Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Ministerial Taskforce on Health Inequalities has met since May 2007.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Ministerial Task Force on Health Inequalities is a short life working group set up to address inequalities in health which prevent Scotland and its people reaching their full potential. Since May 2007 the Task Force has convened on three occasions; in 200…
5 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many GPs prescribe physical activity to support mental health patients.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held centrally. We will work with partners, including the Royal College of General Practitioners and Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, to increase local knowledge of social prescribing opportunities, including through new tech…
5 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it allocates to organisations involved in supporting physical activity for mental health patients.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government sets national policy direction for mental health and provides funding to NHS boards and local authorities to support implementation of policy. The management of local actions in implementing national policy, and decisions on local serv…
5 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to integrate physical activity into (a) primary care and (b) mental health services.
Answer · Shona Robison: We are working closely with NHS Health Scotland, The Royal College of General Practitioners and NHS Education for Scotland to integrate physical activity into a routine part of primary care. A brief advice and interventions pilot will commence next year. Ther…
5 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what reviews have been carried out to ensure that intensive rehabilitation services are fit for purpose.
Answer · Alex Neil: It is for NHS boards to ensure that the rehabilitation services they provide are appropriate in their intensity and duration. The Scottish Government’s Rehabilitation Framework encourages NHS boards to ensure that as well as providing intensive rehabilitatio…
3 Dec 2012 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of NFU Scotland and what issues were discussed.
3 Dec 2012 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government will take following the recent Supreme Court ruling relating to the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10769 by Michael Matheson on 13 November 2012, for what reason there was a 5.4% reduction in whole-time equivalent clinical staff employed in psychology services for people aged over 65 between 30 June 2011 and 30 June 2012.
Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS boards work at all times to ensure good quality psychological care is delivered by qualified staff which meets the needs of individuals in their local areas. The 5.4% reduction represents two whole time equivalent staff across all professional groups. Va…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many vacancies there are in each NHS board for (a) psychologists and (b) psychiatrists.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The data for Psychologist vacancies is held in the public domain, and can be found on the NHS Education for Scotland – Information Services Division (ISD) Psychology Services Workforce Data webpage at: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publi…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to raise awareness of mental health issues in all NHS boards.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Raising awareness of mental health issues in all NHS boards will be achieved through delivery of the Scottish Government’s new “Mental Health Strategy which was published on 13 August 2012. This brings our mental health improvement work and work to improve me…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether mental health is a core component in the training of GPs.
Answer · Michael Matheson: All GPs are trained to manage and treat people with mental illness as part of their core competencies and are supported by a range of multi-disciplinary professionals. The GP curriculum places a great deal of importance on the continuous improvement of skill…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to ensure early (a) diagnosis of and (b) intervention for mental illness.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Better recognition and treatment of mental illness has been a long-standing priority for the Scottish Government, with a focus on depression and dementia. In the Mental Health Strategy we highlight early detection of psychosis, and intervention for first epis…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the percentage success rate is of (a) psychiatric and (b) psychological treatment for patients with depression.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Clinicians working with individuals will use outcome measures to help assess progress. However, this information is not held centrally.
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether patients with medically unexplained symptoms are routinely referred to mental health services.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Referral to mental health services for those with medically unexplained symptoms will be on the basis of assessed needs, in consultation with the individual and where appropriate the family and other carers. Holistic multi-agency and multi-disciplinary asses…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of NHS expenditure is related to mental health.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The percentage of NHS expenditure related to mental health for the period 2011-12 is shown in the following table: Financial Year Mental health expenditure1 (£000) NHS expenditure2 (£000) Percentage of NHS expenditure2 related to mental health 2011-12 8…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the population has a mental illness.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Information on patients with a mental illness admitted as inpatient, and treatments at outpatient clinics is routinely collected by NHS Scotland, as are contacts with GP services. It is generally acknowledged however that that a large number of people with f…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the unmet need is in terms of mental health patients.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The indications are that clinicians in primary care in Scotland have been very effective in closing the treatment gap for patients with depression, but we recognise further work is needed in all settings to tackle this challenge. We will work with the Royal C…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to help build mental health skills in primary care and other health service settings.
Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS Education for Scotland (NES) leads workforce development, education and training for NHS Scotland in line with the Scottish Government’s quality strategy ambitions for the delivery of safe, effective and person-centred care for the people of Scotland. We…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines recommend psychological input where appropriate for patients with long-term conditions.
Answer · Michael Matheson: SIGN has published a range of evidence based clinical practice guidelines for NHS Scotland which is available on their website: (http://www.sign.ac.uk/index.html). Psychological input may be suitable for a number of conditions and where there is evidence to…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the NHS is delivering an integrated response to patients with both mental and physical healthcare needs.
Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS Scotland ensures the delivery of integrated care and support in accordance with clinical guidelines and which meets the individually assessed needs of patients based on appropriate assessment and intervention tailored to achieve the best possible outcomes…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applied psychologists there are per 100,000 (a) 0-19, (b) 20-64 and (c) 65-year-olds and over.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is held in the public domain, and can be found on the NHS Education for Scotland and Information Services Division Psychology Services Workforce Data webpage at: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/data-tables.asp…
19 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10885 by Michael Matheson on 14 November 2012, whether all drug and alcohol treatment services include mental health diagnosis and support.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-06820 on 8 May 2012. Since May, the Scottish Government published the Mental Health Strategy for Scotland 2012-15 in August 2012. In this strategy we recognise that there are strong links between depression an…
13 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken in response to the Civil Service People Survey 2011, which stated that 1% of its staff strongly agreed and 18% agreed that when changes in the Scottish Government are made, they are usually for the better, with 81% of staff having no opinion or disagreeing.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-11120 on 22 November 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/parliamenta…
8 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action has been taken in response to the Civil Service People Survey 2011, which stated that 14% of Registers of Scotland staff agreed that the organisation was managed well.
Answer · John Swinney: This is an operational matter for the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland. The Keeper has advised me that the issue will be covered in her response to a request for similar information from the Public Audit Committee.
8 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in response to the Civil Service People Survey 2011, which stated that 2% of its staff strongly agreed and 22% agreed that change was managed well in the Scottish Government, with 76% of staff either disagreeing or not commenting on how well change is managed.
Answer · John Swinney: The Civil Service People Survey provides valuable annual feedback from employees on the experience of working across the UK Civil Service. The Scottish Government report helps identify where, as an employer, we are doing well and where we can improve. The re…
8 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Crofting Register will be (a) operational and (b) considered fit for purpose.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (Commencement No. 3, Transitory, Transitional and Savings Provisions) Order 2012 (SSI 2012 No. 288 (C.31) appoints 30 November 2012 for the coming into force of certain provisions relating to registration of croft land.…
8 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the abolition of feudal tenure reforms arising from the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Scotland) Act 2000 have been completed.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Information on the 2000 Act can be found on the Scottish Government’s website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/law/17975/Abolition. As the website indicates, the feudal system of land tenure was brought to an end on 28 November 2004 when the 200…
8 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what timescale the Registers of Scotland has been given to ensure that the Land Register is cleansed of all appropriate historical burdens.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Registers of Scotland is under no statutory or other obligation to cleanse the Land Register of spent real burdens.
8 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the cost was of bringing the Land Register in line with the terms of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Land Register is maintained by the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland. The Keeper does not have a figure for the specific costs of implementing the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Scotland) Act 2000. This is because the 2000 Act was commenced at the same tim…
5 Nov 2012 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the uptake for flu vaccinations in 2012 is on target.