Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23283 by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 May 2009, how many individual cases of Clostridium difficile there have been since the outbreak at the Vale of Leven Hospital was first identified in May 2008, broken down by hospital and showing the number of fatalitie…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Mandatory surveillance of Clostridium difficile in the over 65 age group by NHS board was introduced in September 2006. This information is collected by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and published in quarterly reports on their website. The latest Clostridi…
26 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it accepts that the “new definition of a baseline budget” that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth referred to in evidence to the Finance Committee on 19 May 2009 (Official Report c. 1308), refers to the term “baseline” as set out in the UK Treasury’s Funding …
Answer · John Swinney: Expenditure baselines are set by HM Treasury following spending reviews. Scottish baselines are set by applying changes, calculated by formula, consequential on changes to corresponding Whitehall Departments'' baselines. Baselines are set for a three-year per…
26 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the basis is of the calculation underpinning the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth’s comments to the Finance Committee on 19 May 2009 that net debt interest will rise by 8.4%, social security and tax credits by 1.7% and other annual managed expenditure by 1.9% duri…
Answer · John Swinney: The projections for future growth in Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) provided at the Finance Committee were taken from the following sources:</p> <p >The UK Budget 2009 forecasts that debt interest payments will grow by 8.4% a year in real terms between 2…
26 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the basis is of the calculation underpinning the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth’s comments to the Finance Committee on 19 May 2009 that the total managed expenditure is likely to fall by about 0.1% in real terms from 2011-12 to 2013-14 (Official Report c. 1304).
Answer · John Swinney: The forecasts for future growth in UK Total Managed Expenditure (TME) made at the Finance Committee on the 19 May were derived from the projections contained in the UK Budget 2009.</p> <p >TME consists of current expenditure and gross investment. The UK Budg…
20 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements are being made to Scotland Performs to deal with data lag.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scotland Performs website brings together many different results from dozens of sources, all of which have differing requirements in terms of processing, quality assurance and publication. The data on Scotland Performs is at any time the most up-to-date t…
20 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is ensuring that consideration of equalities and carbon budgeting inform policy and budgetary allocations.
Answer · John Swinney: We are working together with the Equality and Budget Advisory Group on how the budget processes can take equality issues into account. We are continuing to raise awareness about the need to mainstream equality both into policies and budgets, seeking to improv…
20 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how Scotland Performs links to spending decisions.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scotland Performs website shows the progress being made by government towards the National Outcomes and targets set out in the National Performance Framework. The Framework was fully integrated into the Spending Review 2007 and was articulated in the Spen…
20 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it links spending decisions to its purpose and targets.
Answer · John Swinney: The government''s purpose of delivering sustainable economic growth and the targets described in the Government Economic Strategy are the key drivers of Scottish Government policy and spending decisions. This was clearly articulated in the Spending Review 200…
20 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will honour multi-year pay deals for government and public sector employees for whom it has responsibility.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government will honour any existing multi-year pay deals for government and public sector staff for whom it has responsibility.</p>
20 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what end-year flexibility (EYF) balances were accrued by March 2009 and what it anticipates its EYF balances will be by March 2010.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government''s end-year flexibility (EYF) balance was last published in HM Treasury''s Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (PEOWP) issued in July 2008. This recorded a balance of £952 million. £313 million has been drawn down in 2008-09 and the…
20 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the allocation of Barnett consequentials arising from the UK Budget of £79 million in 2009-10 and £25 million in 2010-11.
Answer · John Swinney: Details of the allocation of the Barnett consequentials will be announced shortly, following discussions between Scottish ministers.</p>
20 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the letter from the Director-General Finance and Corporate Services to the Finance Committee of 30 April 2009 in which it is stated that, if the effects of capital acceleration were excluded from the Scottish Government’s Department Expenditure Limit budget for bot…
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government''s position is that recalculating the Scottish budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11 to exclude the effects of end-year flexibility (EYF) and capital acceleration does not alter the amount of money actually available to support public servic…
18 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-22908 by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 May 2009, when it will publish the responses to the consultation on the establishment of the Care Environment Inspectorate on the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland website.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The summary of responses to the consultation on the establishment of the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate will be published on the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland website by Friday 12 June 2009.</p>
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the planned in-patient mental health capacity at Gartnavel Royal Hospital has been affected by the loss of capacity at the planned secure unit at Dykebar Hospital and, if so, how this has altered bed numbers.
Answer · Shona Robison: No forensic capacity was ever provided or planned for Gartnavel Hospital so these changes have no impact on the Gartnavel Hospital.</p>
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive where the in-patient mental health capacity that was to be provided by the secure unit at Dykebar Hospital has been accommodated.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have confirmed that by retaining the low secure beds on the Leverndale site, the 30 planned beds for Dykebar were provided as part of a reconfigured 74-bed medium secure bed unit at Stobhill. The net effect is to leave the overal…
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the in-patient mental health capacity was of the planned secure units at Stobhill and Dykebar hospitals.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have confirmed that there were 44 medium secure and 30 low secure beds planned for the original Stobhill Local Forensic Psychiatric Unit (for Glasgow residents). At the same time, 30 beds on the Leverndale site were due to close …
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the new cleaning staff announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing at the SNP conference on 17 April 2009 will be allocated to the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24050 on 21 May 2009. 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/Apps2/Bu…
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cleaning staff are employed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and, in particular, at the (a) Vale of Leven and (b) Royal Alexandra hospitals.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally as data on cleaning staff employed by NHS are not captured separately in the workforce statistics. Data is available for the hotel services/domestic staffing group which encompasses staff employed to clean. The…
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the new cleaning staff announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing at the SNP conference on 17 April 2009 will be allocated to the Vale of Leven Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Funding has been provided to all NHS Boards. Decisions about the number of cleaners to be allocated to individual hospitals is a matter for NHS boards.</p>
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the new cleaning staff announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing at the SNP conference on 17 April 2009 will be allocated to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde received funding for 84 whole-time equivalent domestic staff.</p>
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients (a) were affected and (b) subsequently died of Clostridium difficile during the outbreak at Dr Gray’s Hospital in April and May 2009 and for what reasons NHS Grampian provided two different positions in relation to the outbreak when asked by journalists on 13 May 2009.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Eighteen patients have been affected by the Clostridium difficile outbreak in Dr Gray''s Hospital. In answer to (b), NHS Grampian released a statement on 13 May 2009 confirming that one patient had Clostridium difficile recorded on the death certificate as th…
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be a review of the clinical governance arrangements in place across NHS Grampian by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and, if so, whether the outcome of the review will be published.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon : NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) is reviewing the performance of every NHS board in Scotland against their standards for clinical governance and risk management. NHS Grampian will be reviewed by NHS QIS on 9 July 2009. All NHS QIS reports are publis…
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be a review of infection control arrangements in NHS Grampian by Health Protection Scotland and, if so, whether the outcome of the review will be published.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Health Protection Scotland (HPS) are providing on-going expert advice to the NHS Grampian Outbreak Control Team to support the management of the current outbreak at Dr Gray''s Hospital, Elgin.</p> <p >NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) have also und…
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the local threshold is that would trigger an investigation into the incidence of Clostridium difficile at NHS Grampian and whether it was applied in the case of the outbreak at Dr Gray’s hospital in April and May 2009.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: National guidance requires the setting of local trigger thresholds for each clinical area. I am advised by NHS Grampian that an investigation is triggered when two or more cases occur in the same ward area and that this trigger was applied in the recent outbr…
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the first case of Clostridium difficile was identified at Dr Gray’s hospital by NHS Grampian and when it was first notified to the Scottish Government.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I am advised by NHS Grampian that on 30 April 2009 the Infection Control Team at Dr Gray''s Hospital identified a higher than expected number of <i >Clostridium</i> <i >difficile</i> cases recorded over the course of that month. The Scottish Government was no…
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what ribotype of Clostridium difficile was identified in the outbreak at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Grampian in April and May 2009.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I am advised by NHS Grampian that of the 13 isolates sent to the National Reference Laboratory for typing, eight have been typed as 027; two are 001 cases, one is an 026 case and one other is an 023 case. NHS Grampian is awaiting the results of the one remain…
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ribotype samples were sent to the national reference laboratory by NHS Grampian in relation to the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at Dr Gray’s Hospital in April and May 2009.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A total of thirteen isolates were sent to the National Reference Laboratory for typing.</p> <p > </p>
15 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Grampian has an antimicrobial prescribing policy in place; if so, when this was adopted, and how it has been implemented.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Grampian has advised that its antimicrobial prescribing policy was first adopted in 2004 and was last reviewed in March 2009. Adoption and implementation of the revised policy began in March 2009. Implementation is the responsibility of managers at all le…
14 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to where NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde patients are referred for inpatient mental health care if there is insufficient capacity within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have confirmed that the use of acute beds beyond its own boundaries is very low. Greater Glasgow and Clyde provides 1,510 beds for acute assessment, continuing care and specialist services (1,121 of these beds are provided by Gre…
14 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde inpatient mental health provision is used by patients from outwith that NHS board area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde(NHSGGC) have confirmed that in the one year period to 31 April 2009, that there were 1,184 bed days of unplanned activity into Greater Glasgow beds from other boards which comprised of 114 admissions, using the equivalent of thre…