Parliamentary questions

Neil Findlay

2,296 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Medicines and Health Care products Regulatory Agency expressed an opinion on the Interim report of the Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh implants, which was published in October 2015.

Answer · Shona Robison: A member of the MHRA has served on the Independent Review, and therefore endorsed the interim report. The report was featured on the MHRA website in October 2015. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-safety-and-efficacy-of-transvaginal-mesh-implan…

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what administrative, emotional and legal support it provides to lay members of the Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants group who have resigned.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Independent Review’s secretariat has provided support to all members of the Review. This has included, amongst other things, the arranging meetings at convenient times and in appropriate accommodation, the arranging of teleconferencing facilities, the pro…

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings of the Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants have taken place since its interim report was published in October 2015.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Independent Review has met three times since the publication of the interim report: March 2016, January 2017 and March 2017.

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what alternative, non-mesh treatments are available to patients being treated for hernias.

Answer · Shona Robison: Non-mesh treatments include both surgical and non-surgical interventions. Surgical interventions include the use of simple suture repairs or the use of host native tissue.

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pending legal cases there are that involve the use of medical mesh devices to treat hernias.

Answer · Shona Robison: Records suggest that there are fewer than five current legal cases involving the use of mesh to treat hernias.

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any situations in which standard non-mesh procedures cannot be provided by the NHS, and whether it expects the final report of the Independent review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants to identify and describe these situations.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07740 on 17 March 2017. 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/2…

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Chief Medical Officer said in December 2016 that there was no other alternative treatments for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse other than mesh when, prior to mesh being developed from the late 1990s, it is understood that non-mesh treatments were…

Answer · Shona Robison: This does not accurately reflect the Chief Medical Officer’s position. In 2014 the Acting Chief Medical Officer wrote to all Health boards requesting that they consider the suspension of the use of mesh to treat stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ pr…

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates it has met the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency since the interim report from the Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants was published in October 2015.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government staff have participated in formal Cross-UK forum meetings with the MHRA, regarding pharmacy and medical device issues, in January 2016, April 2016, July 2016, October 2016 and January 2017. A meeting also took place between Scottish Govern…

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will recommend making it mandatory to (a) use a medical mesh device registry and (b) report adverse events involving medical mesh devices and, if not, what other methods it will use to record the number and extent of adverse incidents involving these devices.

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many meeting of the Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants sub-group there (a) were before and (b) have been since October 2015, also broken down by location, and whether the minutes have been or will be circulated to the the review group's members.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Chair of the Independent Review has confirmed that the clinician members of the review met twice; firstly in October 2016 (Edinburgh), and subsequently in January 2017 (Glasgow). In addition, the clinician members held a teleconference in January 2017. Th…

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its interim report being published in October 2015, for what reason the report of the Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants has yet to publish.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Independent Review has awaited the publication of several key studies that it wished to consider as part of its deliberations. These were published at the very end of last year, and the Review aims to issue its final report this spring.

6 Mar 2017 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the resignation of two members of the review group into the use of transvaginal mesh.

3 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06893 by Maureen Watt on 24 February 2017, when the additional investment of £150 million on mental health services started to be paid to NHS boards, and what share of this funding was included in each NHS territorial board budget in that financial …

Answer · Maureen Watt: The commitment within the Scottish budget to invest £150 million over the next five years is from 2017-18 to 2021-22. Allocation decisions for 2017-18 are currently being finalised.

3 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06893 by Maureeen Wattr on 24 February 2017, noting that this funding was listed in both the draft 2016-17 budget and the draft 2017-18 budget, whether the delivery of £150 million funding began in the financial year 2016-17 or will begin in 2017-18…

Answer · Maureen Watt: The commitment within the Scottish budget to invest £150 million over the next five years is from 2017-18 to 2021-22. £30 million is earmarked for allocation in 2017-18. The allocation profile for future years is currently being agreed, and will be subject to…

3 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06893 by Maureen Watt on 24 February 2017, what percentage rate of increase above the overall growth in the frontline NHS budget will be allocated to mental health.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The commitment in the Scottish budget is that in future years investment in mental health will grow at a rate above the overall growth in the frontline budget. No specific percentage rate has been agreed. NHS Boards will report on mental health expenditure th…

28 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06766 by Keith Brown on 28 February 2017, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding whether it, as an employer, will refuse to comply with all of the provisions of the Trade Union Act 2016.

Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06766 on 28 February 2017. In particular, the sentence “While we have consistently made the case to the UK Government about the lack of evidence to support the need for this legislation, the Scottish Government…

23 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-07053 by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 February 2017, whether it will publish the evidence that it has received to determine that each protection order should remain in place, and what plans it has to revoke each order.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has no plans to review the 14 Protection Orders made under Schedule 3 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation)(Scotland) Act 2003. Protection Orders have no end date and the Scottish Government's current policy is that th…

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work each of its (a) directorates and (b) agencies have commissioned from Professor Russell Griggs in each year since 2013, and what information it has regarding work commissioned by other public bodies.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Prof Russel Griggs OBE is the Chair of the independent Regulatory Review Group (RRG). Prof Griggs undertakes work in his role of RRG Chair and as such has been invited to chair groups with Scottish Government officials preparing papers and reports. Prof Gri…

20 Feb 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in developing links with Qatar.

15 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to prevent bullying in schools.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is working on a refreshed national anti-bullying strategy for children and young people. We have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders as part of this process which will take a holistic approach to addressing this issue. I recentl…

15 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed its school bullying policy and when it will next do so.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government launched ‘A National Approach to Anti-bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People’ in 2010. The approach forms part of our wider attempts to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people. There have been a n…

15 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recourse there is for parents of children who are the victims of bullying at school.

Answer · John Swinney: It is the responsibility of head teachers, teachers, other school staff and local authorities to decide how to address bullying in their schools. We expect that all schools develop and implement an anti-bullying policy, which should be reviewed and updated on…

10 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many construction workers from Scotland are working in Qatar, and whether it is aware of any workers from Scotland being killed or injured when building stadia for the 2022 World Cup in that country.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government does not hold any information of Scottish construction workers working in Qatar and is not aware of the injury or death of any workers from Scotland working on the stadia for the 2022 World Cup.

8 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which (a) river catchment areas and (b) lochs are covered by protection orders, and when each order (i) was lodged and (ii) will expire.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: 14 Protection Orders have been made under Schedule 3 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003. They have no end date until they are revoked. A full list of the prescribed areas which includes the date on which they were put …

8 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards have carried out look-back exercises regarding (a) transvaginal tape (TVT) and (b) tension-free vaginal tape obturator (TVTO) operations.

Answer · Shona Robison: There has been no requirement that a look back exercise be carried out on a national basis, as medical evidence does not suggest that such action would be beneficial. The Scottish Government does not therefore hold the information requested. However, it is op…

8 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06201 by Aileen Campbell on 7 February 2017, for what reason the information requested was not provided and whether it will provide the information regarding whether the £15.3 million reduction in its drug and alcohol budget in 2016-17 has been repl…

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The draft Scottish Government budget for 2017-18, which has now received parliamentary support at Stages 1 and 2 of the Budget Bill, provides for the allocation of £53.8 million to support Alcohol and Drug services. As in previous years, the funds provided d…

6 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5F-00825 by the First Minister on 2 February 2017 (Official Report, c. 14-15), whether the £150 million of extra investment for the mental health strategy is new money or has been reprofiled or reallocated from elsewhere and, if the latter, from where.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The draft Scottish Budget 2017-18 commits the Scottish Government to delivering investment in mental health that exceeds £1 billion for the first time, and that in future years will grow at a rate above the overall growth in the frontline NHS budget. This wil…

2 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question SF5-00841 by the First Minister on 2 February 2017 (Official Report, c. 24), in light of 60% of newly-diagnosed dementia patients not receiving a referral to a support programme and 24% of those who are referred completing these, what specific steps the…

Answer · Maureen Watt: Of the 40% of people newly diagnosed with dementia in 2014-15 who were offered post-diagnostic support, 73% completed the service. As part of finalising The Scottish Government’s 2017-2020 National Dementia Strategy, we are working with stakeholders on optio…

1 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05966 by Shona Robison on 31 January 2017, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding how many times in each of the last five years people have been treated in hospital wards that have not met a safe nurse-to-patient ratio.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not use fixed nurse to patient ratios to determine safe and effective staffing levels. Instead NHS Scotland uses the Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workload Planning Tools to inform decisions about safe and effective staffing …

1 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new GP contract will address the so-called inverse care law.

Answer · Shona Robison: Tackling health inequalities and the 'inverse care law' is one of our primary care outcomes, as published in a joint memorandum with the British Medical Association Scottish General Practitioner Committee (BMA SGPC) [http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/11/7…