Brian Whittle

26 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23652 by Joe Fitzpatrick on 14 June 2019, in light of there being no available national database that can be used to support quality improvement in Fracture Liaison Services, whether it supports the development of one as a priority.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Fracture Liaison Service Database (FLS-DB) is a clinically led web based national audit of secondary prevention in England and Wales and forms part of their wider work programme - the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme (FFFAP). As this has been …

24 Jun 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that parents have access to clear and accurate information about childhood vaccination programmes.

20 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to increasing public awareness of the early symptoms of Lyme disease.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Increasing public awareness of the symptoms of Lyme disease is an ongoing priority for the Lyme Borreliosis Group which is part of the Scottish Health Protection Network. The group has produced a number of educational resources for the public which can be acc…

19 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the most recent Detect Cancer Early Programme Staging Data, which was published on 31 July 2018, what measures it is taking to improve early stage lung cancer diagnosis in the most deprived areas.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our commitment to early detection is reflected in our £42 million Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme that aims to increase the proportion of breast, bowel and lung cancers diagnosed early in Scotland. The Programme also aims to reduce the inequality gap as t…

19 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to engage and support people in the most deprived communities in relation to smoking cessation.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Reducing the use of and harm caused by tobacco products is one of Scotland’s public health priorities. Given that smoking is more prevalent in our most deprived communities, we have set specific smoking cessation targets for our cessation services which are f…

19 Jun 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the value of the third sector is to the economy.

17 Jun 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

10 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many square metres of road have been resurfaced on the (a) A9 between Stirling and Perth and (b) A77 between Ayr and Stranraer in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: From the available data recorded since the beginning of the current contract which commenced on 1 April 2013, the total area of resurfacing on the A77 between Fenwick and Stranraer is 433,476 sqm, and the A9 between Stirling and Perth is 216,935 sqm. This inf…

10 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on road resurfacing work on the (a) A9 between Stirling and Perth and (b) A77 between Ayr and Stranraer in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: In the last 10 years the Scottish Government has invested over £23 million on resurfacing the A77 between Fenwick and Stranraer. Over that time, over £15 million was invested on resurfacing the A9 between Stirling and Perth. This information is stored on a fu…

7 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the A77 meets the acceptable standard set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) sets the national standards and guidance for the design of new capital road schemes and maintenance works on the trunk road network. The DMRB is kept under continual review and standards are regularly updated. Th…

7 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many compensation claims that have been made against (a) Transport Scotland and (b) ScotlandTranserv for damage incurred on the A77 in each of the last 10 years have been (i) approved and (ii) rejected.

Answer · Michael Matheson: a) This information is not held. Under Schedule 4 Part 4 of the contract between the Scottish Ministers and the trunk road Operating Companies, the Operating Companies indemnify Scottish Ministers against claims for damage. The contracts can be accessed at h…

6 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made towards a national database/audit for fracture liaison services in Scotland similar to the Fracture Liaison Service Database (FLS-DB) in England and Wales.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: There is no national database for fracture liaison services, however, all health boards have pathways and processes to allow patients to be referred for diagnostics and treatment where clinically appropriate.

5 Jun 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve safety on the A77.

3 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to develop a re-shoring programme within the (a) life sciences, (b) chemicals, (c) aerospace and (d) any other sector of the economy.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Scottish Enterprise is working closely with a range of businesses to explore the potential for reshoring projects in Scotland.   The life sciences industry has worked with SDI to develop an international sales prospectus, and SDI has worked closely with …

3 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in taking forward the proposals in its document, A Manufacturing Future for Scotland, published in 2016, and what the outcomes were of the re-shoring pilot projects detailed in the document.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: There has been significant progress made since the Manufacturing Action Plan – A Manufacturing Future for Scotland – was published in February 2016 including:The Scottish Government has committed £48 million towards the development of the National Manufacturi…

30 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22800 by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 May 2019, what opportunities for Scotland to contribute to the evidence base it is exploring with the UK screening committee, and whether this includes a population-based screening pilot.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government is currently exploring what opportunities exist for Scotland to contribute to the emerging evidence base. Officials have recently met with academics, the Chair of the UK National Screening Committee, and the Scottish Screening Committe…

28 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the practice of resetting waiting times for patients who are forced to defer treatment due to unavoidable personal or professional commitments.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Patient Rights (Treatment Time Guarantee)(Scotland) Regulations 2012 came into force on the 1st October 2012, confirming which patients were eligible for TTG and that treatment must start within 12 weeks. It expanded on which periods of time should not b…

21 May 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on finalising contracts with the DWP for continued delivery of some devolved benefits.

16 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the news of the forthcoming appointment of a special adviser on stroke to the Chief Medical Officer, whether this will lead to a review of how stroke services are delivered.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Chief Medical Officer is currently seeking to appoint a specialty adviser on stroke. Once an appointment has been made, decisions on the specific remit of that adviser will be taken by the Chief Medical Officer, in consultation with myself. The Chief Medi…

10 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21941 by Michael Matheson on 6 March 2019, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding the date that the South West Scotland Transport Study will be published.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Further to the answer to S5W-21941, Transport Scotland welcomes the high number of detailed responses to the engagement which has taken longer than anticipated to analyse, this process is nearing completion and the Draft Final report will be published as soon…

1 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport on 27 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 28), what progress has been made with the commitment to "establish an oversight group comprising families and representative organisations to undertake scrutiny from the service u…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is committed to increasing engagement with service users in maternity services and is looking at a variety of mechanisms to do this. Following the former Cabinet Secretary’s statement in June 2017 initial discussions took place concer…

1 May 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that environmental safety standards are met in landfill sites.

25 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the Manchester lung health check pilot programme, which uses CT screening to assist with the early identification of lung cancer and is being rolled out across NHS England, and what its position is on introducing a similar approach across 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. The UK NSC will review the evidence for lung cancer screening once the results…

25 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the National Screening Committee ahead of the publication of the full findings of the recent international study (the NELSON trial) into the impact of the use of CT screening to assist with the early identification of lung cancer.

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. The Scottish Government is represented on the UK NSC and is fully engaged in d…

24 Apr 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the impact on local authorities' autonomy of increases in ring-fenced funding.

6 Mar 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to prevent knife crime.

27 Feb 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that Scottish suppliers have access to public procurement contracts for food.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: We remain committed to getting more local produce served in our schools, hospitals and prisons and facilitate this through a range of measures such as the Supplier Accreditation Programme, Regional Showcasing, and the expansion of the Food For Life programme.…

22 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21273 by Michael Matheson on 19 February 2019, on what date the mandatory standstill commenced; how long it proceeded before a bidder raised queries; what its intended duration was, and for what reason the successful bidder was not named publicly at…

Answer · Michael Matheson: As confirmed in my answer to question S5W-21273 on 19 February 2019, on conclusion of the procurement competition for the contract to construct the A77 Maybole Bypass, bidders were informed of our intention to award the contract. This marked the commencement …

28 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the mandatory standstill period commenced in the award of the contract for construction of the Maybole bypass; what its duration was, and for what reason the successful bidder was not named publicly at the commencement of the standstill period, in light of it naming successf…

Answer · Michael Matheson: On conclusion of the procurement competition for the contract to construct the A77 Maybole Bypass, bidders were informed of our intention to award the contract. This marked the commencement of the mandatory standstill period. During this period all bidders h…

28 Jan 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to address the risk of young people being exposed to harmful content on social media.