This is a matter for Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). I am advised that HIS have published a correction to the report and the local report compendium. This can be accessed via the HIS website: http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/long…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is confident of the accuracy of the waiting times figures for NHS boards in the Health Improvement Scotland report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?
Answer · Michael Matheson: This is a matter for Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). HIS advise that they are confident that they had a robust approach to collating and verifying the data published on 28 April 2014 within their report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken research on changes to the definition of fuel poverty and, if so, whether it will publish that research.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are no plans to change the definition of fuel poverty in Scotland. In its final report on the Scottish Government’s fuel poverty strategy, published in March 2014, the independent Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum recommended, “that the definition currently …
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken research on the relationship between health, fuel poverty and excess winter deaths.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has not undertaken research specifically into this. However, this is an area we are keen to explore further. We are developing firm links with health colleagues and this has already assisted in establishing contact with the Deep End pr…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many excess winter deaths there were in each year from 2007-08 to 2013-14.
Answer · Alex Neil: The seasonal increase in the mortality in the winter is the difference between the number of deaths in the four 'winter' months (December to March) and the average number of deaths in the preceding four months (August to November) and following four months (A…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the effectiveness of the delivery of the Home Energy Efficiency Programme Scotland.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: With regard to the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland: Area Based Schemes (HEEPS: ABS), local authorities complete quarterly reports on activity which will cover work completed in the previous months, works started on site and works committed but …
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assist fuel poor households in harder to treat properties.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government strongly disagrees with the UK Government’s proposed reduction of support for hard to treat properties. We have written to the UK Government flagging up concerns over this switch of focus which will undermine investment in energy effic…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access for fuel poor households in rural areas to the Home Energy Efficiency Programme Scotland.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Government funding for the Home Energy Programmes for Scotland: Area Based Schemes (HEEPS: ABS) is distributed across all local authorities in Scotland. For 2014-15, £42 million of the £60 million available for HEEPS: ABS is allocated on the basis of…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many households have been affected by fuel poverty since the publication of the Scottish House Condition Survey 2012.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not available. Figures on the number of people affected by fuel poverty take into account energy efficiency improvements to dwellings and changes in the incomes of Scottish households. This information is collected in the Scottish House C…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on each of the recommendations made by the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum in its 2014 report, Review of the Scottish Government’s Fuel Poverty Strategy.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has now considered and accepted all of the recommendations made in the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum’s 2014 report, Review of the Scottish Government’s Fuel Poverty Strategy. A letter was sent to the Forum on 16 May 2014 which set out th…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what further mechanisms there are, other than through local authorities, that allow for second tier reviews of claims to the Scottish Welfare Fund.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-17591 on 29 October 2013. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentar…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Welfare Funds (Scotland) Bill will be introduced.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: I wrote to the Welfare Reform Committee on 2 May 2014 to advise them of our intention to introduce the Welfare Funds (Scotland) Bill in June 2014. A copy of the letter is available at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_Welfare_Reform_Committee/20140502_MB…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Welfare Fund will be ringfenced.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Welfare Fund guidance sets out the ringfencing arrangements for the Fund. The Scottish Welfare Fund guidance can be found on the Scottish Government website at: http://scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/welfarereform/scottishwelfarefund/scottishwelf…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the reason is for the delay in the publication of the final report of the Expert Group on Welfare and Constitutional Reform; when it will publish the report, and whether this will allow sufficient time for the Parliament to scrutinise it.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The publication of the final report of the Expert Working Group on Welfare has not been delayed. The Group were asked to report to Ministers in spring 2014 and they are sticking to that timescale. Taking into account printing and publishing timescales, I expe…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to help people with chronic pain to remain in employment, in light of the findings in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?, that 77% of new patients were of working age but only 33.3% were still in jobs.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Healthcare Improvement Scotland ‘Chronic pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?’ report provides boards with a range of information to assist in the planning and delivery of services including information on the demographics of those accessing chron…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any NHS board is not providing additional funding for an increase in staff and other resources for chronic pain clinics in the current financial year.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Information on the levels of funding for each NHS board chronic pain service is not held centrally. Scottish Ministers have made it clear that we expect chronic pain services to be the delivered through existing funding provided to boards in their annual allo…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action each NHS board is taking to reduce waiting times of up to two years for some specialist services, as highlighted in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20932 on 13 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards' plans to improve chronic pain services will be made public.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The supporting information published alongside Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s ‘Chronic pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?’ report, which is available at: http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/long_term_conditions/chronic_pain/whe…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all NHS boards have set out plans to tackle staff shortages at chronic pain clinics as noted in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Healthcare Improvement Scotland ‘Chronic pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?’ report noted that there were some staff vacancies during the period of the data collection which may have had an impact on service delivery at the time of reporting. At…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will investigate the lack of services for children with chronic pain outlined in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland report, Chronic Pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government recognises the challenge of providing specialist chronic pain services for children and young people. All of the Service Improvement Groups/Managed Clinical Networks were asked to consider the needs of children and young people when es…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for implementation of See Hear: A strategic framework for meeting the needs of people with a sensory impairment in Scotland.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Funding is available to support the implementation of the strategy over the next two years.
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme is now available for every newborn child.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Yes, the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme is offered to all newborns in Scotland and has been since April 2005.
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the prevalence is of people with (a) hearing loss, (b) sight loss and (c) deafblindness and what the prevalence is in ethnic minority communities, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not currently held at local authority level. I also refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20941 on 8 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whic…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has mapped (a) NHS board, (b) local authority and (c) third sector service provision for people with sensory impairments.
Answer · Michael Matheson: One of the recommendations of the Sensory Impairment Strategy is that local partnerships should audit service patterns on sensory impairment.
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to the implementation of See Hear: A strategic framework for meeting the needs of people with a sensory impairment in Scotland.
Answer · Michael Matheson: £2 million over two years has been allocated to the implementation of the Sensory Impairment Strategy.