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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: S3W-16584

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the diagnosis and treatment of depression among older people.

We are working with GPs so that new patients with depression receive a formal assessment using a standardised tool and matched therapy appropriate to the level of need.

The GP contract provides additional resources to practices to make objective assessments to assess the severity of depression and provide appropriate information on interventions including self help, life style advice and other evidence based interventions such as exercise. The pharmacy contract also enables some pharmacists to advise on mental health and wellbeing issues.

Our published standards for Integrated approaches to the treatment of depression will also inform all practitioners on expectations. We have also published a short summary sheet on the overall attention underway and planned on raising awareness and responding better on depression, including £3 million investment in new innovative approaches for service users.

Question reference: S3W-16583

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of older people treated for clinical depression make a full recovery.

It is difficult to estimate the numbers of those making a full recovery given the range of possible reasons for non presentation following initial contact and support.

The 2003-06 Scottish Government Doing Well by People with Depression initiative which is now carried forward in local areas did show improvement in some patients from presentation to discharge across all the pilot sites. The difficulty with definitive data extends here also however with some patients for example declining to continue contact with the initiative as they did not wish to recall or revisit that period of their depression.

The Scottish Government are investing £3 million in new innovative approaches, with a focus on self help, to better reach and support those with anxiety or depression. Attention also continues on reducing anti-depressant prescribing and offering alternatives to medication and on campaigns to encourage those in need of help to seek help.

Question reference: S3W-16581

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many older people are affected by clinical depression.

The total number of older people affected by clinical depression is not recorded centrally. It is generally acknowledged that a large proportion of people with depression remain with their condition unrecognised and untreated.

To address this the Scottish Government and local partners continue campaigns to end stigma and discrimination of mental ill health and to encourage those in need of help to seek help. We are also investing £3 million in new innovative approaches, with a focus on self help, to better reach and support those with anxiety or depression.

Estimates drawn from a sample of general practices in Scotland indicates that 23,000 patients over age 65 were recorded with depression by GPs or practice nurses in 2006-07. This figure of course does not capture those with depression who do not seek help from the support agencies.

Question reference: S3W-16582

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of older people affected by clinical depression seek treatment

The total number of older people affected by clinical depression is not recorded centrally.

Estimates drawn from a sample of general practices in Scotland indicates that 23,000 patients over age 65 consulted their GP or practice nurse in 2006-07 because of depression. This figure captures those in the range from mild, short-lived depression to severe, chronic depression.

Those presenting to and supported by specialist services in primary care and services out primary care are not included in this estimate.

The Scottish Government and local partners continue campaigns to end stigma and discrimination of mental ill health and to encourage those in need of help to seek help. We are also investing £3 million in new innovative approaches, with a focus on self help, to better reach and support those with anxiety or depression.

Question reference: S3O-04351

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 25 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors changes in the number of households threatened with homelessness through actions for repossession.

Question reference: S3W-13997

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 17 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how it defines full-time education for children of (a) primary and (b) secondary school age.

Question reference: S3W-13992

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 17 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has given to local authorities regarding the education of children temporarily withdrawn from state schools during a dispute over suitability of provision for the additional support needs of the child.

The Scottish Government has provided guidance within Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: attendance in Scottish schools which recognises that in some circumstances parents may condone absence due to difficulties in school. Guidance encourages early contact with parents through home-link workers or family support staff to build relationships and restore trust. Guidance also indicates that flexible arrangements to secure continued education should be a priority. Included, Engaged and Involved is available from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/12/05100056/0.

Supporting Children’s Learning, the code of practice for additional support for learning, provides clear guidance that parents should have access to free independent mediation services, and/or dispute resolution services, to resolve disagreements relating to provision for additional support needs.

Question reference: S3W-13991

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 17 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has given to local authorities regarding educating children temporarily excluded from state schools.

Question reference: S3W-13996

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 17 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive under what statute or guidance local authorities are required to provide full-time education to children of (a) primary and (b) secondary school age.

Whilst there is no specific statute or guidance which defines full time education, legislation does set out the parameters whereby education must be provided. Section 1(1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 sets out that every education authority has a duty to provide adequate and efficient school education for their area.

School age is defined in section 31 of the same act as a person who has attained the age of five years and has not attained the age of 16 years and the Schools General (Scotland) Regulations 1975 require local authority schools to be open for 190 days each school year.

The regulations do not define the precise length of the school day or week, which are matters left to the discretion of education authorities. A Scottish Executive Circular (No 4/2002) indicated that the widely accepted norm was a 25 hour week for primary schools and a 27.5 hours week for secondary schools.

Question reference: S3W-13994

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 17 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4713 by Peter Peacock on 15 December 2003, what the average length of time was before (a) temporarily and (b) permanently excluded pupils received any form of education in each year from 2003-04 to 2006-07.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government collects national statistics on exclusion from school which includes information on the type of alternative provision made. These statistics are available from:

2004-05:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/01/30144545/28.

2005-06:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/01/30100624/31.

2006-07:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/01/28122247.