Lewis Macdonald

11 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28718 by Shona Robison on 10 December 2015, how much it has spent on running the old NHS 24 IT system since the new system failed in October 2015 in addition to the £117.4 million that is being spent on the procurement of the new IT system.

Answer · Shona Robison: The £117.4 million already includes an element of planned double running costs for the existing system as part of a phased transition to the new system. The additional cost of double running the existing system to the end of March 2016 is £1.0 million.

11 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28718 by Shona Robison on 10 December 2015, how much of the additional £41.6 million spent on the procurement of the new IT system for NHS 24 is a direct result of the system failure in October 2015.

Answer · Shona Robison: None of the £41.6 million spent on the new system is a result of the pause to the phased implementation from October 2015.

11 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28718 by Shona Robison on 10 December 2015, how much of the money spent on the procurement of the new IT system for NHS 24 was paid to external consultants.

Answer · Shona Robison: Of the £117.4 million total, contractor implementation costs are £36.8 million.

11 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28719 by Shona Robison on 10 December 2015, on what dates the new IT system for NHS 24 was tested prior to going live and what the results were.

Answer · Shona Robison: The new system was tested thoroughly and robustly over a period of time from March through to September 2015 in advance of the October implementation.

9 Dec 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact of the closure of the Forth Road Bridge is on communities in the north east.

27 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the previous IT system at NHS 24 has been used since the new system failed in October 2015 and, if so, whether it has worked as intended.

Answer · Shona Robison: The current patient contact management system, which has been used to provide safe and effective health care advice and information since the establishment of NHS 24 over 10 years ago, was restored for use following the decision to pause the replacement syste…

27 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the option of upgrading the previous IT system at NHS 24 was costed and, if so, what it would have cost.

Answer · Shona Robison: There was no upgrade option available for the previous system. The current NHS 24 patient contact management system has been in use since the establishment of NHS 24 over 10 years ago.

27 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new IT system for NHS 24 was fully tested before it went live in October 2015 and, if so, (a) when and (b) with what results.

Answer · Shona Robison: Yes, a robust testing programme was completed in advance of the recent system implementation. The NHS 24 review of that implementation will include a review of the testing programme, which will be included in the report due to be provided by NHS 24 to Scottis…

27 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on the procurement of the new IT system for NHS 24, including the cost of commissioning consultants.

Answer · Shona Robison: The original business case cost the programme for replacement of the new system at £75.8 million. This has subsequently been revised and is now forecasted to cost £117.4 million.

27 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what options are being considered for the future IT provision at NHS 24, and when the final decision will be made.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS24 is carrying out an internal review and will be looking to reintroduce the system as soon as it is safe to do so. I have asked for a report by the end of 2015. NHS 24 is a nurse-led service and I have asked Chief Nursing Officer Fiona McQueen to provide…

18 Nov 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been lost at Young's Seafood's processing plant in Fraserburgh and how many remain at risk.

12 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it expects Police Scotland to spend in total on the (a) salary and (b) other associated costs for officers ranked as chief constable, deputy chief constable and assistant chief constable in 2015-16.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority. I have alerted the chief executive to your question and I have asked him to write to you.

9 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many different IT systems are currently in use by GP surgeries.

Answer · Shona Robison: All GP surgeries in Scotland use one of two clinical IT systems – InPS or EMIS. GP practices are linked into secondary care systems via Scottish Care Information (SCI) Gateway for onward referrals. SCI Store is locally hosted by each health board and can be a…

9 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has taken steps to integrate the different IT systems used by GP surgeries to allow for easier transfer of patient information.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS National Services Scotland is preparing for the introduction of GP2GP, which will enable patients' electronic health records to be transferred directly and securely between GP practices. It will enable GPs to have full and detailed medical records availab…

15 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the British Medical Association's Scottish General Practitioners’ Committee regarding the six-month notice period for the closure of GP surgeries, and whether these have led to proposals being made to (a) extend or (b) amend the process.

Answer · Shona Robison: No discussions have taken place with British Medical Association's Scottish General Practitioners’ Committee regarding the six-month notice period for the closure of GP surgeries. When practices experience capacity issues, or any other issues affecting servi…

15 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the British Medical Association’s Scottish General Practitioners’ Committee regarding the new GP contracts that are scheduled to be introduced in 2017.

Answer · Shona Robison: The current contract negotiations must remain confidential between the negotiating parties, however, we continue to work with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee to redesign the contract and we will have the first version in place by April 2017. That…

15 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-27401 by Michael Matheson on 22 September 2015, how many police (a) officers and (b) staff were working at the (i) 101 service centre in Bucksburn and (ii) the 999 control room at Queen Street in Aberdeen on 30 September 2015.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

15 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with NHS Grampian regarding the closure of the Brimmond GP practice, and what action it took to open the new practice and transfer the patients to this.

Answer · Shona Robison: I met with GPs, elected representatives and NHS Grampian to listen to those involved about the difficulties facing general practice in the area and discuss how best to support GPs to find new ways of working that address workload and staffing difficulties. T…

5 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on non-domestic solar panels and domestic air source heat pumps (ASHP), what plans it has to review the cumulative impact arising from more than one ASHP on a building.

Answer · Alex Neil: For permitted development purposes the consultation paper proposes to allow for one air source heat pump on houses and flats. In response to question S4W-27880 on 27 October 2015, we have stated that we are actively considering relaxing this restriction and t…

5 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in light of its consultation on non-domestic solar panels and domestic air source heat pumps (ASHP), it has considered a further relaxation of the number of permitted ASHPs on multi-flatted, multi-floor properties to allow all residents to benefit from the technology.

Answer · Alex Neil: This issue has been raised in the consultation by some respondents. We are actively considering it at present. In finalising the approach, we will aim to balance the potential for cumulative noise impacts with maximising access to the technology.

5 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on non-domestic solar panels and domestic air source heat pumps, what plans it has to review the planning process relating to non-domestic purpose-built solar panel arrays that are not attached to buildings.

Answer · Alex Neil: Non-domestic purpose built solar panel arrays that are not attached to buildings are outwith the scope of this consultation.

5 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on non-domestic solar panels and domestic air source heat pumps, what plans it has to provide a definition of what constitutes a non-domestic building.

Answer · Alex Neil: The current definition of a non-domestic building (for the purposes of the installation of non-domestic microgeneration equipment) is a building other than a dwelling or a building containing a dwelling.

5 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has responded to the EU's Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT) review of the birds and habitats directive, either directly or via the UK Government, and whether it will publish its submission.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: In its capacity as the relevant member state government department, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs coordinated and submitted a response on behalf of all of the UK administrations. Responses received from a range of organisations (incl…

5 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on non-domestic solar panels and domestic air source heat pumps (ASHP), what discussions it has had with stakeholders about the possibility of extending the Microgeneration Certification Scheme to cover non-domestic ASHPs.

Answer · Alex Neil: No discussions with stakeholders on this matter have taken place as the matter lies beyond the scope of the recent consultation. The partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment states our intention to undertake a post implementation review of the propos…

9 Sep 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional resource it plans to spend on the police control room and service centre in Aberdeen in the current financial year.

8 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current maintenance and repairs backlog is at the (a) 101 service centre in Bucksburn and (b) 999 control room at Queen Street in Aberdeen.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. This is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.

8 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many police (a) officers and (b) staff were working at the (i) 101 service centre in Bucksburn and (ii) 999 control room at Queen Street in Aberdeen when the planned closure of the two facilities were announced in January 2014 and how many are working there now.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Contact, Command and Control Proposed Strategic Direction paper presented to the Scottish Police Authority Board for decision on 30 January 2014 identifies: six Police Officers and 82 staff working within the Aberdeen Bucksburn Service Centre; and 47 staf…

8 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many police staff have been recruited to work at the (a) 101 service centre in Bucksburn and (b) 999 control room at Queen Street in Aberdeen since the planned closure of the two facilities was announced in January 2014.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. This is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.

8 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many police staff have (a) resigned (b) taken voluntary or early redundancy at the (i) 101 service centre in Bucksburn and (ii) 999 control room at Queen Street in Aberdeen since the planned closure of the two facilities was announced in January 2014.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. This is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.

8 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the cost will be of (a) recruitment and (b) maintenance and repairs at the (i) 101 service centre in Bucksburn, (ii) 999 control room at Queen Street in Aberdeen and (iii) Inverness control room in order for each facility to meet the standards recommended in the recent …

Answer · Michael Matheson: This detailed information is not held by the Scottish Government. This is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.