Parliamentary questions
Jim Hume
1,310 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to convert NHS brownfield sites into residential housing.
Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Ministers’ policy is that property holdings should be kept to a minimum and, as such, once surplus assets have been identified they should usually be sold as quickly as possible, subject to value for money considerations. Health officials liaise with…
26 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many former NHS sites have been converted to social housing in each year since 2007-08, and how many housing units they have provided.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not hold this information as it is not collected centrally.
25 Jan 2016 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Committee on Climate Change’s concerns that its spending on climate change is set to be reduced in 2016-17.
21 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to implement recommendation 8 of the report, Shifting the Curve, by the Independent Advisor on Poverty, that it should do more to tackle the poverty premium in home energy costs.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government welcomes this report and the contribution it makes to our ambition to tackle poverty and inequality and to create a fairer, more prosperous Scotland. We will carefully consider the recommendations and will respond formally to the repor…
21 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in the report, Shifting the Curve, by the Independent Advisor on Poverty, that 47% of part-time couples with dependent children were in poverty in 2013-14, and what action it is taking in light of this.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government welcomes the report of the independent advisor and the contribution it makes to our ambition to tackle poverty and inequality and to create a fairer, more prosperous Scotland. We will carefully consider the recommendations and will res…
21 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25711 by Jamie Hepburn on 3 June 2015, what the figures are for 2014-15.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Information on NHS expenditure and percentage of expenditure for mental health services that has been spent on child and adolescent mental health services in the hospital and community sectors in each year since 2007 is shown in Table 1. Table 1: Child and a…
21 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25708 by Jamie Hepburn on 3 June 2015, what the figures are for 2014-15.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: (i) Information on the expenditure and percentage of expenditure that has been spent on child and adolescent mental health services of the overall NHS expenditure for the year 2014 to 2015 by NHS board is shown in Table 1. (ii) This information is not held c…
18 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have (a) started studying for and (b) graduated with a Mental Health Officer Award (Post Graduate Certificate) in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: In August 2015, the Scottish Social Services Council published its annual Mental Health Officer workforce statistics. The information below, from table 9 in the report, sets out the number of admissions to the Mental Health Officer Award programme as well as …
18 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that more than 900 people were detained in 2015 under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 2003 without the consent of a mental health officer.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Emergency detention under the 2003 Act is only permissible where it is necessary as a matter of urgency because of a significant risk to the health, safety or welfare of the patient or the safety of others. Medical practitioners are required to seek agreement…
13 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of consultant posts have been vacant for more than (i) three and (ii) six months and (A) covered and (B) not covered by a locum, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: We currently have the highest medical staffing levels ever, with record numbers of consultants. Under this government, consultant numbers across Scotland have increased by 1,464.9 whole time equivalent (WTE), or 40.3 per cent, to 5,101.4 WTE. The consultant…
13 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of consultant posts have been vacant and (i) covered and (ii) not covered by a locum in each year since 2007-08, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: We currently have the highest medical staffing levels ever, with record numbers of consultants. Under this government, consultant numbers across Scotland have increased by 1,464.9 whole time equivalent (WTE), or 40.3 per cent, to 5,101.4 WTE. The consultant …
13 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to private landlords regarding improving energy efficiency in their properties, and whether it plans to update this.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government funds the Home Energy Scotland advice centres and helpline which are managed on our behalf by the Energy Saving Trust. Home Energy Scotland provides free and impartial advice on energy saving to all householders, including private sect…
12 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of days that homeless families with children spend in temporary accommodation.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government is increasing affordable housing supply to expand the settled accommodation options for families in temporary accommodation. We have now met and exceeded the current target to deliver 30,000 affordable homes, and within that the cons…
12 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that children in homeless households in Scotland spent one million days in temporary accommodation in 2015.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: This is not a statistic used by the Scottish Government. It appears to be an estimate based on officially published statistics of the numbers of households with children in temporary accommodation over a year. We do not want to see an increase in families in…
12 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that more than one in four adults in Scotland who are responsible for paying rent or a mortgage are worried about covering the cost of their housing in 2016.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: We have a strong record on housing matters across all tenures from rental to home ownership. Since 2007 we have encouraged housing supply, maintaining higher build rates in both affordable and private housing than the rest of the UK. We have exceeded our targ…
12 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the impact of homelessness on the mental health of children who live in temporary accommodation.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has made no specific assessment of mental health of children in temporary accommodation. The Scottish Government and its partners have put in place a number of measures to ensure that the experience of temporary accommodation is as pos…
8 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the prevalence of mental ill-health broken down by (a) professional group and (b) category of the Scottish Government 6-fold Urban Rural Classification.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-29231 on 19 January 2016. 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/parliamentary…
8 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many mental health inpatient deaths there have been in each year since 2007.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Psychiatric inpatient and day case discharges are recorded in Scottish morbidity record 04 (SMR04). Data on SMR04 is routinely published by financial year and 2013-14 is the latest year for which information is available. Inpatient deaths show a decline of 49…
8 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the types of mental health conditions that are prevalent in each category of the Scottish Government 6-fold Urban Rural Classification.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Information from various studies into the prevalence of different mental health conditions in the general population is available on the Scottish Public Health Observatory website under the mental health topic (http://www.scotpho.org.uk/health-wellbeing-and-d…
7 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are to develop a mental health strategy to succeed the Mental Health Strategy for Scotland: 2012-2015.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We have engaged in early dialogue with a number of stakeholders about the next mental health strategy which will be produced in 2016, and informed by further engagement with interested parties.
7 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that 2,200 patients received mental health treatment outside their NHS board area in 2014-15.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: On occasion people will be treated outside their board areas where specialist or urgent care is required. Care and support is provided in the most appropriate environment, regardless of board boundaries, and is always dictated by clinical need and benefit to …
7 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28224 by Jamie Hepburn on 13 November 2015, when it will publish the follow-up report, and for what reason it was not published before Christmas 2015.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We expect to publish the follow-up report commissioned from the Mental Health Foundation and Voices of Experience shortly.
7 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, following publication of the report, Understanding Disabled People’s Housing Pathways: Initial Insights, how it will change its housing strategy to accommodate improved construction of social housing stock to meet the needs of disabled people.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-29216 on 19 January 2016. 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/parliamentary…
7 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, following publication of the report, Understanding Disabled People’s Housing Pathways: Initial Insights, what guidelines it has developed for local authorities to make social housing units better equipped for the needs of disabled people.
Answer · Alex Neil: Guidance to local authorities on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) promotes the delivery of flexible housing capable of being adapted to suit peoples’ changing requirements. Therefore, wherever possible, housing projects receiving grant funding t…
7 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, following publication of the report, Understanding Disabled People’s Housing Pathways: Initial Insights, what plans it has to make more social housing units available to disabled people.
Answer · Alex Neil: In 2016-17 we will increase the capital funding for the affordable housing supply programme by £90 million, to increase the supply of new social and affordable homes, including for disabled people. Local authorities are required under the Housing (Scotland) A…
7 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, following publication of the report, Understanding Disabled People’s Housing Pathways: Initial Insights, what financial support it will provide to help disabled people access housing more suitable for their needs.
Answer · Alex Neil: In 2016-17 we will increase the capital funding for the affordable housing supply programme by £90 million, to increase the supply of new social and affordable homes, including for disabled people. We are continuing to provide £10 million to Registered Social…
7 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it (a) has had or (b) plans to have with the UK Government on devolving the National Lottery.
Answer · Alex Neil: No such discussions have taken place. There are no current plans to change the way in which the National Lottery operates in Scotland. We are committed to ensuring that Scotland’s communities continue to benefit from the good cause funding raised from lottery…
6 Jan 2016 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what Barnett consequentials will arise from the £600 million increase in mental health spending announced in the recent Spending Review, and how the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy plans to allocate this.
14 Dec 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding how it deals with incidents involving people with mental health issues.
7 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the closure of the Forth Road Bridge on nursing and medical staff who commute.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government has been engaged with health boards affected by the Forth Road Bridge on a daily basis since the closure was announced. Initially, ministers, officials, representatives from health boards and emergency services took part in daily Scott…