Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing an ID card for young carers, primarily to assist with collecting from pharmacies.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government supported piloting of young carer identification cards in six local authority areas in 2012. Based on the learning from these pilots, we offered all local authorities one-off grant funding to establish similar cards and recommended the…
30 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consider the applicability of recommendations from the review of England's cancer screening programmes to help improve similar services in Scotland.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The review of England’s cancer screening was commissioned by NHS England and is expected to culminate in recommendations about future commissioning and delivery of cancer screening programmes in England. The independent review is being conducted by Professor …
30 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what involvement it has had in the review of England's cancer screening programme and how it will use opportunities to learn lessons from its recommendations.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22908 on 8 May 2019. 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/288…
26 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many non-disclosure agreements have been agreed by each NHS board in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not collected or held centrally. In February 2014, following concerns around the use of confidentiality clauses in settlement agreements, Scottish Ministers announced the expectation of a presumption against the use of any confidentiality…
25 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that funding for cardiovascular research does not adequately reflect the impact that cardiovascular disease has on the population and the economy.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to S5W-22808 on 7 May 2019. 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/28877.aspx .
25 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on increasing the funding that is awarded by the Chief Scientist Office and the Scottish Funding Council for mental health research.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to S5W-22808 on 7 May 2019. 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/28877.aspx .
25 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the concerns that have been raised by the mental health charity, Miricyl, that a relatively small share of funding is allocated to mental health research compared with that for physical health.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to S5W-22808 on 7 May 2019. 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/28877.aspx .
25 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that mental health research should be treated with the same status as that for physical health and, if so, how it will ensure that the funding allocated by the Chief Scientist Office and the Scottish Funding Council for such research reflects this.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to S5W-22808 on 7 May 2019. 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/28877.aspx .
25 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider commissioning an independent review of whether the funding that is awarded by the Chief Scientist Office and the Scottish Funding Council for mental and physical health research is allocated on an equitable basis between both fields to help ensure that the highes…
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This answer responds to S5W-22808, S5W-22809, S5W-22810, S5W-22811 and S5W-22812 on 7 May 2019. The Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) does not target funding towards any particular condition through its research grant schemes but supports resea…
23 Apr 2019 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of graduates from Scottish medical schools go on to work in the NHS in Scotland.
18 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the significant decrease in the number of people from Scotland aged 16 to 24 who self-assessed as having good or very good health, according to the Scottish Core Questions Survey 2017.
Answer · Clare Haughey: We have noted this decrease in self-reported wellbeing. Evidence suggests that the underlying causes are an increasing proportion of this age group reporting long-term conditions and lower levels of mental wellbeing. Mental health is an absolute priority for…
18 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it will use to select an impartial chair of the committee that will review mental health and incapacity legislation.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government is clear that we need to ensure we appoint the right person for what will be a complex and important review. As there will be an emphasis on engaging widely, the review will have to get to the heart of differing opinions so that the re…
16 Apr 2019 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Electoral Commission regarding the provision of a free mailshot for local government election candidates.
15 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports people with primary biliary cholangitis.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to provide high quality, person-centred care for all people, including those with suspected, or confirmed diagnosis of Primary Biliary Cholangitis. Scotland has an implementation plan for rare diseases, published 20…
15 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it awards to the Primary Biliary Cholangitis Foundation.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the third sector in providing valuable support to those with Primary Biliary Cholangitis. To date, the Primary Biliary Cholangitis Foundation has been awarded £73,340 by the Scottish Government.
11 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on (a) drugs and (b) other treatments for blood cancer in each year since 2015.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not collected or held centrally to the level of detail requested. It is for NHS Boards to determine spend on drugs and other blood cancer treatment services from their unified budget in accordance with the needs of their resident populatio…
11 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that an estimated one in three people with blood cancer see their GP at least three times before being referred for diagnosis.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer were revised in January 2019 and support Primary Care clinicians in identifying patients who are most likely to have cancer and therefore require urgent assessment by a specialist. The Detect Cancer Early…
11 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for people with blood cancer to receive their first treatment following diagnosis.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government does not collate waiting times for all haematological cancers. However, Lymphoma is included in the current cancer waiting times standards. Latest published data from Q4 2018 show that 96.1% of Lymphoma patients waiting less than 62 d…
11 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work is carried out with people who have (a) blood and (b) other types of cancer regarding their experiences of living with the condition and how this impacts on their physical and mental wellbeing, and how the NHS uses this to inform the action that it takes to improve their qualit…
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Cancer Strategy, Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action, has set out a number of specific actions to support people living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis. This includes a commitment to support access to health and social care services during and after tr…
11 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce and implement a national obesity strategy for adults and children, and what discussions (a) ministers and (b) its officials have had on the issue since January 2014.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: In July 2018, the Scottish Government published A Healthier Future: Scotland’s Diet & Healthy Weight Delivery Plan . Our ambition is to halve childhood obesity by 2030, and significantly reduce diet-related health inequalities. We undertook wide consultatio…
11 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards commission a multidisciplinary tier (a) 3 and (b) 4 weight management service.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government does not hold information about which NHS Boards commission tier 3 and 4 weight management services. It is for NHS Boards to determine what services are required to meet local needs and whether these should be commissioned or delivered…
11 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce disparities in levels of (a) adult and (b) childhood obesity on the basis of deprivation.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government wants everyone in Scotland, no matter where they live, to eat well and have a healthy weight. That is why reducing diet-related health inequalities is a primary objective of our Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan. This will be achi…
11 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish data showing how many obese people there have been in (a) Scotland and (b) each NHS board area in each of the last five calendar years, broken down by (i) age and (ii) gender.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Health Survey provides a breakdown of the prevalence of obesity at Scotland level for adults and children by age and gender. Adult obesity by gender in each of the last five calendar years is available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/sc…
9 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish details regarding the process for agreeing commercial and data collection arrangements for medicines that are subject to the new ultra-orphan pathway.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government published guidance relating to the new ultra-orphan pathway on 30 April 2019. It can be viewed at the following link: https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/details.asp?PublicationID=6485 .
9 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many community-based baby and child cardiac liaison nurses each NHS board has.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The requested information is not held centrally by ISD. ISD Scotland publishes quarterly data on the NHS workforce. Nursing and Midwifery Sub Job Family data has been published on the ISD website and is available at: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topic…
9 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) first, (b) second and (c) third IVF cycles have been delivered in each year since 2007.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: IVF Waiting Times data are collected for first cycle to screening appointment. "Information Services Division collect IVF data to inform the target for NHSScotland; that eligible patients will commence IVF treatment within 12 months by 31 March 2015." Data fr…
9 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many screening appointments for each cancer type have been cancelled in each year since 2007.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Information on uptake in the three cancer screening programmes can be found at: https://www.isdscotland.org/Publications/index.asp .
9 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on patients of the closure of migraine services in NHS Lothian.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: It is for NHS Boards to plan and deliver services to meet local needs. The role of the Scottish Government is to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS Boards to allow them to deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations.
4 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how real world evidence will be used following the interim funding period as part of the assessment of medicines subject to the new ultra-orphan pathway.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government published guidance relating to the new ultra-orphan pathway on 30 April 2019. It can be viewed at the following link: https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/details.asp?PublicationID=6485 .
4 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what framework will be used following the interim funding period to assess medicines subject to the new ultra-orphan pathway.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government published guidance relating to the new ultra-orphan pathway on 30 April 2019. It can be viewed at the following link: https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/details.asp?PublicationID=6485 .