Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many surgeons carry out transvaginal mesh procedures, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally.
17 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many transvaginal mesh implant procedures the NHS has carried out in each year since 1999.
Answer · Alex Neil: Please note that specific coding for transvaginal mesh implant procedures was introduced in 2006. Annually complete data is only available since 2007-08. Number of transvaginal mesh implant procedures performed in NHS hospitals in Scotland. Financial year…
17 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS National Procurement supplies the NHS with transvaginal mesh implants and, if so, how it sources them.
Answer · Alex Neil: National Procurement, which is part of NHS National Services Scotland, has confirmed that it supplies some transvaginal mesh devices to health boards through the National Distribution Centre. These devices are not included in a national contract but are suppl…
17 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider establishing a national register of implants in light of the reported problems with hip replacements, PIP breast implants and transvaginal mesh implants.
Answer · Alex Neil: Officials are working with colleagues in National Services Scotland to identify options for implementing an implant register starting with hip replacements and which could be used for a range of implants.
17 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its media and communications staff work (a) in and (b) with its health and social care directorate and what the total salary costs are.
Answer · John Swinney: Currently 14.1 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) communications staff supports the work of Health Ministers and the Director General Health and Social Care/Chief Executive of NHSScotland, who is responsible for seven Directorates in the Scottish Government. There is…
17 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland asked Audit Scotland to add “helpful” points to the report, Management of patients on NHS waiting lists, as reported in the Sunday Herald on 31 March 2013.
Answer · Alex Neil: There is an agreed protocol between Audit Scotland and the Scottish Government covering the arrangements for carrying out and clearing performance audit reports undertaken on behalf of the Auditor General for Scotland (AGS) which are published as part of the …
17 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland sought to amend the Audit Scotland report, Management of patients on NHS waiting lists, as reported in the Sunday Herald on 31 March 2013.
Answer · Alex Neil: There is an agreed protocol between Audit Scotland and the Scottish Government covering the arrangements for carrying out and clearing performance audit reports undertaken on behalf of the Auditor General for Scotland (AGS) which are published as part of the …
16 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13201 by Alex Neil on 7 March 2013, whether Health Protection Scotland has produced board, hospitals and ward prevalence information on norovirus.
Answer · Alex Neil: Health Protection Scotland have provided the information you requested. This was enclosed in my letter to the member dated 24 April 2013.
16 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12975 by Alex Neil on 7 March 2013, whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has decided whether further action will be taken in relation to the Elsie Inglis Care Home.
Answer · Alex Neil: Police Scotland have confirmed that a report was submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) on 27 December 2012 following the investigation into the Elsie Inglis Care Home. It will be for the COPFS to decide if any further action is r…
16 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12971 by Alex Neil on 7 March 2013, whether it is aware of the decision of the Scottish Ambulance Service not to publish the report of the investigation and, if so, what its position is on this matter.
Answer · Alex Neil: The report of the investigation into allegations of bullying at the Scottish Ambulance Service National Headquarters is published on the board’s website. It is available in the board’s January papers section at: http://www.scottishambulance.com/TheService/Pa…
16 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12972 by Alex Neil on 7 March 2013, whether it considers that the Scottish Ambulance Service should publish the report into the investigation of claims of bullying and intimidation at the Scottish Ambulance Academy.
Answer · Alex Neil: This is a matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. The Scottish Ambulance Service has indicated they will of course be happy to discuss any general employee conduct issues with Ms Baillie.
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that out-of-hours primary care services are working effectively, in light of reports of people attending accident and emergency departments without serious complaints.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government believes that out-of-hours primary care services are working effectively in Scotland. However, there are a range of reasons why people choose to attend an Accident and Emergency Department. We are developing a national framework on dir…
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards plan to introduce a policy of referring some people attending accident and emergency departments to their GP.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-14279 on 30 April 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/parliamentary…
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards refer some people attending accident and emergency departments to their GP; when this policy was introduced, and how many people have been affected.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-14279 on 30 April 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/parliamentaryb…
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on NHS (a) Lanarkshire and (b) Borders referring some people attending accident and emergency departments to their GP.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS Health boards do not re-direct patients away from A&E. Medical staff offer the option to be treated at the hospital or go back to their GP, based on their professional clinical judgement. Under the “Reducing A&E Attendances (T10) HEAT” Target, the Scotti…
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which provisions in the forthcoming Children and Young People Bill will help kinship carers.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Children and Young People Bill will: Provide enhanced support to kinship carers who obtain an order under section 11(1) of the 1995 Act (which will be deemed a “kinship care order”). Place a duty on local authorities to ensure that families in the ear…
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many foster carers there are, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Neither the Scottish Government nor the Care Inspectorate collects information on numbers of foster carers broken down by local authority area.
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is parity in financial support for kinship and foster carers and, if not, when there will be.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government does not set the level of payments to either kinship carers or foster carers. Payments are the responsibility of local authorities. However, the Scottish Government recognises that financial support needs to be more consistent, if it i…
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is provided to kinship carers.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Kinship carers of children who are looked after are entitled to financial support from the responsible local authority. A number of local authorities also offer allowances to kinship carers of non-looked after children and those on a section 11 order of the C…
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that children in kinship care have access to respite services.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is providing over £13 million for short breaks between 2010-15 to be channelled through the voluntary sector. Organisations such as CHILDREN 1st, Geeza Break and Kinship for the Future North who support Kinship Carers have benefitted f…
15 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether access to child and adolescent mental health services is available for children in kinship care on the same priority basis as for those in foster care.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Children and young people who are referred to CAMHS are assessed on their clinical needs. At assessment they will be seen by a multidisciplinary team which includes a number of professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and occupational the…
11 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has received in Barnett consequentials from the UK Government to fund the advice services that are assisting people effected by the recent welfare changes.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Barnett consequentials accrue to the Scottish Block as a whole and it is for Scottish Ministers to decide how to allocate the total resources available to them across devolved spending programmes. The Scottish Government received £3.4 million in Barnett cons…
11 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has given to the advice services that are assisting people effected by the recent welfare changes, broken down by (a) year and (b) service provider.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13907 on 26 April 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/parliamentary…
11 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to become foster carers in each of the last two years were determined in less than a year, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government or Care Inspectorate. However as part of the inspection process the Care Inspectorate seeks feedback from foster carers on their experience of the service and the support they receive from the …
11 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many foster carers there are in each local authority area and, of these, how many were approved in each of the last two years.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Neither the Scottish Government nor the Care Inspectorate collect information on numbers of foster carers broken down by local authority area.
11 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how long an applicant should expect to wait for an application to become a foster carer to be determined by a local authority.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: National Care Standard 6 against which foster care agencies are inspected, states that applicants should be made aware that the assessment will be completed within 6 months from the date of receipt of their application unless unforeseen circumstances prevent …
11 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it monitors the performance of local authorities in dealing with applications to become a foster carer.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Care Inspectorate are responsible for inspecting foster care services against national care standards which cover recruitment, assessment and approval of foster carers. As part of those duties they examine the processes and practices of dealing with appli…
11 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there are key national eligibility criteria for determining the suitability of applicants to become foster carers.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: There are no key national eligibility criteria for determining the suitability of applicants to become foster carers. Guidance on the Looked After Children (Regulations) no longer specifies the categories of people with whom a child may be fostered. Applicati…
11 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities about the system of application for becoming a foster carer.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Local authorities are responsible for having foster carer procedures in place which will be inspected against National Care Standards by the Care Inspectorate. The Care Inspectorate is responsible for the registration and inspection of foster care services. …
11 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any member of the State Hospital's senior management team has had enhancements to their salary in the last two years and, if so, for what reason, and whether these were backdated.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government understands that in June 2012 members of the State Hospital senior management team received a recruitment and retention premium as part of their remuneration package. Due to an oversight, payment of the premium was not made at the tim…