Neil Findlay

6 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when its new drugs strategy will be published.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The document, which will be a combined drug and alcohol strategy, will be published in the summer of 2018.

6 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the drugs death statistics normally published in mid-August will now be published in early July.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Drug death statistics are produced by National Records of Scotland (NRS). Towards the end of 2017 NRS published a user consultation on the timing of Vital Events statistics. The consultation was published on the NRS website consultation page https://www.nrsc…

4 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were disciplined for fraud in the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Shona Robison: When a fraud against NHS Scotland is detected, then CFS and NHS Boards will take appropriate action, which can include prosecution, referral to regulatory/professional bodies, sanctions and dismissal. Over the last 10 years, Counter Fraud Services (CFS) reco…

4 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been prosecuted for fraud in the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Shona Robison: Over the last 10 years, 74 people have been prosecuted for fraud:   2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 Total 7 9 7 10 6 15 8 8 4 0 74   For 2017-18, there were investigations in to possible…

4 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much fraud has cost the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Boards report identified losses due to fraud to the Scottish Government as part of the annual accounts process. For the 9-year period from financial year 2008-09, the value of fraud report by Health Boards in their annual returns was £4.1 million. Prior t…

4 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of fraud were detected in the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Shona Robison: Over the last 10 years, NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services (CFS) have submitted 91 reports of fraud to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS):   2008-09   2009-10   2010-11   2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15  2015-16  2016…

4 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the misuse of funds in the NHS.

Answer · Shona Robison: In January 2008, the Scottish Government published its strategy “Strategy to Counter NHS Fraud in Scotland”. In June 2015, the Scottish Government also published its strategy “Protecting Public Resources in Scotland – A Strategic Approach to Fighting Fraud an…

4 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment by the chair of the Sustainable Growth Commission that “there is no growth rate assumption” in its report.

Answer · Derek Mackay: It is a matter for the Sustainable Growth Commission as to the assumptions it makes on economic growth in its report. The Scottish Government will, however, be considering the report's recommendations on growth carefully to see what more can be done within o…

29 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take in response to plagiarism of academic work.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is clear that plagiarism is a serious academic offence, and must be investigated and dealt with properly wherever it arises, in our schools, colleges and universities. The Scottish Qualifications Authority takes instances of plagiaris…

23 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on commissioning an independent national analysis or audit of child and adolescent mental health services.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government has no current plans to commission an audit of CAMHS services. Audit Scotland are carrying out an audit of children and young people’s mental health services which will be published in Autumn 2018. The audit will look at provision of …

21 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of a recent report by the University of Glasgow, which states that one-in-nine young people have attempted suicide, what action it will take to address this.

Answer · Maureen Watt: As indicated in the answers to S5W-16828 and S5W-16829 on 23 May 2018, we are currently engaging with stakeholders on a draft suicide prevention action plan in order to continue the strong downward trend in Scotland’s suicide rates. We have discussed our plan…

21 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of a recent report by the University of Glasgow, which states that one-in-nine young people have attempted suicide, what its position is on the accuracy of these figures, and how they compare with its own estimates of attempted suicide rates.

Answer · Maureen Watt: There are no official data published on attempted suicide so it is useful to have new research in this complex area. As indicated in the answer to S5W-16828 on 23 May 2018, we welcome research that helps to shed light on the causes of suicide and how better t…

21 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent University of Glasgow report, which states that one-in-nine young people have attempted suicide.

Answer · Maureen Watt: We welcome research that helps to shed light on the causes of suicide and how better to prevent it. Scotland has seen a significant fall of 17% in the overall suicide rate over the past decade, and we have seen particular progress with the age group covered i…

17 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's decision to take services on the East Coast Main Line into public control, what its position is, with regards to its impact in Scotland, on the continued use of the franchise model for rail services.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The statutory rail franchising framework is a matter reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government’s consistent view over many years is that there ought to be a level playing field between the private and public sector in bidding for rail franchises…

17 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the impact on Scotland of services on the East Coast Main Line being taken into public control.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: My immediate concern is to ensure there is no slide in the provision or quality of services, and that the interests of Scottish passengers are protected. I also want to ensure the staff involved will have their terms and conditions and pension arrangements pr…

17 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what lessons it has learned in relation to any anticipated impact in Scotland of the UK Government's decision to take services on the East Coast Main Line into public control.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I will be closely monitoring the performance of London North East Railway (LNER) who have been established by the UK Government to run the East Coast Franchise under the operator of last resort arrangements. We will utilise information gathered relating to op…

17 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much profit Serco made from the NorthLink ferry contract.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Serco Limited is a commercial organisation and as such, any financial information in relation to the amount of profit made from the NorthLink ferry contract is commercially sensitive. The annual accounts of Serco Limited, Serco NorthLink Ferries parent compa…

17 May 2018 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what assessment it has carried out of access issues around the Parliament complex.

Answer · Kezia Dugdale: Over the years the SPCB has carried out a number of audits and continuously gathers feedback from a range of visitors and groups on an on-going basis with a view to ensuring the accessibility of the building.   An accessibility audit was conducted at the in…

17 May 2018 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will work with the City of Edinburgh Council to install dropped kerbs at the Queensberry House entrance.

Answer · Kezia Dugdale: I refer the Member to Answer Question S5W-16759.  The SPCB is currently in discussions with the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) regarding the consideration of changes to the access arrangements at the entrance to Queensberry House, including the introduction …

17 May 2018 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what it is doing to improve access for wheelchair users at the Queensberry House entrance.

Answer · Kezia Dugdale: The SPCB is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for everybody who visits and works at the building and our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy states the Parliament’s commitment to being accessible and open to all.   The Scottish Parlia…

14 May 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking through its fiscal policy to reduce wealth inequality.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government is committed to reducing wealth inequality and to delivering policies which support inclusive growth. We are determined to take strong action to reduce child poverty and meet our statutory targets in terms of the Child Poverty (Scotlan…

11 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of people on orthopaedic waiting lists waiting beyond the (a) 18-week referral to treatment, (b) 12-week new outpatient appointment and (c) six-week eight key diagnostic test and investigation standard, and what its position is on allowing th…

Answer · Shona Robison: I announced last week that an additional £50 million was being made available in 2018-19 to reduce the number of long waiters waiting for acute hospital care. £25 million of this funding will be targeted in a number of specialties including orthopaedics and d…

10 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the "Effective Voice" element of its Fair Work Convention, what its response is to reports that ScotRail has allegedly threatened to exclude the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) from talks with its executive board.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The independent Fair Work Convention has developed the Fair Work Framework for Scotland which sets out how our businesses can work with their employees and trade unions to create more innovative and productive workplaces. Key to this is adopting the five key …

10 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish what its response is to the request by the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) for a high-level summit to be convened to discuss ways to address the alleged culture of sexism in ScotRail.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government believes that there is no place in Scotland for prejudice or discrimination including in the workplace. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly, regardless of their age, disability, gender, gender identity/reassignment, race, religion o…

9 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02076 by Shona Robison on 9 May 2018, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding how many GP practices have closed or had their partners resign in the last three years.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

4 May 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs are required to meet current demand.

Answer · Shona Robison: Our ambition is to increase the number of GPs by at least 800 over ten years to ensure a sustainable service that meets increasing demand. There will also be significant new investment in the wider multi-disciplinary teams to support GPs. The national healt…

1 May 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices have closed or had their partners resign in the last three years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The new GP contract, backed by investment of £110 million in 2018-19 and jointly developed with the BMA, will help to cut doctors’ workload and make general practice an even more attractive career. Our ambition is to increase the number of GPs by at least 80…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its news release of 2 December 2017, RBS branch closures, what it considers the "guaranteed minimum level of service provision for essential banking services" should be, and whether this includes setting a minimum number of (a) days and (b) hours that mobile banking services…

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The regulation of financial services, including banking remains reserved and the Scottish Government is unable to impose a minimum level service provision for essential banking services. Nonetheless, the Scottish Government is working with the Scottish banks …

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its news release of 2 December 2017, RBS branch closures, whether it considers that the bank's recently-announced proposals to reduce mobile banking services breach what it considers the "guaranteed minimum level of service provision for essential banking services" should be…

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The regulation of financial services, including banking remains reserved and the Scottish Government is unable to impose a minimum level service provision for essential banking services. We have, however called on the UK Government to do so. RBS's decision t…

9 Apr 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve rural bus services.