Parliamentary questions
Neil Findlay
2,296 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that GP practices have access to the latest technology used to diagnose pancreatic cancer.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS boards have well-established ‘urgent suspected cancer’ GP referral pathways to facilitate prompt diagnosis of cancer. To support these pathways and support effective referral to secondary care, the Scottish Cancer Taskforce has recently asked NHS boards t…
30 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contact it has had with relevant third sector organisations to improve the awareness, diagnosis, treatment and care of pancreatic cancer.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Cancer Coalition (SCC) is a partnership of 21 voluntary sector organisations which plays a continuing role in the implementation of Better Cancer Care, an Action Plan (2008), providing the Scottish Government with collective views and feedback on…
30 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of information for people newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in (a) hospitals and (b) GP surgeries.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of providing accurate, quality assured information to cancer patients and their carers. This includes pancreatic cancer. In April 2014, we launched the Patient Experience Quality Performance Indicators (QPIs).…
30 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of (a) one and (b) five-year survival rates for pancreatic cancer in Scotland compared with other parts of the UK.
Answer · Alex Neil: The most recent published comparison of cancer survival in the UK is available from the European Cancer Registry Based Study on Survival and Care of Cancer Patients (EUROCARE-5), which relates to the period of diagnosis 2000-07. According to this study, one …
30 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve (a) awareness, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answers to questions S4W-21532, S4W-21535 and S4W-21536 on 11 June 2014. 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.par…
27 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many infants from Scotland have been sent for retinoblastoma screening at (a) Birmingham Children's Hospital and (b) the Royal London Hospital in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Figures for referrals for retinoblastoma in children are available from 2007-08 and all were to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The referrals include for confirmation of diagnosis and treatment: Financial Year Number of referrals 2007-08 2 2008-09 3 20…
27 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from Scotland have made use of ataxia centres in England in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held centrally for all forms of ataxia. NHS National Services Scotland’s National Services Division (NSD) commission a highly specialist service from NHS England for the rare condition ataxia telangiectasia. NSD holds information on …
27 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from Scotland have made use of proton beam facilities in England.
Answer · Alex Neil: The following table sets out the number of ophthalmic oncology referrals from Scotland to the Clatterbridge Hospital in England for low-intensity proton beam therapy. Table 1: Patients referred to NHS England for proton beam therapy Financial Year Number o…
27 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from Scotland have been sent for paediatric liver transplants at (a) King's College Hospital in London, (b) Leeds General Infirmary and (c) Birmingham Children's Hospital in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is contained in the following table. Leeds General Infirmary is not a designated transplant unit therefore transplant activity in St James’s University Hospital has been provided. Paediatric patients1 resident in Scotland who recei…
27 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from Scotland have made use of the Porton Down Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The number of samples sent to Porton Down Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL) from Scotland since 2007 are shown in the following table. It has not been possible to provide pre-2007 data because of changes to how this information was collected at RI…
27 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from Scotland have been sent for heart and lung transplants at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is contained in the following table: Scottish residents who received a cardiothoracic transplant at Newcastle, Freeman Hospital 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2014: Year Heart Lung Heart/lung Liver and lung Total 2004-05 # 11 # …
27 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from Scotland have been sent for treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Alex Neil: The information requested is not held centrally.
21 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20994 by Alex Neil on 19 May 2014, what resources are available to people who are not in a workplace who would previously have received a service from the Life Begins at 40 programme.
Answer · Alex Neil: Any individual with concerns about their health should, in the first instance, see their GP. There is a wide range of information and advice available on health and wellbeing from GP practices, community pharmacies and from websites such as NHS Inform and Tak…
21 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20993 by Alex Neil on 19 May 2014, whether and, if so, when it decided not to deliver the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to introduce “health checks and individual health plans for all men and women when they reach the age of 40 with the aim to exten…
Answer · Alex Neil: Health checks for people reaching their 40th Birthday were introduced as a pilot in Grampian in May 2010 and rolled out across Scotland in February 2011. However, due to the poor level of take up and lack of evidence of improvements in health outcomes the pro…
21 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20992 by Alex Neil on 19 May 2014, how much will be spent in 2014-15 on redeveloping the website and how much has been reallocated from the Life Begins at 40 programme.
Answer · Alex Neil: Approximately £50-75k has been identified for developing a web-based service that will provide a more accessible service targeted at working age people in a collaboration between NHS24 and the Centre for Healthy Working Lives. This is expected to go live in 2…
21 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has sought regarding cross-border healthcare if Scotland was to leave the UK.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS National Services Scotland’s National Services Division has confirmed that access to specialist healthcare in England will be unaffected following independence. After independence Scotland will maintain a very strong relationship with the other countries…
21 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland was to leave the UK, whether it would continue to have access to the rare and imported pathogens lab at Porton Down and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Alex Neil: After independence Scotland will maintain a very strong relationship with the other UK countries, and existing co-operation arrangements in the area of public health will be maintained. Effective cross-border working arrangements are already in place for a r…
21 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland was to leave the UK, what impact this would have on the budget of NHS National Services Division up to 2020.
Answer · Alex Neil: In Scotland highly specialised health services are commissioned through the National Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland. Funds are top sliced from NHS boards to provide a fund for the procurement of the highly specialised services needed by …
21 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many ambulance journeys between Scotland and England there have been in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Alex Neil: Detail on ambulance journeys undertaken between Scotland and England by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is set out in the following table. Information on journeys carried out by English ambulance services or independent ambulance services is not held cen…
21 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland was to leave the UK, how much it would cost it each year to arrange specialist cross-border healthcare.
Answer · Alex Neil: These costs are driven by activity which is not possible to forecast.
20 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS staff, other than bank staff, are employed on zero hours contracts.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20795 on 6 May 2014. 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/parliamentarybusi…
20 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the new specialist trauma centres on other trauma centres.
Answer · Alex Neil: Where possible, people who experience major trauma will be taken directly to one of the four enhanced specialist centres. This will ensure they are assessed and treated immediately by a specialist team with access to the wide range of specialist facilities an…
20 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure the operational effectiveness of the new trauma centre at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and whether NHS Lothian will receive additional resources to help it ensure that all treatment time guarantees continue to be achieved.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21247 on 29 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s web site, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…
20 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources will be provided to each NHS (a) hospital and (b) board that will establish a specialist trauma centre.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS boards are currently scoping the work required to enhance major trauma services across Scotland, including the resource implications. The National Planning Forum and board of Chief Executives will identify any additional resources required as part of thi…
20 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for youth (a) employment initiatives and (b) job creation.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Budget Bill for financial year 2014-15 was published on 16 January 2014. The progress of the Bill and all relevant documents can be found on the: Budget (Scotland) (No.3) Bill page. Scottish Government funding available for employment initiatives and job…
20 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for (a) youth voluntary organisations and (b) charities in (i) sport, (ii) creative industries and (iii) music.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: There are a range of different funding avenues available to support youth voluntary organisations and charities. Individual funds and funders do not ring-fence amounts for particular types of applicants, and are more focussed on outcomes. As well as investing…
15 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-19244 and S4W-20023 by Alex Neil on 29 January 2014 and 13 March 2014 respectively, whether it will provide an update on how many GP practices in each NHS board area (a) are not registering any new patients, (b) have closed their patient lists and…
Answer · Alex Neil: Part 2 of Schedule 5 to the 2004 General Medical Service Regulations sets out the requirements that GP Practices and Health Boards must follow in managing patient lists, including closure of patients lists. Boards should find ways to either support the pract…
15 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices in each NHS board have not met the target of ensuring that people contacting the surgery who require access to an appropriate health professional receive this within two working days, and how it monitors this.
Answer · Alex Neil: The performance measure is monitored through results of an access survey, which directly measures patients’ experience of getting access to their General Practice, within 48 hours, on the basis of clinical need. The percentages shown are calculated from the r…
13 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what Caledonian MacBrayne's expenditure on external consultants has been in each year since 2009 and for which projects.
Answer · Keith Brown: Expenditure on consultancy is published on the David MacBrayne Ltd website in accordance with the requirements of the Public Sector Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. http://www.david-macbrayne.co.uk/reports/ Any further breakdown of this information is considere…
13 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultations Caledonian MacBrayne has held with its employees ahead of the tendering of the next Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract and whether it plans to consult employees after the tender documents are published.
Answer · Keith Brown: CalMac will engage with its staff as appropriate throughout the bid submission process. This is already underway through established internal communications channels.