Parliamentary questions
Nanette Milne
1,264 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the closure of Action on Hearing Loss Scotland’s Hear to Help project in Tayside will have on service users and what discussions it has had with the organisation regarding the closure.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: NHS Tayside provides patients with a full hearing aid service, including maintenance, tube cleaning and battery replacement free of charge. Many audiology services across NHS Scotland provide these services without a complementary Hear to Help service. I am …
26 Jan 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on implementing the recommendations of the Commission for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce.
23 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's draft legislation regarding devolving further powers, what its position is on (a) changing the speed limits on roads and (b) road users continuing to drive on the left, and what discussions it has had on this.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government has no plans to change national speed limits or associated vehicle speed limits in Scotland; and no prospective powers in relation to driving on the left or right of the road. The Scottish Government has been involved in wide ranging d…
21 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to help provide defibrillators to every sports club.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government is committed to reducing heart disease mortality and increasing survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Scotland. The Scottish Government will launch the Scottish OHCA Strategy in spring 2015 and as part of that, we wi…
21 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many delayed discharge lounges there have been in hospitals in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is a matter for individual health boards. The information requested is not held centrally.
19 Jan 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what educational principles will underpin the Higher Education Governance Bill.
15 Dec 2014 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the A90 between Ellon and Peterhead and Fraserburgh will be dualled.
Answer · Derek Mackay: We have no plans to dual the A90 between Ellon and Peterhead and Fraserburgh. Nestrans are currently undertaking an appraisal which will consider the strategic transport connections on the A90 from Fraserburgh and Peterhead to Aberdeen. We will contribute £2…
4 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that NHS boards are properly reporting cases of Clostridium difficile infection.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS boards are expected to report all cases of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) to Health Protection Scotland, following the established guidelines. Health Protection Scotland publishes methods and reporting for quarterly surveillance which is outlined …
4 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many instances have been reported of the NHS misreporting cases of Clostridium difficile infection in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. NHS boards are expected to report all cases of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) to Health Protection Scotland, following the established guidelines. Health Protection Scotland publishes methods and reporting for q…
2 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the New Medicines Fund allows for the procurement of products that have not been recommended by the Scottish Medicines Consortium for routine use and, if so, under what circumstances.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22884 on 11 November 2014. 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…
2 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to renewing or replacing the New Medicines Fund after April 2016.
Answer · Shona Robison: We anticipate that there will be an ongoing need for mechanisms such as the New Medicines Fund beyond April 2016. The Scottish Government is closely monitoring the impact of the New Medicines Fund and the associated changes to access to medicines policies and…
2 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 202 children and young people admitted to non-specialist mental health settings in 2013-14 were admitted to (a) adult and (b) paediatric wards and how many of those were under 16.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Data from the Mental Welfare Commission Young Person Monitoring 2013-14 document published in October 2014 shows that: There were 202 admissions to non-specialist inpatient facilities involving 179 young people. The number of children under 16 admitted to a…
2 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much the NHS has spent on private (a) ambulances, (b) nurses and (c) contractors in each year since 1999.
Answer · Shona Robison: Information relating to agency nurses is published by NHS Information Services Division. Whilst information concerning the years prior to 2004-05 is not held, data relating to years 2004-05 to 2010-11 are available here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topi…
2 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much each NHS board has spent on temporary staff in each year since 1999.
Answer · Shona Robison: The definition of ‘temporary staff’ is not clear as this could include staff employed by a board on a short and/or fixed term contract as well as agency/locum staff. Expenditure on ‘temporary’ staff is not reported by boards or held by the Scottish Government…
2 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in how many cases it has intervened as a result of a monthly report on NHS posts that have been vacant for more than three months in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: While the data requested is not held centrally, data on vacant posts in NHSScotland is collected and published on a quarterly basis by Information Services Division Scotland for nursing and midwifery, allied health professions and consultants. The most recent…
21 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to consult stakeholders and the public regarding the content of its proposed strategic framework for action on palliative and end-of-life care.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has asked the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care to develop plans to engage with stakeholders about the framework. The recently established person-centred stakeholder group, whose membership is drawn from service users, carers, t…
21 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the proposed strategic framework for action on palliative and end-of-life care that it announced in February 2014.
Answer · Shona Robison: The palliative and end-of-life care strategic framework for action will be published in spring 2015.
20 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted for (i) abusive behaviour toward and (ii) attacking NHS staff in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Shona Robison: While we do not hold this information centrally, we do hold the following information under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005. The 2005 Act was extended in 2008 to enhance the protections provided to NHS staff by extending it to GP, other doctors, nu…
20 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS staff have reported (a) facing abusive behaviour and (b) being attacked in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: While the data requested is not held centrally, the 2013 NHSScotland staff survey asked this question and the following link is provided to the results: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/12/4235/18 This data provides an indicative measure only as …
19 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the dualling of the A96 will begin.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government is committed to completing the dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen by 2030 through a phased programme of schemes from 2017 onwards. The preferred option for the 30km A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypa…
19 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the need to improve road safety measures at the Oyne Fork junction on the A96.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Our records do not indicate a particular problem at this junction, however we will continue to monitor the whole of the A96 to see where improvements are required and react accordingly. Years of under-investment in north east transport infrastructure are bei…
18 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that it provides (a) 3-4 beds per 1 million total population for severely intellectually disabled young people, (b) 2-3 beds per 1 million total population for moderately intellectually disabled young people and (c) 1 low secure bed per 1 million total…
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: It is the responsibility of NHS boards to ensure there is adequate provision for severely intellectually disabled young people and to keep arrangements under review. In the national mental health strategy we include a commitment to work with clinicians in Sco…
18 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that it provides 24 to 40 child and adolescent mental health service beds per 1 million total population up to the age of 18.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Children and young people referred to child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) will be generally treated in the community. A new model of 'hospital at home' type care and treatment has been introduced across many NHS boards. This new approach creat…
18 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many child and adolescent mental health service beds there are for people (a) up to 18, (b) who are severely intellectually disabled, (c) who are moderately intellectually disabled, (d) with a severe autistic spectrum disorder and (e) requiring low secure beds, also broken down by NH…
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Where appropriate, children and adolescents who are severely and intellectually disabled, or moderately intellectually disabled, or with a severe autistic spectrum disorder may be treated in a child or adolescent mental health inpatient unit. The units provid…
18 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many secure inpatient care places there are for children with mental health conditions in each NHS board.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: There is no provision within NHS Scotland for children and young people with mental health conditions who require secure inpatient care. Where secure inpatient care is required for children who have mental health conditions, NHS boards will use the Nation Se…
18 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the shovel-ready projects submitted to the UK Government are progressing.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government initially provided the UK Government with a list of projects totalling £302 million on 2 March 2012. A further detailed list of projects totalling £820.8 million was subsequently provided on 23 November 2012. The majority of the projec…
18 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will fund testing for the BRAF marker in people with malignant melanoma when the current external funding support comes to an end.
Answer · Shona Robison: Molecular pathology testing for BRAF mutations in melanoma samples is currently undertaken in laboratories in Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh, which are funded as part of a national service agreement. The laboratory in Glasgow is currently developing this tes…
13 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been prosecuted for (a) breeding dogs in social rented properties and (b) running puppy farms in each year since 1999.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government does not hold information on action taken by councils or other landlords regarding people contravening tenancy conditions by breeding dogs in social rented properties. From the information available from the Scottish Government court …
11 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the submission by Cancer Research UK to the Public Petitions Committee in August 2013, which stated that "the most effective option for improving public health would be to offer [the human papillomavirus] HPV vaccination to both boys and girls at age 12/13", whether it will …
Answer · Michael Matheson: The main aim of the current HPV vaccination programme is to protect girls against cervical cancer, rather than protecting against the risks associated with HPV overall. Vaccinating girls also helps to stop the spread of HPV to boys. When enough people are imm…
11 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the submission by Cancer Research UK to the Public Petitions Committee in August 2013, which expressed concern about possible health inequalities arising through the current human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme, whether it will write to the Joint Committee on Vac…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Alex Neil, wrote to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in August 2013 regarding HPV vaccination for boys. The JCVI recognises the importance of ongoing assessment of HPV vaccination for a…