Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the development of a new Liberton High School building in Edinburgh, in light of reported concerns regarding the existing building not being fit for purpose.
Answer · John Swinney: Any decision regarding replacing Liberton High School rests with the City of Edinburgh Council. The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 places a statutory responsibility on all local authorities to manage and maintain the school estate across Scotland.
25 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02519 by Shona Robison on 23 September 2016, how many outpatients did not attend NHS appointments in each year since 2016.
Answer · Shona Robison: Information on patients who did not attend an outpatient appointments is collected only for a first outpatient consultation with consultant or dental led clinics. The following table provides information on the number of new appointments and the number of pat…
25 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many opioids have been prescribed by (a) GPs and (b) hospitals in each year since 1999, broken down by type of opioid.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Dispenser Payments and Prescription Cost Analysis report provides, on annual basis, information on the volume of drugs prescribed in the community, including opioid analgesics and for the treatment of opioid dependency. The report is published on the Nat…
24 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 2015 has led to a reduction in the forced treatment of patients detained under mental health law.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland has a statutory responsibility to monitor the use of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. As part of meeting that responsibility, it publishes an annual overview of the use of the 2003 Act. The…
24 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which section in the code of practice for the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 stipulates that a person shall be judged to have Significantly Impaired Decision Making Ability (SIDMA) only if a mental disorder affects that person's ability to believe, understand and …
Answer · Maureen Watt: Volume 2 in the Code of Practice deals with a range of issues relating to civil compulsory powers with Chapter 1 providing an overview of the criteria which must be used before these powers can be exercised. Paragraphs 19 – 27 specifically relate to SIDMA.
24 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, based on the NHS Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula, NHS Lothian is predicting a £31 million shortfall in funding; what contingency measures the board is considering to meet this, and whether ministers plan to review the NRAC formula.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Lothian have clarified in a press release that they are not predicting a £31 million shortfall in funding. As with all NHS Boards, we are continuing to work with NHS Lothian to ensure public money is being used effectively to deliver better services, bett…
20 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14772 by Maree Todd on 6 March 2018, in light of (a) the reported staff shortages in adult social care and (b) its campaign to recruit more people to work in the childcare sector, whether it plans to work with (i) the Scottish Founding Council, (ii)…
Answer · Maree Todd: Information on the provision of training places for the social services workforce is published in the Workforce Skills Report, published biennially by the Scottish Social Services Council. The data is collected from a number of sources including the Scottish …
20 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that there will be sufficient (a) housing, (b) GP and other health services, (c) trunk road capacity and (d) transport infrastructure in (i) Midlothian, (ii) East Lothian, (iii) West Lothian and (iv) Edinburgh to meet the projected population growth tha…
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The current Infrastructure Investment Plan sets out our key priorities including the delivery of 50,000 affordable homes by 2021, the expansion of early learning and childcare, the extension of broadband, as well as investment in healthcare and transport infr…
19 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what duties Scottish Canals has to consult with stakeholders on proposed new projects, and whether consultation should take place from inception to completion of such projects.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Although there is no specific general duty, Scottish Ministers expect Scottish Canals to consult and engage with stakeholders as widely as possible and at appropriate points in the development of projects.
19 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the proposal to introduce an independent waterways ombudsman to provide oversight of the operation of Scottish Canals and decisions that it makes.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-15929 on? 26 April 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness…
17 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what investments it has made in the last two years to help reduce the number of people under 65 with neurological conditions who are cared for in care homes for older people; what information it has on how many of those people are being cared for in such homes, broken down by local autho…
Answer · Shona Robison: We want to ensure that people living with neurological conditions have consistent access to the best possible care and support. The integration of health and social care places a greater emphasis on community-based and more joined-up and anticipatory care whi…
17 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when (a) ministers and (b) its officials first became aware of NHS Tayside's use of endowment funds for board spending, including IT spend, and whether it will provide information on the designations of those officials.
Answer · Shona Robison: On 3 April, I became aware that, in financial year 2013-14, Trustees of NHS Tayside’s Endowment Fund had suspended their rules to allow for the retrospective approval of funding for projects. The Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and the Director of Health Fina…
17 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on which executives and other officials at NHS Tayside were involved in the decision to use endowment funds for board spending, including IT spend, and which executives and other officials were subsequently informed of this decision and when.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator’s (OSCR) has opened a formal inquiry into allegations of possible misconduct in the operation of Tayside’s endowment fund and will report in due course.
17 Apr 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to encourage more diesel taxi owners to convert to liquefied petroleum gas.
17 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to encourage more smokers to attempt to quit.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: On 9 April we embarked on a four-month national and local TV, radio, community action and social media campaign. The intention of the campaign is to motivate smokers who are ready to quit – focused on areas where smoking rates are highest and linking to the N…
17 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have indicated in each year since 2005-06 that they were attempting to quit smoking, and what analysis it has made of the trend.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information used for analysing trends is based on the number of quit attempts made through NHS services and data on that is available for financial years 2009-10 to 2016-17 in the Information Services Divisions latest NHS Smoking Cessation Services Scotland …
17 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14095 by Aileen Campbell on 8 February 2018, how much was spent in 2017-18 in smoking cessation campaigning, and how much it plans to spend in 2018-19.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government spends approximately £500,000 per year to reduce smoking prevalence. These funds are not static and each year we focus on different aspects to help build a collective reduction in tobacco use. Marketing activity linked to smoking cessa…
3 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it issues regarding the support and services that should be provided to people with benign brain tumours post-surgery, and how it monitors the effectiveness of this.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Managed Service Network (MSN) – Neurosurgery has developed a brain tumour pathway. A copy of the pathway is available at: http://www.msn-neuro.scot.nhs.uk/services/pathways/docs/MSN_Brain_Tumour_Pathway_Version_3_9.pdf Subject to the successful develop…
3 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to people with a benign brain tumour, including post-surgery support.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Managed Service Network (MSN) - Neurosurgery provides links to third sector organisations on their website and also in clinical areas in the four neurosurgical centres in Scotland. The impact of a brain tumour is to some extent dependent on location and …
3 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to raise awareness among (a) GPs, (b) audiologists and (c) other NHS clinicians of benign brain tumours.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Managed Service Network (MSN) - Neurosurgery consulted with the Royal College of General Practitioners during the development of the brain tumour pathway. The MSN has not had direct interaction with audiologists, however, they are working with NSD to est…
3 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14562 by Shona Robison on 28 February 2018, in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that "I expect to see improvements between now and the end of March 2018", what progress has been made with reducing waiting times for orthopaedic appointments a…
Answer · Shona Robison: Information on waiting times is published quarterly by ISD. The next publication will be for the period January to March 2018 and will be published on 29 May 2019 and will show waiting time performance across all NHS Boards.
27 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that delays in renewed treatment for chronic pain due to staff shortages have led to suicide attempts by some return patients, including the testimony given to the Cross Party Group on Chronic Pain by a patient from the NHS Lanarkshire area in March 2018.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government places a high priority on mental health and the prevention of suicide. That is why we have a range of support on offer. In the first instance if anyone is being treated for chronic pain, and there is a change in their circumstances, th…
26 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14867 by Shona Robison on 7 March 2018, how many real-time continuous glucose monitoring devices and insulin pumps have been made available to patients in 2017-18.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government's letter DL (2017) 13 issued to all NHS Boards on 12 June 2017 provides an indication of the number of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices and insulin pumps for adults that the 2017-18 financial year £2m additional funding wo…
26 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14867 by Shona Robison on 7 March 2018, how much has been provided in 2017-18 to each NHS board to pay for real-time continuous glucose monitoring devices and insulin pumps.
Answer · Shona Robison: Additional funding for the provision of continuous glucose monitoring devices for all ages and insulin pumps for adults for financial year 2017-18 is set out in the Scottish Government's letter (DL (2017) 13) issued to all NHS Boards on 12 June 2017.
23 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15082 by Maureen Watt on 14 March 2018, whether guidance has been issued that confirms that a person must not be assumed to have Significantly Impaired Decision Making Ability (SIDMA) unless it has been properly established that a mental disorder ha…
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 sets out the principles according to which those who perform duties under the Act must discharge those functions. This includes professionals such as medical practitioners who take decisions concernin…
23 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15078 by Maureen Watt on 14 March 2018, for what reason it refers to "significant safeguards" in relation to forced treatment rather than the "effective safeguards" that are referred to in Article 12.4 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with…
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 provides a range of safeguards which are both significant and effective, where those words are interpreted as having their ordinary meaning, in protecting the rights of people who receive mental healt…
23 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05965 by John Swinney on 5 January 2017 regarding how many and what percentage of (a) pupils with additional support needs and (b) hours of support provision there have been between 2011 and 2016, whether it will provide the information for 2017.
Answer · John Swinney: Education authorities and other agencies have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 (as amended) to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. Information on how many and the percentage of pupils with ad…
21 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many adult carer places have there been on college courses in each year since 1999, also broken down by college.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Information on the number of adult carers at Scottish colleges has only been collected since the 2013-14 academic year. At the time of first collection not all colleges were in a position to provide this information. The following table shows the number of c…
21 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the annual budget for each integration joint board has been since they commenced operating.
Answer · Shona Robison: This information can be accessed from the integration joint board audited annual accounts which are publically available on their websites.
21 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people it estimates are using cannabis for medicinal reasons, and what assessment it has made of illegal medicinal usage.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The information requested is not available centrally.