Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of NHS spending has been allocated to mental health services in each year since 2007.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The proportion of NHS expenditure on mental health since 2007 is shown in the following table. In 2009-10 NHS Scotland’s expenditure on mental health was £727 million, and this rose by £169 million in 2013-14 to £896 million, an increase of 23.2%. Financia…
28 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24039 by Shona Robison on 28 January 2015, how much of the Barnett consequentials received for health has been allocated and how.
Answer · Shona Robison: All of the consequentials have been announced and will be used as follows: Total (£ million) Additional National Resource Allocation Committee funding 33.1 New drug pressures – support for boards 32.0 Delayed discharge 30.0 Specialist nurses 2.5 P…
28 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Fergus Ewing on 28 January 2015 (Official Report, c.17), whether it will provide additional details of the full public health impact assessment on unconventional oil and gas production announced by the minister.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The public health impact assessment was announced as part of a wider body of work that the Scottish Government will undertake, including a full public consultation, during the period of the moratorium on unconventional oil and gas planning consents. As indica…
27 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish its full response to the Vale of Leven Hospital inquiry report.
Answer · Shona Robison: I gave a commitment to Parliament on 25 November 2014 to publish the Scottish Government’s response to the Vale of Leven Hospital inquiry report in spring 2015 and I intend to fulfil that commitment. You will appreciate that discussions need to take place wit…
27 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish NHS board responses to the Vale of Leven Hospital inquiry report without redaction and, if so, when.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-24192 on 6 February 2015. 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…
27 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish any template that it has sent to NHS boards to use for their response to the Vale of Leven Hospital inquiry report.
Answer · Shona Robison: Yes. Officials are continuing to analyse the responses from NHS boards but will publish both the template and responses once this is completed. It is important that time is taken to ensure the NHS boards’ responses are used to develop a robust, quality respon…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to retain doctors who would have been eligible for A and A+ distinction awards for outstanding contributions to medicine and the NHS.
Answer · Shona Robison: As detailed in the reply to S4W-24058 on 26 January 2015, the Scottish Government is considering ways of how best to achieve a fairer balance of remuneration for NHS consultants while delivering on sustainability and seven day services. In the meantime pay p…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the review at UK level of distinction awards for doctors has taken place and, if so, what action it is taking.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body published their Review of Compensation Levels, Incentives and the Clinical Excellence and Distinction Award schemes for NHS Consultants on 17 December 2012. The report can be viewed at the Office of Manpower Economics we…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has submitted a remit to the Doctors and Dentists Review Body and, if so, whether it will publish the remit and, if not, whether it plans to and, if so, when.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has submitted two remit letters to the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body. Firstly on recommendations for pay for 2015-16 in October 2014, and secondly on contract reform for doctors and dentists in training in December 2014. These let…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether its proposed new card for multimodal travel will result in reduced fares for tram users on the Edinburgh Airport to city centre route via Edinburgh Park rail station.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The setting of fares for the tram network is, and will remain, the responsibility of Transport for Edinburgh.
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Care Inspectorate monitors the use of (a) antipsychotic medication and (b) tranquilliser medicine in care homes, and what criteria it uses in assessing the use of these.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Scottish care homes have been brought within the remit of the Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations 2013. The Care Inspectorate has been designated as a ‘responsible body’ under the terms of these Regulations and has been given powe…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Care Inspectorate monitors the number of (a) admissions from care homes to hospital and (b) resident deaths (i) in the care home and (ii) after transfer to a hospital.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Care Inspectorate requires all registered services, including care homes, to notify them of the death of any resident on an ongoing basis. Their inspectors monitor these notifications and the Care Inspectorate will take action if the rate of notification …
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Care Inspectorate monitors whether care home residents have been invited to express a wish in respect of (a) remaining in the care home for terminal care, b) a do not resuscitate statement (DNACPR) and (c) an advance statement or living will.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Care Inspectorate assesses the delivery of palliative and end of life care to care home residents as part of its inspections. Best practice guidance is signposted, including NHS Education for Scotland’s guidance on anticipatory care planning, which includ…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding it will provide to NHS National Services Scotland to undertake work in the Health Environment Inspectorate in relation to enforcement powers announced following the report on the Vale of Leven Hospital inquiry.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS National Services Scotland has no role in relation to the proposed additional powers for the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI), which were announced following the report on the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry. We do not therefore plan to provide ad…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the 2014-15 budget for health improvement and health inequalities is £55.6 million, given that the amount in the draft budget was £64.4.
Answer · Shona Robison: The draft budget 2014-15 set out an indicative spending allocation for 2015-16 of £64.4 million. The draft budget for 2015-16 reflects the following movements: £3.3 million was transferred to the Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners’ Rights p…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 10,000 equal pay claims identified in Audit Scotland's financial review of the NHS in 2012-13 (a) have now been quantified and (b) were disclosed as an unquantified contingent liability in the boards' accounts for 2013-14.
Answer · Shona Robison: None of the equal pay claims identified in Audit Scotland’s financial review of the NHS in 2012-13 have been quantified. 5,953 claims were disclosed as unquantified contingent liabilities in the boards’ accounts for 2013-14.
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to Audit Scotland's proposal that NHS boards be given greater flexibility with their financial planning over three years instead of one.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) is issued by Scottish Ministers to provide guidance to the Scottish Government and other relevant bodies (which include NHS boards) on the proper handling and reporting of public funds. It sets out the relevant statut…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how large the NHS maintenance backlog is and how much is classified as a (a) high risk and (b) significant clinical backlog.
Answer · Shona Robison: The State of the Estate Report 2013 (published in February 2014) identified backlog maintenance of £858 million of which 11% was classified as high risk (£96 million) and 32% as significant risk (£275 million), of which £209 million is clinical space.
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments at paragraph 60 of Audit Scotland's report, NHS financial performance 2012/13, regarding the maintenance backlog of £948 million in 2012, how much of the backlog was classified as (a) significant and (b) high risk and how much of it was tackled in (i) 2013 and (…
Answer · Shona Robison: Of the £948 million backlog maintenance referenced in The State of the Estate in 2012, 17% was classified as high risk (£159 million) and 28% as significant risk (£265 million). The State of the Estate in 2013 (published in February 2014) identified backlog …
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the £159 million maintenance backlog referred to at paragraph 61 of Audit Scotland's report, NHS financial performance 2012/13, has been dealt with.
Answer · Shona Robison: High risk backlog maintenance reduced from £159 million to £96 million as reported in the Annual State of NHSScotland Assets and Facilities Report for 2013 published on 14 February 2014. Whilst it is essential that high and significant risk backlog is addres…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments at paragraph 25 of Audit Scotland's report, NHS financial performance 2012/13, whether NHS National Services Scotland was provided with additional funding and, if not, which services were reduced.
Answer · Shona Robison: In 2013-14 NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) received more than 100 additional allocations from the Scottish Government worth £108.1 million. Throughout the course of the year, NSS and the Scottish Government meet regularly to discuss their funding assumpt…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much additional funding it provided to NHS 24 in relation to its new IT system; what rescheduling it has agreed with NHS 24, and what the revised schedule of repayment is of any brokerage fees.
Answer · Shona Robison: The following table details the original repayable brokerage to NHS 24 for the ‘Futures’ IT system. Opening balance (£ million) Brokerage (£ million) Repayment (£ million) Closing balance (£ million) 2011-12 0.000 0.320 0.000 0.320 2012-13 0.320 …
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what repayments on brokerage funding it has received from (a) NHS Fife, (b) NHS Tayside, (c) NHS Orkney and (d) NHS 24.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has provided brokerage and received as follows: (a) NHS Fife Opening Balance £ million Brokerage £ million Repayment £ million Closing Balance £ million 2011-12 0.000 1.110 1.110 2012-13 1.110 1.400 (0.360) 2.150 2…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the withdrawal of funding support for people training in educational psychology complies with its strategies for improvements in early years and tackling behavioural and conduct disorders in educational settings.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government recognises and values the role that educational psychologists play in supporting learners. They have a key role in identifying needs and providing support for individual pupils to help them overcome barriers to their learning arising f…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it withdrew financial support for training in educational psychology.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22511 on 22 September 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/parliament…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made as to NHS workforce planning to ensure an adequate capacity.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare in Scotland and it is for each NHS board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet the needs of the population. This includes how best to utilise fu…
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the recent Barnett consequentials that arose from additional health expenditure in England has yet to be allocated, and how it plans to use this.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Deputy First Minister has confirmed that all of the £127.4 million of consequentials will be utilised for health.
15 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it has allocated the additional £65 million to NHS boards for 2015-16.
Answer · Shona Robison: Details are as follows: NHS Board £000 Ayrshire and Arran 3,223 Borders 737 Dumfries and Galloway 1,068 Fife 3,638 Forth Valley 2,013 Grampian 15,200 Greater Glasgow and Clyde 8,269 Highland 9,352 Lanarkshire 9,601 Lothian 4,863 Orkney …
7 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports LGBT people experiencing mental health problems.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is committed to the national improvement of mental health and to its service equality. We have committed £1 million per year, in addition to £500,000 per year from Comic Relief, for three years for the national See Me programme to elim…
7 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: This information is not held centrally.