Brian Whittle

12 Feb 2020 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will fully fund the recent teachers' pay settlement to be delivered by councils in 2020-21.

5 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to implementing a screening programme for lung cancer, in light of it being the most common cause of death from cancer in Scotland.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government, along with the rest of the UK is advised on all aspects of screening by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group. Due to a lack of evidence to support the use of the screen tests within a popu…

4 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that patients who were involved in the recently published trial of the blood test for early diagnosis of people at risk of lung cancer continue to receive the follow-up screening attention that they need.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Good research governance requires that protocols are in place to ensure individuals involved in any trial or study that require ongoing investigation and care are referred appropriately to local health services. With this expectation, it is the responsibility…

4 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the funding for a lung cancer screening pilot programme that it committed to in December 2019 will be released, and what the next steps are to implement this programme.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office awarded funding in January 2020 for a two year research project led by the University of Edinburgh titled: “How should Scotland respond to the challenge of Lung Cancer Screening: a mixed methods feasibility stu…

3 Feb 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support young people dealing with mental health issues.

21 Jan 2020 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether trunk road improvements have the potential to reduce harmful emissions and improve air quality.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Our roads projects are subject to robust and comprehensive environmental assessments, which are published as part of the statutory procedure for road schemes. Trunk road improvements do have the potential to reduce harmful emissions and improve air quality, w…

16 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to answer to question S5W-24062 by Jeane Freeman on 8 August 2019, whether it will provide an update on the progress of its National Falls and Fracture Prevention Strategy, and when it expects the document to be published.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The consultation on the draft National Falls and Fracture Prevention Strategy closed on 30 September 2019 with 135 responses received. Analysis of the responses has highlighted aspects of the draft strategy which require further refinement before publication.

14 Jan 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what legal and other advice it has received regarding the implementation of the Referendums (Scotland) Bill.

4 Dec 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to request a section 30 order under the Scotland Act 1998 on 13 December.

3 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to NHS boards regarding succession planning for specialist posts.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Workforce planning is a statutory requirement and was established in NHSScotland in 2005 with HDL (2005) 52: National Workforce Planning Framework 2005 - Guidance, which provided boards with a base for establishing workforce planning as a key element of the…

3 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Education for Scotland regarding promoting the study of rheumatology at (a) undergraduate, (b) postgraduate and (c) professional medical training level.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: There has been no recent discussions between the Scottish Government and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) regarding promoting the study of rheumatology. However, following the annual assessment of supply & demand for Rheumatologists, the Scottish Government h…

3 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings concerning vacancies by the British Society for Rheumatology in its report, Specialist Nursing in Rheumatology: the State of Play.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I expect all NHS Boards to ensure that people with rheumatic conditions have access to a range of professionals to provide the appropriate management of their condition. Clinical nurse specialists provide a valued contribution to patient care, including suppo…

3 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many rheumatology (a) consultant and (b) specialist nurse vacancies there are, broken down by NHS board, and what steps it is taking to help the boards (i) fill these posts and (ii) increase the number of training opportunities.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Consultants with a specialty of Rheumatology working in NHSScotland have increased by 45.8% (from 39.7 WTE as at Sept 2006 to 57.9 WTE as at Sept 2019.) NHS Boards use a variety of recruitment methods to fill posts, including recruitment outwith Scotland, in…

27 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed sale of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and what the latest timetable is for completion of the process.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5O-03743 on 13 November 2019 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=12358&i=111699 . I also …

26 Nov 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure farmers are supported to operate in an environmentally sustainable way.

20 Nov 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle loneliness among older people.

12 Nov 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the national action plan on neurological conditions, which was first announced on 14 September 2017.

11 Nov 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to reduce levels of diabetes, heart disease and stroke among over 65s.

7 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of all recipients of funding from the Investing in Communities Fund in the current year, also broken down by amount.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government launched the new £11.5m per year Investing in Communities Fund in 2019/20. All applicants were notified of the outcome of the fund on 1 November 2019, following which the Empowering Communities Programme webpage on the Scottish Governm…

6 Nov 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the delivery of mental health services delivered by third sector organisations.

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when successful applicants to the Investing in Communities Fund will be informed, in light of the extended deadline of 31 October having now passed.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government launched the new £11.5m per year Investing in Communities Fund in 2019/20. The fund was highly competitive attracting over 750 applications resulting in the short extension to the anticipated date for notifying the results. All applic…

31 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what improvement work is planned for the A77, and what the (a) cost and (b) timeline is for this.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is investing £29 million in the A77 Maybole Bypass. The contract was awarded to Wills Bros Civil Engineering Limited on 12 April 2019 and the 5km bypass is expected to be completed in summer 2021. In the current financial year, the Sc…

30 Oct 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address issues regarding pollution management at the Tarbolton landfill site.

28 Oct 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to encourage the uptake of school meals, especially among children eligible for free school meals.

7 Oct 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to address the reported staffing shortfalls in psychiatric services, particularly those for children.

30 Sep 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to tackle inequality between men and women in the diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks.

16 Sep 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to tackle stigma surrounding HIV.

11 Sep 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that schools and teachers understand and accommodate the needs of young carers.

28 Aug 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to include third sector organisations in its plans to tackle the rise in drug and alcohol related deaths.

19 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23920 by Jeane Freeman on 9 July 2019, what its response is to the findings of the recent study, Early Cancer detection Test – Lung cancer Scotland, regarding screening for high-risk individuals.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Scottish Government officials met recently with the lead investigator of this study who presented some early findings in confidence. However, the results of the study have yet to be published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Once the full results h…