Parliamentary questions
Neil Findlay
2,296 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultations it has held with employees of Caledonian MacBrayne 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: Transport Scotland has had previous engagement on ferries matters with the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the relevant trades unions, representing the employees of David MacBrayne Limited, and would expect that engagement to continue in future. The Scott…
13 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4T-00695 by Michael Matheson on 13 May 2014 (Official Report, c.30814), what funding (a) has been and (b) will be made available for the removal of surgical mesh implants for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse.
Answer · Alex Neil: There has been no specific funding made available to NHS boards to fund the removal of surgical mesh implants for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. It is for individual boards to carry out this type of surgery from within existing budgets.
13 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4T-00695 by Michael Matheson on 13 May 2014 (Official Report, c.30814), when the working group was established; what its membership is, and who selected the members.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government established the short life working group in December 2013. Membership of the short life working group includes: Four Scottish Government staff, three clinical staff and one providing secretariat support; Two patient representatives;…
13 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4T-00695 by Michael Matheson on 13 May 2014 (Official Report, c.30814), when it sent the request to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for a meeting; when it expects the meeting will take place, and who will attend.
Answer · Alex Neil: An informal meeting with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has already taken place on 7 May 2014 and a more formal, larger meeting is being organised and will be attended by officials from the Health and Social Care Directorate in the Sc…
12 May 2014 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent reclassification of mesh implants as high risk in the United States, when mesh implants will be banned in the NHS in Scotland.
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the NHS programme, Keep Well, and how many people have participated in it.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The mainstreaming process for Keep Well began in 2011. Between March 2011 and March 2014 128,240 checks have been delivered to people living in the most deprived communities in Scotland. The budget allocation to NHS boards for the delivery of the Keep Well p…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the health of people aged 40 and above.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is taking forward a wide range of policies to improve the health and wellbeing of the population of Scotland, improving healthy life expectancy. Many of our initiatives aim to improve the health of all, such as the promotion of physic…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which of the country’s poorest communities use the NHS programme, Keep Well, and what progress it has made on delivering the 2011 SNP manifesto commitment to extend the programme “to cover all of Scotland’s poorest communities by 2012.”
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Keep Well health checks are targeted at all people aged 40-64 living in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) one and two which are the most deprived communities of Scotland. An audit carried out by NHS Health Scotland showed that nearly 85 per c…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has decided to discontinue the NHS programme, Life Begins at 40 and, if so, who made this decision; when it was taken, and for what reason.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Life Begins at 40 programme was discontinued at the end of March 2013. The decision was taken by me in January 2013 on the basis of advice on the conclusions from the evaluation of the programme that showed low levels of uptake and completion, and no evid…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on delivering 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 extend this initiative to Scots reaching retirement age.”
Answer · Alex Neil: This Government believes in preventative action on health. We are targeting scarce resources on those most at risk. We have introduced Anticipatory Care Plans through the GP contract and have launched the Links Worker pilot programme in selected Deep End Pri…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been (a) allocated to and (b) spent by the NHS programme, Life Begins at 40, and where any unspent money will be reallocated.
Answer · Alex Neil: The budget allocation to NHS 24 for the delivery of the Life Begins at 40 programme was £670,000 between October 2010 and December 2012. In 2014-15, part of the budget has been allocated to redeveloping the website to provide a more accessible service target…
6 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people (a) have participated in and (b) are expected to complete the NHS programme, Life Begins at 40; what evaluation it has made of it, and what feedback has been received from (i) GPs, (ii) patients and (iii) other programme users.
Answer · Alex Neil: Between September 2011 and March 2013 a total of 10,902 new users accessed the Life Begins at 40 website. An evaluation was carried out by Ipsos MORI between August 2011 and February 2012. This showed that only 8% of those invited to access the service chose…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide funding to set up a helpline to assist women who have been given a defective Johnson & Johnson Ethicon TVT-O implant.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS Inform provides a health information service which is able to respond to enquiries regarding transvaginal mesh surgery. They can be contacted online or by telephone. The Scottish Government will write to NHS Inform following publication of the patient in…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing has written to GPs informing them of the potential adverse effects associated with mesh implants.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Chief Medical Officer wrote to all GPs, through Medical Directors, on 11 July 2013 and 20 December 2013 regarding the investigation and management of patients being treated for urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, including the management of pa…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps the NHS has taken to contact each of the women implanted with the Johnson & Johnson Ethicon TVT-O implant to advise them that the implant is defective and investigate whether their health has been affected.
Answer · Alex Neil: Any woman who is worried, or is experiencing adverse side effects, should contact their surgeon or GP for advice. An expert group is developing a revised patient information and consent leaflet that will go into use in NHSScotland and new care pathways for t…
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many women in Scotland have been implanted with the Johnson & Johnson Ethicon TVT-O implant.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the US Food and Drug Administration's announcement that mesh implants should be reclassified as "high risk", whether it will reclassify mesh implants and suspend their use pending an investigation of how many women are affected.
Answer · Alex Neil: Regulation of medical devices, including implants, is a reserved matter dealt with by the UK Government. I have written to both the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the European Commission asking that they urgently consider the …
28 Apr 2014 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on media reports that "hospital beds in Scotland are disappearing at a faster rate than in almost any country in the western world".
22 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the NHS uses so-called zero-hours contracts.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS Scotland use ‘as and when required’ contracts in staff bank services to great effect. These arrangements have the dual benefit of providing a safe and reliable temporary workforce who can help NHS Scotland respond to unexpected circumstances, and allowing…
22 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) NHS and (b) NHS 24 staff are employed on so-called zero-hours contracts.
Answer · Alex Neil: The information requested is not held centrally. NHS boards determine their requirement for any staff bank services and the use of this service therefore remains primarily a matter for NHS boards as employers.
14 Apr 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides for developing new footpaths and walkways in the countryside.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Potential support for footpaths is proposed under the next Scotland Rural Development Programme, but final decisions have yet to be made. Scottish Ministers will carefully consider all feedback received from the latest consultation which closed on 28 February…
28 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what policy advisers it seeks advice from in relation to health and wellbeing and how much they are paid.
Answer · Alex Neil: The civil service are the primary source of health and wellbeing policy advice provided to Scottish Ministers. The costs of the Scottish Administration are published in the Scottish Government’s accounts.
27 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the overall budget for alcohol and drug partnerships (ADP) has been allocated for each ADP area for 2014-15.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20424 on 24 April 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/parliamentaryb…
27 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been provided to each alcohol and drug partnership for 2014-15.
Answer · Michael Matheson: 2014-15 funding allocations for alcohol and drug partnership (ADPs) have not yet been issued. However, indicative allocations for 2014-15 were shared with ADPs in their 2013-14 funding allocation letters issued in May 2013, and this information is provided in…
27 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that each NHS addiction service has an up-to-date service level agreement that is regularly monitored by the alcohol and drug partnership.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20422 on 23 April 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/parliamentaryb…
27 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS addiction services have service level agreements in place with alcohol and drug partnerships.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Information on how many NHS addiction services have service level agreements in place with Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) is not held centrally. It is for ADPs to commission services to meet the needs of the local population and to ensure services are m…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people under 65 with dementia receive housing support.
Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally.
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many home care clients are under 65 and have dementia.
Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally.
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to help people with early onset dementia who are too young to receive a care package.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government’s Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland (2011) set out the minimum standard of care to which people with dementia, including early onset dementia, are entitled to. On-going national implementation of the Promoting Excellence demen…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to help people under 65 who have dementia.
Answer · Alex Neil: We know that of the 86,000 people currently living with dementia in Scotland, around 3,000 are under 65. Last year, Health Scotland published Younger people with dementia: living well with your diagnosis. Developed in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, it …