Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has advised the Scottish Environment Protection Agency when the map of artificial structures and natural features as per the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 must be finalised and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We have advised SEPA that a map of artificial structures and natural features should be prepared by December 2014, in order to co-ordinate with the start of the consultation period on the draft Flood Risk Management Strategies.
15 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will call a summit with private health providers to ensure a consistency of approach for women with PIP breast implants.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I have made it very clear that I expect private healthcare providers to provide an appropriate package of care to their patients. There are no plans to call a summit of private healthcare providers to discuss this issue.
15 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when (a) the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy and (b) Health Facilities Scotland received a medical alert about problems with PIP breast implants; what action was then taken to notify women, and when.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Medical device alerts, including those about PIP silicone breast implants, are sent by MHRA directly to Health Facilities Scotland who distribute them to their network of equipment co-ordinators in NHS boards. Those co-ordinators are responsible for cascading…
15 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it works with the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: My officials work with MHRA in a number of different ways, including regular communication by email and telephone, attending as observers the Committee on the Safety of Devices, as well as other ad hoc meetings to discuss issues of mutual interest.
15 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has regarding how many clinicians have complained to the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency about PIP breast implants and how many of them work in Scotland.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: No information is held by Scottish Government on the number of clinicians who have complained to MHRA about PIP silicone breast implants.
15 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings (a) the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy or (b) officials have had with (i) Earl Howe, (ii) Sir Bruce Keogh or (iii) the Medical Healthcare products Regulatory Agency about PIP breast implants.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There have not yet been any meetings between me or my officials and Earl Howe. My officials have met with Sir Bruce Keogh on three occasions when they attended as observers meetings of the Expert Group led by him on PIP silicone breast implants. My official…
12 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when ministers met the NHS trade unions to negotiate pension arrangements for 2013-14.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I attended the Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee (STAC) on 28 March this year to explain Scottish Government policy on public sector pension reform and set out the parameters within which discussions on future pension arrangements for NHSScotland staff …
12 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether doctors taking industrial action on 21 June 2012 will lose their salary for that day and whether advice has been issued to NHS boards on this matter.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Guidance for the conduct of the industrial action has been agreed between NHSScotland employers and the British Medical Association, and has been issued to all boards and local negotiating committees. This guidance encourages doctors to give advance notice of…
12 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has estimated the likely impact on NHS services of the planned industrial action by the British Medical Association on 21 June 2012.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The industrial action was targeted at routine GP and hospital appointments, including planned surgery and outpatient clinics. NHS Boards worked closely with the BMA local representatives to assess the impact of the industrial action. Management information co…
12 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans are in place in relation to the planned industrial action by the British Medical Association on 21 June 2012.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All NHS boards have robust business continuity plans in place to deal with disruptions such as those caused by industrial action and to ensure that core services are maintained. NHS boards worked closely with the BMA local representatives to assess the impact…
12 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-07374 by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 June 2012, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy has questioned the quarterly statistics reports published by ISD on waiting times (a) ever and (b) on the increase in the number of patie…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As part of the normal quarterly reporting of the ISD waiting times statistics by my officials, I have sought further explanations on various aspects of ISD waiting times statistics, particularly around NHS boards’ individual performance against the waiting ti…
12 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Care Commission should be able to investigate a complaint regarding the operation of a care home following a change of ownership in cases where the staff remain the same.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Where there is a change of ownership of a care home, the Care Inspectorate already has the necessary powers to investigate a complaint regarding its operation, even if the same staff are employed by the new service provider. Under the Public Services Reform …
12 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take following the Office of Fair Trading's market study of dentistry.
Answer · Michael Matheson: We will study the recommendations made in the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report on Dentistry – an OFT market study where they are applicable to dentistry in Scotland, and consider if any action requires to be taken.
7 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards have established individual patient treatment request registers.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The guidance to further strengthen the safe and effective use of new medicines across the NHS in Scotland published under cover of SGHD/CMO(2012)1 on 13 February 2012 asked NHS boards to confirm that their policies on formularies and management of individual …
7 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is evidence that the peer support system for individual patient treatment requests has led to clinicians providing each other with increased support.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally.
7 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the peer support scheme has had on the number of individual patient treatment requests.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally.
30 May 2012 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve cleanliness at Raigmore Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Hospital cleanliness is a priority for the Scottish Government and to ensure that the highest standards are maintained we have put in place a comprehensive programme of actions. All hospitals must regularly report compliance with the requirements set out in t…
22 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy will establish a whistleblowing helpline, in light of reports of a culture of bullying and intimidation in NHS Lothian and reports that the BMA considers that the problem is more widespread.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Workforce and Staff Governance Committee has previously considered the issue of a helpline and concluded that it was not required at that stage. However, I am asking the committee to revisit the issue of a helpline, in light of the implementation…
22 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what changes in the social unavailability rates relating to NHS waiting times have been reported to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy in the last four years and when.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: My officials provide me with a report on the quarterly statistics published by ISD on waiting times. These reports include information on the number of patients who are socially unavailable at the census date that the publication relates to and compares it wi…
22 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how frequently NHS waiting times have been monitored in the last four years and what methodology is used.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards provide delivery trajectories and risk management plans for waiting times targets and standards as part of their local delivery plans. This provides a factual basis for monitoring performance. The Scottish Government collects monthly management inf…
22 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy received the 2010 Audit Scotland report, Managing NHS waiting lists, and what action was taken by the cabinet secretary.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I received the Audit Scotland report on 26 February 2010. Most actions were specifically for NHS boards to take forward and not for the Scottish Government. A range of actions were taken forward following the report. A number of these were set out when the th…
16 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's estimate is of the cost of sending samples for laboratory testing from the Vale of Leven Hospital to the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have estimated these transport costs at £52,000. This needs to be seen within the overall context of up to £1 million savings made – to be reinvested in patient care - as part of the revised model, delivered under the Vision for …
16 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision on laboratory services at the Vale of Leven Hospital will be made public.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-07271 on 25 May 2012. 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…
16 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the laboratory services at the Vale of Leven Hospital will be changed and how the subsequent services will differ from the hospital’s current practice.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that the clinically-led review of laboratory services in the Clyde area commenced at the end of May 2011 under the management of the Clyde Review Steering Group. This was concluded in October 2011, approved by the C…
2 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it was first consulted by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on the proposal to halve the number of medical secretaries per consultant surgeon and what its response was.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The planning of services is a matter for the individual NHS board. While the Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality health care in Scotland, it is for each NHS board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet the…
2 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what reviews have been carried out to assess the impact on patient care if the number of medical secretaries per consultant surgeon is halved in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde hospitals.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-7063 on 14 May 2012. 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/parliamentarybusi…
2 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact halving the number of medical secretaries per consultant surgeon in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde hospitals would have on patient care.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-7063 on 14 May 2012. 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/parliamentarybusi…
2 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much would be saved annually by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde by halving the number of medical secretaries per consultant surgeon.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not centrally held. While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality health care in Scotland, it is for each NHS board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet the needs of…
2 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people in each local authority area are unemployed and how many had been unemployed for longer than (a) six and (b) 12 months as at the last claimant count, and how this compares with the same period in 2011.
Answer · Angela Constance: Information on the number of people unemployed is not available by local authority. Information from the claimant count is provided in the following table. Table 1 shows the claimant count for claimants aged 16-24 years in each local authority in Scotland. T…
2 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason no enterprise zone was allocated for the West Dunbartonshire area.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: When determining enterprise area locations the Scottish Government, working closely with the enterprise agencies, identified and assessed a number of strategic sites across Scotland. These possible sites were not intended to include all potentially developabl…