Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what reduction in alcohol consumption the University of Sheffield econometric study and reports to the Scottish Government predicted would arise from ending discounting alone.
Answer · Alex Neil: The econometric modelling carried out by the University of Sheffield estimated a reduction in overall alcohol consumption of 3% with the introduction of a total ban on off-trade discounting. A total ban is assumed to prohibit all forms of price-based promotio…
7 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the difference in reduction or increase in alcohol consumption between Scotland and England has been in each year since the ban on discounting for alcohol was introduced.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS Health Scotland carried out a study of the impact of the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 on off-trade sales in Scotland which included a quantity discount ban, and found that the Act was associated with a 2.6% decrease in per adult off-trade alcohol sale…
7 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether a patient who is moved from an accident and emergency department to (a) a clinical decision unit, (b) a clinical assessment unit, (c) an acute assessment unit and (d) a unit that is not designated as part of a traditional ward for admitting patients remains designated as a patien…
Answer · Alex Neil: Guidance on how patients who are moved from an accident and emergency department to another facility is available on the Information Services Division data dictionary: http://www.ndc.scot.nhs.uk/Dictionary-A-Z/Definitions/index.asp?Search=A&ID=53&Title=Acute…
7 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the GP practices that are supported by NHS boards either by directly employing GPs or paying for locums or where branch surgeries have (a) closed or (b) reduced opening hours or services in the last seven years were dispensing practices where a requirement to dispense was ter…
Answer · Alex Neil: This is a matter for individual health boards. The information requested is not held centrally. How a practice responds to the withdrawal of its dispensing income is a decision for the practice partners. Configuring practice services and resources to deliver…
7 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many branch GP surgeries have (a) closed and (b) reduced opening hours or services in the last seven years.
Answer · Alex Neil: This is a matter for individual health boards. The information requested is not held centrally.
7 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many general practices are being supported by NHS boards either by directly employing GPs or paying for locums.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-18616, on 12 December 2013. 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/parliamentar…
7 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote the development of networked general practices.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-18621 on 12 December 2013. 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/parliamentary…
7 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that every general practice or network of practices should have a patient participation group.
Answer · Alex Neil: Effective collaboration between clinicians, patients and others is a priority for Scottish Government and GP practices should have arrangements in place, where applicable, to ensure that patient participation groups operate in a meaningful way. Practices shou…
7 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the equivalent in Scotland of the monitoring of general practices by the Care Quality Commission will begin; how practices will be selected; who will be responsible for the monitoring, and what the reporting mechanism will be.
Answer · Alex Neil: There are no current plans to follow NHS England by appointing a GP inspector. The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) rewards contractors for the provision of quality care and helps to standardise improvements on the delivery of primary medical services an…
22 Sep 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support traditional Scottish music and dance.
8 Sep 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is routine testing of prisoners for learning disability and what the reason is for its position on this matter.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: “The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) does not currently routinely and systematically screen prisoners for learning disability. Potential learn…
30 Jul 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the 120 women who become unemployed each day into employment.
16 Jun 2014 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that people with motor neurone disease are not charged for care.
4 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether its proposed system for reviewing child deaths will incorporate the (a) methodology used by and (b) findings of the University of Dundee's Fatalities Investigation and Review Studies Team.
Answer · Alex Neil: The methodology used by and the findings of the University of Dundee’s Fatalities Investigation and Review Studies Team will be considered by the group being set up to develop a national system for reviewing child deaths.
4 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) supports and (b) treats women with borderline personality disorder, and what additional assistance is given to women prisoners with this condition.
Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS Education for Scotland have developed and been delivering two day workshops on mentalisation-based therapy (MBT) skills and awareness for staff in forensic settings. Staff from a range of disciplines including nurses, psychologists, social workers, psychi…
4 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in implementing the recommendations of the report of the Commission on Women Offenders, which was chaired by Dame Elish Angiolini.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has made substantial progress in implementing the recommendations of the report Commission on Woman Offenders. Following the commission’s principles of coordinated multi-agency working, 16 new services for women offenders have been de…
4 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, The care and treatment of Mrs CD, which examined issues surrounding women in prison.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government notes the Mental Welfare Commission’s report on The care and treatment of Mrs CD. In meeting commitment 19 of the Mental Health Strategy 2012-15 on improving how services respond to distress, a draft report on work to develop and test…
4 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that women prisoners can have better access to modern technology to allow them to have more regular contact with their families.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: “The Scottish Prison Service is currently developing a strategy for the management of women in custody in parallel with the development of S…
3 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it would support the Queen Victoria School in Dunblane, which looks after the children of armed forces personnel, if there was a Yes vote in the independence referendum.
Answer · Michael Russell: Queen Victoria School is registered with Scottish Ministers as an independent school and there are no plans to change the status of such schools in the event of independence. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of stability in the education of …
3 Jun 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress the NHS is making in recording and reducing the levels of boarding out.
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what changes it has made since December 2007 to the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee and Quality Outcomes Framework for GPs to ensure that the distribution of existing and future resources better reflects the balance of workload required to tackle health inequalities.
Answer · Alex Neil: All changes to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and to the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee are made following consultation with GP representatives, and take into account the impact on the whole of general practice. A review of the current Scottish Alloca…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all (a) national, (b) regional and (c) local managed care networks, set out the extent of the responsibilities for each and identify which NHS boards participate.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Information about the work of individual national managed clinical networks is available on the NHS National Services Division website at: http://www.nsd.scot.nhs.uk/services/nmcn/index.html. Information relating to parts (b) and (c) of the question is not h…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason NHS boards are contemplating reductions in salaried dental services given that it is funding £25,000 recruitment allowances for independent contractor dentists.
Answer · Michael Matheson: There is a requirement on NHS boards to ensure that NHS general dental services are provided by independent contractors where possible, and are not duplicated by the Public Dental Service. The £25,000 recruitment allowance is only payable in the three island…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the privatisation of delivery of NHS dental services in (a) Sanquhar, (b) Lochside, (c) Dumfries, (d) Eyemouth, (e) Kirkwall, (f) Patna and (g) Dalmellington, given the assurances of the Deputy First Minister on 11 March 2012 that “As long as we are in charge, the…
Answer · Michael Matheson: These services are not being privatised. Any shift in service provision from the Public Dental Service to independent contractors providing NHS dental services does not constitute privatisation.
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what tendering process NHS boards undertake when disposing of or transferring assets and services to the independent sector, and whether such disposals require to be advertised locally, nationally and EU-wide.
Answer · Alex Neil: The NHSScotland Property Transactions Handbook sets out the mandatory requirements for NHSScotland bodies in relation to the lease, acquisition or disposal of property holdings. This requirement was set out in CEL 8 (2011) which was issued on 22 February 2011…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its long-term strategic plan is for NHS dentistry.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government will continue to ensure that people who wish to have access to a NHS dentist, can do so. Over 4.4 million people across Scotland are now registered with a NHS dentist. This constitutes an increase of 1.8 million since March 2007. We w…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the investment of £7.6 million in the building of the Broxden Dental Centre in Perth in 2011 represents a sound investment given that it is reportedly massively underused.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does consider that the investment of £7.6 million in the building of Broxden Dental Centre represents a sound investment. It is not the case that Broxden Dental Centre is massively underused. It is the only Public Dental Service Clini…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Broxden Dental Centre in Perth is reported to have, on some days, only one of 20 dental surgeries in use; whether the policy to repatriate patients treated by the public dental service in Tayside to independent high street dentists has been driven by financial expedie…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Broxden Dental Centre in Perth will rarely run with one surgery. These rare occasions, when a single surgery emergency service is run, will be on public holidays over and above Christmas and New year, and on two occasions per year when NHS Tayside dental …
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the decision of the Chief Dental Officer to restrict the funding and the contract of a recently filled salaried dentist post in the Skye Dental Centre to one year and whether it has a long-term commitment to provide dental services to patients on Skye.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The decision by the Chief Dental Officer was based on a request by NHS Highland to recruit a fixed term vacant salaried dentist post. This decision has no bearing on the Scottish Government’s long term commitment to NHS dental services in Skye. NHS Highland …
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what public consultation has taken place in relation to the proposed closure by NHS Dumfries and Galloway of dental clinics in Lochmaben, Newton Stewart and Dumfries and for what reason patients were not consulted or informed of the proposed changes.
Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS Dumfries and Galloway are conducting an appropriate consultation of their proposals, and are currently welcoming patient feedback on their preferred option. The board developed a patient engagement plan in collaboration with the Scottish Health Council. …