Parliamentary questions
Jim Hume
1,310 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
1 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding of the 2015 road condition index that suggests that, compared with 2013, routes in the area are deteriorating at a faster rate than the rest of the country, what plans it has to work with Scottish Borders Council to improve the area's roads.
Answer · Derek Mackay: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-27262 on 10 September 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…
1 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding of the 2015 road condition index that suggests a deterioration on the road compared with 2013, what plans it has to invest in improvement works on the A72 in the Scottish Borders.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government is committed to working with local road authorities to improve the condition of all of Scotland’s roads. The Road Collaboration Programme, established in 2014 following a key recommendation from the National Road Maintenance Review, is…
31 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been diagnosed by the Keep Well service as having (a) diabetes and (b) coronary heart disease in each year since 2010, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government does not hold this data centrally. Individual NHS boards may have recorded this information locally at their own discretion
31 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people with diabetes have received each of the nine care processes for treatment in each year since 2010, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Information on the number of people receiving the nine care processes is published annually within the Scottish Diabetes Survey, the most recent of which was published in June 2015 and covers data from 2014. All of the Scottish Diabetes Survey reports, which …
31 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle inequality between more deprived and less deprived areas in accessing each of the nine care processes for the treatment of diabetes.
Answer · Maureen Watt: It is essential that people living with diabetes receive the care they need to stay healthy and prevent complications. More people than ever before have had an HbA1c measurement, their foot score measured and received retinopathy screening. These key checks a…
31 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in light of the comment in the Diabetes Scotland report, State of the Nation 2015, that "SIGN Guidelines do not currently cover prevention of Type 2 diabetes and there is no practical mechanism to identify and support people at risk of the condition".
Answer · Maureen Watt: We want to ensure that people at risk of Type 2 diabetes are identified and supported appropriately to help minimise the risk of health complications. This aim is reflected in our Diabetes Improvement Plan, published in November 2014, which includes the preve…
27 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what appeal mechanism it will put in place for pupils who sat the 2015 maths higher exam and who wish to appeal their results.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-27241 on 17 September 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/parliament…
27 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that school pupils who sat the 2015 maths higher exam should be allowed to appeal their results.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Under the system established last year, if a school or college is concerned by a candidate’s result, in any subject, and believes the final mark does not reflect expectations, it can request a priority marking review, clerical check or a marking review of the…
25 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to monitor and prevent the spread of Himalayan Balsam in the Scottish Borders.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: At a national level, changes in distribution of plants are monitored by the Botanical Society of the British Isles. The Society periodically publishes a complete Atlas of plant distributions, based on 10km square records gathered by volunteers. Scottish Envir…
25 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what resources have been allocated to (a) SEPA and (b) other public bodies to tackle non-native invasive plant species in the Scottish Borders in each year since 2011.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) activities are funded through a combination of grant in aid support and charging to recover economic costs of its regulatory actions. These support SEPA’s delivery of its statutory obligations with regard to the d…
24 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Crown Office report into the Jim Clark Rally tragedy will be published.
Answer · Frank Mulholland: Investigations into the circumstances at the Jim Clark Rally in May 2014 are currently ongoing by the health and safety division (HSD) at Crown Office. These investigations are to determine whether there will be any criminal proceedings arising out of the eve…
24 Aug 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has received each quarter in rebate payments under the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, and what the estimated receipts are for the remainder of the scheme.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has received the following amounts from 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme payments, as defined by the scheme, relating to the following quarters: January to March 2014 £7,194,507.98 April to June 2014 £7,053,634.24 July t…
24 Aug 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support skills opportunities in the textile sector across South Scotland.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This Government has exceeded its target to deliver over 25,000 Modern Apprenticeships each year with over 101,000 new opportunities delivered in this parliamentary term. In the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway local authority areas, 1,160 individual…
29 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals for treatment to community mental health teams have been declined in each year since 2007.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Data on the specific numbers of referrals and declines is not provided to the Scottish Government. However the latest published data on the numbers of all referrals and referrals including those rejected referrals for psychological therapies and child and ado…
29 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS counsellors there have been in each NHS board in each year since 2007.
Answer · Shona Robison: Counsellors in NHS Scotland are usually employed by psychology services within NHS Boards. Information on the numbers employed each year since 2007 is shown in the following table. Information on the number of counsellors employed by other services is not hel…
29 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much each NHS board has spent on redundancy payments in each year since 2007.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS boards have been required since 2009-10, to report summary data on the use of exit packages agreed in year in their annual accounts. The information relating to 2014-15 is not yet available. A summary of the expenditure on exit packages is set out in the…
29 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to commission an audit of the availability of (a) general and (b) specific counselling services (i) within and (ii) outwith NHS Scotland.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has no plans to commission an audit on the availability of general and specific counselling services within and outwith Scotland. NHS Boards are responsible for ensuring adequate provision of evidence based psychological therapies for …
29 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many students under 18 have had access to a qualified counsellor at school since 2007, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Angela Constance: This information is not held centrally. The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) Act (Scotland) 2007 places a number of duties on local education authorities including ensuring that schools are health promoting. This includes promoting physical, social, …
29 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in relation to developing a strategy for school-based counselling for mental health issues.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) Act (Scotland) 2007 places a number of duties on local education authorities including ensuring that schools are health promoting. This includes promoting physical, social, mental and emotional wellbeing by support…
29 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many adult counselling posts have been (a) filled, (b) advertised and (c) unfilled in each year since 2007, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: Counsellors in NHS Scotland are usually employed by psychology services within NHS boards. Information on the numbers employed each year since 2007 is provided in the answer to question S4W-26941 on 20 August 2015. Information on how many posts have been fill…
29 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons a referral for treatment to community mental health teams can be declined.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: It is the responsibility of health boards to provide services appropriate to the needs of their local population. If it is deemed that a patient will benefit from a particular therapy, clinicians will ensure that appropriate services are provided to meet thei…
28 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce an exemption to tail docking for working dogs following its research study on tail injuries in working dogs in 2014.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: I have been carefully considering the strongly held views on both sides of the argument about the possibility of allowing tail docking of working dogs in Scotland. I have recently been asked by the rural affairs, climate change and environment committee to pr…
27 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Police Scotland interventions there have been at (a) homes and (b) schools in each year since 2010 for people under 18 with extreme behavioural difficulties.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
27 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many calls there have been to Police Scotland in each year since 2010 for (a) home and (b) school interventions relating to people under 18 with extreme behavioural difficulties.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
24 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GP referrals to accident and emergency departments there have been in each year since 2010, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The number of GP referrals to Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments in NHS Scotland are given in the following table. Figures are provided from January 2010 to end of June 2015, by calendar year. Table 1. Number of new and unplanned attendances at A&E dep…
24 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support services it provides for the families and carers of people with eating disorders.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: A range of support services will be provided in partnership by NHS boards, local authorities and the third sector to meet the needs of families and carers of people living with an eating disorders, in line with statutory obligations and Scottish Government po…
24 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what services it provides for people with eating disorders in remote and rural areas.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: NHS boards and local authorities are responsible for working with their partners to provide care, services and support which meets the assessed needs of people living with an eating disorder across Scotland, including those in remote and rural areas, in line …
24 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has of the number of cases of eating disorders that are not reported.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The information is not held ventrally. The Recommendations for the Management and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Scotland recognises prevalence estimates for the number of people with eating disorders in Scotland are difficult to calculate given the likely …
24 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to patients with eating disorders in the post-discharge period.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The majority of people with an eating disorder will be treated in the community by specialist eating disorder or community mental health teams. A small number may need specialist psychiatric or acute inpatient care. NHS boards, working in partnership with pri…
24 Jul 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what average distance patients with eating disorders in each NHS board area have to travel to reach a clinic specialised in eating disorders.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The information is not collected centrally. All NHS boards work in partnership to provide appropriate care, services and support to those living with an eating disorder on the basis of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary needs assessment.