Parliamentary questions
Alex Cole-Hamilton
2,700 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
11 Sep 2017 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce congestion on the approaches to the Queensferry Crossing.
8 Sep 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a presumption of termination in cases of expectant mothers receiving a positive result on the genetic abnormalities test.
Answer · Shona Robison: No. The screening programme aims to ensure that women and couples are provided with high quality information so they can make an informed choice about their screening options and pregnancy choices. In the event of a higher risk result the woman will be offere…
8 Sep 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to change the guidance given to (a) obstetricians and (b) midwives regarding advice given to expectant mothers who receive a positive result on the genetic abnormalities test on (i) their options and (ii) the support that is available.
Answer · Shona Robison: As part of implementation a Communications group will be established to develop high quality information for women and couples and training and resources for health care professionals. The materials produced by this group will be informed by users and will go…
8 Sep 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to add the cfDNA test to the foetal screening programme for expectant mothers.
Answer · Shona Robison: The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC), which advises Ministers and the NHS about all aspects of screening policy, has recommended that non invasive prenatal testing (or cfDNA) should be introduced as an additional test into the existing NHS Fetal Ano…
8 Sep 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance exists for (a) obstetricians and (b) midwives regarding advice given to expectant mothers who receive a positive result on the genetic abnormalities test.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme is an established programme that prospective parents can choose whether to participate in. The key objective of the programme is to enable women to make informed choices, at each step of the screening pathway. Professiona…
1 Sep 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10617 by Shona Robison on 1 September 2017, how many dental patients' registrations were placed in abeyance in each year since 2011.
Answer · Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of dental patients' registrations placed in abeyance, by each year since 2011: Year No. of registrations in abeyance 2011 52,468 2012 45,818 2013 40,060 2014 37,079 2015 39,156 2016 43,934 Source: ISD S…
29 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government who (a) was invited to and (b) attended the Biannual Stakeholder Forum on the Mental Health Strategy on 23 June 2017.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The delegate list from the first Bi-annual Forum on the Mental Health Strategy, which took place on 23 June 2017, has been published on the SG website at the following link: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Services/Mental-Health/Strategy/StrategyImplementat…
29 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress on the Mental Health Strategy was reported to the Biannual Stakeholder Forum on 23 June 2017.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Minister for Mental Health’s opening address to the first Bi-annual Forum on the Mental Health Strategy, which took place on 23 June 2017, contained updates on the progress of various actions in the Strategy. The speech has been published on the SG websit…
29 Aug 2017 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer to companies affected by the downturn in the North Sea oil and gas industry that are not based in the north east.
25 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25921 by Jamie Hepburn on 12 June 2015, whether it will provide data for (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.
Answer · Maureen Watt: This information has been collected by Information Services Division. The numbers of patients under 18 who were discharged from Scottish hospitals with a main diagnosis of eating disorders and eating disorder-related conditions (ICD-10 code F50) for the fina…
15 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the holding answer to question S5W-09972 by Paul Wheelhouse on 25 July 2017, when it will provide a full response, and for what reason it was unable to answer the question in full by the expected answer date.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: A response to S5W-09972 was issued on 30 August 2017. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.
9 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the need for pill testing at festivals and venues.
Answer · Shona Robison: At this time, there has been no assessment made of the need for pill testing at festivals and other venues. Police Scotland is currently monitoring developments relating to drug testing at music festivals in England and Wales and will be engaging in dialogue …
9 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Lord Advocate has received details regarding the proposed safer drug consumption facility and heroin assisted treatment service in Glasgow, including what legal and policy changes this would require and, if so, what his response was.
Answer · James Wolffe QC: The Lord Advocate has received correspondence from the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) in connection with proposals for a Safer Drugs Consumption Facility (SDCF). A written response to the correspondence will be provided in due course.
9 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the number of anti-depressant prescriptions issued in each of the last three years by each NHS board.
Answer · Maureen Watt: This information is available in Medicines for Mental Health, Years 2004-05 - 2015-16 data, published online by Information Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland at http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Prescribing-and-medicines/Publications/…
8 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it gathers on the number of domestic cats in Scotland, and what impact reported increases in this number will have on (a) pet cats and (b) the long-term future of the Scottish wildcat.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Free-ranging domestic cat numbers are being monitored in wildcat priority areas through survey work conducted by Scottish Wildcat Action. This survey work is too recent to establish whether there have been changes in the domestic cat populations in those area…
8 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report, Proposal for Additional Control Measures on Domestic Cat Ownership in Scotland as a Conservation Action to Protect the Scottish Wildcat, by Anna Meredith.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The report, Proposal for Additional Control Measures on Domestic Cat Ownership in Scotland as a Conservation Action to Protect the Scottish Wildcat, by Anna Meredith has not been submitted to the Scottish Government and thus no response to it has been formula…
7 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any differences between the figures for patients registered with an NHS dentist provided by Information Services Division Scotland and those provided by NHS boards.
Answer · Shona Robison: The official statistics on NHS dental registration and participation are published in January of each year by Information Services Division (ISD). The Scottish Government has been made aware of a discrepancy between the official statistics for the Western Is…
7 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether dental patients whose registrations have been placed in abeyance are included in Information Services Division Scotland statistics, and, if so, what impact would excluding them have on figures for the proportion of the population registered with an NHS dentist, broken down by NHS…
Answer · Shona Robison: Patients placed in abeyance are included in the official NHS dental registration and participation statistics published by Information Services Scotland (ISD). The following table shows the number (and percentage) of people registered with NHS General Dental…
7 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many dental patients’ registrations have been placed in abeyance, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: 2. Dentists have up to 3 months following the completion of treatment to submit claims. Some forms may be still to be admitted which may affect registration and attendance data. The effect across Scotland is marginal with around 44,000 patients out of a tota…
7 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of unmet demand for registration with an NHS dentist, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in an area rests with the NHS Board. There are now over 4.9 million people registered with a NHS dentist, a record figure and we have also seen an unprecedented increase in the numbers of d…
7 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what treatment is available to dental patients whose registration has been placed in abeyance.
Answer · Shona Robison: Patients whose registrations have been placed in abeyance can access either emergency and/or occasional treatment. Treatments available as occasional treatment include: assessment of, and giving of advice to, a patient; a radiological examination; the ext…
3 Aug 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will next publish figures on delayed discharges for mental health patients.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Information Services Division publish the Delayed Discharge in NHS Scotland census on a monthly basis (http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Health-and-Social-Community-Care/Publications/data-tables2017.asp?id=1968#1968), showing the total numbers of p…
27 Jul 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding whether the Inquiries Act 2005 prohibits the UK Government from establishing a statutory inquiry without the permission of the Scottish Ministers.
Answer · Shona Robison: As provided for in section 27 of the Inquiries Act 2005, Scottish Ministers expect to be consulted in relation to the Terms of Reference of any statutory inquiry if they are to include anything that will require the inquiry to determine any fact, or to make r…
27 Jul 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances all of the documents in the court book of the Penrose Inquiry into contaminated blood will be made available to the UK inquiry.
Answer · Shona Robison: National Records of Scotland (NRS) holds the record of the Penrose Inquiry. The record was transferred to NRS at the end of the Inquiry, as required under Section 16(3) of The Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007. The Penrose Inquiry record includes all documents…
24 Jul 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last published a strategy to tackle eating disorders, and what plans it has to publish a new one.
Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government actions to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Scotland’s population have been set out in previous mental health strategies, and most recently in the Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027. Delivery of these strategies will have impacted …
24 Jul 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish further information regarding the incidence of eating disorders.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Neither the Scottish Government nor ISD Scotland currently records or publishes any routine information regarding the incidence of eating disorders in Scotland. ISD Scotland previously published estimates of the number of people in Scotland consulting their …
24 Jul 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the development of the Scottish Primary Care Information Resource (a) began and (b) will conclude.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The development of the Scottish Primary Care Information Resource (SPIRE) began in August 2014. The project has several major deliverables including the development of the SPIRE software, deploying the software to all practices in Scotland and training practi…
24 Jul 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason ISD Scotland only publishes data on people with eating disorders up until 2012.
Answer · Maureen Watt: ISD Scotland previously published estimates of the number of people in Scotland consulting their GP or practice nurse, where an eating disorder was recorded as one of the reasons for the consultation. ISD Scotland collected information about GP consultations…
24 Jul 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been recorded as having an eating disorder in each year since 2011-12, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender, and how many consultations they have been given.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Data on the exact number of people recorded as having an eating disorder each year since 2011–12 are not held centrally within ISD Scotland. ISD Scotland holds historic estimates of the number of people in Scotland consulting their GP or practice nurse, wher…
24 Jul 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it collects regarding the incidence of eating disorders.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Neither the Scottish Government nor ISD Scotland currently collects data regarding the incidence of eating disorders.