Parliamentary questions
Jim Hume
1,310 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many operations have been postponed in each NHS board area in the last three years and for what reasons.
Answer · Alex Neil: The specific information is not available centrally as it is not possible to identify operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons. Information although limited, is available on the number of hospital stays where operation/procedure was not carried out foll…
4 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has taken to ensure a continuation of service for patients awaiting a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow until NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's faulty scanner is repaired.
Answer · Alex Neil: The provision of local healthcare services is primarily a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has assured us that patients who require a routine brain scan have been re-routed to other hospitals within the board area. The …
4 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are waiting for a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.
Answer · Alex Neil: The specific information requested is not available centrally.
4 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people were referred for a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.
Answer · Alex Neil: The information requested is not available centrally.
4 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the responses to its consultation on maintenance of land on private housing estates and what further action it will take on the issue.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: We are aiming to publish the consultation responses early in the New Year. We will outline the next steps around the same time.
3 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the 28-day hospital readmission rate following discharge from a mental health specialty was for patients aged (a) under 18, (b) 19 to 44, (c) 45 to 64 and (d) 65 and over in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Alex Neil: The following table shows the latest figures for the number of discharges from mental health hospitals (SMR04) that have a subsequent readmission to a mental health hospital within 28 days. 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 1 NHS Board of Residence and Age Grou…
3 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have consulted a GP practice for sleep apnoea in each year since 2008-09.
Answer · Michael Matheson: There are no centrally collected figures which count the number of people consulting a GP practice for sleep apnoea. However, estimates are available from a sample of general practices in Scotland taking part in the Practice Team Information (PTI) scheme (Tab…
3 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have consulted a GP or a practice-employed nurse for a sleep disorder in each year since 2009-10.
Answer · Michael Matheson: There are no centrally collected figures which count the number of people consulting a GP or a practice-employed nurse for sleep disorders. However, estimates are available from a small sample of general practices in Scotland taking part in the Practice Team …
3 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many accident and emergency incidents the Scottish Ambulance Service attended in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.
Answer · Alex Neil: The number of accident and emergency incidents the Scottish Ambulance Service attended each year was as follows: 2009-10 608,833 2010-11 613,132 2011-12 620,760 This information is published annually in the Information Services Division Scotland Cost B…
3 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many lives were saved by administering naloxone to people who had overdosed on drugs in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-09418 on 20 September 2012. 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…
28 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Kalydeco should be available for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is committed to patients in Scotland receiving medicines of established cost-effectiveness and therapeutic value. Scotland has its own robust arrangements for appraising the clinical and cost-effectiveness of newly licensed medicines …
28 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the benefits of Kalydeco are in the treatment of cystic fibrosis.
Answer · Alex Neil: Scotland has its own robust arrangements for appraising the clinical and cost-effectiveness of newly licensed medicines through the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. The processes of these organisations operate independe…
28 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contact the Scottish Medicines Consortium has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) concerning Kalydeco.
Answer · Alex Neil: Scotland has its own robust arrangements for appraising the clinical and cost-effectiveness of newly licensed medicines through SMC and Healthcare Improvement Scotland and therefore there is no requirement for the SMC to contact NICE concerning Ivacaftor (Kal…
28 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration the Scottish Medicines Consortium has given to the introduction of Kalydeco as a treatment for cystic fibrosis.
Answer · Alex Neil: The SMC will publish advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Ivacaftor (Kalydeco) on 14 January 2013. A link to the forthcoming submissions section of the SMC website is attached: http://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/SMC_Advice/Forthcoming_Submission…
26 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons the NHSScotland Chief Executive's Annual Report 2011-12 was published on Saturday, 24 November 2012, and not on a weekday.
Answer · Alex Neil: Publishing the report on Saturday 24 November allowed the Chief Executive to make himself available to field interviews on the report and as such maximise the opportunity to share an awareness of the progress made by NHSScotland over 2011-12.
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the benefit for a zero waste Scotland would be of a greater use of alternatives to peat for horticultural purposes.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: A Zero Waste Scotland necessitates improved resource efficiency and a greater use of alternatives to peat for horticultural purposes obviously forms part of this solution. Zero waste Scotland has a role in promoting alternatives to peat through the production…
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what quantity of sustainable peat alternative for horticultural purposes is produced in Scotland.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: This information is not collected centrally.
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what quantity of peat for horticultural purposes is produced in Scotland.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The volume of peat extracted for horticultural purposes varies from year to year depending largely on summer weather. The latest figure (mineral extraction in Great Britain) for Scotland is 527,000 cubic metres in 2010.
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of horticultural peat sold in Scotland has been displaced by more environmentally sustainable alternatives.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse : The Department for Environment Food, and Rural Affairs estimate that products for growing plants (growing media other than soil improvers) used in UK horticulture are now 70% peat, indicating that about 30% has been replaced by peat-free alternatives. There a…
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the sustainability of the horticultural use of peat.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Government wishes to see the extraction of peat for use in horticulture reduced and eventually phased out. We value our peatlands both for biodiversity and for their carbon storage, but we also recognise that there needs to be an adequate supply of suitab…
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to discourage the exploitation of existing consents for horticultural peat extraction.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government is not taking action to discourage the implementation of extant consents for horticultural peat extraction. Planning authorities may have decided for a variety of case specific reasons that it was appropriate to approve horticultural p…
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that new applications for horticultural peat extraction are not approved.
Answer · Derek Mackay: There is no blanket ban on horticultural peat extraction in Scotland. The acceptability of proposals will be dependent on a number of factors and will vary from site to site. The determination of such proposals is the responsibility of the relevant planning a…
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the carbon implications are of the exploitation of existing planning consents for horticultural peat extraction and what the implications are for Scotland's greenhouse gas targets.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The emissions associated with horticultural peat extraction in Scotland are estimated at 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. There would thus be a carbon saving if peat were no longer to be extracted. However, if such quantities were sourced …
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the greenhouse gas emissions that would result from horticultural peat extraction are calculated and assessed in the planning process.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The UK inventory report describes how GHG emissions are estimated. In the latest UK inventory report: http://naei.defra.gov.uk/report_link.php?report_id=693 Annex 3 at pages 568-570 describes the method used to estimate GHG emissions from peat extraction fo…
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many hectares of peat bog have existing consents for horticultural peat extraction.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: This information is not held centrally.
14 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government's decision to refuse consent for peat extraction at Chat Moss in England, what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that peat bogs in Scotland receive the same degree of protection from horticultural e…
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government provides policy guidance to planning authorities to help them carry out an informed assessment of all submitted development proposals affecting peatland. This guidance is supported by advice and information supplied by a number of othe…
1 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the target date is for the delivery of single farm payments to claimants in 2012-13 and what percentage of claimants in receipt of payments it aims to achieve by that date.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We aim to make the first payment under the 2012 Single Farm Payment Scheme on 3 December. This is the earliest possible date given that EC regulations require payments to be contained in a “window” that opens on 1 December and closes on 30 June in the followi…
1 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish (a) the results of its consultation on The Action Programme for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (Scotland) Regulations 2008: Proposed Amendments and (b) its plans for any amendments to the existing action programme that regulates these zones.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The summary of the consultation responses and the changes to the current Nitrates Action Programme will be published this month.
22 Oct 2012 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government when an agreement will be in place appointing Network Rail as the authorised undertaker of the Edinburgh to Tweedbank railway project.
17 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what review it has carried out of whether building and design standards meet the needs of (a) older and (b) disabled people and what conclusion was reached.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: We are undertaking work to compare Scottish Building Standards, Housing for Varying Needs Standards and Lifetime Homes Standards to establish where the differences lie, and whether any changes might be needed to meet the needs of older people and disabled peo…