Dr Richard Simpson

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact a partial ban on neonicotinoid pesticides would have on arable crops.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The European Commission proposals will restrict from 1 December 2013, the use of three neonicotinoid insecticides (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothianidin) on crops with flowers attractive to bees. In Scotland the main effect of this will be that farmers…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many gun licences were withdrawn on review in each the last three years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information on the number of gun licences withdrawn on review is not available. Information on the number of firearm and shotgun certificates both refused and revoked is available from the Firearm Certificates Statistics, Scotland statistical bulletin series,…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it will issue to GPs following the publication of the research, Effectiveness of screening and brief alcohol intervention in primary care (SIPS trial): pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has issued National Guidance for 2013-14 on delivery of the current HEAT Standard for Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABI), which includes delivery in primary care. The HEAT Standard is based on SIGN and NICE guidelines and so in line wit…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government in how many cases of testing for alcohol by the police levels have been found to be below 80mg per 100ml of blood but above 50mg or the equivalent levels for urine tests in each of the last three years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland publishes its Reported Road Casualties report annually. This report includes estimates of drink driving accidents, accident costs, and an estimate of under-counting of road casualties…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prosecutions there have been for (a) selling alcohol to a person under 18, (b) selling alcohol to someone who is already intoxicated and (c) purchasing and supplying alcohol to a person under the age of eighteen in each of the last three years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following table: People proceeded against in Scottish Courts for specific alcohol offences1 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Sale of drink to person under 18 143 109 52 Sale of alcohol to drunk person2 1 2 1 Pur…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many alcohol licences have been issued in each of the last seven years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Publications showing the number of liquor licence applications granted can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubLiquor. Applications for 2010-11 and 2011-12 are granted under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, wh…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what reduction in alcohol consumption the University of Sheffield econometric model predicted would result from ending discounting alone.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The most recent update of the University of Sheffield alcohol pricing model was published in January 2012 and can be accessed at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.156503!/file/scotlandjan.pdf. This estimated that a total ban on off-trade discounting would …

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any difference in alcohol consumption between Scotland and England since the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 came into force.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Alcohol sales data is generally accepted, including by the World Health Organisation, to be a more robust measure of total population consumption than self-report survey. The most recent alcohol sales data (2011) for Scotland and England and Wales was publish…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the changes in the price of alcohol since 2005 compare with the changes in (a) rates of violent crime, (b) other offences associated with alcohol and (c) alcohol-related hospital (i) admissions and (ii) discharges.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: Second Annual Report, published by NHS Health Scotland in December 2012, includes detailed information on the average price and price distribution of alcohol sold in Scotland. The report is available at: …

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what changes there have been in the (a) consumption and (b) price of alcohol since 2005.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: Second Annual Report includes trends in self-report consumption, alcohol sales (generally accepted to be a more robust measure of total population consumption than self-report survey data) and the average…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been confiscated by the courts in each of the last five years following convictions for (i) the illegal sale of and (ii) selling illicit tobacco.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court Service (SCS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCS who will reply in writing within twenty days.

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been in each of the last five years for (i) the illegal sale of and (ii) selling illicit tobacco.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information on the number of people proceeded against for offences which relate specifically to the illegal sale of tobacco is given in the following table. Selling illicit tobacco is dealt with under HM Revenue and Customs and Trading Standard…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been for selling tobacco by unregistered sales outlets.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Under the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010, The Sale of Tobacco (Register of Tobacco Retailers) Regulations 2010 came into force on 1 April 2011. There were no prosecutions or convictions under Section 20 of the Act recorded in the ava…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all guns in Scotland are licensed appropriately.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Firearms legislation is a reserved matter. At an operational level, police firearms departments are responsible for ensuring that only legitimate users with good reason to possess a firearm, and suitable security arrangements in place, are granted a firearm o…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what inspections the Care Inspectorate has recently carried out or will carry out on care homes run by Castlebeck.

Answer · Alex Neil: Castlebeck Care Group runs three care home services in Scotland for people with learning disabilities and complex needs which are regulated by the Care Inspectorate. The dates when these services were last inspected are as follows: Ellen Mhor, Dundee - last …

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the care homes in Scotland run by Castlebeck now that it has gone into administration.

Answer · Alex Neil: The National Contingency Planning Group for Social Care Services, which was established to look at the overall preparedness of statutory agencies in addressing unforeseen circumstances that could lead to the disruption of social care provision in Scotland, co…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when all NHS boards will be expected to meet either the waiting time standard or the new guidance.

Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13814 on 15 April 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/parliamentaryb…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the difference is between the 98% four-hour waiting time standard for accident and emergency and the new guidance of 95%.

Answer · Alex Neil: The 98% four hour accident and emergency treatment HEAT Standard is being maintained. Some boards are already meeting this standard but we want this to be replicated across Scotland. Through the three year unscheduled care action plan we are going to be resha…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what reductions there have been in the provision of Access and Progression courses at Forth Valley College and in similar courses at other colleges.

Answer · Michael Russell: Details of individual courses offered at any particular moment in time by Forth Valley College, or any other college, are not collected centrally. In constructing their prospectus, colleges are expected to use their judgment and expertise in identifying cours…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on the role of college education in relation to health inequalities.

Answer · Michael Russell: I regularly meet all Cabinet Secretaries, including the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, to discuss the relationship between portfolios and to ensure that the government of Scotland continues to be delivered in an integrated and co-ordinated manner…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that reductions in college courses do not negatively impact on young people with autism spectrum disorders.

Answer · Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13810 on 16 April 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/parliamentaryb…

19 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that student applicants with additional support requirements are not affected by reductions in college courses.

Answer · Michael Russell: College regionalisation and reform is about delivering education more efficiently and effectively while maintaining student numbers. Thousands of students with learning disabilities are benefitting, and will continue to benefit, from the improved services tha…

18 Mar 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what impact reported reductions in the number of medical secretaries are having on patient care.

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements have been made to ensure that (a) Healthcare Improvement Scotland and (b) the Care Commission are provided with regular reports from NHS boards summarising feedback received from patients and the public.

Answer · Alex Neil: NHS Boards are required under the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 and secondary legislation to provide Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) with a copy of their annual summary of feedback, comments, concerns and complaints. The first such reports are due …

6 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has had with his health counterparts to support the development of therapeutic horticulture.

28 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the Scottish morbidity record data for the last three years, broken down by acute hospital.

Answer · Alex Neil: It is not possible to list individual SMR records for reasons of patient confidentiality. The Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland collects patient level healthcare information on various Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR) schem…

20 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will cost annually to fund the increase in statutory nursery provision from 475 to 600 hours.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: A financial memorandum is being developed to accompany the Children and Young People Bill. This will detail the estimated costs and savings associated with each of the Bill provisions. It is being developed in collaboration with stakeholders, including COSLA…

6 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many deaf children with mental health problems have been referred to specialist units in England in each year since 2010 and what the cost was.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held nationally

6 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend outpatient access to the specialist unit at St John's Hospital to include deaf children with mental health problems.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Generally the approach taken to serious and enduring mental illness in adults is different to the approach taken with children and young people in that there are often complexities related to the developmental process. There are different approaches to diagno…

5 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the GP contract ensures that patients with multimorbidity are reviewed for multimorbidity rather than for each condition separately and that such reviews include screening for depression.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) element of the GP contract is not designed to handle multimorbidities, other than encouraging GPs to review patients’ with more than one disease at the same time. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence,…