Parliamentary questions

Jackie Baillie

9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

5 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Care Commission Quality Assessment Framework takes account of the (a) size of a service, (b) number of service users, (c) number of care episodes delivered and (d) number of complaints made and, if not, whether this will be reviewed.

Answer · Shona Robison: The method used to regulate care services is an operational matter for the Care Commission. It is for the commission to evaluate and review its own inspection methodology. As part of the corporate arrangements for public bodies, officials regularly discuss wi…

5 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to support the development and regulation of the social care sector.

Answer · Shona Robison: A single improvement and scrutiny body for social work and social care services, including child protection and the integration of children''s services, Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) will be established from April 2011. SCSWIS will…

5 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether voluntary and private sector social care service providers should be accountable for the commissioning practices of local authorities.

Answer · Shona Robison: Local authorities have a duty to provide or commission community care services in line with their local commissioning strategy. Accountability for decisions taken in the context of commissioning services therefore rests with local authorities as the commissio…

5 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to establish a framework for regulatory action for social care service providers based on qualitative and quantitative parameters.

5 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the regulatory action of the Care Commission is proportionate to the service, taking into account the number of service users, the number of care episodes delivered and the number of complaints received.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Care Commission takes a risk-based and proportionate approach to regulation. It takes account of a number of factors when determining the regulatory activity required for each service to ensure that people receive good quality care. These include the size…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses have left the NHS and how many have retired in each year since 2007.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested on nursing and midwifery leavers (head count) for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 is available from the National Services Scotland, Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5247.html#Staff…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of training a nurse.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The average cost of training a nurse is £40,729, over the course of the three year pre‘registration programme. </p> <p >This figure comprises the unit cost of teaching provided to higher education institutions and the cost of the Nursing and Midwifery Stude…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses are expected to graduate in 2010.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We will not know how many nurses will graduate during 2010 until they have graduated. However, we do not expect the numbers to vary greatly from those of the previous three years. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31151 on 3 February 2010 which…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses have graduated in each year since 2007.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The latest available data on the number of nurses graduating from Scottish Higher Education Institutions since 2007 is set out in the following table.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=71 valign=top > <p al…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its special advisers regularly liaise with the press.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31349 on 22 February 2010 which provides information on the special advisers roles and responsibilities.</p> <p >All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the …

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many special advisers it employs, broken down by (a) portfolio, (b) job title and (b) salary band.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27902 on 25 January 2010 as it provides information on the number of special advisers and pay bands. Information relating to an individual''s pay band is regarded as personal. The full year cost of the current …

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children and adolescents have been admitted to adult mental health beds in each year since 2007.

Answer · Shona Robison: The highest number of these admissions are of young males aged 15 and over where admissions to adult wards are usually for short periods at times of crisis where there are concerns about the safety of the person. In some cases it will also be the case that ad…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra staff will be employed as a consequence of its £5.5 million additional funding for child and adolescent mental health services, broken down by speciality.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31346 on 24 February 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/App…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of its £5.5 million additional funding for child and adolescent mental health services will be spent on (a) staffing, (b) additional bed capacity and (c) community interventions.

Answer · Shona Robison: Our investment of an additional £5.5 million more per year in CAMHS by 2011-12 is to increase capacity in the CAMHS workforce to ensure implementation of the CAMHS <i>Framework. </i>We expect this significant investment to lead to an increase in the CAMHS wor…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to provide free prescriptions for cancer patients over a one-year period.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30968 on 4 February 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/Apps…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

Answer · Shona Robison: Specific funding is being made available to health boards to meet the costs of the reductions of prescription charges for the duration of the current spending review period (2008-09 to 2010-11) including £32 million for 2010-11. Whilst we will clearly maintai…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

Answer · Shona Robison: Year on year growth in dispensed medications between 1999-2000 and 2008-09 has ranged from 2.9% to 5%. We have seen no evidence thus far to suggest that growth will be out with this range in the specified years.</p>

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who is eligible for the NHS Minor Ailment Service.

Answer · Shona Robison: People who are exempt from paying prescription charges are eligible for the Minor Ailment Service. The list of exempted categories is specified in paragraphs (a) to (i) of regulation 7(1) of the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) (Scot…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are eligible for the NHS Minor Ailment Service.

Answer · Shona Robison: People who are exempt from paying prescription charges are eligible for the Minor Ailment Service. We estimate this to be approximately 2.9 million people.</p>

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30743 by Nicola Sturgeon on 26 January 2010, whether there will be a cost in addition to NHS Health Scotland’s publicity budget of £55,000 as a result of the decision to carry out all corporate communications activity inhouse.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government can confirm that there will be a cost in terms of time and capacity of the team, not a financial cost.</p>

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to undertake a review of the effectiveness of the financial support available to those unable to pay their water and sewerage charges.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government''s policy on water and sewerage charges for the 2010-15 period was set out in its Principles of Charging statement which was published on 27 October 2009. We will review its effectiveness during that time and consider whether further s…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30650 by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010, what set amount is paid to local authorities for the billing and collection of water charges for an individual domestic property.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The billing and collection arrangements between Scottish Water and the local authorities are currently governed by The Water Services Charges (Billing and Collection) (Scotland) Order 2006. Section 5 of this Order sets out that Scottish Water has individual a…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30646 by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010, whether Scottish Water will consider writing off debt for the poorest households.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question to S3W-31323 on 25 February 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/…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30646 by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010, whether Scottish Water has ever written off debt and, if so, how much.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: As set out in the previous response, Scottish Water can write off debt and does so in accordance with the debt write off policies of local authorities. Generally, the reasons for debts being written off are: householders being untraceable; sequestrated; decea…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30644 by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2010, how many households are in each band.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: At 31<sup> </sup>March 2009, the numbers were as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=71 valign=top > <p > </p> </td> <td width=97 valign=top > <p align=center >Water & Waste Wat…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-29848 by Shona Robison on 12 January 2010, when the summary of responses from NHS boards on IVF treatment will be published.

Answer · Shona Robison: The summary of responses from NHS boards on IVF treatment will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) (Bib. number 49114).</p>

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the capital cost profile is for the construction of the new Alexandria Medical Centre.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The anticipated capital cost profile for the construction of the new Alexandria Medical Centre is set out in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=71 valign=top > <p >2010-11</p> </td> <td width=97 …

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the timescale for commissioning and building the new Alexandria Medical Centre has changed since approval of the outline business case by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The timescale for commissioning and building the new Alexandria Medical Centre has not changed since approval of the outline business case by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.</p>

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) timescale and (b) capital cost is for the construction of the new Alexandria Medical Centre.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The following table shows the outline timescale for completing the new Alexandria Medical Centre in recognition of the board''s current phased capital plan:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=239 valign=top > <p align=l…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will decide whether to give approval for the construction of the new Alexandria Medical Centre.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Outline Business Case for the Alexandria Medical Centre was considered by the Capital Investment Group at its meeting on 14 April 2009. At that meeting, issues around dental provision within Dumbarton were raised and these concerns were passed to NHS Grea…