Parliamentary questions

Annie Wells

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

10 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, according to the new ScotRail timetable, only 18 out of 173 services are scheduled to make the Glasgow-Edinburgh journey within 50 minutes.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Of the 62 weekday trains in each direction on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk High route, the December 2018 timetable delivers the following;One 42 minute journey in each direction27 services taking 50 minutes or less in the Edinburgh to Glasgow directio…

10 Dec 2018 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to a recent survey, which suggests that 51% of teachers believe that their job has a detrimental impact on their mental health.

6 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been detained under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 in each of the last five years.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland has a statutory responsibility to monitor the use of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. As part of meeting that responsibility, it publishes an annual overview of the use of the 2003 Act. The…

21 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland that treatment for people with chronic chest disease is a "postcode lottery" with more than 129,000 people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Pulmonary rehabilitation is a key recommendation in national clinical guidelines, which we expect NHS Boards to follow. The Scottish Government recognises that pulmonary rehabilitation is an important element of respiratory disease care as it has well establ…

19 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many operations have been cancelled by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde since the temporary closure of the Cowlairs decontamination unit in Springburn.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The temporary closure of the Cowlairs decontamination unit resulted in 1075 procedures being cancelled by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. Those patients waiting for urgent care procedures have been rescheduled and the remainder will be rescheduled as quickly as …

19 Nov 2018 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that the number of children being treated for depression in Scotland has doubled in a decade.

24 Oct 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making with its commitment to recruit up to 250 community link workers to work in GP surgeries by the end of the parliamentary session.

17 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that data on the prevalence of health conditions, previously captured by the Quality Outcomes Framework, will continue to be made publicly available, and what will be done to ensure that this is available from the year 2016-17 onwards so that trends can …

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The data on prevalence of health conditions previously captured by the Quality and Outcomes Framework is now captured through Primary Care Information (PCI) dashboards. Prevalence data aggregated at GP Cluster level and above is publicly available by request …

15 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter from the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing to the Scottish Infected Blood Forum and Haemophilia Scotland of 27 September 2018, when it expects to obtain core participant status in the UK Infected Blood Inquiry.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government was designated as a core participant in the UK Infected Blood Inquiry by the Inquiry Chairman on 1 November 2018.

10 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, it is mandatory for doctors, nurses, social workers and mental health officers to make people with learning disabilities and those with a mental illness aware of their right to independent advocacy and how to acce…

Answer · Clare Haughey: Section 328(1) of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 Act defines mental disorder as mental illness, personality disorder or learning disability however caused or manifested. Section 259 of the 2003 Act places a duty on Local Authoriti…

8 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the work that is underway to develop an enhanced national mental health pathway for those coming into contact with justice system who are in mental health crisis or distress, as referred to in its paper, Mental Health Strategy: 2017-2027 - 1st Progress …

Answer · Clare Haughey: The recruitment of staff for the enhanced mental health pathway has begun. In addition, Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service are currently undertaking a call sampling exercise from members of the public. This will inform the development of the p…

5 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of new figures obtained by BBC Scotland, how much it has cost NHS Scotland to facilitate the practice of moving people with learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs to facilities outwith Scotland in each of the last five years.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government does not collect this information. The cost of each individual placement for a person with learning disabilities, autism and complex care is a contractual matter between the commissioning authority and the care provider and will depend…

4 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of new figures obtained by BBC Scotland that show people with learning disabilities and autism are still being required to live some distance from their families, and its commitment in 2013 that "by 2018 people with learning disabilities and autism and complex care needs who ar…

Answer · Clare Haughey: I recognise how very difficult it is for families and people with learning disabilities if they are placed out of area in a different local authority or delayed in hospital settings. Dr MacDonald was commissioned to specifically look into the issues of delay…

24 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18613 by Clare Haughey on 24 September 2018, what additional funding will be provided to local authorities to support the recruitment of the additional school counsellors.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The recruitment of the additional school counsellors will be funded entirely by the Scottish Government. We are currently working with local government partners to identify the level of funding required to support this work.

24 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18613 by Clare Haughey on 24 September 2018, by what date the delivery plan for all of the mental health commitments in the Programme for Government will be published.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Delivery Plan for all of the mental health commitments in the Programme for Government 2018-19 will be published by 21 December 2018.

19 Sep 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since the publication of the Scottish Information Commissioner’s Intervention Report, which found that it was operating a "two-tier" system for managing FoI requests that discriminated against journalists, MSPs and researchers.

5 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures from RCN Scotland suggesting that more than one-in-20 NHS nursing and midwifery posts are vacant, which is reportedly the highest ever level of vacancies, and, in light of this, how it will it ensure that it will be successful in meetings the pledge in its…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: While some vacancies are inevitable in an organisation as big as NHSScotland, we recognise that in some specialities there are difficulties in recruitment. This is a problem experienced by many health systems across the world. We are clear that NHS Board work…

5 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent it will direct local authorities regarding the mental health first aid training for teachers that was announced in its Programme for Government.

Answer · Clare Haughey: We will work with our partners in local government to deliver the commitment set out in this year's Programme for Government. All local authorities will be offered the training which will complement the range of mental health strategies that are already in pl…

5 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the (a) 350 additional counsellors and (b) 250 additional school nurses that were announced in its Programme for Government to be in place.

Answer · Clare Haughey: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18613 on 24 September 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.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamenta…

5 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it expects (a) it and (b) local authorities to provide toward the funding of the 350 additional school counsellors that were announced in its Programme for Government.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The creation of 350 school counsellors in school education across Scotland is part of a package of measures to ensure that children and young people get the support that they need. We are commencing work with partners in local government to implement this com…

5 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will implement each of the recommendations in the paper, Clinical Review of the Impacts of Hepatitis C: Short Life Working Group Report for the Scottish Government.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I will soon be meeting Haemophilia Scotland and the Scottish Infected Blood Forum to discuss the clinical review group's recommendations. Some of the group's recommendations are already implemented, but, for those which are not yet implemented, if the Scottis…

28 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of staff in higher education establishments in each of the last five years have been registered disabled.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects, processes and publishes data about Higher Education delivered at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the UK, including statistics on university staff. HESA does not hold the requested information on…

22 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16551 by Jamie Hepburn on 17 May 2018, whether it has undertaken an analysis of application and appointment rates according to ethnicity for positions within the Scottish Government.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Currently, analysis is carried out for specific recruitment campaigns rather than for recruitment to all positions in the Scottish Government. For example, an analysis of ethnicity was completed for the recent external B Band recruitment campaign which attrac…

22 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for upcoming hate crime campaigns, and whether it will set out what focus these will have outwith raising awareness.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Within our Tackling Prejudice and Building Connected Communities Action Plan we committed to develop a public awareness campaign and in October 2017 we ran our ‘Hate Has No Home in Scotland’ campaign. The campaign aimed to raise awareness of what hate crime i…