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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: S5W-21993

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 March 2019

The number of cancer nurse specialists employed by NHScotland for years 2016 and 2017 is available on the ISD website: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2018-12-04/Clinical_Nurse_Specialists_S2018.xls

Health Boards are currently reviewing their Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) data, following data quality concerns raised by several Boards which resulted in this CNS data not being published in September 2018. The number of cancer nurse specialists employed by NHScotland for year 2018 is not centrally available.

Question reference: S5W-21997

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the average age is of an NHS (a) specialist, (b) GP, (c) nurse and (d) dentist.

ISD workforce holds information on the number of Hospital, Community and Public Health Services (HCHS) medical staff by specialty directly employed by NHS Scotland. Staff are not directly classified as “specialists” within the ISD workforce data, however we interpret this as staff who are working as HCHS medical consultants. As at 31 December 2018, the average age of HCHS medical consultants directly employed by NHS Scotland is 48 years and 1 month.

The average age of NHSScotland GPs as at 30 September 2018 is 44 years and 4 months. The analysis excludes GPs working only on a locum/sessional basis and the majority of those working only in Out of Hours services.

The average age of NHSScotland qualified nurses as at 31 December 2018 is 43 years and 3 months. Qualified nurses are nurses who are on Agenda for Change (AfC) Bands 5-9 excluding interns. Nursing staff working as and when required, e.g. bank and agency staff, are excluded.

The average age of NHSScotland dentists as at 30 September 2018 is 39 years and 9 months. This reflects the wider dental workforce across Scotland including those in the General Dental Service (GDS), Public Dental Service (PDS) as well as hospital dentists.

Further information on the statistics, including information on how the data are collected and notes to aid interpretation, is given in the 'FAQs' section of the Workforce Statistics website at http://www.isdscotland.org/workforce/ .

Question reference: S5W-21992

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are diagnosed with blood cancer, on average, each year in Scotland.

NHS National Services Scotland’s Information Services Division (ISD) supported by Scottish Government funding, collates this information.

Number of People Diagnosed with Blood Cancer each year in Scotland:

Year	Total
1992	603
1993	654
1994	650
1995	617
1996	696
1997	691
1998	671
1999	703
2000	691
2001	748
2002	719
2003	818
2004	752
2005	768
2006	725
2007	706
2008	725
2009	747
2010	695
2011	766
2012	671
2013	658
2014	661
2015	654
2016	589

Average

695

Further information is available at the following link: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Cancer-Statistics/Leukaemias/ .

Question reference: S5O-03012

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of a tourist tax on the tourism sector in Edinburgh and Lothian.

Question reference: S5W-21797

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment it has made of the proposed workplace parking levy policy.

Question reference: S5W-21961

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 13 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what most recent estimate it has made of how many smokers there are in each local authority area.

Question reference: S5W-21604

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 12 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates has been spent on preventative health in each year since 1999.

There is a large range of actions and activities delivered across a large number of organisations which contribute, directly and indirectly, to preventative health. As we noted in our response to the Health and Sports Committee's recent report on preventative action and public health, the Scottish Government does not seek to dictate a single concept of prevention and does not require accounts based on that. Our approach is across a significant number of strategies and policies which – from minimum unit pricing for alcohol to proposals to restrict the marketing and promotion of high fat, salt and sugar foods right through to the reporting of Integration Authorities – are clearly about maximising quality and sustainability in current care arrangements and preventing future harm. It is not, therefore, possible to estimate spend on preventative health.

Question reference: S5W-21597

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what the average number of patients per GP has been in each practice in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S5W-21801

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of its call for views on the review of the Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities, which concluded in September 2017.

The review included engagement with key stakeholders including the Patient Advice and Support Service, Scottish Human Rights Commission, Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance and Mental Welfare Commission, and with around 2,500 individuals and groups across Scotland through the Scottish Health Council’s area office network.

An analysis of responses highlighted that the Charter should be revised to include changes in legislation and the publication of new standards since its publication. The review also highlighted that the revised Charter should be effectively promoted so that people are better informed about their rights and responsibilities in relation to health care and health services. As a result the Ministers agreed that the Charter should be revised.

Scottish Government officials have subsequently consulted key stakeholders on the revision of the Charter and are now fact-checking the content and working with NHS Inform to prepare effective promotion of the Charter. Further engagement with external stakeholders and service users to seek their views on the revised document is planned in April and May.

Question reference: S5W-21798

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government which health and social care organisations it has met to discuss the proposed workplace parking levy.