Malcolm Chisholm

14 Mar 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what further improvements it will make to the Scottish Medicines Consortium appraisal process.

Answer · Shona Robison: An independent review of the way drugs are assessed for use in the NHS is being led by Dr Brian Montgomery. The review will look at how the changes made to the Scottish Medicines Consortium process in 2014 have improved patient access to medicines for rare an…

14 Mar 2016 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that all cancer patients have timely access to diagnostic tests.

22 Feb 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress NHS boards have made in recruiting extra specialist nurses and whether the resources allocated for that purpose have been fully spent.

25 Jan 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government about the Trade Union Bill.

24 Jan 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding increasing the cervical screening uptake rate for women with learning difficulties.

Answer · Maureen Watt: Scottish Government officials meet cervical screening coordinators from all NHS boards on a quarterly basis to share best practice in promoting cervical screening services, development of initiatives to improve uptake and how best to communicate effectively w…

24 Jan 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding increasing the cervical screening uptake rate for women from black and minority ethnic groups.

Answer · Maureen Watt: We recently commissioned NHS Health Scotland to conduct a Health Inequalities Impact Assessment to ensure that all national communications for cervical screening are appropriately targeted for women from a range of groups. All communication materials are tran…

24 Jan 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding increasing the cervical screening uptake rate for women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Answer · Maureen Watt: We work closely with health boards to develop initiatives to improve uptake for women from disadvantaged backgrounds within the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme. Recent initiatives include dedicated nurses working with the local homeless and travelling w…

24 Jan 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government  what steps it is taking to address the reported decline in cervical screening uptake rates.

Answer · Maureen Watt: We fully support the objective of increasing uptake in the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme and work is already taking place to help address the fall in cervical screening uptake rates. Scottish Government officials meet cervical screening coordinators …

24 Jan 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support Cervical Cancer Prevention Week 2016.

Answer · Maureen Watt: We fully support the aims of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week 2016 and congratulate Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust in leading this initiative highlighting the importance of cervical screening and its role in preventing cervical cancer. We work closely with Jo’s Ce…

18 Jan 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students attended Edinburgh College in November 2015 and how this compares with November 2012.

11 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in each year since 2012-13 for a suspected domestic abuse-related incident, broken down by gender; how many were repeat offenders; how many cases (a) were subsequently marked "no proceedings" and (b) led to a…

Answer · Frank Mulholland QC: Domestic abuse continues to be a significant issue in Scotland and prosecutors dealt with over 36,500 charges reported by Police Scotland in the year 2014-15. The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the scourge of domestic abuse and robust and effect…

7 Dec 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government considers that there is a gap between its position on climate change and its policy on Air Passenger Duty.

23 Nov 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that all children and young people requiring regular medication and medical assistance at school have these needs met.

16 Nov 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities will take to facilitate the creation of low-emission zones in Scotland's major cities.

9 Nov 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to the tenants in the Lorne area of Leith who are seeking an alternative to eviction by a charitable trust that owns the properties.

2 Nov 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with the recruitment of additional specialist nurses.

26 Oct 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Office for National Statistics regarding the implications of the European System of Accounts 2010.

19 Oct 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that charities with social welfare objectives should make ethical investment decisions that are consistent with those objectives rather than seek to maximise income at all costs.

14 Sep 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend the planning moratorium on fracking to include onshore underground coal gasification installations.

24 Aug 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what rate of landfill tax will apply to the disposal of contaminated soil.

15 Jun 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of the recent ministerial meeting with member organisations of the Neurological Alliance of Scotland.

8 Jun 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had discussions with the UK Government regarding a City Deal for Edinburgh and surrounding areas.

1 Jun 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the Scottish Parliament being able to legislate on parking on pavements and related issues.

1 Jun 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will speak out about human rights abuses in Qatar prior to the Scotland versus Qatar football match on 5 June.

21 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce legislation to facilitate multi-party actions in the Court of Session.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government’s consultation on proposals for an Expenses and Funding of Civil Litigation Bill sought views on multi-party actions. The consultation closed on 24 April 2015 and the responses are now being independently analysed. This analysis will h…

11 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government concerning the Human Rights Act.

27 Apr 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what level of public expenditure the Scottish Government considers necessary in order to end austerity.

15 Apr 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to the kind of nurse-led initiatives highlighted in the RCN Scotland campaign, Nursing at the Edge.

30 Mar 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what services will be supported by the recently announced £20 million to help tackle domestic abuse.

23 Mar 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports more progressive taxation for those on the very highest incomes and those with the most expensive properties.