Parliamentary questions

Anas Sarwar

601 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

22 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Airbnb, and what issues were discussed.

13 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish its endoscopy action plan, which it announced on 25 June 2018 in its news release, Action on diagnostics.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our Waiting Times Improvement Plan was launched in October and will be overseen by a new Operational Programme Board. The plan aims to improve waiting times performance across all NHS Boards for cancer, diagnostics, outpatient appointments and day case proced…

6 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that all cancer patients receive a treatment summary at the end of their treatment.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-20442 on 24 December 2018. 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/parliamentarybusin…

6 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that all cancer patients are offered a holistic needs assessment at diagnosis and at the end of treatment.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government’s Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action strategy is committed to ensure that there is capacity in our health and social care services to address the needs of people living with cancer. Through working with partners like Macmillan, every…

6 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its completion, how it will embed what was learned from the Transforming Care After Treatment programme.

27 Nov 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that school meals are healthy and nutritious, and how this has been informed by the Good Food Nation agenda.

Answer · John Swinney: Food and drink served in Scottish schools must meet minimum nutrient standards set by the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008. We are carefully considering views offered through the recent consultation on our pro…

7 Nov 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it provides to arts and culture facilities in Glasgow.

6 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the ownership of personal data collected by private companies as part of their role delivering public services or providing services through public procurement.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government takes the privacy of citizen’s data very seriously and is committed to ensuring that the personal data that we control complies with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations. Scottish Government commercial co…

26 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of how occupational therapy can be more effectively delivered in schools, colleges and universities to help deal with mental health problems among young people.

Answer · John Swinney: We have made absolutely clear the commitment of this government to promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. There are a range of professionals, including occupational therapy services, who have a valuable contribution to make to supp…

26 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the number of occupational therapists in schools to help improve mental health provision for children and young people.

Answer · John Swinney: We have made absolutely clear the commitment of this government to promoting and supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing, through wide ranging commitments in our Programme for Government. Those commitments build on the responsibilities of education…

5 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask Scottish Government how it will ensure that proposed domiciliary dental care, which is set out in the Oral Health Improvement Plan, will be compatible with the General Dental Council’s standards document.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The new domiciliary care arrangements will include a comprehensive training programme developed in conjunction with NHS Education for Scotland. GDPs with enhanced skills in domiciliary care will be required to successfully complete the training programme that…

5 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total expenditure on NHS dental services has been in each of the last five years, (a) gross and (b) net of patient charge revenue, also broken down by head of population.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Total expenditure on NHS Dental Services for the last five years is set out in the following table, gross and net of patient charges revenue. Expenditure includes General Dental Services, Public Dental Services and the following hospital specialties: Dental, …

5 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask Scottish Government how it will ensure that the proposed payment change to encourage dentists to give more advice to patients, which is set out in the Oral Health Improvement Plan, will not result in dentists being penalised if patients do not follow that advice.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Oral Health Improvement Plan sets out a programme of phased introduction of Oral Health Risk Assessments (OHRA) for adult patients. The purpose of these assessments is to ensure that patients receive personalised care plans in relation to oral cancer, gum…

5 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reduction in the frequency of (a) dental checks and (b) scale and polish treatments proposed in the Oral Health Improvement Plan might have on oral (i) health and (ii) cancer outcomes, and what evidence it considered when developing this proposal.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Plan articulates a move to a preventive care system where patients would be seen according to their oral health need. This means that patients may be seen more frequently than currently if they have poor oral health and some less frequently if their level…

4 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential for self-sampling to increase coverage of cervical screening.

2 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a decision has been made regarding the cystic fibrosis drug, Orkambi, which was being considered for assessment under the new ultra-orphan medicine pathway that took effect on 1 October 2018.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Yes. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has determined, further to a request from the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, that Orkambi ® is not suitable for assessment under the new ultra-orphan pathway. The SMC has come to this view having regard to the appro…

27 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential for self-sampling to increase coverage of cervical screening.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government takes advice from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group which advises Ministers and the NHS in the four UK countries about all aspects of screening policy. The UK NSC are currently reviewin…

25 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the incidents at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow that were reported in March 2018, how the bacteria got into the water, and which areas of the hospital were affected.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: On 20 March 2018 the then Cabinet Secretary, Shona Robison MSP, announced to Parliament that she had asked Health Protection Scotland (HPS) to undertake a thorough investigation of this incident. The investigation into the source of the outbreak is on-going, …

25 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which bacteria was identified during the incidents that were reported at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow in March 2018, and whether it is the same bacteria that was identified during similar incidents in November 2015.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: On 20 March 2018 the then Cabinet Secretary, Shona Robison MSP, announced to Parliament that she had asked Health Protection Scotland (HPS) to undertake a thorough investigation of this incident. This investigation is on-going and once it has concluded a repo…

25 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients were affected by the incidents of bacteria in the water at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow that were reported in 2015, broken down by the ward they were on and its speciality.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The incident reported by the Board in 2015 affected 18 patients, all of whom were in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This unit cares for both medical and surgical neonates. Health Protection Scotland conducted a thorough investigation, which conclud…

25 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the incidents at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow that were reported in 2015, what the consequences were for patients of the incidents of bacteria in the water; how many were prescribed prophylactic antibiotics; whether the water is now clear of bacteria in th…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have confirmed that 18 patients were affected by the incident in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in 2015. One of these patients, a very premature infant with complex medical prob…

24 Sep 2018 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements it is making for ordering the enhanced flu vaccination for the forthcoming immunisation programme.

12 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service last met Blood Bikes Scotland.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) met the North East Riders Volunteer Service, part of the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes, on 19 December 2017. SNBTS has also previously met Blood Bikes Scotland (for Lothian and Borders).

11 Sep 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that the Scottish Ambulance Service has sufficient resources.

3 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what provision for children and young people with type 1 diabetes will be offered by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde after the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill fully closes, and whether it will provide an update on the board's proposed integrated type 1 service for 0 to 25-year…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Planning is in progress for the relocation of services from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill once it fully closes. Moving the service onto the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus is one of the options being considered. NHS Greater Glasg…

30 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will put in place to ensure equitable access to thrombectomy procedures for patients across all NHS board areas.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: A Directors of Planning Thrombectomy Advisory Group is developing a national planning framework for the provision of thrombectomy for Scotland. The development of the framework will consider all the elements required to deliver the service including for examp…

28 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Department for Education's recent announcement regarding mandatory CPR training in schools in England and the British Heart Foundation's campaign on the issue, what its position is on introducing such training in Scotland's schools, and what its response is to reporte…

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Unlike in England and Wales, the curriculum in Scotland is not statutory, and is therefore not prescribed by the Scottish Government. It is therefore not possible for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to be introduced in the Scottish Curriculum in the same …

28 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with experts who have developed strategies in other countries that have improved survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Scotland's Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy draws on learning from international experience to address challenges and improve outcomes. Partners in the strategy have led and been involved in a number of events for knowledge exchange and research…

28 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to the British Heart Foundation's campaign to make CPR training mandatory on the school curriculum in each local authority.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government supports Save A Life for Scotland (SALFS) as the partnership for the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy (OHCA) for Scotland (2015), working to encourage people to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and raise awareness of OH…

28 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to tackle the socio-economic inequalities that impact on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Reducing inequalities in survival is a priority aim for the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy (OHCA) for Scotland (2015). Bystander cardiopulmonary (CPR) is where maximum impact on survival will be achieved. That is why Save A Life for Scotland was lau…