Parliamentary questions
Jim Hume
1,310 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13200 by Michael Matheson on 5 March 2013, what its position is on the availability of the emergency contraceptive (a) ulipristal acetate and (b) levonorgestrel.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Ulipristal acetate (known as ellaOne) is licensed as an emergency hormonal contraception. For this indication, it is a prescription only medicine. Levonogestrel (known as levonelle) is available from community pharmacies, sexual health services and GPs.
26 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many new minor injuries units will be created and what hospitals it has identified as locations for co-located services under the unscheduled care action plan.
Answer · Alex Neil: The planning and provision of healthcare services is a matter for NHS boards, based on their assessment of what is in the best interests of local people, as informed by national policies and frameworks.
26 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional frontline staff will be employed in each year as a result of the unscheduled care action plan; how many will be (a) consultants, (b) doctors and (c) nurses, and in which NHS boards they will be employed.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13290 on 12 March 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…
26 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the unscheduled care action plan funding (a) is additional funding and (b) has already been budgeted.
Answer · Alex Neil: The NHS resource budget is increasing by £293 million, or 2.7%, in 2013-14. This means that territorial health boards will see an overall increase of 3.3% in funding in 2013-14 – that represents a real terms increase of 1.3%. The Unscheduled Care Action Plan…
26 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much each NHS board will receive in each year under the unscheduled care action plan.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13290 on 12 March 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…
26 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the £50 million announced for the unscheduled care action plan will be spent in each year of the plan.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS boards are being asked to produce by June their own local plans in line with the national action plan, which is predicated on patients getting the right care, at the right time, in the right place. Once we have assessed the local plans and had discussions…
20 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that there are effective links between the National Planning Framework 3, marine planning and the sustainable land use strategy.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The emerging National Marine Plan, on-going sectoral marine planning for offshore renewable energy and the Land Use Strategy are important drivers for National Planning Framework 3's spatial strategy and will be reflected in the Main Issues Report, to be publ…
20 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the need for any national development is demonstrated before it is considered as a potential development in the National Planning Framework 3.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The criteria for National Developments were announced and published in September 2012 when we launched the pre Main Issues Report engagement exercise. Those national developments that we propose to take forward will be identified in the Main Issues Report, to…
20 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that effective consultation is carried out with communities likely to be affected before any national developments are put forward in the National Planning Framework 3.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Participation Statement published in September 2012 to accompany the preparation of National Planning Framework 3 (NPF3) sets out that the Scottish Government would assist communities to get involved in the preparation of NPF3. Further details will be ava…
20 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the National Planning Framework 3 will not result in significant adverse environmental effects.
Answer · Derek Mackay: A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of National Planning Framework 3 is being undertaken. As required by the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, this will identify the likely significant environmental effects arising from the Framework, and s…
18 Feb 2013 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to NHS boards for the delivery of paediatric services.
13 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions Health Facilities Scotland has reviewed the cleanliness of medical tools or instruments in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12 and what further action was taken, broken down by (i) NHS board area and (ii) facility.
Answer · Alex Neil: Whilst Health Facilities Scotland engineers carry out testing of equipment used for decontamination (e.g. ultrasonic cleaners, washer disinfectors and sterilisers) to ensure they comply with the relevant guidance and British/European/International Standards t…
12 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many reviews there have been following a high hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR) being recorded in each of the last four years; what HMSRs triggered these; which hospitals were involved; when the reviews were (a) ordered and (b) carried out, and what further action was take…
Answer · Alex Neil: Since December 2009, Information Services Division (ISD) has produced quarterly hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMR) for all Scottish hospitals participating in the Scottish Patient Safety Programme. This is published four times a year and can be fou…
11 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has taken place of the economic impact of schemes that received funding through the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We have not specifically assessed the economic impact of the TCRF schemes. I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13070 on 8 March 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility fo…
11 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many vacant town centre properties have been brought into residential use through the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Ten vacant town centre properties have been brought into residential use through the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.
11 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many schemes that received funding through the Town Centre Regeneration Fund included an element to bring empty property into residential use.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Seven schemes that received funding through the Town Centre Regeneration Fund included an element to bring empty property into residential use.
11 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation has taken place of the impact of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government published research into town centre regeneration on its website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/09/21082703/0, in September 2011. This includes evidence taken from nine of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund (TCRF) project…
11 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the target waiting time is for endoscopy for patients identified as high risk and requiring ongoing surveillance and whether it is being met.
Answer · Alex Neil: From 31 March 2009, the Scottish Government set a national waiting time standard that patients will wait no more than six weeks for any of the eight key diagnostic tests. These tests include colonoscopy. The latest available published performance (September …
11 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a waiting time target for second or subsequent cancer treatment.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has set two standards for patients diagnosed with cancer. The first is that patients, who have been urgently referred with a suspicion of cancer or are referred from one of the national cancer screening programmes, should begin treatme…
11 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that patients urgently referred through the bowel cancer screening programme start treatment within 62 days.
Answer · Alex Neil: The 62-day cancer access target was first introduced in 2000. In 2008, it was extended to include patients who screened positive in the bowel, breast and cervical screening programmes. The Scottish Government continues to closely scrutinise performance acros…
11 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the feasibility study of future uses of Shambellie House will be published.
30 Jan 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will (a) monitor and (b) measure the success of the emergency care action plan.
Answer · Alex Neil: The unscheduled care action plan will be monitored using a small number of new and existing indicators. The unscheduled care expert group is currently considering the unscheduled care data development projects underway in Scotland. New indicators will be deve…
30 Jan 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when NHS boards will first receive funding from the emergency care action plan and when the first consultants will arrive in accident and emergency departments.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS boards will receive their allocations in April 2013 and we expect NHS boards to commence recruitment of consultants in April 2013. The Scottish Government has supported NHS boards to increase the number of consultants working in Scotland’s accident and e…
30 Jan 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the additional £1 million for the emergency care action plan is embedded into long-term NHS plans and will be carried forward into subsequent financial years.
Answer · Alex Neil: This is additional funding to the territorial NHS boards and will be met from efficiencies/reprioritisation within our central portfolio budgets and will fund around ten full time consultants. NHS boards will be allocated £1,000,000 in 2013-14, £500,000 in 20…
30 Jan 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the additional £1 million for the emergency care action plan will be allocated and how much each NHS board will receive.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS boards will be invited to bid for additional funding with decisions on funding allocations to be taken in April 2013. These decisions will be informed by a new group involving senior NHS managers, representatives from the medical Royal Colleges and other …
30 Jan 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average salary is of a consultant working in (a) the NHS and (b) an NHS accident and emergency department.
Answer · Alex Neil: The average salary of a consultant working in NHS Scotland is £87,500. This is based on the latest figures available for the financial year April 2011 to March 2012. It is not possible to provide the average salary of a consultant working in an NHS accident …
30 Jan 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many accident and emergency departments there are; at what hospitals; in which NHS board areas, and what size of population they serve.
Answer · Alex Neil: Emergency Departments (EDs) were defined by the British Association of Emergency Medicine (now the College of Emergency Medicine) in The Way Forward (2005) as “those hospitals with new patient attendances of greater than 40,000 per annum. The principles for …
30 Jan 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the candidates elected to the boards of NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries and Galloway in 2010 will continue to serve on the boards after their terms of office have expired in the event of direct elections not being continued.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has received the independent evaluation on health board elections and alternative pilots and will take this issue in to account as it considers its position.
30 Jan 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on direct elections to NHS boards.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government will announce its position on the independent evaluation on health board elections and alternative pilots once it has considered the information contained in the report.
30 Jan 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the evaluation of direct elections to NHS boards.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government will publish its position on the independent evaluation on health board elections and alternative pilots once it has considered the information contained in the report.