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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4O-00255

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Exectuive what progress has been made in treating familial hypercholesterolaemia since the publication of the Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan in 2009.

Question reference: S4W-00179

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 25 May 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on preparations to enable use of the power to vary the Scottish variable rate.

Further to the information I provided to Parliament in the answer to question S3W-40295 on 7 March 2011 I am able to report on the latest developments.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Scottish Government officials agreed the scope of and timescales for a Viability Study into the work required to return the computer systems which operate the Scottish variable rate (SVR) to a state of readiness such that any decision by the Scottish Parliament to vary the rate could be implemented by HMRC within an agreed period. The Scottish Government has agreed to meet the cost of this Viability Study, which is estimated at £135,000. A report is expected before the end of June.

Officials have also discussed with their HMRC counterparts the timescale for subsequent decisions on using the SVR. The outcome of these discussions is that HMRC require us to decide before the end of September 2011 whether to invoke use of the SVR in tax year 2013-14.

I intend to make the Study report available to the Parliament through the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52934) once it is available.

The Scottish Government has a Manifesto commitment that the Scottish variable rate power will not be used in the term of this Parliament.

Question reference: S3W-40510

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are participating in clinical trials, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S3W-40515

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the progress reports of NHS boards that were requested by ministers as part of the process of implementing the CEL 17 (2010) guidance on the introduction of new medicines into NHSScotland.

NHS boards were asked to align their local policies to the framework set out in CEL 17 (2010) by 1 April 2011.

Progress in this area was reported to the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee via the response to the committee dated 13 February 2011 and can be viewed via the attached link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/petitions/petitionsubmissions/sub-07/subIndexForPE1108.htm.

Question reference: S3W-40512

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been enrolled in clinical trials in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S3W-40513

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is monitoring progress towards the implementation of the CEL 17 (2010) guidance on the introduction of new medicines into NHSScotland.

NHS boards were asked to align their local policies to the framework set out in CEL 17 (2010) by 1 April 2011.

Progress in this area was reported to the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee via the response to the committee dated 13 February 2011 and can be viewed via the attached link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/petitions/petitionsubmissions/sub-07/subIndexForPE1108.htm.

Question reference: S3W-40511

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of eligible patients is participating in clinical trials, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S3W-40514

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made toward the CEL 17 (2010) guidance on the introduction of new medicines into NHSScotland, broken down by NHS board.

NHS boards were asked to align their local policies to the framework set out in CEL 17 (2010) by 1 April 2011. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of allowing NHS boards time to fully develop their policies and put them in place before asking them to demonstrate their effectiveness.

Progress in this area was reported to the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee via the response to the committee dated 13 February 2011 and can be viewed via the attached link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/petitions/petitionsubmissions/sub-07/subIndexForPE1108.htm.

Question reference: S3W-39615

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 February 2011
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 14 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many business properties currently receive support from the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

Question reference: S3W-40295

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executivewhat its position is on preparations to enable the Parliament to invoke the power to use the Scottish variable rate.

In considering this important issue I have sought and received information from David Gauke MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Minister responsible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), about likely costs and timescales associated with updating HMRC''s systems to enable them to support a decision to exercise the Parliament''s power to vary the Scottish variable rate (SVR). Mr Gauke has advised that HMRC is not able to prepare the systems required to enable powers to vary the SVR to be exercised with effect from 2012-13, but that it would be possible to prepare systems for use from 2013-14 if initial work is commenced now. The preliminary estimate of the cost of preparing SVR systems is £7 million. A copy of the letter providing this information was sent to the Finance Committee and to leaders of each of the opposition parties.

I have also sought and considered carefully the views of parliamentary party leaders on these issues, in the light of information provided by Mr Gauke. I have in addition considered the report of the Finance Committee on the SVR, published on 25 February. The Finance Committee in its report asked that I update Parliament on SVR issues, and I am pleased to have this opportunity to do so.

As indicated, the Exchequer Secretary has advised that preparatory work needs to start right away to ensure that systems are ready for use with effect from 2013-14. The first step is to undertake a Viability Study, expected to cost around £135,000. This needs to begin no later than April, and a report would be expected within 2 months. The key outcomes would be greater certainty about the costs and timescales associated with making the necessary systems changes, and a programme for doing so. Mr Gauke has confirmed that if a decision on whether to commission the Viability Study was held over until after the Scottish elections on 5 May, HMRC would be unable to provide certainty that the systems could be ready for use with effect from 2013-14.

In the light of this information, and after consulting other party leaders, I have asked HMRC to undertake a Viability Study. I have accepted that the costs of this study will fall on the Scottish Government. The study report will enable the Scottish Administration returned after the election to reach a decision, in the light of better estimates of costs, on whether to commission HMRC to undertake the substantive work required to prepare SVR systems for use. It would be consistent with the report of the Finance Committee for the administration then in power to consult the Parliament before reaching a decision on whether to commission this further work.

The position of this administration is clear. We do not intend to ask the Parliament to agree that the Scottish Government should exercise the power to vary the SVR, nor do we intend to exercise it. We do not agree that any costs incurred in returning HMRC''s systems to a condition that would support exercise of the power to use the SVR should fall on the Scottish Government. And we note that the UK Government intends in the Scotland Bill to scrap the SVR power with effect from 2015-16, replacing it with a Scottish Rate of Income Tax. We have made clear that we regard these proposals as flawed, not least because the UK Government expects the costs of making the required changes to HMRC systems “ estimated at £45 million “ to fall on Scotland.

Finally, we note that when this administration was elected by the people of Scotland in 2007, HMRC''s SVR systems were not in a state of readiness. They would have required substantial investment to restore them to such a state, and this work would not have been able to deliver reliable operation of the systems until 2009-10. This Administration therefore inherited the same position in May 2007 as the next Scottish Administration will take on after May 2011.

I have arranged for a copy of my letter to the Finance Committee in response to their report on the SVR to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52549).